Re dry mouth

[Guest guest]

Hi - I've had three patients with this recently, all female. These

patients didn't come to see me with similar symptoms initially and their dry

mouths developed during the treatment - I couldn't put my finger on what was

going on to begin with and thought it strange that this had happened within a

short space of time. I decided to look at their Rxs to see whether I'd used

anything in common and the one herb that was in each Rx was Astragalus. I've not

trained as a Chinese Herbalist but I have a couple of chinese herbal medicine

books. I got the impression from the books that Astragalus can be drying (but

I'd welcome an explanation from a Chinese trained colleague on the list) - so I

removed the Astragalus and the dry mouths improved.

Some medications can cause dry mouth - don't know if your client is taking

anything that might contribute.

I would also consider a condition called " burning mouth syndrome " . I've treated

two or three people with this and it has often started with a dry mouth. There

are several factors that I've found may be relevant:-

peri-menopause/post menopause

recent dental treatment

anxiety and/or depression

thyroid dysfunction

vit and min status - especially essential fats, B vits, iron

acid reflux - may get acid " spray " from stomach that's worse at night.

general health of the digestive system

health of nerves ennervating mouth

sinus problems - leading to mouth breathing

various scents in the house/bedroom - paint, artificial room fragrances,

cleaning products etc

toothpastes and mouthwashes

I think there's a couple more things, but I haven't got my notes to hand on this

at the moment.

Hope this is helpful

Best wishes

Sue Salmon, Huddersfield