Q When should I have tests first for a lump in the throat?
A If food genuinely catches or swallowing hurts, if weight falls on its own, or if a voice change lasts two weeks or longer, testing comes first. The same applies with a palpable lump in the neck or blood-streaked phlegm. Korean medicine care is for those without these signs whose tests came back normal.
Detailed Answer
The following signs mean testing or specialist care comes before Korean medicine care.
- Food actually catches, or swallowing is painful
- Weight has fallen without you intending it
- Hoarseness or another voice change has lasted two weeks or more
- There is a lump you can feel in the neck
- Pain radiates to an ear, or phlegm is streaked with blood
- You have smoked and drunk for years and feel it on one side only
Korean Medicine Clinic Perspective
We check these items first at the clinic and refer you to ENT or gastroenterology when they apply. Beginning only after dangerous causes are excluded is the rule.
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