Swallow With Caution

Most of us take swallowing for granted – but it’s actually a complicated maneuver...

We swallow about 600 times a day – and usually don’t give it much thought. But when something goes down the wrong way – we sure take notice. Swallowing is actually pretty complex – and requires coordination between the mouth, tongue, neck and throat. Certain medications or conditions, and age, can weaken our swallowing skills. The trickiest types of food to swallow are mixed-consistencies. Cereal with milk requires two types of swallowing simultaneously. The same goes for fruit with skin.

If you’re the type that experiences an occasional hacking fit when beverages go down the wrong way – lower your chin to your chest a bit when swallowing. Thin liquids require rapid swallowing and can catch our muscles off guard.

Source: Joel Herskowitz, author of “Swallow Safely”