How To Swallow a Pill

As I was reading this 'how-to' I realized I was doing it all completely wrong! No one ever ever taught me how to swallow a pill. But this 'how-to' was sooooo helpful. And now I know how to do it correctly. Here are some of the tips on how to best swallow pills...

Sit down with a glass of water and relax. But it doesn't say how long you should sit there. It says you can try some calming music or even meditation. Hmmm.

Numb your throat by spraying or gargling a topical anesthetic. WOW, isn't that kinda extreme?

Salivate. Ok, I don't know about any of you, but I have a hard time salivating on cue. (No, I am not part dog.) Maybe if I sit and relax and meditate long enough, I could salivate. The article suggests 'rubbing your tongue quickly side to side between the frontal lower lip and your teeth.' I tried this and couldn't get the hang of it. Where am I supposed to quickly move my tongue?? Maybe I should do this in conjunction with the second-to-last tip below - follow up with food.

Take a deep breath. Do I do this before or after I put the pill in my mouth? If I do it after I put the pill in my mouth, wouldn't I suck it down my windpipe? That couldn't be good, could it?

Put your chin to your chest. Ok, this I truly did not know. And was doing it completely wrong! I was lifting my chin up and throwing my head back. Wow, all these years and I haven't sucked any pills down my windpipe. Knock on wood. Not that I believe in knocking on wood.

Follow up with food. This is my favorite tip. How about a steak, some corn on the cob and a nice crisp green salad. And follow that up with some of Becks' specialty - apple and cranberry pie - mmmmmhh, my favorite dessert! Question though - if I had numbed my throat with topical anesthetic, would I still enjoy the food as much? I think not! And do I need to keep my chin to my chest while eating too?

And lastly, repeat until you feel comfortable. I'll go for that. Especially the part about following up with food. Or could I just skip all the other tips and just do this one?

Hope you learned something from this 'how-to' - I sure did! The full article is here.