Many people argue “I can’t take pills”. Regardless of whether it is a medication or supplement, the opposition persists. Board certified Medical Doctor, Dr Jan McBarron overcomes these obstacles and offers advice for making all pills, easier to swallow.
A common complaint against pill taking is “it gets stuck in my throat”. Consider that the mouth and throat are mucous membranes. For something to slide down easily, first consider adding moisture by taking a drink of water to lubricate the pathway. Next, take a lesson from a dog. If you need to get a dog to take a pill, follow a few steps. First put the pill towards the back of the mouth closer to the throat and then hold the dogs head back, once he swallows, it goes down and he takes a drink. The problem is most people take a pill and keep their head straight and try gulping a lot of water causing the pill to lodge in the back of their throat. Simple anatomy dictates put your head back and gravity will take it to the stomach.
Often, people complain a pill is “too big” to swallow. This can easily be overcome by several ways. First most pills can be placed on a cutting board and cut in half with a butter knife. Next overcoming the psychological aspect of pill taking is important. Consider that most mouthfuls of food, especially a bolus of chewed meat is larger than any half-sized pill and can easily be swallowed. Ask yourself then why is it so hard to take a pill?
Sometimes the swallowing issue is easy to overcome by grinding it up and placing it into applesauce or pudding. However, in most instances just taking a pill and following it with enough water or favorite juice will work.
Another reason for noncompliance with pill taking is forgetting to take it or the inconvenience. Both can be overcome with one easy tip of planning. Taking a few minutes out each week to distribute your pills into each daily dose takes the guess work out. Utilizing a weekly pill case facilitates the entire process as seen in this two-minute video (click here) produced by Duke & The Doctor, Dr Jan McBarron and her husband Duke Liberatore.
Finally, some people state they lose track of time and just forget to take a pill. The directions do not fit their schedule. For example, it may say take with meals, or at bedtime or three times a day. As a result, they fail to take the pill at all. Dr. Jan McBarron has been answering this question the same way for over 30 years. Although it may sound like a joke, she is serious when she says “It doesn’t work in the bottle. Taking it at the wrong time is still better than not taking it at all”.
