Leanne Goldberg - "Can’t Swallow a Pill? There’s Help for That"
Most children start swallowing pills around age 10 and 20 percent to 40 percent are unable to swallow a standard-size pill or capsule, according to a recent study in the journal Pediatrics. Many never outgrow the problem. Harris Interactive reported that 40 percent of American adults have difficulty swallowing pills, even though most have no problems with food or liquids. “Each person that has difficulty has different reasons,” said Leanne Goldberg, a speech and language pathologist at The Mount Sinai Hospital in New York who specializes in treating swallowing and voice disorders “Sometimes, it’s a very sick patient that has to take a lot of medication and it’s how they manifest their emotions. Another might have a fear or anxiety of choking. And yet another might have a hypersensitive gag reflex.” Learn more