A Scientific Study —

In keeping with Chad and Angie's study (of whether or not you can laugh while sucking IN air), I was able to detrmine the feasibility of taking a LARGE amount of pills at the same time. Since I have a cold, I took a large multi-vitamin, two Large Vitamin C's, three Lysine tablets and a hormone replacement therapy pill. A nurse told me a while ago that you can actually swallow MORE and larger things if you tip your chin DOWN rather than throwing your head BACK as you swallow. Hence, I popped ALL the pills into my mouth and took a large swig of (very) chocolate milk.

Interestingly enough, most of the pills went DOWN. However, I think it was one of the Vitamin C pills (or the large multi vitamin) decided NOT to go down the skinny way, but instead lodged sideways in my throat. From this point, it was a contest to see if I could swallow enough saliva to remove the side-ways tablet from my throat. "I'm coming UP" "No, you're going DOWN." "Nope, here I come!" The argument went on. I didn't know whether more chocolate milk would help, or just make me burst with a spray of chocolate all around the kitchen. And not wanting to waste the chocolate milk, I tried to just get the stoopid pill to go down by manufacturing more saliva. In the end, the saliva won out, and the offending pill dislodged and went DOWN. I envisioned my throat and wondered if you could see the outline of the pill sideways in my throat (much like the old cartoons which showed a chicken bone lodged sideways in the throat of the dog). But I couldn't get to the mirror fast enough.

Conclusions? It IS possible to take a whole hand-full of pills at the same time, tip your head DOWN, and with a minimum of chocolate milk, and even with resistance, right will prevail in the end, and everything goes down.