Do people here have more "mixing tubes" episodes - food getting into the windpipe?

[Lefta Dissenter]

4. It CAN BE part of aging

My dad’s doctor was talking about this just today. She said it takes 38 muscles all cooperating to swallow properly. As you begin to swallow, the glottis is supposed to protect your airway. As we age, the glottis’ reaction time can slow down. Therefore, she recommends tucking the chin down when swallowing, which makes food/liquid take a bit longer to get as far as the glottis, giving it more time to close over and do its job.

Please don’t take this as an anatomy lesson, since I can’t swear by my correct recollection of the details, but you could try tucking your chin down, to see if that helps.

Consider going to a swallow clinic, if you can. They can watch what is going on when you swallow and make recommendations.