Talking Sometimes Makes Me Choke

Although I know it’s kind of rude,

I like to talk and chew my food.

But if I talk too much, I’ve found,

I start to choke; food won’t go down.

So, Dr. Jo, why is it true

that I can’t talk and swallow, too?

At other times, it seems as though

my food just knows which way to go.

As you now know, your throat’s a place

where air and food pass through one space.

And each must be directed to

one of two tubes as it moves through.

The trachea is where air goes

as down into the lungs it flows;

while the esophageal tube

is where we swallow chewed-up food.

To help direct where chewed food goes,

a swallow makes the trachea close.

It does this when a special flap,

the epiglottis, forms a cap.

But if you talk and eat, air might

prevent that flap from closing tight.

And then a bit of food can take

the tracheal pathway by mistake.

A cough or two might be enough

to bring that bit of food back up.

But why take chances? It’s no joke.

Don’t talk and eat, and you won’t choke.