Many people have no trouble taking pills, but for some it’s unpleasant, difficult or even scary.

There is a simple, easy way to take a pill.  It does not require twelve steps, gummi bears, fluid dynamics or trajectory equations.  Nobody taught me this method — and in fact I’ve used it to teach a nurse friend, who was somehow quizzically frightened of taking pills, how to take her own.  My father, who takes several big supplements, has also commented on the efficacy of this simple trick.

The critical and often overlooked first step is to take a drink.  This lubricates your throat and will prevent the main possible problem:  a pill getting stuck in your throat.  Second, put the pill or pills in your mouth and drink up a mouthful of water, but before swallowing, let the pills float or swish around in the liquid for just a second to lubricate the pills.  Then, just swallow the gulp of liquid as if there were no pills in it.  It’s as easy as taking a drink of water.

This method allows me to take several pills at once if I choose, whether they are small or large, hard or soft.  The hard part is deciding which pills are a good idea to take in the first place.