We swallow once a minute while awake, and three times an hour while asleep.

“Your esophagus is tonically closed, so, it only opens when you swallow,” UT Health Science Center at San Antonio professor Dr. Giselle Carnaby said. “And as the muscular weakness in the upper end of the swallow starts, they start to squeeze less, push less, move less, and it becomes cyclical. That’s when you get what's called a diffuse atrophy."

Susan Craig has Parkinson's Disease, and manages muscle strength with boxing and stays active by traveling. But just like body muscles, weak oral muscles lead to real problems.

“We know that a good 40% of the general elderly population will experience some of these difficulties,” Carnaby said.

Susan is in Carnaby's rehab, swallowing more frequently, and mastering meds by putting pills in applesauce for easier consumption.

If you experience pain or difficulty swallowing, professor Carnaby advises you to consult a swallowing specialist, swallow more frequently to build strength, manage underlying conditions like acid reflux and COPD. 

Otherwise, "you become less mobile, you become more fragile, you're then more susceptible to diseases because you don't have a healthy immune system,” Carnaby said.

Other treatment techniques include neurostimulation, especially for stroke patients with dysphagia, who wage a daily struggle with eating.

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