When Pasquale Palumbo was prescribed medication for high blood pressure, the irony did not escape him: The thought of swallowing four pills each morning made his anxiety soar.
“I kept gagging and clenching my teeth to bring them down,” says the 43-year-old insurance professional from Mount Pleasant, NY, who has hated taking pills since he was a child.
He suffered from the problem until a month ago when his youngest daughter Mia, 6, fell with a nasty stomach bug. She, in turn, had trouble swallowing her antibiotics.
So the father of two asked for help from Wendy Tedesco, 42, a former medical assistant turned certified professional coach and hypnotist, who offers the unusual service of pill ingestion lessons in her small office in Pleasantville, NY, furnished with a sofa and table.
“I thought to myself, ‘If I ask my kid to do this, I have to be a good example,’” says Palumbo.
The problem is more common than people realize. A 2015 study in the journal Pediatrics found that over 50 percent of children were unable to swallow a standard-size pill or capsule.
During this time, a 2013 study of adults in the European Journal of Clinical Pharmacology found that over 30 percent had difficulty swallowing pills. And disturbing data shows that nearly 10 percent have stopped taking the drugs because of their fear.
“It’s a huge deal for some people,” Tedesco told the Post. “Pills can be a mental barrier. “
She developed her technique around 10 years ago after struggling to take bitter-tasting drugs on her own. The pill settled on her tongue, partially dissolved, and she gagged.
“It was then that I realized that after placing the pill on your tongue for the first time, you have to hit your mouth with a lot of liquid so that the pill floats and does not stick”, explains Tedesco.
The next step is to throw your head back like a pelican eating a fish.
“You then loosen your esophagus with a back and forth motion from side to side.” [of the neck] – much like stretching your muscles before you exercise – and take a big sip. “
The “squirming” part is particularly popular with children as it helps break the ice when Tedesco demonstrates it. “They can pretend they’re an animal to make it a game,” she says.
Candidates begin the Tedesco training process using candy, such as tiny Nerds, before moving on to mini M & Ms, full size M & Ms, and then Tic Tacs.
The final test of their determination is to take the drug itself.
“Most of the time we take the real pill, but it can take a while to get to this point,” says Tedesco, who charges $ 160 per session (in some cases they can last up to two hours ) and sees an average of three patients with the problem each month.
She also teaches patients deep breathing techniques and gives them positive reinforcement throughout.
“As long as you at least try, that’s half the battle,” says Tedesco, who mainly relies on word of mouth for referrals.
During their class, the Palumbos took turns swallowing the different sizes of candy until, after about an hour, Mia and Pasquale felt confident enough to swallow their respective meds.
“We applauded and applauded once we did,” says Palumbo. “It sounded like a big achievement. Now we swallow pills like champions.
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