Hard to swallow
Dysphagia: Navigating an invisible disorder
The Food Chain · BBC World Service
Audio is streamed directly from the publisher (open.live.bbc.co.uk) as published in their RSS feed. Play Podcasts does not host this file. Rights-holders can request removal through the copyright & takedown page.
Show Notes
Can you imagine what you would miss if you lost the ability to eat?
Swallowing is something most of us take for granted, but around 8% of the general population are believed to experience some difficulty swallowing – known as dysphagia.
In this programme, Ruth Alexander talks to one of the estimated hundreds of millions of people who have struggled with swallowing food and drink, and to those who are trying to make the condition better understood.
She speaks to California-based Sonia Blue, who lost the ability to swallow after having surgery; chef Niamh Condon, in Cork, Ireland; and Professor Bronwyn Hemsley, head of speech pathology at the University of Technology Sydney, Australia.
Always seek advice from a qualified health care professional with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.
If you would like to get in touch with the show, please email: [email protected]
(Picture: Pureed apple on a spoon. Credit: Getty Images/BBC)
Producer: Elisabeth Mahy