I assume that the reader knows the difference between a pill and a capsule.
Capsules usually float because it is a powder encased in a cellulose shell
and there is a lot of air in there.
I had some large capsules that I needed to swallow,
they would get caught on a shelf in my throat,
and no amount of water would wash them down.
So I had to cough them up,
and by that time the outer capsule was dissolving,
so I had to either try again quickly or throw it away,
or try something else.
Traditional wisdom in taking pills or capsules is:
if it sinks in water then tilt your head back
so that the pill sinks down to your throat area;
and if the capsule floats then you tilt your head forward
so that the capsule floats up against your throat.
However, the capsule bobs around in the water and can turn sideways,
and large capsules need to line up with your throat
in order to go down properly; and because it moves around freely,
lining it up to slide down 'longways' becomes hit-or-miss.
With capsules, you can open them and put them in tea,
or mix them with applesauce or other food,
in order to get the contents down into your stomach.
However, the purpose of the pill or capsule is to get something
past your tongue to your stomach without tasting it.
Some medicines or supplements taste terrible,
or may burn your throat, in which case opening them
is out of the question.
I mentioned the large capsules getting caught on the 'shelf'
in my throat to a clerk at a pharmacy, and she said that
the same thing happens to her with small capsules.
Gedenken experiment:
Put a capsule in a cup and pour water on it, it floats.
Now put a capsule in a cup and pour applesause on it !
It stays on the bottom, at least short term,
depending upon the thickness of the applesauce;
after that the cellulose shell will dissolve.
So, take your capsule with applesauce instead of water !
It does not seem to matter which you put in your mouth first.
The capsule does not float or move around in your mouth,
and you can use your tongue to line it up perfectly;
and the applesauce really forces the capsule to move along with it.
Sometimes I can even use my tongue to push the capsule
partially down my throat before swallowing.
Follow that with a second spoon of applesauce or food and drink.
You can eat the 2nd spoonful of applesauce normally.
I use WhiteHouse All Natural Cinnamon applesauce.
I have included a photo to show the size of the spoon that I use,
with a quarter and penny included for scale; it is not a large spoon.
