Is a gag reflex needed to eat and swallow safely and prevent aspiration and how related is the gag to a cough?

Question

If I am eating and something starts "going down the wrong way" I begin to cough, not gag. Would I not cough if I had no gag reflex? Does the gag reflex trigger coughing or are they separate and unrelated? I am trying to understand a speech therapist's theory that if I have no gag reflex I need to remain on a feeding tube and cannot begin to eat orally.

Answer 1

You would check a person for a gag reflex for swallowing difficulties.  This will prevent Choking

As its name suggests, your gag reflex is one of your natural reflex actions. It's designed to protect you from accidentally swallowing small objects and is a natural way to stop you from choking.

You can test your own gag reflex by touching the soft palate at the back of your throat (for example, by sticking a finger or two down your throat). Unless you are one of the rare people who suffer from no gag reflex, this should produce a natural gag response.

As part of your body's natural defense systems, your gag reflex normally serves you well