The Trachea
Your trachea is the tube that connects your mouth and nose to your lungs. You can also call it the windpipe. It is in the front of your neck, and is very hard with tough rings around it. Feel the front of your neck. Can you feel your trachea?
Only air goes into your trachea. Food and drinks go down a different tube called the esophagus. The esophagus is behind your trachea, and you can't feel it from the outside of your neck. You have a special flap of skin that covers the trachea when you're eating or drinking. This little flap makes sure none of your food gets into your lungs. That's why you can't swallow and breathe at the same time! Sometimes the flap doesn't cover the trachea well enough, and stuff gets into your lungs. It's probably happened to you. You start coughing a lot because your lungs are trying to get the food out!
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