Dear Students,
T’is the season(Spring and Fall) for these types of ailments so here’s some info on it if you are suffering from this:
Ali’s Recommendations:
- Total and complete vocal rest and get lots of sleep
- Don’t clear your throat audibly, it bangs the cords together and causes more swelling and inflammation.
- Use a humidifier, steamer or take hot showers
- Gargle and use Neti cup with half sea salt and half baking soda
- Take Manuka Honey (health food store)
- Drink more water and throat tea, no caffeine or dairy or wheat.
- As the voice returns come in for a lesson to get the chords phonating properly again.
I’ve included some traditional and alternative perspectives, so you can be well informed:
TRADITIONAL DIAGNOSIS AND CURES: NOTES:
Laryngitis often makes you feel the need to constantly clear your throat. Other signs and symptoms may include:
- Hoarseness
- Weak voice
- Tickling sensation and rawness of your throat
- Sore throat
- Dry throat
- Dry cough
Causes:
Usually a viral infection causes acute laryngitis. A bacterial infection such as diphtheria also may be the cause, but this is rare. Acute laryngitis may also occur during the course of or after another illness, such as a cold, flu or pneumonia.
Common causes of chronic laryngitis include constant irritation from excessive alcohol, heavy smoking or reflux of stomach acid into the esophagus and throat, a condition called gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD).
In adults, other causes of chronic hoarseness may include:
- Sores (contact ulcers) on the vocal cords
- Growths (polyps or nodules) on the vocal cords
- Loosening of vocal cords due to aging
- Vocal cord paralysis, which can result from injury, stroke or a lung tumor
The following factors place you at greater risk of developing laryngitis:
- Having a respiratory infection, such as a cold, influenza, bronchitis or sinusitis
- Exposure to irritating substances, such as cigarette smoke, excessive alcohol, stomach acid or workplace chemicals
- Overusing your voice, by speaking too much, speaking too loudly, shouting or singing
When to seek medical advice
Laryngitis is usually a temporary problem that either improves by itself or clears after treatment. You can manage most acute cases of laryngitis with self-care steps, such as resting your voice, drinking plenty of fluids and sucking on lozenges. If hoarseness lasts for more than two weeks in an adult or more than one week in a child, see your doctor.
If your child develops laryngitis and has a high fever, won’t eat or drink, is drooling excessively, or has trouble breathing, see your doctor right away. Children younger than age 4 who have laryngitis may have croup — inflammation of the larynx and the airway just beneath it. Croup causes a loud barking cough and typically a hoarse voice.
Prevention
To prevent dryness or irritation to your vocal cords:
- Don’t smoke, and avoid secondhand smoke. Smoke dries your throat and irritates your vocal cords.
- Drink plenty of water. Fluids help keep the mucus in your throat thin and easy to clear.
- Limit alcohol and caffeine to prevent a dry throat. If you have laryngitis, avoid both substances.
- Avoid clearing your throat. This does more harm than good, because it causes an abnormal vibration of your vocal cords and can increase swelling. Clearing your throat also causes your throat to secrete more mucus and feel more irritated, making you want to clear your throat again.
Self-care
The following self-care steps may relieve the symptoms of laryngitis and reduce strain on your voice:
- Moisten your throat. Try sucking on lozenges, gargling with salt water or chewing a piece of gum.
- Use a humidifier. Keep the air throughout your home moist.
- Avoid talking or singing too loudly or for too long. If you need to speak before large groups, try to use a microphone or megaphone.
- Give your voice a break. Rest your voice when possible.
- Seek voice training. Consider this if you’re a singer or if your voice quality is important.
- Avoid whispering. This puts even more strain on your voice than does normal speech.
NATUROPATHIC DESCRIPTION, DIAGNOSIS AND CURES: NOTES:
Prevention
Prevention of laryngitis is the same as for any upper respiratory infections. The only way to even attempt to prevent such illnesses is by good handwashing, and by avoiding situations where one might come in contact with people who might be sick. However, even with relatively good hygiene practices, most people will get about five to six colds per year. It is unpredictable which of these may lead to laryngitis.
Diet
All irritating food stuffs like pickles and spices, should be avoided. Cold water, curd, smoking, and alcohol are also to be avoided for better results.
Description
When air is breathed in (inspired), it passes through the nose and the nasopharynx or through the mouth and the oropharynx. These are both connected to the larynx, a tube made of cartilage. The vocal cords, responsible for setting up the vibrations necessary for speech, are located within the larynx. The air continues down the larynx to the trachea. The trachea then splits into two branches, the left and right bronchi (bronchial tubes). These bronchi branch into smaller air tubes which run within the lungs, leading to the small air sacs of the lungs (alveoli).
Either food, liquid, or air may be taken in through the mouth. While air goes into the larynx and the respiratory system, food and liquid are directed into the tube leading to the stomach, the esophagus. Because food or liquid in the bronchial tubes or lungs could cause a blockage or lead to an infection, the airway must be protected. The epiglottis is a leaf-like piece of cartilage extending upwards from the larynx. The epiglottis can close down over the larynx when someone is eating or drinking, preventing these substances from entering the airway.
In laryngitis, the tissues below the level of the epiglottis are swollen and inflamed. This causes swelling around the area of the vocal cords, so that they cannot vibrate normally. A hoarse sound to the voice is very characteristic of laryngitis. Laryngitis is a very common problem, and often occurs during the course of an upper respiratory tract infection (cold).
Symptoms/Causes
Symptoms of laryngitis include hoarseness, loss of voice, constant need or urge to clear the throat, and/or a tickling sensation at the back of the throat. In some cases, laryngitis can also be accompanied by pain, fatigue, difficulty swallowing, and fever.
Other causes of laryngitis include allergies and trauma.
There are two types of laryngitis – acute and chronic:
- Acute laryngitis refers to hoarseness or loss of voice that appears suddenly after a night of singing and shouting, or being exposed to a lot of cigarette smoke. This condition usually improves when you avoid whatever has been irritating the throat (like cigarettes) and and when you rest your voice. The common cold and influenza (the flu) are common causes of acute laryngitis, but it can also be a symptom of bronchitis, pneumonia, and measles. Hoarseness may also be part of an allergic reaction.
- Chronic laryngitis lasts longer than a week, and comes back over time. This condition can involve permanent changes in the lining of the throat. These changes could be due to repeated attacks of acute laryngitis like those sometimes experienced by professional singers, or happen because of repeated exposure to smoke, dust, dryness, or other irritants. Chronic laryngitis can also be caused by allergies and post-nasal drip or gastroesophageal reflux disorder (when harsh stomach acids rise up into the esophagus and cause burning). Rarer causes of chronic laryngitis include cancer of the throat, non-cancerous tumours on the vocal cords, and non-cancerous wart-like lesions called papillomas that grow in the throat.
Laryngitis can be caused by viral, yeast (candidiasis), and/or bacterial infections; excessive use of the voice; screaming; rage; allergies; inhalation of irritating substances; or because of illnesses such as flu, bronchitis, measles, diphtheria, and pneumonia. All of these underlying factors must be screened for an addressed to fully resolve laryngitis.
Cures
See your ear, nose,thoat doctor when…
- Your voice disappears all of a sudden, for no apparent reason.
- You lose your voice after a head or neck injury.
- You experience hoarseness for more than two weeks.
Food Therapy
“Put some lemon juice [or apple cider vinegar] and honey in a tablespoon with a pinch of laryngitis. There are no hard-and-fast rules about frequency: “Just as often as you deem necessary,” suggests Dr. Haas.
Homeopathy
If you suddenly develop Belladonna every two hours, says Chris Meletis, N.D., a naturopathic physician and medicinary director at the National College of Naturopathic Medicine in Portland, Oregon. If your condition persists for more than two days, or if you notice white spots on the back of your throat, see your medical doctor or homeopath.
laryngitis, suggests Charles Thomas, Ph.D., co-author of Hydrotherapy: Simple Treatments for Common Ailments and a physical therapist at Desert Springs Therapy Center in Desert Hot Springs, California. To make a compress, you’ll need a piece of old sheet that’s long and wide enough to wrap around your throat and a same-size piece of wool flannel. Wring out the sheet in cold water and wrap it once around your throat; cover it with the dry flannel and secure it with a safety pin. As your body heat warms and dries the compress, circulation will increase.
Another site has a remedy for the Throat Wrap
- 2 drops lavender oil
- 2 drops bergamot oil
- 1 drop tea tree oil
- 2 cups hot water
Mix the water with the essential oils. While still warm, soak a soft cloth, preferably flannel, in the water and wring it out. Wrap it around the neck. Cover with a towel (thin enough to be comfortable) to hold in the heat. Remove before it becomes cold. Use throughout the day as often as you wish.
Dr. Thomas suggests repeating the steam inhalation for five to ten minutes of every hour over the course of a day. By evening, he says, you should feel better. Change the compresses every six to eight hours, keeping the rest of your body warm with sweaters or blankets, until you’re healed, he adds.
Reflexology
Pay special attention to the throat, chest, lung, diaphragm and lymphatic system reflex points on both of your feet, says St. Petersburg, Florida, reflexologist Dwight Byers, author of Better Health with Foot Reflexology. He also suggests thoroughly working all of the points on the sides and bottoms of your toes, using whichever technique you find most comfortable.
To help you locate these points, consult the foot reflex chart on page 592. For instructions on how to work the points, see “Your Reflexology Session” on page 110.
Vitamin and Mineral Therapy
“People with zinc lozenges and taking up to 5,000 international units of vitamin C each day,” says Elson Haas, M.D., director of the Preventive Medical Center of Marin in San Rafael, California, and author of Staying Healthy with Nutrition. He advises continuing these levels of supplementation until your symptoms clear up and never exceeding 100 milligrams
Prognosis
Prognosis for laryngitis is excellent. Recovery is complete, and usually occurs within a week’s time.