Archive for January 12, 2010

Laryngitis, the swelling of the vocal cords, has many causes: infection in the vocal tract, injury to the voice box, singing badly, screaming, or you may find yourself with a hoarse voice after a cold. And there are other, more rare and very serious reasons for long bouts of laryngitis – cancer is one of them.

But often I find that singers are their own worst enemies when it comes to the more common reasons for and recovery from laryngitis. Most of us know that eating and drinking alcohol late at night can create acid reflux (stomach acid moves up into the throat and irritates the vocal cords). The numerous ads on TV have drilled that information into our brains.

Unfortunately this was not the case and after around ten days my voice was still extremely hoarse. I had finished the course of penicillin, I had taken paracetamol and had been drinking plenty of fluids as the doctor had advised yet I was still unable to talk in my normal natural way. I did not want to panic, I did not want to over react but there was this nagging thought at the back of my mind that maybe something was seriously wrong with me – throat cancer perhaps. Now you may think that this was some what crazy but I am merely telling the truth – this was the way that my mind was starting to think.

Many people suffering from laryngitis also experience dry, scratchy throats. To moisten your throat, some of the classic remedies include chewing gum, gargling with salt water and sucking on lozenges. Zinc lozenges, in particular, are helpful, but do not exceed 100 milligrams per day. One popular natural remedy for laryngitis, which also soothes the throat, is honey and lemon. Mix equal amounts of honey and lemon juice, plus a pinch of cayenne pepper. Suck on about a tablespoon of this mixture several times a day, or as often as you deem necessary.

Symptoms

Laryngitis is when the larynx becomes inflamed. The voice becomes hoarse and there can possibly be a complete loss of voice because the vocal cords become irritated by the inflammation. Laryngitis can be acute; lasting less than three days or it can be chronic; lasting for more than three weeks.

There are a handful of symptoms for laryngitis:
* Having a dry, sore throat.
* Difficulty swallowing liquids or food.
* Constantly coughing; this ironically can cause laryngitis itself.
* Swelling of the larynx.
* Swollen lymph glands in the throat, face or chest.
* Having a cold or flu-like symptoms; this ironically can also cause laryngitis.
* Suffering from a fever.

The symptoms of laryngitis can vary depending on the severity and also the causes but usually begin with a cold. The main symptoms of larynritis are;

1. Fever
2. Hoarseness
3. Dry, sore throat
4. Sensation of swelling in the area of the larynx
5. Weak or absent voice.
6. Difficulty swallowing
7. Runny nose
8. tiredness
9. Coughing

Treatments

Virus infection is the most common kind to produced laryngitis & treatment with antibiotics may not cure. Resting the voice may help to ebb the inflammation of the vocal cords .A humidifier and warm showers may abate the scratchy experience that comes with laryngitis.Using extra fluids such as tea or a honey lemon drink, and inhaling steam relieve symptoms and help healing. In symptoms associated with laryngitis a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medication such as Ibuprofen and aspirin mitigate the fever.

It will be better to take cough drops to reduce the inflammation of the vocal cords. A tea of gingerroot can use to mollify swelling of the vocal chords and relieve disorders.There are a variety of different treatments for laryngitis. Some of them are breathing in moist air, resting your voice, drink plenty of fluids, treat the underlying cause of laryngitis and suck on lozenges. You can breath in moist air by sitting in the bathroom with the shower running on hot or putting hot water in a bowl and breathing in the steam. Drinking plenty of fluids helps to prevent dehydration, treating alcoholism or excessive smoking will help rid of laryngitis and sucking on lozenges makes the throat wetter and takes away the dryness and soreness.