Experiencing hoarseness, sore throat, or a change in tone of voice? Most likely, you are experiencing vocal cord disorders. To recover, make sure you take time to give your voice a break, especially if your profession requires you to speak or sing at high frequencies. Before trying to take any medication, make sure you check with your doctor first to get an accurate diagnosis. In general, your doctor may ask you to rest your voice, hydrate your vocal cords, and improve your sleep patterns for mild to moderate cases. Meanwhile, for more severe cases, your doctor may ask you to do sound therapy, bulk injections, or even surgery.
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Method 1 of 4: Resting and Hydrating the Vocals
Step 1. Check with a doctor
Before taking natural remedies, make sure you check with your doctor for laryngitis or inflammation. An ENT specialist can provide an accurate diagnosis and prescribe medications that suit your condition.
- For mild cases, the doctor will likely only ask you to rest.
- For moderate to severe cases, your doctor may prescribe antibiotics or cough depressants in addition to asking you to give your voice a rest.
- For more severe cases, your doctor may recommend a surgical procedure to repair the tissue, especially if you find nodules on your vocal cords.
Step 2. Rest your voice
Although it really depends on the level of damage to the vocal cords, generally the voice needs to rest for one to five days. When resting your voice, try not to talk and avoid other activities that can strain your vocal cords, such as vigorous exercise and lifting weights. If you need to communicate something, try writing it down on paper.
- If you absolutely must speak, take at least 10 minutes of rest after speaking for 20 minutes.
- Don't replace speaking with a whisper. In fact, whispering is actually more risky to strain the vocal cords than speaking in a normal voice.
- Activities that can be done while resting your voice are reading, doing breathing exercises, sleeping, and watching movies or television.
Step 3. Drink enough water
Water can help lubricate the vocal cords and speed up the healing process. Therefore, always carry a drinking bottle filled with water that you can drink whenever your throat feels dry.
At the same time, avoid fluids that can slow down the vocal cord healing process, such as alcohol, caffeine, and sugary drinks
Step 4. Get as much sleep as possible
During sleep, the vocal cords have the opportunity to rest and recover. Therefore, make sure you always get at least seven hours of sleep every night, especially while the vocal cords are recovering.
Don't sleep too late even if you're taking a few days off from work, school, or college
Method 2 of 4: Gargle with Water, Honey and Herbs
Step 1. Heat 250 ml of water
Using the microwave or stove, heat 250 ml of water until it is warm, or about 32 to 37°C. Make sure the water temperature is neither too hot nor too cold so that the vocal cords are not further irritated afterwards.
For best results, use water that has been distilled or bottled
Step 2. Pour two tablespoons (30 ml) of honey into the water; stir until dissolved
At this point, you can also add three to five drops of the herbal extract recommended by your doctor.
Some herbs that are known to soothe and restore the condition of the throat and vocal cords are cayenne pepper, liquorice, marshmallow, propolis, sage, slippery elm, and turmeric
Step 3. Gargle for 20 seconds
Take a sip of the liquid, then tilt your head back. Then, flow the liquid down the back of the throat as much as possible without swallowing it. Slowly, blow air from the back of your throat to start gargling, and make sure you spit out the mouthwash afterwards.
- Gargle three times in each session, and repeat the process every two to three hours throughout the day.
- Gargle before bed, so the herbs and honey can soothe and restore the condition of your vocal cords while you sleep.
Method 3 of 4: Doing Steam Therapy
Step 1. Heat 1.5 liters of water
Pour water into a saucepan, place the pot on the stove and heat it over medium to high heat. After eight to ten minutes, or when the water begins to steam and evaporate, turn off the heat and transfer the pot to a table.
- The ideal water temperature for use in steam therapy is 65°C.
- If the water boils, it means it's too hot. Therefore, you need to let it sit for a minute or two before inhaling the vapors.
Step 2. Pour hot water into a bowl
Place the bowl on the table and pour hot water into it. If you wish, you can add five to eight drops of the herb into the water at this point.
Some examples of herbal extracts that you can use are chamomile, thyme, lemon, oregano, and cloves to maximize the therapeutic effect
Step 3. Wrap the head and shoulders with a towel
While sitting, hang your head over the bowl at a comfortable distance. Previously, wrap your head and shoulders with a towel to trap the steam escaping from the bowl.
This method is effective at trapping vapors so that you can inhale maximally when you breathe
Step 4. Breathe in the escaping steam
In fact, you need to breathe for eight to ten minutes to get effective results. Set an alarm for the appropriate time span, and don't talk for 30 minutes afterward to give your vocal cords a chance to rest and heal after the procedure.
Method 4 of 4: Treating Serious Trauma
Step 1. Make an appointment with a sound therapist
A voice therapist can help strengthen the condition of the vocal cords using a variety of exercises and activities. Although it depends on the degree of damage to the vocal cords, generally a voice therapist can help restore control of your breath when speaking, as well as improve control of the muscles around the damaged vocal cords to prevent abnormal tension, or to protect the airways when swallowing.
Step 2. Perform mass injections
Generally, the procedure must be performed by an ENT specialist, and involves injecting collagen, body fat, or other approved substances into the damaged vocal cords to increase their size. By doing so, the position of the vocal cords will be closer together so as to improve your speaking ability, while reducing the pain that occurs when coughing and swallowing.
Step 3. Perform the operating procedure
If voice therapy and/or mass injections do not improve the condition of your vocal cords, your doctor will likely recommend surgical procedures, such as structural implantation (thyroplasty), vocal cord repositioning, nerve replacements (reinnervations), or tracheotomy. Consult the various options with your doctor to find the type of procedure that best suits your needs and health conditions.
- In a thyroplasty procedure, the doctor will implant to change the position of the vocal cords.
- In the vocal cord repositioning procedure, the doctor will move tissue from the outside into the voice box to reshape the folds of the vocal cords.
- In a reinnervation procedure, your doctor will replace the damaged vocal cords with new, healthy nerves from other areas of your neck.
- In a tracheotomy procedure, the doctor will make an incision in the skin of the neck to open a pathway to the windpipe. Then, the doctor will place a small tube in the throat opening to introduce air into the damaged vocal cords.
