BS: Help! I have laryngitis..........cures?

Subject: BS: Help! I have laryngitis..........cures?
From: leftydee
Date: 21 Nov 05 - 08:37 AM

I've been fighting laryngitis for a month now. I've been to the doctor twice and still can't shake it. The little germ factories that I love (my grandkids) got me good this time. Anybody have a cure?

Subject: RE: BS: Help! I have laryngitis..........cures?
From: Beer
Date: 21 Nov 05 - 09:03 AM

Scotch

Subject: RE: BS: Help! I have laryngitis..........cures?
From: Beer
Date: 21 Nov 05 - 09:08 AM

Just kidding.
I;m going in for a small throat operation next Tuesday because what I thought to be laryngitis is "Bowing of the Vocal Chords". Hope all you have is laryngitis because there isn't much the Doctors can do. If it persists for much longer get a second opinion. I did.
Best of luck Lefty.
Beer

Subject: RE: BS: Help! I have laryngitis..........cures?
From: LilyFestre
Date: 21 Nov 05 - 09:10 AM

My Nana once had laryngitis. She was told to stop smoking and STOP talking...and I do mean STOP talking. She was not allowed to say yes or no. She walked around with one of those Magic Erase boards (you know..they are carboard with 2 plastic sheets on them....you write on the plastic sheet with a little plastic pointed pencil thingee and then lift the sheet to erase it) for 2 months. She also stopped smoking.

Michelle

Subject: RE: BS: Help! I have laryngitis..........cures?
From: leftydee
Date: 21 Nov 05 - 10:18 AM

Thanks , Beer and Michelle. I like the scotch option over the surgery.And.... I'll try to shut up. Any other Ideas?

Subject: RE: BS: Help! I have laryngitis..........cures?
From: bobad
Date: 21 Nov 05 - 10:27 AM

Find the underlying cause and eliminate it if you can.

Subject: RE: BS: Help! I have laryngitis..........cures?
From: bobad
Date: 21 Nov 05 - 11:13 AM

Beer

Best of luck with your upcoming surgery, I hope all goes well.

Subject: RE: BS: Help! I have laryngitis..........cures?
From: Cluin
Date: 21 Nov 05 - 11:45 AM

Ever had a long hard suck on a Fisherman's Friend?

Subject: RE: BS: Help! I have laryngitis..........cures?
From: Beer
Date: 21 Nov 05 - 11:50 AM

I've been away from the coast to long. What is a fisherman's friend Cluin??

Subject: RE: BS: Help! I have laryngitis..........cures?
From: Cluin
Date: 21 Nov 05 - 11:54 AM

A very potent throat lozenge.

Get the "original Extra Strong" formula. Don't bother with the so-called flavoured ones. They all taste bad anyway.

But they work. I usually take one before I sing.

Subject: RE: BS: Help! I have laryngitis..........cures?
From: Ebbie
Date: 21 Nov 05 - 12:22 PM

I was at a music thing last night and learned something new. Several musicians now use and swear by ginseng liquid. I don't know whether it is considered useful against laryngitis but they believe that it definitely helps maintain the ability to sing when the voice had been almost gone.

One method they talked about is gargling the contents of the one bottle and then drinking the other. (These are tiny bottles measured in grams.)

In Fairbanks Alaska, they buy them by the case of 30 bottles for $8.00 from China via 'Prince of Peace, Ent.'

FWIW

Subject: RE: BS: Help! I have laryngitis..........cures?
From: Beer
Date: 21 Nov 05 - 01:19 PM

Thanks Cluin, after looking at the attached, I do remember.
My old aunt use to make a taffy when I was a wee sprout, but she use to add grind up onions and ginger.

Subject: RE: BS: Help! I have laryngitis..........cures?
From: Mr Red
Date: 21 Nov 05 - 01:40 PM

before anyone else says it .......... have you spoken to the doctor.............

Subject: RE: BS: Help! I have laryngitis..........cures?
From: MBSLynne
Date: 21 Nov 05 - 01:50 PM

Sage tea. And Thyme. Interspersed with, or added to the old hot lemon and honey.

Love Lynne

Subject: RE: BS: Help! I have laryngitis..........cures?
From: Helen
Date: 21 Nov 05 - 03:20 PM

Try xylitol. It is available as a sugar substitute from health food stores but it is expensive. For quicker relief you can get chewing gums or sugar-free sweets. In Oz the brand for these is Extra. The sweets are called Extra Drops, but just look at the ingredients and make sure that xylitol is included.

My hubby & I first found out about xylitol in the New Scientist magazine a couple of years ago. It is related to the well known home remedy of using cranberry juice to reduce urinary tract infections, because the main active ingredient is xylitol. The amazing thing (apart from the usual response from most scientists re home remedies, i.e. initial response: "it doesn't work", then: "it does work but we don't know why", then: "amazing new scientific discovery, blah blah!") is that it's molecular structure provides a receptor for the bacteria to latch onto so that they don't latch onto cell membranes in the body and do their mischief.

I bought a large packet of xylitol and use it (sparingly, i.e. 1/4 teaspoon dissolved in water, sipped slowly) for tummy-bugs, sore throats, etc etc. It is definitely worth a shot for your laryngitis.


Xylitol

"1. Xylitol is one of bacteria's natural enemies. When certain harmful bacteria enter the body, they attach to the membranes of the nose and throat. They begin to culture and grow, causing infection and sickness.

"When exposed to Xylitol (specifically Strep pneumo and H Flu), these harmful bacteria lose their ability to adhere to infected membranes and are not able to grow. Unlike most antibiotics, which kill the majority of bacteria and leave the resistant "super bacteria" behind, Xylitol merely flushes harmful bacteria away. "

Helen

Subject: RE: BS: Help! I have laryngitis..........cures?
From: Cluin
Date: 21 Nov 05 - 03:27 PM

A swallow or two of pure vinegar will get you through the night, but you'll pay for it next day.

Subject: RE: BS: Help! I have laryngitis..........cures?
From: GUEST,Allan S
Date: 21 Nov 05 - 04:58 PM

Possible post nasal drip will cause a chronic sore throat. check w/ a real doctor if nothing works.

Subject: RE: BS: Help! I have laryngitis..........cures?
From: Tannywheeler
Date: 21 Nov 05 - 05:18 PM

Be (vocally) VERY QUIET. Avoid company--even grandchildren. (Tw, you never said that! Yes, I did.) Drink tea with honey and lemon; if there are coughing spells, mix 4 oz. Scotch with 4tblsp. sugar and take by the spoonful to quiet the attack. Eat garlic several times a day. Make some real chicken stock, reduce it, salt to taste, and drink hot cups of that several times a day. Sleep a lot. Hot lemon and honey are also recommended. Read books, eat garlic, drink tea or stock, nap...what else?? Ah, yes--get a brandy snifter, pour in 2 oz. Scotch, one tsp. sugar (or honey); add moderate length of cinnamon stick (maybe broken up a bit), 2 or 3 whole cloves, a piece of candied ginger. Have ready some boiling water, add 2 oz. to other stuff in brandy snifter. Stir gently and sit over the glass inhaling the fumes. When cool enough to sip without pain start doing so. Don't rush this process, but finish drink before it's stone cold. Go back to bed and read yourself to sleep.....Tw

Subject: RE: BS: Help! I have laryngitis..........cures?
From: Donuel
Date: 21 Nov 05 - 05:18 PM

I know of 2 cures but   I can't talk   now.

Subject: RE: BS: Help! I have laryngitis..........cures?
From: Peace
Date: 21 Nov 05 - 05:45 PM

Ratroot.

Subject: RE: BS: Help! I have laryngitis..........cures?
From: Don Firth
Date: 21 Nov 05 - 06:25 PM

ACHTUNG!!

All of the nostrums suggested are probably quite helpful, but go back and read LilyFestre's post at 21 Nov 05 - 09:10 AM about six times.

Take it from one who knows!

In the early sixties, I started having some voice problems. I was singing about three nights a week, teaching classes in folk guitar two evenings a week, and giving private lessons during the day—in short, using my voice all day long, all week long. I was also taking a weekly singing lesson. My voice teacher said that he could tell there was something not right with my voice (higher notes were not good, low notes sounded husky, and although I have a good ear, I was wobbling on pitch—couldn't seem to control it). He gave me the name of an otolaryngologist (ear, nose, and throat specialist) he wanted me to see.

The doctor sat me down in the chair, poked his little mirror (like a dentist's mirror, but with a longer handle) into my mouth, told me to say "aaaaah," and peered at my vocal folds. He grunted, then reached for a spray bottle of some kind and sprayed my throat. Things sorta went numb and I found I couldn't talk. Whatever it was temporarily paralyzed my vocal folds and adjacent apparatus.

He told me that I had chronic acute laryngitis—an angry, red edge on both of my vocal folds—and even though I didn't sound all that croaky when I talked and sang, it was affecting my singing—and speech. If I continued to use my voice with this condition, I could do some real damage to my vocal apparatus. Prescription:    Give the voice a complete rest. Silence. For six weeks. Do not sing. Do not speak. And above all, do not whisper. That can be even harder on the vocal apparatus than talking. Come back in a week and he'll check me again. Then once a week until he declares me healed. But—when he does declare me healed, I was to continue my silence until I got back to my voice teacher and let him gradually bring my voice back. Continue to rest my voice until my voice teacher tells me it's okay to use it again. Follow his instructions to the letter!

Well, that sure put a crimp in my plans! I wrote a lot of notes and learned to communicate some by pointing and gesturing.

But it was either that or probably wind up with nodes or worse on my vocal folds and blow any singing I wanted to do in the future.

I did what I was told. It took a couple of months, but when the doctor turned me loose and the voice teacher essentially rebuilt my voice, I sounded better than ever, and I came out of it with considerably improved vocal technique, the better to avoid such happenings in the future. Since then, if ever I detect any untoward signs in my voice, I clam up and stay clammed for several days. Then, when I think things have cleared up, I very gently and light try a few vocal exercises and see how things go.

Don't mess with this! Go silent. Give your voice a complete rest. And see a doctor!

Don Firth

Subject: RE: BS: Help! I have laryngitis..........cures?
From: Don Firth
Date: 21 Nov 05 - 06:34 PM

leftydee, in re-reading your original post, I note that you have seen a doctor about this. I presume a GP or internist. You might want to see an ear, nose, and throat specialist.

As I say, don't mess with this.

Don Firth

Subject: RE: BS: Help! I have laryngitis..........cures?
From: leftydee
Date: 21 Nov 05 - 06:41 PM

Thanks for the advice everyone. I'm trying the scotch cure as we speak. Actually, another friend suggested a product called Musinex to break up the congestion and it seems to be working quickly. I have a gig in two weeks and I hope to shut up 'til then. The root cause of this, other than the grandkids, is dripping sinuses. I've been taking antibiotics and think the infection is gone but still have the drip. I'm going to see my doc for the 3rd time tomorrow. It would be spectacular if I could improve my voice like Don did. Unfortunately, my voice starts at a fairly scarey level. Maybe I could improve up to just lousy. Thanks again! Lefty

Subject: RE: BS: Help! I have laryngitis..........cures?
From: Kaleea
Date: 21 Nov 05 - 07:20 PM

The above are good suggestions--except the alcohol. Alcohol is very damaging to the vocal folds. As a voice major many moons ago, I learned that voice rest IS the most important portion of the healing process, provided that there is no underlying serious condition. You should get to a good Dr. & be sure you are on the mend. I have known folks who had persistent laryngitis which the Dr's could not fix, & there was no apparent reason. One friend had gone almost 4 months without getting better. At that point, I suggested what I have had to do. As above, total voice rest. Also, do not consume any form of sugar, potatoes, flour, or dairy products-which can cause mucous to form in the body. Citrus can also be too acidic for inflamed vocal folds. My friend's boss was almost hysterical when she took a few weeks off, but after a month she was tremendously improved. Good luck!

Subject: RE: BS: Help! I have laryngitis..........cures?
From: Tannywheeler
Date: 22 Nov 05 - 10:09 AM

Oops!! Add a bit of fresh-squeezed lemon juice and 1 or 2 thin slices of lemon to the brandy snifter....sorry, it's important.   Tw

Subject: RE: BS: Help! I have laryngitis..........cures?
From: GUEST,Honey breath
Date: 22 Nov 05 - 02:41 PM

Garlic the one and only destroyer of colds and all things related to them.

Subject: RE: BS: Help! I have laryngitis..........cures?
From: Firecat
Date: 22 Nov 05 - 02:45 PM

I had six bouts in as many months when I worked at the call centre. Each time I was FORBIDDEN to talk and put on a course of tablets. I think they were Amoxycillin but I'm not sure. Other than that, honey and hot lemon is brilliant.

Subject: RE: BS: Help! I have laryngitis..........cures?
From: GUEST
Date: 23 Nov 05 - 12:59 PM

two drops of oil of melaleuca (tea tree oil) in warm water and gargle twice a day

Subject: RE: BS: Help! I have laryngitis..........cures?
From: leftydee
Date: 23 Nov 05 - 10:55 PM

Thanks everybody. It all helped. I'll be back to croaking my songs in no time. You've given me a reason to be thankful. Lefty

Subject: RE: BS: Help! I have laryngitis..........cures?
From: Beer
Date: 23 Nov 05 - 11:05 PM

You just have to stop screaming at those great Red Wing wins.

Subject: RE: BS: Help! I have laryngitis..........cures?
From: Zamboo
Date: 24 Nov 05 - 11:41 AM

Hey Lefty -- I know you're doin' better since we had our rehearsal last night. Keep taking it easy. We need your Jimmy D voice next Friday night for the gig.
Your Double Whammy bandmate.

Subject: RE: BS: Help! I have laryngitis..........cures?
From: WFDU - Ron Olesko
Date: 24 Nov 05 - 07:37 PM

Back in May I came down with a cold, but it was the worst I ever had. Not to get too graphic, but there were things coming out of my nose and mouth in such magnitude that I thought I was going to die.    I lost my voice, which happens to me about once a year - usually after a cold. Except this time my voice did not come back.   My doctor took a look and said I caught a bad strain of the cold virus, and it also effected my post-nasal drip. The drip was causing me to cough which in turn did a number on my vocal chords. He gave me the same advice about not talking, but he also recommended a saline nasal spray. I now use it frequently and it works. There are days when I overuse my voice and after a few sprays I'm back.

Losing a voice can be frightening. Be sure to keep visiting your doctor if it doesn't improve.

Subject: RE: BS: Help! I have laryngitis..........cures?
From: GUEST,Angie
Date: 03 Dec 05 - 11:29 PM

Well i'm a person who gets laryngitis so many times. becuase i talk a WHOLE lot and sing a lot. so i get it a lot. it's usually caused if you have a cold or bad allergies,,and flem goes up and down your throat and that irritates the vocal chords so you loose your voice. my one rememdy is a type of echnichea sold at vitamin places called "Singers saving grace" by herbs etc. the other cure is hot water,,,tablesoon vinegar the juice of half a lemon and plenty of honey all mixed in a tea. both are disguisting tasting but they do wonders for your voice. also try large amounts of HOTT lemonade. hope i helped.

Subject: RE: BS: Help! I have laryngitis..........cures?
From: Richard Bridge
Date: 04 Dec 05 - 05:34 PM

My late wife had both laryngitis and pharyngitis at different times.

Don is telling you right.

DO NOT SING FOR 6 MONTHS. CANCEL ALL GIGS.

Subject: RE: BS: Help! I have laryngitis..........cures?
From: Tig
Date: 05 Dec 05 - 09:44 AM

Firecat is back silent again! Her voice went half way through a sentence at Greek nightschool last week. Hope it's not gone for as long as usual this time.

If any of you have got it PLEASE may she have it back - she's driving me round the bend with notes :-)))

Subject: RE: BS: Help! I have laryngitis..........cures?
From: Ella who is Sooze
Date: 05 Dec 05 - 09:54 AM

quarter a lemon...

stick 3-4 clove heads in to the lemon

put in a tot of whisky/scotch or brandy (tot size your own choice)

Boiling water

Sweeten to taste with dollops of honey (4 dollops or more) dollop = teaspoon

Stir

Leave to infuse until not boiling hot but is fine to drink (tea temperature).

Drink (wait until it is the above temp!) - and leave the lemon in

Or... a lovely mixture...

1 glass
1 tot of brandy
half a glass of port (into same glass as brandy)
top up with lemonade (brandy, port and lemon).

A lovely smooth drink which reaches parts other cures don't.... go on, it's fab!

(only for over 18's)!

E. W. I. S

Subject: RE: BS: Help! I have laryngitis..........cures?
From: kendall
Date: 05 Dec 05 - 09:57 AM

It will heal itself if you help it. I've never had any luck with cough drops, lozenges etc. Total voice rest is the only thing that really works.