Hoarseness of voice –
Fractured voice - World Class
Holistic Homeopathy Treatment
THROAT
Voice is waves of sounds. It should not be treated just as sound, since it
reflects one’s inner feelings / thoughts. Intelligent use of voice with
variation in tone and pitch can influence anyone with deeper meanings. Harmony
of tone can also give a clue to one’s emotional and health status.
Phonation quality usually differs from person to person, i.e., one’s voice
may be soft or hard or hoarse. Changes in voice quality, volume, pitch may
arise from throat ailments. Usually, to strengthen the argument or to be heard
properly, people raise their voice. This raising in tone may stretch the larynx
in an abnormal manner to produced injured voice – hoarseness.
Hoarseness of voice is commonly treated as a voice problem. It is otherwise
called laryngitis (inflammation of larynx). Creation of voice is made in the
voice box/larynx. The networking of brain , tongue, lungs, pharynx, lips, nose
and sinuses will give add-on features and figure out the expected sound (word)
with good clarity. In case of hoarseness, the voice will be weak, scratchy,
indistinct and difficult to produce. So one will take more effort to speak
loudly which further makes the voice more and more rough and harsh. Hoarseness
may sometime compel one to pause in speech.
Incidences – Overuse or misuse often brings
complications. The vocal cord is in no way an exception. Everyone would have
experienced hoarseness of voice in their lifetime due to cold/cough or after
shouting in joy or sobbing in sorrow or dehydration.
Hoarseness of voice occurs mostly in teachers, public speakers, callers and
singers.
Causes
Hoarseness can occur due to various reasons. Usually, leak of air with improper
closure of vocal cords is the fundamental cause of hoarseness. It may be
because of functional or structural complaints. Commonly, it is associated with
cold or upper respiratory infection. It can be acute or chronic depending upon
the cause, intensity and nature of the complaint.
Psychological
·
Anxiety, tension, stress can cause tremor all over the
body and the vocal cord too to cause hoarseness of voice.
Physiological
·
Puberty changes due to enlargement of larynx
·
Misuse or overuse of the voice – speaking / singing /
shouting / crying / doing mimicry loudly and continuously
·
Stretching and damaging larynx with procedures of using
endoscopy / bronchoscopy / ventillators
·
Foreign body aspiration or hnhaling / taking irritants or
allergens / administration of anaesthesia
·
Habit of clearing throat oftenOveruse of alcohol /
smoking / drugs
·
Using cough lozenges often
·
Dryness of throat with overuse or dehydration
Pathological
·
Infection, inflammation and oedema due to viral or
bacterial infection (laryngitis) -
·
Cold / sore throat / TB / Diphtheria / STD infections.
·
Tonsillitis / bronchitis with violent cough
·
Allergies , sinusitis and post nasal drip
·
Reflux oesophagitis (GERD)
·
Growths / tumours – nodules / cysts / polyps in vocal
cords and cancer in the throat
·
Systemic illness – Hypothyrodism, Sjogrens’s syndrome,
multiple sclerosis
Symptoms
Presentation of complaints usually varies from person to person depending
upon the intensity and nature of the complaint(s). It can be temporary or
intermittent or continuous. Creaky voice most often ensues slowly to muffle the
voice. Unless otherwise cared for, it will sustain hoarseness or mute the voice
totally. Common symptoms are
·
Tickling sensation in the throat
·
Sensation of foreign material in the throat
·
Voice struck in the throat / inability to produce
expected clear sounds
·
Hoarseness or change in voice with or without throat pain
·
Pain / difficulty in swallowing
·
Induction of cough
Diagnosis and investigations
Mostly just for hoarseness, no one
will wish to go for investigations or treatment, since it commonly goes off
very shortly. If it happens to persist, then detailed evaluation needs to be
followed, i.e. with
·
Oral examination for throat
·
Blood tests (Tc, Dc, ESR, Hb, Absolute eosinophil count,
Ig E, etc) to rule out infection and allergies
·
X-ray, CT / MRI scan to rule out sinusitis, structural
deformities in phonating
organs, etc.
·
Laryngoscopy to visualise vocal cords clearly to rule out
nodules, cysts, polyps, throat cancer, etc.
·
Throat swab / culture
·
Hormonal evaluation of thyroid to rule out its
dysfunctions
Prevention and management – In case of recurrent bout of
hoarseness of voice, care should be taken to manage and to root out all the
cause to prevent further bouts.
Do’s
·
Voice rest at least for 1- 2 days (vocal fasting)
·
Take lukewarm water often to maintain moisture of throat
·
Salt water gurgling – 2 to 3 times / day
·
Care for room humidity
Avoid
·
Speaking / shouting / crying loudly and continuously
·
Overusing voice while having cold or hoarseness
·
Doing mimicry
·
Clearing throat & spitting often
·
Preservative added foods or known other triggers like ice
creams, cool drinks, chocolates, fruits, etc.
·
Inhaling chemical fumes / smoke / pollutants
·
Tobacco chewing / smoking / alcohol / drugs
·
Spicy, hot and acid foods to stay away from reflux
oesophagitis
·
Unnecessary drugs and nasal decongestants
General treatment
People used to ignore treatment / management since most of the time,
hoarseness of voice will go off on its own (shortly or in course of time). Even
though hoarseness of voice arises commonly as a medical problem, it can become
a surgical complaint too. So, one need to be cautious and take care of
hoarseness at the early stages itself. Negligence can sustain the complaints
and extend the suffering period. In Allopathy, routine line of management is
antibiotic course, pain killers (if pain is there) and treatment according to
the associated diseases (allergies, bronchitis, cancer, thyroid problems, etc).
In case of surgical complaints (tumour, nodule, etc), surgery will be advised.
Homeopathic approach
The scope of Homeopathy in treating hoarseness of voice is higher than any other
system. Usually recurrent hoarseness of voice is very difficult to cure and
antibiotics usually won’t have any beneficial effects on hoarseness, since
it is often caused by virus or strain. Homeopathy has excellent remedies to
clear hoarseness or laryngitis. Treating to the core, it can strengthen the
vocal cord and larynx to resist infection and withstand strain. It can avoid
surgery in most of the cases. To have good response, it is the first duty of
the physician to educate the sufferer about the disease, need for vocal rest
and its care. Also it is essential to educate them to have precaution against
strain and respiratory infections (cold, cough, flu, etc.) with hygienic
measures, since they all can bring flare-ups during treatment.
Precipitation of the episode (hoarseness) usually varies from person to
person. It is often found to be related to a particular season / event /
incident. Also, with respect to disease or complaints, patient’s feelings too
differ. For some, there will be betterment on continuous use of voice (better
in the evening than in the morning). For some, it may get worsened with usage
(better in the morning and worst in the evening) and for some others, clearing
the throat can give some relief. Homeopathy stands here with individualisation.
In medicine selection, Homeopathy gives importance to the feelings /
sensations, constitution of the patient, modalities (aggravating factors and
ameliorating factors), to treat the nucleus of the suffering. With suitable
medicines, Homeopathy can provide miraculous relief, shorten the suffering
period and can resist further attacks by strengthening the immune system.
Homeopathic medicines commonly used in cases of voice hoarseness are
Aconite, Ammon caust, Apis, Arg met, Arnica, Ars alb, Arum triphyllum,
Belladonna, Borax, Bromium, Bryonia, Calc carb, Carbo veg, Causticum, Drosera,
Ferrum phos, Ferrum picricum, Gelsemium, Hepa sulf, Hyosyamus, Iodium, Ipecac,
Kali bich, Kali Iod, Lachesis, Lycopodium, Mag carb, Merc bin iod, Merc sol,
Natrum mur, Nitric acid, Nux moschata, Nux vom, Phosphorus, Phytolacco, Plumbum
met, Pulsatilla, Rhus tox, Rumex, Ruta, Sambucus, Sangunaria, Senega, Silicea,
Spongia, Sulphur, Tarentula, Thuja, Valeriana, Vipera, Wyethia, Zinc met, etc,
These Medicines should be taken under the advice and diagnosis of a qualified
Homeopath.
for new hope
Dr. S.
Chidambaranathan, BHMS, MD (Homeo)
Laxmi
Homeo Clinic
24 E.
New Mahalipatti Road
Madurai,
TN 625 001
India
Tel: +91-452-233-8833 | +91-984-319-1011
(Mob)
Fax:
+91-452-233-0196
E-mail:
drcheena@yahoo.com
www.drcheena.com / www.drcheena.in
(Disclaimer
- The contents of this column are for informational purpose only. The content
is not intended to be a substitute for professional healthcare advice,
diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of healthcare professional for
any health problem or medical condition.)