When your vocal cords are inflamed, there is a tendency that you have laryngitis. The inflammation of your vocal box can come from infection, overuse, or irritation. During this time, your voice is hoarse or worse, undetectable.
Usually, laryngitis lasts for just three weeks. But in severe cases, laryngitis lasts longer than just weeks. If this condition has been going around for more than three weeks, it is best that you check up with your doctor.
Before you learn what to take for laryngitis, you should know its signs and causes first. Continue reading to find out everything you need to know about laryngitis.
Other than having a change in the tone of your voice, you will experience the following symptoms:
- Dry cough
- Loss of voice
- Dry throat
- Throat irritation
These are just some of the first symptoms that will appear in the first stages of laryngitis. But when the condition gets worse, you might feel the following:
- Ulcers on your vocal cords
- Vocal cord paralysis
- Muscle tension dysphonia
- Pain in your throat
- Cough with blood
- Having trouble with swallowing
Fortunately, there are home remedies for laryngitis. This could work if the symptoms are just mild. But if the symptoms are severe, then you should not have second thoughts about visiting your doctor.
There are two types of laryngitis: acute and chronic. You will know that you have acute laryngitis when the condition is just temporary. Here are the usual causes of this type of condition:
- Too much alcohol
- Strained vocal cords
- Bacterial infection
- Viral infection
Chronic laryngitis, on the other hand, is when the condition has been exposed for quite a while now. The signs here are more severe and are caused by these:
- Acid reflux
- Overusing of your voice
- Sinus infections
- Yeast infections
- Exposure to harmful chemicals
Other causes included are cancer and paralysis of the vocal cords. Having laryngitis also comes with different risk factors such as exposure to harmful substances and having respiratory infections.
This condition is common for babies and children as the spread of viral infections are faster among children. In some cases, the child might have laryngitis if he or she cries or yells too much.
When you have seen the signs of laryngitis or you think that you might have the causes of this condition, you can go to your doctor for a check-up. The doctor will undergo several diagnoses to check whether you have laryngitis.
The first test would be a visual diagnosis. In this exam, the doctor will use a special mirror to check the condition of your vocal cords. Next would be a laryngoscopy in which the doctor will insert a tube in your body. This tube contains a small camera to check if your vocal box contains the following:
If your vocal cord has all the aforementioned issues, the doctor might undergo a biopsy to check if you have a throat cancer. The doctor will then remove a small tissue and use it to further examine your condition.
Treating laryngitis will depend on its type and symptoms. If the ailment is still mild, you can do laryngitis home remedies. Here are simple ways you can do to treat yourself:
- You can gargle using warm water. This can soothe the infected area and reduce swelling./li>
- Drink lots and lots of fluids. Since you might experience a sore throat, you might find it hard to drink water. But you just have to keep on drinking glass after glass since it is best to keep yourself hydrated during this illness.
- You can take inhalers or humidifiers. Aside from gargling and drinking water, you need to moisturize your throat by taking menthol.
- Rest your voice. One of the most common causes of laryngitis is when you talk too much. So take a deep breath and just rest your voice for a while.
- Do not whisper. If you are not allowed to talk, then do not even try to whisper. In fact, whispering puts more strain in your voice as compared when you are talking normally.
You can also take other medicines such as Midol, Motrin, Advil, and Tylenol. But if you are looking for the best medicine for laryngitis, it could be Corticosteroids. Taking this can reduce vocal cord inflammation. Take note that this must be taken for emergencies only. Herbs can also help treat laryngitis and ease the pain.
If any of the abovementioned treatments do not work, you might have phonosurgery. In this procedure, the doctor will change the position of your vocal cords to lessen the tension that you are experiencing.
Once the sickness has been cured, you have to be sure that you will not experience it again. Or even better, you can protect yourself from having laryngitis by the doing these:
- Avoid eating food that can cause heartburn or indigestion.
- Reduce drinking alcohol.
- Avoid smoking or being close to people who are smoking.
- Stay away from toxic chemicals.
- Wash your hands regularly.
- Avoid decongestants
- Limit your caffeine intake
- Do not eat too much spicy food
- Reduce clearing your throat
- Eat lots of vegetables and fruits
Unlike other disorders, there are a lot of ways you can prevent having laryngitis. Another benefit is that you can do these easily even at home. So if you do not want to risk having this condition, it is best that you keep your vocal cords as healthy as possible.
Laryngitis is a condition wherein there is an inflammation in your vocal cords. This is due to the overexposure or overuse of your voice box. Lucky for you, there are a lot of home remedies that you can do to treat and cure this ailment. Bottom line would be to always be sure to have a healthy body to keep yourself away from health conditions such as laryngitis.