Home Remedies For Dysphonia Symptoms
4 minutes
To avoid hurting your throat, avoid hacking and exaggerated coughing. Adequate rest is also essential for your vocal cords in order to decrease the chances of dysphonia. Keep reading to discover home remedies for dysphonia symptoms.
Poorly named “aphonia”, dysphonia is a voice disorder that can be caused by a variety of factors. Learn about the causes and remedies for dysphonia symptoms in this article.
Types and causes of dysphonia
There are two types of dysphonia: functional and organic. The first is from a complication in the larynx, from nodules, polyps, cysts, edemas, or ulcers. It can also be due to problems of inhibition, spasms, psychiatric issues, etc.
Organic dysphonia comes from a lesion on the phonation organs. For example, congenital diseases on the larynx, hormonal or neurological complications, and surgical or traumatic changes.
Below are the most common causes of dysphonia:
- Colds.
- Chronic laryngitis: due to tobacco, prolonged cough, inhaled medications, non-breathable environments, and respiratory infections
- Acute laryngitis: related to the most frequently-occurring respiratory problems
- Lesions on the vocal cords (benign): Reinke’s edema (common in women, due to overuse of your voice and tobacco), nodules (psychological factors, allergies, infections, or reflux), and polyps (smoking, reflux, or overusing your voice)
- Neurological dysfunction: many illnesses can cause a bi- or unilateral paralysis of the vocal cords, such as Parkison’s, lupus, arthritis, or multiple sclerosis
- Systemic disease: hypothyroidism, lupus, or autoimmune disease
- Malignant lesions: laryngeal cancer from alcoholism or tobacco use
The best natural remedies for dysphonia symptoms
- Drink zucchini or borage broth, both of which are rich in mucilages that soften mucus.
- Grind an onion and two tablespoons of honey in the blender. Strain, and drink three tablespoons a day.
- Boil one cup of water and add the juice of one lemon. Then, gargle this mixture warm twice a day.
- Boil one cup of water and a teaspoon of plantain. Let cool and gargle.
Discover: How to Make a Honey and Onion Medicinal Preparation to Calm a Cough
- Gargle a tablespoon of sea salt mixed with a cup of hot water. Use several times a day.
- Fill a sink with boiling water. Place your face over it, with a towel over your head, so you can inhale the steam through your nose.
- Cut two large leeks and boil them for 20 minutes in 4½ cups of water (1 liter). Then, strain and drink several times a day.
- Extract the juice of one lemon and mix it with half a cup of water and half a teaspoon of baking soda. Drink once a day.
- Boil 1½ large carrots for 10 minutes in 4½ cups of water for 10 minutes. Then, slice and press them. Finally, mix them with one tablespoon of honey and take daily.
- Make a tea by boiling an onion bulb with 1 cup of milk (cook for 10 minutes). Then, gargle the mixture.
Find out more: Discover the Benefits of Baking Soda Mixed with Honey
More remedies for dysphonia symptoms
- Mix 1 cup of boiling water with 1 tablespoon of rosemary. Then, cover and let cool. Finally, gargle several times a day.
- Drink mandarin tea (with 1 fruit per cup of water).
- Prepare a tea with 1 tablespoon of eucalyptus leaves per cup of boiling water. Then, let it cool while covered. Lastly, strain and gargle as many times as needed.
- Boil 4½ cups of water with a handful of clove, 1 tablespoon of honey, and the juice of 1 lemon for 10 minutes. Drink warm before going to bed.
- Boil 2¼ cups of water with 1 tablespoon of barley for 15 minutes. Then, strain and add a tablespoon of honey. Finally, gargle at least three times a day.
- Wash uncooked cabbage leaves and add lemon juice and olive oil. Eat at noon and at night.
Tips to avoid dysphonia
In addition to the remedies for dysphonia symptoms, keep the following tips in mind:
- Avoid noisy environments. When you need to raise your voice to be heard, your vocal cords are being damaged. For example, at concerts or in crowded restaurants, transportation, busy streets, etc. Things get worse when you add smog, pollution, cigarettes, and alcohol to the mix.
- Don’t talk louder than you should. Each person has a limit that’s unique to their body and vocal training. Don’t overdo it by shouting, singing loudly, etc. Every day, you can speak for a total of four hours and sing for two.
- Properly use your voice. That means remembering to breathe before you speak, avoid getting irritated, don’t raise your voice if you do, etc.
- Avoid smoking. Cigarettes are bad, no matter how you look at them. In relation to dysphonia, it causes irritation and dryness since they’re made of toxic substances.
- Stay well hydrated. Keep in mind that your vocal cords should be well hydrated. As such, you should drink at least 2 liters of water every day. Avoid alcohol and coffee, since they reduce the lubrication needed. A dry environment worsens things as do some medications (such as antihistamines or antidepressants).
- Sleep enough and avoid screaming. By getting at least 6 hours of sleep a day, you can avoid voice fatigue and reduce your chances of getting dysphonia or other lesions. Screaming can lead to nodules.
- Avoid clearing your throat forcefully. To do so, take a deep breath, hold your breath for several seconds, and exhale quickly.
All cited sources were thoroughly reviewed by our team to ensure their quality, reliability, currency, and validity. The bibliography of this article was considered reliable and of academic or scientific accuracy.
- Arroba Basanta, M. (2003). Laringitis aguda (Crup). Anales de Pediatría.
- Peña, C. (2010). La disfonía. Revista Digital Para Profesores de La Enseñanza.
- Le Huche, F. (2004). LA VOZ, Patología Vocal De Origen Orgánico. Breviarios Del Fondo de Cultura Económica.
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