Surely, almost every person, at least once in his life, had a situation where his voice disappeared.
In medical terms, this is called dysphonia.
The causes of this disease can be varied: overstrain of the vocal cords, colds, stress.
In this article, you will find out why the voice may be lost and what to do if the voice is lost.
What to do if your voice is lost: reasons
The most common causes that can cause a loss of voice have always been colds or acute infectious diseases. First of all, it is laryngitis, tonsillitis and pharyngitis.
Angina. Infectious disease caused by viruses, bacteria and fungi. The main affected area is the tonsils. Most often they become infected with sore throat, by contacting a sick person or through household items on which pathogenic bacteria remain, most often these are staphylococci. A complication of a sore throat can be swelling or inflammation of the larynx and as a result the voice will disappear.
Laryngitis or inflammation of the larynx, often due to flu or sore throat. Too cold or, conversely, hot drink can also trigger the development of the disease. Also, laryngitis can develop due to overload of the vocal apparatus, so laryngitis is often called the occupational disease of singers and teachers.
This disease can be short-term or long-term (chronic). Usually, laryngitis progresses rapidly, and the disease goes away after 2 weeks. Chronic laryngitis is delayed for 2 weeks or more. In this case, you need to consult a doctor, as the persistent symptoms of chronic laryngitis can be caused by more serious diseases.
Pharyngitis - This is an inflamed process of the pharyngeal mucosa. The main symptoms of the disease are severe perspiration, discomfort and sore throat. According to the causative factor, pharyngitis can be viral, bacterial, fungal, allergic or traumatic.
Another reason why the voice may disappear is the formation of a benign tumor on the vocal folds (polyps, fibromas). They pose a serious danger and after their removal the voice is restored.
In addition to the common cold, the voice may disappear for other reasons. It can be a loss of voice as a result of a scream or nerve. Strong shock or fright can cause loss of voice. But for the voice to disappear in a stressful situation, as a rule, this is preceded by a prolonged nervous strain, which translates into nervous stress. A patient who has lost his voice as a result of a neurosis should be treated by a psychotherapist.
The next reason that your voice may be lost is smoking. Everyone knows that smoking causes great harm to our health and that smoking is the leader in the list of causes of cancer of the respiratory system. The tar and nicotine contained in the cigarette cause severe damage to the tissues of the pharynx and larynx and provoke inflammatory processes in the vocal cords. It is people with a long smoking history who are more often than others suffering from acute laryngitis.
What to do and how to treat if the child has lost his voice
At the age of 11 to 15 years, the boys undergo a restructuring of the body and there is a mutation of the vocal apparatus. During this period, short-term loss of voice may occur. Breaking the voice in adolescence is a common phenomenon that lasts about 2 years. But, if you notice that the process is being delayed, and the boy’s voice begins to fall, you must consult a doctor.
The most common cause of childhood voice loss is laryngitis. If you notice that the child has a fever, a hoarse voice and a barking cough has begun, it is necessary to call a doctor. A complication of laryngitis, when with severe inflammation of the larynx, the lumen narrows and the child becomes hard to breathe, is called stenosing laryngitis or, in other words, false croup. This condition is very dangerous for young children. Before the arrival of doctors, it is necessary to provide the child with first aid.
First aid for a child with false croup:
• Call an ambulance crew;
• Open windows to let in fresh air into the room;
• In any convenient way to humidify the air in the room in which the child is. For example, place pots of hot water around the room, turn on the humidification device at maximum power. You can go with the child to the bathroom and open the hot water to sit there, breathing moist air until the arrival of the ambulance;
• Do not give your child pills or other medications. All treatment should be prescribed by a doctor.
Remember that false croup is very dangerous for a child!
What can not be done if the voice is lost
It is quite often found that people who have lost their voice do not take this seriously. Some hope that the voice itself will recover after some time, while others, on the contrary, begin active treatment, hoping that the voice will return by the next day. So how should one be treated properly and what should one do if a voice is lost? The first and most important rule will be - do not aggravate:
• It is necessary to observe the silence mode, that is, to be silent. You can’t even talk in a whisper, because with a whisper, the load on the vocal cords increases;
• In case of loss of voice, do not drink coffee and alcohol drinks;
• Refusal of cigarettes;
• Refusal of very hot and very cold drinks, as well as food.
What to do and how to treat if a voice is lost
Taking antihistamines and homeopathic remedies. Treatment of the throat (gargling) with givalex, furatsilin (1 tablet per 1/2 cup of warm boiled water) or irrigation with antibacterial sprays, such as Stop-angina, Ingalipt and other similar drugs.
In addition to pharmacy drugs, voice recovery can be helped using alternative treatment recipes, which over the years managed to establish itself.
Apple tea or decoction will soften the hoarse voice well. A handful of dried apple leaves is brewed with 2 cups of boiling water and allowed to infuse for half an hour.
Then filter and, in the form of heat, adding sugar to taste, drink ½ cup every two hours.
Squeezed juice from fresh cabbage or turnips is also useful to drink warmed up, with loss of voice.
The recipe for "carrot" milk is popular, in which 100 g of finely grated carrots are boiled in 0.5 l of fresh milk. Then they filter and drink.
Thoroughly rub two chicken yolks with sugar and a small piece of butter. Eat a teaspoon between main meals.
Warm milk with honey. To milk in half, you can add Borjomi or soda.
Gargling. Two teaspoons of herbs (chamomile, calendula, eucalyptus) are poured with boiling water and insisted for 20 minutes.
Steam inhalation. It can be hot water with diluted soda and the addition of eucalyptus oil, a decoction of herbs or banal "jacket" potatoes
In carrot juice, dilute with honey and drink 1 spoon every 2.5-3 hours once a day.
As a rule, the lost voice is restored within the first week, but if, after this time, relief has not come, we strongly recommend that you seek medical help if you have not already done so. It is likely that the doctor will prescribe a course of antibacterial therapy.
