[HANASHIR:5887] Re: Laryngitis

[Roslyn Schwartz <rs4...>]

Quick answer:  No.  The more you rest your voice (e.g. stop speaking
altogether) the quicker it will return.  Even whispering strains the
voice - some say even more than normal speaking.

Two slightly longer answers:  (a) In an emergency, e.g. a musician
before a major concert that cannot be postponed, steroids can be used to
speed things up.  However this is _not_ recommended for anything less
than an extreme case, due to the potential side effects of the steroids
and the real risk of damage to the vocal cords.
(b)  If this goes on much longer, you might end up needing an ENT
(ear/nose/throat) assessment to look at the vocal cords & see if
anything more needs to be done.  Ordinary viruses usually clear within a
week or two, though it can take longer if you used your voice during the
recovery period.  Depending how long it takes to get in to see your
doctor, you might want to book an appt now, which you can always cancel
if the problem clears up in the next few days.

Good luck,

- Roslyn

Michael and Abby Gostein wrote:
> 
> Any miracle cures for laryngitis?  This is laryngitis caused by a virus.
> I've been voiceless for 7 days.  It's improving, but slowly.  I've been just
> doing voice rest and lots of fluids and hot showers.
> Abby
> 

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