WELLSPRING COMMUNITY
Chronic Voice Issues
In this space, we feature a health-related question or predicament submitted by a Wellspring reader. Fellow readers are invited to participate in the conversation by sharing their tried-and-true advice and suggestions. Join the community!
My 12-year-old son’s voice often becomes raspy and hoarse. It’s painful and bothersome. Any ideas to help prevent and treat it effectively?
I would recommend seeing a competent ENT first. When my son was struggling with a chronic hoarse voice, a friend mentioned that she’d read an article in a local circular positing that this condition can be a symptom of small nodules on the vocal cords. I decided to check it out and, to my surprise, that was the exact diagnosis the ENT gave my son. He then had surgery, which cured the condition immediately. He hasn’t had any issues with his voice for over a decade. I later learned that surgery doesn’t work for everyone and that some people see success with speech therapy. - Ruchy M., Linden 36
WELLSPRING / MAY 2023
My son developed a terribly raspy voice after a flu, and we simply couldn’t get rid of it. We then took him to a speech therapist, who taught him how to use the stomach muscles when talking, and that finally helped. I still don’t know why the flu left him with such a voice, but the speech therapy sessions and exercises definitely helped. - M. Koenig
I’m not sure what can help you prevent it, but when my husband gets hoarse, I boil a pot with water and add some drops of peppermint essential oil. He covers his head with a towel and inhales the scent of the boiling hot water with the oil. This unclogs the system and clears the throat. He also drinks apple cider vinegar with honey (I know, the taste is awful—but honey helps sweeten it) and it’s been really effective. - S. Raab, Boro Park
