Treat Respiratory Problems and Lung Disease with Garlic

Can you damage your vocal cords permanently?

Yes but usually not in one performance. Repeatedly abusing your vocal cords will cause nodules to form on your vocal cords that can only be removed with surgery. It is very important to use the proper technique, using your diaphragm so you don't push too hard and hurt your voice. Another way to permanently damage your voice is to constantly push your voice outside of your normal singing range. (i.e. Trying to hit notes that are too high all the time and with power.) Singing with a throat infection can do a lot of damage, sometimes permanently.

How can you coat your vocal cords to prevent damage from stomach acid?

Strong stomach juices can inflict serious harm on your vocal cords and damage, not just to your vocal range, but also to your throat and other surrounding body systems. This medical condition commonly referred to as laryngopharyngeal reflux disease (LPR)or "silent reflux" is frequently associated with an illness of similar nature, called gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), which strongly depicts certain symptoms linked to troubles with indigestion and heartburn. Stomach acid reflux happens when toxic stomach juices travel back up your throat, which can leave it red and inflamed. This condition may require several months of intensive treatment. Some of the most common symptoms of laryngopharyngeal reflux disease may include the following:

• Frequent hoarseness of voice.
• The need to clear the throat most of the time.
• Burning or "full" sensation felt in the throat.
• Chronic or persistent cough.
• Sore throat.
• Loss or change in vocal quality and range.
• Difficulty or pain in swallowing.

LPR can be remedied both by way of natural or alternative medicine and by surgical means, but the latter is often performed as a last resort if the condition has increased in severity and current medications like proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) do not seem to make any improvements. The best way to combat the dangerous effects of stomach acid reflux on your vocal cords is to do a major lifestyle overhaul. Here are some ways to do that:

• Avoid greasy or spicy food. I know that many fried meals are deliciously tempting, but you can cut back on those and go for low-fat meals or opt for a healthy diet composed mainly of vegetables, fruits, and whole grains.
• Cut back on caffeine and acidic fruit juices. Coffee definitely has a way of soothing the nerves and keeping you energized for the day, but if your have LPR, you might as well take caffeinated drinks in moderation, or rarely. This also includes tea and other carbonated drinks or soda, which is highly acidic.
• Lose the extra flab. Obesity can render overall damage to your health and self-esteem. This also triggers more stomach acid reflux, which damages your throat and vocal strings.
• Reduce alcoholic consumption. If you can entirely eliminate the drinking sprees, that would be better for your health and finances. You can also eliminate the irritating and disgusting stomach acid reflux that happens because of too much alcohol in the bloodstream.

Here are some tried-and-tested tips to coat your vocal cords and minimize stomach acid reflux:

• You can drink warm water alone, or combined with a spoonful of honey. Hot tea with honey is also highly recommended for reducing the irritation brought about by stomach acid reflux. This effectively coats the vocal cords and gets them well-lubricated, especially before a song performance.
• Drinking enough water for hydration and lubrication can help calm the nerves and allows you to hit the right notes with ease and precision.
• Steer clear of midnight snacking. It is recommended to stop eating at least three hours before hitting the hay to reduce risks of having stomach acid reflux, especially on the night before a vocal performance.
• Get enough sleep and do vocal warm-ups. Having complete rest the night before an important performance, and doing vocal warm-ups is vital to keep you mentally alert and vocally ready.
• Drink your medicines as prescribed. Proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) are usually taken twice a day. Always follow physician instructions and take heed of any contraindications and safety precautions.

To prevent damaging your vocal chords due to stomach acid, you need to do the following:

• reduce consumption of fatty food

• reduce consumption of spicy food

• reduce consumption of alcohol

• stop smoking

• reduce stress

There is no way to "coat" it so you will need to do what is indicated above to lower stomach acid.

See more questions like this: How an apple can save abused vocal cords

Can vocal cord damage be reversed?

There are ways to reverse vocal cord damage, but not complete healing. Usually the pitch of the voice and the cords that it can reach will be permanently changed. To some singers, this could be good news because the quality of their voice will have improved. But for most, this will prove disastrous, because their vocal range will be affected negatively through a narrower vocal range. When damaged, the vocal cords should have a resting period. Maybe two weeks wherein the patient should not sing at all and should only talk when necessary. And when talking, it should be in a very low voice - close to whispering. After this rest period of which the length will be determined by your physician, there are two options: surgery and voice therapy. As if by some miracle, the voice returns to its original state without treatment within the first year after damage was discovered. Thus, corrective surgery is delayed by physicians for one year due to this possibility. Within this waiting period, voice therapy, with exercises for improving breath control during talking and exercises to make the vocal cords strong is implemented through the help of a speech/language pathologist. When it is time for surgery, it depends on whether you have one or two paralyzed vocal cords. If you have one paralyzed vocal cord, it is either adding mass to the cord or changing its position. For the first option, the specialist, an otolaryngologist, will inject a material into the paralyzed cord. He has choices: Teflon, collagen (a structural protein), silicon (a synthetic material) and body fat. The additional bulk of the material injected will make the paralyzed cord be nearer to the nonparalyzed cord and thus improve the voice of the singer. The other option is to change the position of the paralyzed cord nearer to the center of the airways. For cases where there are two paralyzed vocal cords, the singer needs to undergo surgery called tracheotomy. After the surgery, rather than breathing through the nose and the mouth, the patient now breathes through a tube called a tracheotomy tube. A speech-language pathologist will then help for voice therapy and for teaching the patient how to care for the breathing tube.

It is possible. If you try to maintain a healthy diet, drink plenty of water, and stay away from smoking or anything to damage your throat. Then, you will have a good chance of healing. You could also look into speech therapy, see if your insurance covers it. Check out our article below -- it includes information that will help you.

See more questions like this: Is it possible to reverse vocal damage

How much will I have to sing for my vocal cords to be damaged?

Overuse of your vocal cords can cause damage when you are not used to it. If you sing regularly and take the time to warm up your voice properly, singing a long time is OK. However, there is a limit for everyone. If after a performance, your voice is hoarse, sore, or feels strained, then you went too far. Take note of what you did and do not do that again. Often the way you sing can cause more damage than how long you sing. If you sing all out, or try to make your voice sound coarse or raspy on purpose it can cause a lot of damage quickly. The best advice is to listen to your vocal cords and if you they are sore, or sound different after overuse, back off and don't do it again.

This is a question that has many answers. If you have been singing for a long time, and are in good shape. Then it might take a long time of strenuous loud singing to damaged your vocal chords. Now if you are new to singing and haven't had much practice, then one long overly strenuous session can cause you damage them. The amount of damage and severity will all depend highly on the type of singing and the intensity.

Can screaming very very load and in a tone that is unnatural to your body cause permanent voice damage?

I'm writing a book where there is an extensive torture where the main character is tortured for weeks. Well, torture causes you to scream and if he gets tortured every day would he lose his voice? Also, this is in medieval times so they wouldn't have the technology to perform surgery on him. This is based on normal life circumstances while this is torture where you are screaming as loud as you can. And this is in medieval times. I have tried: Wikipedia, WebMD, VisiHow, and other websites. Also have looked at a few doctors notes on voice loss and laryngitis. I think it was caused by: I can't really answer this with my question that I have. I guess it's mainly frequent screaming with no time for your voice to heal.

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I'm a tenor and I have damaged my voice.Dose it come back again?

I'm a tenor(Operatic).I have 2.5 octave voice.. last month after a hard practice (it's time was more than the normal time it always takes).. After that I felt stingy in my voice box.Then after 2 days like always I started to sing but I couldn't hit the high notes and they were hard to me unbelievably!!!. It seemed catastrophic to me! And I got anxious so badly :((. Although the pain is eased, But still I have problem of hitting high notes.. I'm afraid of loosing my voice for ever or a long time.. Singing is my life and now my life is dying maybe :( Please help me if you know a practical way.. . Thank's Bastam. I have to sing soon in a concert and I can't change it.

I have tried many ways but none of them makes me what I was before that.

Please help me. I have tried: Drinking hot drinks such as hot milk combined with honey.

Inhaling water vapor(not so hot). I think it was caused by: For strengthening lower notes (very low notes and lower register as a tenor)

I tried to sing the with a heavier voice like a baritone.I'm not sure but I think maybe it has pressured my larynx and voice box and maybe my vocal folds.

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Can you permanently injure your voice singing?

Singing in itself won't really injure your voice unless you really went way way too far. Even then you will lose your voice which is a self protection mechanism.. However, it is the habits that you do before and after singing that can actually cause the injury. For example, you may keep on drinking very cold water after every performance, which makes your vocal cords stiff. Also, you may keep on eating a lot of sweets and this leads to irritated vocal cords. If you don't change these habits, the likelihood of an injury becomes much higher. One other possibility is singing while your throat is already injured or you have a sore throat from a cold. In such cases, it is rare but possible to scar your vocal cords and possible cause a nodule to form.

Losing my easiness in head voice and whistle register. How can I get it back?

I always tried to experiment with my voice. I meant my vocal fully experimented by myself, unfortunately, my easiness to reach head voice especially whistle register totally screwed up!! I always raising my larynx and drop my larynx when reaching high and low note respectively. I did imitate husky and breathy sound like even though that makes me uncomfortable. Please help me.

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How long does it take to get back to my own previous vocal (treble and husky)?

When I speak it is normal, but when I sing my vocal is not normal, there is no husky and treble in my voice. I am suffering with it more than 1 month, but still my voice is not normal what shall I do? Before I used to practice and sing more and practice a lot..

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See more questions like this: Will smoking cigarettes, cigars, or other unfiltered smokes hurt your singing voice

How do I ensure my vocal/respiratory system heals?

Hi, I need help quickly. I have a vocal performance in 2 days and at my wits end of how to stop damaging my throat/vocal cords. Here's what I'm struggling with: I tried to straight-tone a high note - too high for comfort - and ended up blowing my voice. I've been on vocal rest now for 3 days, but now I have a new problem. My body is producing so much mucous (in an attempt to heal) that I'm having to cough a ton - I know coughing/clearing the throat is something I'm NOT supposed to do, but I literally CAN'T. My body gives me that urge to cough & I can't hold back. I'm very discouraged, even though I'm on vocal rest, the coughing is still destroying my throat/making it worse. Last night, I bought a steamer, cough drops, expectorant (I know a suppressant is not good for the body), essential oils, herbal teas, herbal medicine, nasal spray/rinse and I am sleeping with my head elevated & my bedroom Windows open. And I am already drinking plenty of liquid (I've checked, and I'm drinking 2x the normal, daily intake for a female). I'm drinking honey with lemon, to soothe, as well as the Throat Coat tea. I'm now looking into throat spray and Alkalol (reduces throat mucous). I feel like I've exhausted all options - don't know what else should I do? I will appreciate ANY further tips! Thank you so much.

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What are the possible causes of chronic throat pain of a singer?

Hi Daniel, my name is Al. I am 47 and I have been singing since teen years. I have been experiencing sore throats daily since I was in my early 20s. They appear to be magnified by speaking and singing. After singing a set I can have hoarseness and throat pain (mild to medium), and discomfort swallowing for 3 to 4 days until returning to "normal." Normal would consist of a mild form of throat pain on the inner larynx area that exists constantly but is magnified by speaking and singing. Looking back, I wonder if I did some sort of permanent damage to my chords or other throat structure by singing naively out of my range mimicking singers of the 80's such as Geoff Tate from early "Queensryche" days. I even tried to make my voice sound rough like Axel Rose from Guns n Roses. Once I realized that this was not healthy for my voice I decided to take voice lessons and I did for years. I believe I became a much better singer and began to find my own voice, but I still had the constant voice pain. During this time around mid 20's, I was in a band and we played most weekends throughout the year. We were playing 90's style music Goo Goo Dolls, Matchbox 20, Fuel and the like. I became a respected singer and performer, but all the while I was/ am suffering from throat pain. I went to several doctors throughout the years and none were able to help me. It was determined that I had a mild reflux problem but I took acid meds and didn't work. Another diagnosis was allergies and I am currently still taking it as needed, but it did not help me. Recently I went to the Cleveland clinic and they found that I do not have signs of cancer or nerve damage. What they did notice is that the larynx was very dry and inflamed. It has some foamy saliva around it that he said was not draining from my sinuses, but rather caused by the dryness. He told me to drink lots of water, speak in low volume only, use a speaker in the classroom/shop (I have been a tech teacher for the last 17 years using my voice a lot daily), for 6 weeks. He also told me to find a voice teacher who specializes in voice strains and tension. I have done all of the above except I am having trouble finding one qualified, but may have as of a couple days ago. In fact, I went about 3 months doing the above mentioned. I am now a singer/songwriter (acoustic). I have written and performed as an opener for bands and open mic nights. But at this point am very frustrated because I haven't been able to sing while writing or perform because I thought I was carefully singing my songs using the best technique I know how, but continue to experience throat pain again after each practice session for a couple of days. I will be making a follow up visit to the Cleveland Clinic soon. Also, something to note is I had chewed snuff as until the last year and drink moderately mostly on weekends and up until recently while I perform. My range has decreased significantly to the point I had to rewrite some of the melodies I wrote for my original music. My voice cracks relatively often when I'm speaking, feels tight most of the time, and I don't feel like I speak fluently anymore and avoid conversations much of the time because it takes so much effort. . . I am super frustrated and of course, wish I had taken a different path to singing. I am writing respectable light pop/rock type songs that have a lot of potential and gain attention at gigs, but I am almost to the point I can't sing them anymore. Any help will be much appreciated. Thank you for reading my voice history and acknowledging my voice problem. Al. My throat pain has been chronic (27 years) without any relief to date. I have tried: All listed in my detailed questions.

Allergy meds

vocal rest

acid reflux meds. I think it was caused by: All listed in my detailed questions.

Singing out of my range.

Chewing snuff.

Trying to sing with a course sounding voice.

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How can you become mute later in life if you were not born that way?

I need to know a couple of scenarios in which someone could become permanently mute aside from being born a mute. It's for a class. Thanks! The examples are temporary voice lost and I am looking for permanent voice lose

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I want to know if I have developed nodules?

I kind of over used my voice and have been drinking and smoking, I cannot hit high notes anymore, maybe it is because of no practice, or not?! Please help

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