Losing my voice!

[Eraserhead]

Anyone know the best cure for a rapidly fading voice... something that can make it come back before my Cornell interview next week? This is hell!

It was fine for my interview yesterday morning but now I sound like an old man in puberty...

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[DrWuStar]

mix 1/4 tsp salt and 1 c. very warm water.

gargle with that mixture. often.

also, if you are brave enough, snort it: plug one nostril, put the cup of salt water up to the other and suck in. the water will go into your mouth. spit it out. you will cough and sputter. you will feel better. do this 3 times a day.

i'm sure you think i'm crazy, but this is far and away the best way to heal all the membranes in your nose and throat. it cuts colds in half and relieves alergies really well. try it and you will be a believer.

if you lost your voice from cheering for the a's or similar, you can skip the snorting part. that will only help if your nose is involved, as in a cold or allergies.

also lots of sleep.

 

[ATPase]

You can also try the lemon juice and honey concoction - I'm a singer and have always heard people talk about this, but fortunately I've never needed the recipe. Does anyone else out there know how to do this?

 

[Eraserhead]

woohoo, snorting salt, that's exciting.

i suppose i shouldn't be working too...

 

[greenie8]

If you don't like the salt water taste, just use 2 drops povidone iodine in a big glass of warm water. That is the "active" ingredient in the salt anyway.

Yeah the honey thing seems to work too--not sure the direct mixture, but I usually take a lot of honey with green tea.

Don't take: Chocolate, dairy, or caffiene. (I used to sing and these were the big no-no's before shows).

Laura

 

[Hethera]

My dad is a preacher and he swears by tea tree oil. It works OK for me too, but I've only had sore throats, never actually lost my voice (to the great dismay of all). Take a Q-tip and dab the oil onto the back of your throat as far back as you can get it. Let it sit there for about 10 seconds. Do this several times a day and it really does help. From what I understand, it's something of an antiseptic but also has soothing qualities (although it tastes absolutely foul). Another trick my dad uses is eating an entire clove of garlic, but I wouldn't recommend it before an interview.

How ironic that I would be recommending my dad's folk remedies on a med student forum. He has never missed a sermon, though.

 

[Cerberus]

I hear goat semen does wonders.

*this is only valid if you are the drkevin who trolled the forums last year*

 

[....]

Drkevin is that icon from the band Sigur Ros???

 

[Eraserhead]

Yes, it is the icon from Sigur Ros.

No, I'm not a troll.

 

[harrypotter]

I agree with DrWuStar, the gargling helps but the thing that works is the snorting of the salt water! it totally sucks but it keeps you from losing your voice...

also since i teach and am talking all day long, lemonade also helps.

so drink lemonade, try not to talk too much, and gargle, and snort!

hope you feel better soon!

 

[avhart]

From my old singing days, the old lemon trick isn't that great an idea. Apparently the lemon removes the mucus from your vocal chords...but then it quickly re-forms, so you might want to try something else.

 

[....]

Sweet, i just got their first CD. Good ****.

 

[Eraserhead]

The second album is the best, "Agaetis Byrun" (spelling may be off)-- the one with the fetus on the cover. The first and third are decent too.

 

[....]

opps yeah i have the fetus one....the one with ( ) on the cover i will get in a few days, didnt know there was a another...

 

[Eraserhead]

Yeah the ( ) album is great too actually... not quite as orgasmic as the second. The first is more experimental and hard to get into, I wouldn't really recommend it.