#BlogchatterA2Z: "L"- Laryngitis: causes, symptoms & homeopathic treatment!

This is day 12 of #BlogchatterA2Z. As alphabet “L”, I am talking about “Laryngitis”? What is laryngitis? What are causes, symptoms? And what is scope of homeopathy in treating it? Read the post to know more!

What is laryngitis?

Inflammation of larynx is called laryngitis, which is usually characterized by hoarseness or loss of voice and throat pain. The larynx is also called a voice box, is an organ that joins the back of the throat to the windpipe (trachea). The larynx is an important organ that helps in respiration and phonation. It allows air to be directed into respiratory organs for gas exchange.

It also produces vocal sounds and controls the pitch and volume of voice. It acts as a valve to close the respiratory tract and prevents the passage of food and other foreign particles into the lower respiratory tracts. When due to any reason, larynx get inflamed, and produce different sign and symptoms (like pain in throat and weak voice), the condition is called Laryngitis.

Causes of laryngitis

Here are some common causes of laryngitis.

Viral infection is most common cause of laryngitis. Viruses that cause common cough and cold, also responsible for causing laryngitis in many cases.
Bacterial infection is some cases
Laryngitis is also caused by excessive strain on the vocal cords caused by unusual yelling or excessive use of voice
Smoking is another contributing factor for laryngitis.
Respiratory allergies are some cases causes laryngitis.
In some case COPD (Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) also causes laryngitis as a main symptom.
Gastro-esophageal reflux disease, and use of inhaled steroids may be contributing factors.

Symptoms of laryngitis

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Hoarseness
Weak voice or voice loss
Sore throat
Throat pain with tickling sensation and rawness in throat
Coughing
pain while swallowing
pain while speaking
in some cases other signs of respiratory infections
shortness of breath ( in severe cases of laryngitis)

The problem usually lasts for few days to 2 weeks at the most. And get resolved without any serious consequences. If persists longer than this duration, it could be a case of chronic laryngitis for which you need to consult with a doctor.

Types of laryngitis

There are mainly two types of laryngitis.

Acute and
Chronic laryngitis

Acute laryngitis

As the name suggested, it is acute type and have a short duration of illness. The usual cause of acute laryngitis is viral infection or overuse of voice. The symptoms are self-limiting and usually go on its own within few days. Practicing self-care measures and home remedies give great results in treatment of laryngitis.

Chronic laryngitis

As the name suggested, it is chronic in nature. When symptoms of laryngitis persist for more than 3 weeks, it is called chronic laryngitis. Chronic laryngitis is usually occurred in smokers and also seen as an “Occupational hazard” (means common in singers, cheerleaders who overuses their voice due to their profession). Respiratory allergies and chronic respiratory diseases also cause chronic laryngitis.

In some case, chronic laryngitis is also a symptom of other underlying disease like throat cancer. For chronic laryngitis, it is very important to take professional medical treatment to rule out the real cause of this symptom.

Diagnosis

Diagnosis of laryngitis is usually made on the basis of clinical symptoms and physical examination. Doctor uses a special mirror to view and examine your vocal cards. In some case, they might perform laryngoscopy to magnify the voice box by using a thin flexible tube and a camera.

In rare cases, doctor mat performs a biopsy to rule out the possibility of throat cancer.

Conventional treatment

When cause of laryngitis is viral infection, then it did not require any specific treatment. It gets cured on its own with practicing good set of home care measures.

When laryngitis is caused by bacterial infections, antibiotic is choice of treatment. In some cases, doctor also used corticosteroid to reduce swelling and inflammation.

Homeopathic treatment

Here is a list of some simple and homeopathic remedies which you can try to relieve the symptoms of laryngitis and may get your voice box back to normal.

Using homeopathic remedies for treating laryngitis is a good alternative treatment option.

Homeopathy remedies provide great relieve in laryngitis. here are some common remedies that works good in treatment of laryngitis.

Aconite

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Aconite is a good remedy if complain of laryngitis get started suddenly, due to exposure to dry cold wind. It is useful in treating laryngitis in first 24 hours of starting complain. Patient has anxiousness and restlessness.