Sore Throat - Voice Almost Gone - What Do You Use?

"voice almost gone.." Bob gets a break! LOL ;)
A warm tea and rest are probably the best things for ya.
Take it easy.

When I get like that, hot tea (with lemon and honey) and a heating pad on my neck/throat help me feel better.
If I don't have to drive anywhere, I add a little brandy to the tea as well.

Perfect timing! It is a National Day of Silence according to my daughter's LGBT volunteer group she works for in school! She's trying it, and beLIEVE me, it ain't no Easy Feat for her to shut her mouth for 24 hrs!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T8kNYV5EAVw&feature=pl...

Allergies are BRUTAL this year. When they're this bad I lose my voice too. I'm sure our husbands look forward to it every year!

I second the tea and a good honey, local if possible.

Otherwise, just rest it.

:)

Wait, and maybe gargle with warm salt water, or warm water with baking soda?

Honey lemon tea. When the throat is particularly scratchy, I take a spoon of honey to coat the throat. Also, avoid using your voice as much as possible for a couple of days. No whispering either. That aggravates the vocal chords as much (sometimes more) as talking regularly.

The weather has been doing weird things lately. (It's Spring! It's Summer! Let's not say goodbye to Winter quite yet!) That, coupled with being outdoors and probably hooting and hollering a bit at your son's baseball game.... you've probably aggravated your vocal chords. The best thing for that is to rest them. Also, wear a scarf. Doesn't have to be heavy. Just something to make sure your neck stays warm.

Feel better.

Fisherman's Friend - almost pure licorice and very soothing.

Updated

Fisherman's Friend - almost pure licorice and very soothing.

Slippery Elm Root Lozenges.

(and I want to give credit - b/c someone else mentioned it on MP a few months ago and I have since become a fan - but i don't remember whom)

Works in minutes! All natural. Originally a native american supplement for sore throats.

Gotta find a health food store though.

I agree with Kristina that it could be laryngitis. I used to be a teacher. Whenever I used the chalkboard a lot or over used my voice in class, I would end up with a sore throat like what you have described. I found out I was allergic to chalk dust. After I stopped teaching, I didn't have as many bouts with laryngitis. I would rest your voice as much as possible. Avoid whispering. Whispering is very hard on your vocal chords, and can cause more damage. If your throat doesn't feel better in a few days, I would see a doctor. Whenever I had sore throats like that, I would gargle salt water or mouthwash several times a day. I also drank ginger and honey. Grate fresh gingerroot. Put about two tablespoons in your cup and pour boiled water over it. Add honey to taste. Stir and drink after cooled down a bit. You'll have to stir it several times as you sip so the ginger doesn't settle on the bottom. Too much ginger on the bottom is going to leave you with a very spicy mouthfull at the end. Hope you feel better soon.

I usually drink a TON of emergen-c (2-3 a day), lots of zinc, honey and if it's really bad then I will break down and take some motrin. I hope you feel better soon! Being sick is no fun. I'm still on antibiotics from my pneumonia and I still don't feel 100% yet.

Cider vinegar and honey. Mix. Equal parts. Drink. Yak.

my response is a little late so I hope you are feeling better now....what I do is gargle with warm salty water, liquid tylenol sore throat and cold (not the fever kind - the blue liquid in the transparent bottle is the sore throat and cold one) and a tsp of honey with some crushed black pepper, ginger juice (grate and squeeze) and turmeric powder (if you have it).......hope this helps!

I just went to the doc a few days ago for my sore throat that wont go away.
No strep, just irritated from a cold and of course he said pollen, using the heater, etc...
The warm salt water gargle does help a lot, but you need to do it several times during the day. A cold, fruity smoothie is soothing too.
Mine is on the 6th of being sore, worse at night than during the day.
Even though my nose is not very clogged, the doc said to use some nasal spray as their is some sinus drainage irritating the throat, that seems to be helping as well. It's much less sore today than it was a few days ago.
Chloroseptic spray works for a little while, just point it at the back of your throat and let it do it's numbing magic.
Sore throats suck, I hate them!
Hope you feel better soon.

If you're losing your voice, stop using it!!!! You need to rest your vocal chords, that's the only way they will truly heal. I lost my voice a few months back and didn't talk for the whole day. It was back the next day and I was fine.

Don't even whisper unless you absolutely have to. Let those babies rest!

I totally agree with all the replies about honey in your lemon tea. I worked in a call center for four years, and there were a few times where a sore throat got so bad my voice was nearly gone. Not good when your job is to talk on the phone all day! Drinking hot tea with honey was the best for soothing the soreness and coating my vocal chords.

I grew up getting sore throats and strep constantly. Gargle w/ warm salt water several times daily. I swear by it. Lemon and honey in tea also help soothe.

Hot tea with honey. And drink lots and lots of water. Humidify.

This is a doc related sore throat. I am fairly sure. I am a singer and when it is that low it has been laryngitis that can be brought on by allergies. I would see a medical pro for this sore throat. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0002361/

Gargle with Listerine -- yukky but helps.

Drink a pot 8-10 cups of chamomile tea -- I mix with mint it tastes better. Chamomile tea removes toxins from the body -- makes you peee a lot and sweat.

Sometimes Nyquil or Benedryl will help because it can be caused by the yuk dripping down the back of your throat.

Chicken soup soothes the throat and helps with a cold or other virus.

Warm apple cider very soothing on a sore throat.

Mostly it's a matter of warm liquids, rest and no talking. Hopefully the kids can read.

I use a lemon tea. Boil water, squeeze 1/2 lemon, a spoonful of honey, with about 1 tablespoon (maybe + 1/2 tablespoon) of oregano. Put the water and oregano in the teapot for 3 minutes and mix with the rest.

Do this for 3 days and it will be gone.

I also like to gargle hydrogen peroxide (no swallowing!). Anytime I wake up with a soar throat, I gargle and the soar throat goes away. There is no way to get the peroxide where you are describing, but if there is any funk in your mouth it will be clean. If the taste is too strong, it can be diluted more with water.

I haven't seen a family doc in 6 years. I don't even have one any longer.

**Oh and of course, the tea does not taste wonderful. My family makes fun of my tea, but the oregano has natural antibiotics in it. After a few days of being sick, they beg me to make them tea.

If I've tried everything like you have, I drink hot green tea or other herbal tea and rest my voice. I know, I know, three kids, how in the world do I do that? I whisper and don't use or raise my voice at all. I've had too many bouts with laryngitis to want to damage my voice further and believe it or not, the kids listen really well when I use the whisper voice. They have to pay a lot more attention to my body language when I do that, and that means they take me more seriously.

I lost my voice and had a sore throat due to this horrible pollen season (I've never had allergies before). I found that it came back after two days with a regime of Claritin.

You have many great answers, I would like to add Elderberry syrup. It was recommended by my chiropractor. I get it at a health food store. It has really helped, if I take it at the first sign of a cough. Good luck.