Hoarse Voice/Raspy Voice? – Should you be concerned and do something about it, or should you hope that your voice would get back to normal on its own?

Let’s find out…

Perhaps one day you woke up and felt that your throat is unusually dry and even somewhat scratchy.

You probably did not think much about it, as it had happened before. So you started clearing your throat, trying to cough it out, but this time it was much harder to bring it to the normal state. You have tried again and again and instead of it getting better, it was getting worse.

Now, probably there was a time for concern.

At first, you thought that maybe you caught a cold or a virus, but you overall felt alright and not sick at all. Then you started to analyze your social behaviour and your conduct at work, trying to remember if anybody there was sick and had a virus or a cold. After that, another thought occurred in your mind and you started thinking...

• “Probably, I speak too much and too loud on an everyday basis, I speak on the phone all day and then go to a loud club or to my band practice…”

Suddenly, you realize that you are overworking your voice double/triple its capacity; and not knowingly, you actually abuse your vocal anatomy.

Remember the vocal cords are not made from steel!

They are two human threads which could handle only so many voice fluctuations per lifetime. Just like your heart, which possesses only so many beats per lifetime, and therefore, if you are fit and your diet is adequate, you preserve and save your heartbeats for a longer time, assuring the health and length of your actual life span.

Similarly, when you look after your vocal anatomy (trying not to overload your vocal cords and your throat with excessive sound pressure), you probably will never experience the loss of voice and will never acquire a raspy or hoarse voice for that matter. And nevertheless, you will practically become immune to the dangers of injuring and/or even losing your voice.

However, if the vocal injury already occurred, should you be doing something about it or hoping that one day, someday, your vocal anatomy will recover on its own?

The answer is:

Act upon it immediately! The longer you wait, the harder it will be to fix it. Don’t pretend that nothing has happened... because it did. Minimum to say, you bruised your vocal anatomy and thus your voice is not functioning as per usual.

Ultimately, you would need to do 2 things:

• Firstly, treat your whole vocal box with alternative and holistic means. That will, hopefully, “tune your instrument” back to its normal physiological state.

• Secondly, learn a new application of how to use your voice speaking and singing without putting enormous pressure on your already fragile vocal box. In a nutshell, you have to lift and restructure your voice to a different set of muscles (facial muscles which became working in conjunction and coordination with the abdominal muscles and, nevertheless, as far away as possible from your vocal anatomy).

Those facial and abdominal muscles are very safe to use and you will get much more run out of them than off of your actual vocal anatomy. There are special speech and singing exercises being specifically developed for the restoration and enhancement of your voice. They, in turn, will allow you to use your voice in the fullest capacity possible and, needless to say, with no pain or strain on your vocal anatomy.

So, by utilizing, so to speak, the wholesome vocal mechanism, you will assure the safety and proper workability of your voice for a lifetime.
In other words... DO NOT PROCRASTINATE!!

Start loving your VOICE and, nevertheless, YOURSELF!