Serious Voice Damage – Could the “magic pill” help solve the voice issues?

I believe, due to the recession, I get more and more phone calls and e-mails with the request to tell them all about the “magic pill” or send them the “magic pill” to fix their very serious voice disorder! 

Such nonsense started several years back when the recession really hit North America.

Before that people were much more sensible and had an understanding that if they had any kind of voice/vocal problem, they would have to come in person, wherever they resided, and fix to the best of their and my ability their voice. 

Then came the next phase – Skype!

They figured that now it’s all good; they don’t have to go anywhere, they don’t have to pay as much, let alone their travel, and they can fix their voice right from their couch and in front of their little screen with a questionable sound quality. 

Go figure! 

And lastly, let’s examine what’s going on now and in the present:

They don’t want to come in person, they don’t even want to do Skype any longer (not that I would offer anything like that) and now they just want me to give them free advice at best and maybe send them the natural herbal voice repair kit, hoping that it would be enough to fix all of their voice problems. 

I’d been explaining to them (till I’m blue in the face) that those herbs are very instrumental in the non-surgical voice repair ordeal, but they only aid the symptoms and provide little comfort, but never address the cause by themselves. 

Unless the voice box and the vocal anatomy as a whole is released from the pressure of the sound (via special speech and singing exercises), the herbs will not be able to work in the full capacity, healing the flora of the throat and strengthening the larynx and the vocal cords. 

So ultimately, the injured person has to learn a new application of speech and singing, using a “newly discovered” facial muscles and the abdominal muscles, coordination of which between each other would save their throat from the enormous pressure, pain, and strain. 

The latter is the very reason why the vocal damage has occurred in the first place.

Somehow, the voice damage victims believe that the problem they’ve got is only anatomical, therefore, the herbs or in the worst scenario heavy duty medications which the doctor prescribed, will fix their voice. 

In reality, the problem is global – mechanical, anatomical, physiological, and psychological, to say the least. 

Could one, or even multiple “magic pills” solve the voice issues?

The answer is obvious – the treatment has to be holistic and all of the above mentioned factors have to be addressed simultaneously. 

I hope those people with damaged voices will come to their senses and realize that now, since the injury had occurred, they will have to spend the time for the research to find the proper care, the energy which requires to go through the jungle of services being offered on the internet, the money which the proper service will require, possibly the travel which may be required, and lastly, the lovingness and willingness to conquer the voice/vocal injury and thus claim their lives back. 

The other day, after receiving one of the e-mails from the U.S., I did not know whether to cry or to laugh after I’ve read it. 

The person who happened to be a female teacher said that she was looking for some free advice on the internet, on how to shrink her multiple cysts on her throat, as she was afraid that the school year would start soon and she would have even more difficulty speaking than now while she’s on summer holidays. 

Since she obviously had no intention, of any sort, to travel to me to fix her voice or even to purchase the natural herbs to achieve at least some comfort, I had to  explain to her that, granted the internet is indeed a free informational source which directs people who are searching for the best service to the right place, but the actual service is, nevertheless, not free. 

It looks like the latter was beyond her level of understanding. 

How sad is that?