Prevention

To prevent dryness or irritation to your vocal cords:

• Avoid smoking and stay away from secondhand smoke. Smoke dries your throat. It can also cause your vocal cords to become irritated.
• Limit alcohol and caffeine. These cause you to lose total body water.
• Drink plenty of water. Fluids help keep the mucus in your throat thin and easy to clear.
• Keep spicy foods out of your diet. Spicy foods can cause stomach acid to go into the throat or esophagus. This can lead to heartburn or gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD).
• Include a variety of healthy foods in your diet. Eat fruits, vegetables and whole grains. These have several vitamins, such as vitamins A, E and C, that are important for overall health. These foods can also help keep the mucous membranes in the throat healthy.
• Avoid clearing your throat. This does more harm than good, because it causes an abnormal vibration of your vocal cords and can increase swelling. Clearing your throat also causes your throat to secrete more mucus and feel more irritated, making you want to clear your throat again.
• Avoid upper respiratory infections. Wash your hands often, and avoid contact with people who have upper respiratory infections such as colds.