Natural Health: My husband is getting hoarse from shouting at matches 

Plus: My eye starts to twitch and spasm when I am tired, what can I do?

Megan Sheppard: Slippery elm is one of my favourite remedies for a hoarse voice. Picture: iStock

My husband is a big sports fan and shouts a lot during matches. He has started to develop a hoarse voice as a result, and I’ve noticed it’s taking him longer and longer to recover his voice. What would you recommend?

Slippery elm is one of my favourite remedies for a hoarse voice, whether it is a result of enthusiastic team support or a bout of laryngitis.

The mucilaginous inner bark forms a soothing gel-like paste when mixed with water, which coats the throat.

Slippery elm is easy to use. Mix a couple of teaspoons of the powder with warm water to make a paste, and add as much or as little water as you like for your desired consistency. Some people like it very thin, like a hot broth, while others prefer a thick porridge-like paste. You can add spices and honey to improve the taste if you wish.

A herbal combination using slippery elm, known as Throat Coat tea, is used by many public speakers and vocalists. While there are many variations of this blend, it usually contains slippery elm powder, liquorice root, marshmallow root, and wild cherry bark.

Other common additions include fennel seeds, cinnamon bark, sweet orange peel, and calamus root added for flavour and therapeutic benefits.

Slippery elm is also believed to act as a COX-2 inhibitor.

COX-2, or cyclo-oxygenase-2, is an enzyme involved in the body’s inflammatory response. Slippery elm’s soothing, demulcent properties, together with its potential COX-2-inhibiting activity, may help reduce inflammation.

Your husband would do well to use some form of slippery elm preparation before going to a match and then again for a few days afterwards.

If you have any trouble sourcing slippery elm, then pure aloe vera juice is another quick and easy solution.

Your husband should choose pure aloe juice instead of a sweetened and flavoured aloe-based drink, as these contain very little actual aloe juice and offer no medicinal benefit. He will need to take around 20ml twice daily.

Again, this remedy can be used preventatively as well as to soothe his vocal cords after a match.

Whenever I get overtired, one of my eyes starts to twitch. The twitching can last for up to an hour. Is there a remedy I could take?

Usually, I would say that eye twitching or spasms are quite harmless, but as these episodes are happening reliably and lasting for such a long time, I am going to recommend that you see your GP to rule out any underlying neurological issues.

As you are aware, the twitching is linked with you being in a state of over-tiredness — it is a good idea to work on your sleep hygiene in the meantime.

More than just the usual recommendation of eight hours of sleep, it includes maintaining a regular sleep schedule with consistent bedtimes and waking times, ensuring that you avoid screen time for at least an hour before bedtime, limiting your caffeine intake during the day (or eliminating it), using blackout curtains, and sleeping in a cooler room.

When your eye begins to spasm, you can apply a warm or cool compress over it, as this might help to relax the nerve response.

Experiment with warm and cool — it may even be that alternating between the two might calm the twitching.

Finally, ensure that your eyes are well lubricated, as dry eye conditions can be another trigger for twitching.

Menopausal changes can trigger dry eyes, as can working or using screens for long spans, or working in environments with dust or chemicals.

• NOTE: The information contained in this column is not a substitute for medical advice. Always consult a doctor.