A harsh, husky, muffled, faltering, or forced voice; attributable to wind-cold, wind-heat, heat evil invading the lung, lung-kidney yīn vacuity, or blood stasis and phlegm.
Biomedical correspondence: dysphonia.
Patterns
Wind-cold (风寒 fēng hán) hoarse voice is associated with an itchy throat, swollen larynx, cough, heat effusion, aversion to cold, thin white tongue fur, and a tight floating pulse.
Medicinal therapy: Course wind and disperse cold; diffuse the lung and restore the voice. Use Rough and Ready Three Decoction (三拗汤sān ào tāng).
Acumoxatherapy: Base treatment mainly on GV, LU, and LI. Select GB-20 (Wind Pool, 风池 fēng chí), BL-13 (Lung Transport, 肺俞 fèi shù), LU-8 (Channel Ditch, 经渠 jīng qú), LI-4 (Union Valley, 合谷 hé gǔ), CV-22 (Celestial Chimney, 天突 tiān tú), and CV-23 (Ridge Spring, 廉泉 lián quán); needle with even supplementation and drainage and, if appropriate, moxa.
Wind-heat (风热 fēng rè) hoarse voice is accompanied by sore throat with burning sensation, heat effusion, aversion to cold, cough with yellow phlegm, thin yellow tongue fur, and a rapid floating pulse.
Medicinal therapy: Course wind and clear heat; diffuse the lung and restore the voice. Use Mulberry Leaf and Chrysanthemum Beverage (桑菊饮sāng jú yǐn).
Acumoxatherapy: Base treatment mainly on GV, LU, and LI. Select GB-20 (Wind Pool, 风池 fēng chí), GV-14 (Great Hammer, 大椎 dà zhuī), LU-7 (Broken Sequence, 列缺 liè quē), LU-5 (Cubit Marsh, 尺泽 chǐ zé), LI-4 (Union Valley, 合谷 hé gǔ), LI-11 (Pool at the Bend, 曲池 qū chí), and CV-23 (Ridge Spring, 廉泉 lián quán); needle with drainage and prick LU-11 (Lesser Shang, 少商 shào shāng) to bleed.
Heat (dryness-heat) evil (热邪 rè xié) invading the lung causes a hoarse voice accompanied by red sore swollen throat with a sense of blockage, thick phlegm, oppression in the chest, dry stool and reddish urine, red tongue with sticky yellow fur, and a slippery rapid pulse.
Acumoxatherapy: Base treatment mainly on back transport points, LU, and KI. Select BL-13 (Lung Transport, 肺俞 fèi shù), LU-5 (Cubit Marsh, 尺泽 chǐ zé), LI-11 (Pool at the Bend, 曲池 qū chí), LU-10 (Fish Border, 鱼际 yú jì), LI-18 (Protuberance Assistant, 扶突 fú tú), and KI-6 (Shining Sea, 照海 zhào hǎi); needle with drainage and prick LU-11 (Lesser Shang, 少商 shào shāng) to bleed.
Lung-kidney yīn vacuity (肺肾阴虚 fèi shèn yīn xū) hoarse voice is an long-standing condition associated with dry sore itchy throat, sticky phlegm, red tongue with scant fur, and a fine rapid pulse.
Medicinal therapy: Enrich the lung and kidney; clear heat and restore the voice. Use Lily Bulb Lung-Securing Decoction (百合固肺汤bǎi hé gù fèi tāng) or Six-Ingredient Rehmannia Pill (六味地黄丸liù wèi dì huáng wán).
Acumoxatherapy: Base treatment mainly on back transport points, LU, and KI. Select BL-13 (Lung Transport, 肺俞 fèi shù), BL-23 (Kidney Transport, 肾俞 shèn shù), BL-43 (Gāo-Huāng Transport, 膏肓俞 gāo huāng shù), GB-25 (Capital Gate, 京门 jīng mén), KI-6 (Shining Sea, 照海 zhào hǎi), KI-3 (Great Ravine, 太溪 tài xī), SP-6 (Three Yīn Intersection, 三阴交 sān yīn jiāo), GV-15 (Mute’s Gate, 哑门 yǎ mén), and CV-23 (Ridge Spring, 廉泉 lián quán); needle with supplementation.
Blood stasis and phlegm (血瘀痰聚 xuè yū tán jù) hoarse voice is also a long-standing condition that may gradually worsen; it is accompanied by a sore dry throat possibly with visible nodes or lumps; the tongue is purple with thin fur, and the pulse is fine and stringlike.