“The human voice is the organ of the soul,” said poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.  It also pays the mortgage when you are a television journalist. Pictures without sound. A story missing a narrative. There’s nothing sadder than a communicator who can't talk.

For four days last week, I had no voice.

Laryngitis is an odd illness. You feel otherwise healthy. But your vocal cords are inflamed, in my case, probably due to a summer cold that went south from my nose into my throat.  When you try to answer a simple question, all you can put out is a raspy gasp, with numerous pauses.

"Sorry. What did you say?" is the usual response.

Oddly, people start whispering back. Even the pizza delivery guy lowered his voice to a sympathetic whisper when he gave me the total. “Why you are whispering? I have the laryngitis,” I thought to myself.

After four days of writing notes to my husband and texting my son while he was in the same room, I encountered desperation. Our annual street party, which I help run, was on Saturday night. It's an evening of races for children, a pot luck dinner and dancing.  I’m also the MC.  I needed a voice.

Coincidentally, I have been seeing an acupuncturist to deal a completely unrelated condition. Part of an experiment on my part.

Having done stories on acupuncture before, I had taken a stab 'stab' at being a patient of the ancient Chinese treatment, not fully understanding how it works. I've had about half a dozen sessions. Many times, I laugh at the odd places the needles are inserted, and my body's odd reactions -- like why does the needle in my leg registers a zero on the pain scale, and the one in my belly sends me thru the ceiling in pain? But overall, I have been happy with the treatments so far.

On my scheduled appointment on the Saturday morning, Dr. Rao could barely hear me as I explained my summer cold had descended into my throat and stolen my ability to express myself. After he had inserted all the needles for my pain issue, he moved to the side of the table and said: "Close your eyes and open your mouth."

Unusual, I thought. To my surprise he popped a needle into the back of my throat -- right dead centre where the hard palate connects to the soft palate.

"Uhhhh," was my response.

It didn't hurt, but it sure was an interesting sensation. Just a brief prick with the pin sent tiny shock waves from the upper part of my mouth through my brain.

"Talk now," he said. "Say something."

And I started to talk.  Not with that raspy whispy sliver of a voice I had been saddled with for four days, but my real voice.

Five seconds. One tiny prick of a needle. Laryngitis, gone. Freaky.

After I finished laughing, he did about 4 or 5 pinpricks. "You'll be good for your party," he added.

And sure enough, my damaged voice was whole again. At the street party, I cheered as the kids ran with their jellybeans on a spoon, and chatted with all dozens of neighbours. Some wondered how I had gotten my voice back. Acupuncture, I said. Five seconds is all it took. Several wanted the acupuncturist's name.

With my voice still steady and normal the following day, I had to look up the scientific work on this mini miracle. I found published research on how acupuncture helped those with laryngitis. I have attached it below for anyone interested. There are others, but this was the most specific.

Prior to this, if someone had suggested acupuncture would be a possible treatment for my problem, I would have quickly dismissed it. But it was a lesson for me. When it comes to your health it is important to be open minded.

Yes, I could have gone to my family doctor, or a walk-in clinic. Treatment would have involved fluids, humidified air, and time for recovery. In some cases, patients are prescribed steroids to reduce the inflammation in the throat.  

I'll bet none would have given me my voice back in five seconds. And Dr. Rao didn't even charge me extra for it.

 Here's a link to a study:

Clinical observation on acupuncture kinetotherapy
for acute simple laryngitis of wind-heat type