Well, let me start by saying that I had not been diagnosed by an ENT, but was told by a speech therapist and a vocal teacher that I probably had it. I had all the symptoms, with a strangled voice and all for about 2 years. I did a lot of things, everything I could short of chemical or medical treatments. I spent 6 months doing voice therapy, and found some improvement.
What did it though was a diagnosis of sleep apnea. I had a deviated septum, nasal polyps and bad allergies that basically gave me a permanent sinus infection. That meant lots of post nasal drip, as well as snoring and swelling in the tongue and tonsil area. I addressed this with a fitted mouthpiece and a prescription for a nasal cortisol spray. The apnea went away, and so did about 75% of my problem.
I still had a "catch" in my voice, though, and though I spoke mostly normal, it still wasn't all there. The final piece turned out to be related to my digestive system. I think the post-nasal drip and a bad diet had given me a screwed up digestive system. IBS like symptoms. I addressed that by taking acidopholous tablets and by taking magnesium and potassium supplements. Both of these minerals play a very important role in muscle movement and relaxation. I think the magnesium and potassium made up the final piece. For whatever reason, perhaps related to my other problems, I had a shortage of these minerals, which meant my muscles were kind of in a permanent "tense" mode. Taking the supplements on a regular basis helped my digestion and also cleared up the rest of my vocal problem completely. completely. I guess my vocal muscles were tense along with the rest of my muscles.
I don't know if this can help anyone else, but just wanted to throw my experience in, just in case.
