If stuttering begins in adulthood, it could be a sign of a neurological disorder or a head injury. Some researchers suspect that stuttering is habit forming and that stress has a major role in its onset. When a child is learning to speak, or when an adult has to talk in a tense situation, stress increases tension on the vocal cords. As the person struggles to speak, words sputter out of his mouth as if he were trying to start a reluctant car engine on a cold winter morning. Keeping the vocal chords open and relaxed can help control stuttering, experts say.
Speech therapy can benefit, too.
The natural remedies in this chapter, used with your doctor s approval, may help stop you from stuttering, according to some health professionals. Your periods of stuttering begin to occur more often or talking seems to require more effort or sounds strained. For people who have no problem speaking to friends and acquaintances but stutter when speaking in public, Trumpet Vine may help, she says. For information on preparing and administering flower essences, see page 37. To help stop stuttering or stammering, try one of the following 6C or 12C remedies once a day for a month, says Chris Meletis, N.D., a naturopathic physician and medicinary director at the National College of Naturopathic Medicine in Portland, Oregon.