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Last weekend, my daughter got married. A few days before, I lost my voice. The laryngitis felt like shattered glass in my throat. I was joking that guests would enjoy a mute mother of the bride. What I really wanted was relief for my aching throat.

Stress in the weeks leading up to the event weakened my immune system, and the virus had an easy time establishing itself in my body. I wish I had made my herbal cough drops for winter earlier this year.

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