Fact check: Is Almond mixed with butter a natural cure for stammering?

Can eating soaked almonds mixed with butter every day naturally cure stammering?

Claim: In a social media post, an Instagram user claimed that almond mixed with butter is a natural cure for stammering. In the video, the man claims the benefits of licking soaked almonds after grinding them in butter. In the video, the user explains that one should take 5-7 almonds and soak them in water overnight. These almonds should be ground in butter, and licking them can benefit those who are stammering or stuttering. The video, among other claims, also states that those who stammer or stutter must do this every day. 

The link to the video is here.

Fact Check:

This claim is FALSE.

There is no scientific evidence, or medical research that supports almonds having any effect on curing or directly improving stammering and stuttering.

What is stammering?

Stammering is a speech disorder affecting fluency and timing (1). It is characterized by repetitions, pauses, unnecessary vowel production, unintentional breaks, spasms, and emotional swings during speech production, making it difficult to communicate effectively (2). Stammering can occur at any age, although it typically starts in preschool years, suggesting that factors during child development are involved.

Is there a cure for stammering?

There is no definitive "cure" for stuttering (also known as stammering), as it varies greatly from person to person and can be influenced by multiple factors, including genetic, developmental, and neurological components. However, there are effective treatments that can help manage and reduce the symptoms of stuttering. The three types of stuttering are developmental, neurogenic, and psychogenic. Some of the measures used to treat stammering include speech therapy and cognitive behavioural therapy. 

Benefits of almonds:

Almonds are high in antioxidants, vitamin E, protein, and fibre. They may have health benefits, including supporting heart health and reducing blood pressure. However, there is no evidence of their curing speech disorders.

Does almond butter really cure stammering?

No almond butter does not cure stammering. According to American Speech-Language-Hearing Association ,Stammering can only be managed with the help of a speech-language pathologist (SLP), making people feel less tense and speak more freely in school, at work, and in different social settings.(3)

Talking to the Medical Dialogues team, Tania Solanki, a speech-language pathologist from Meenakshi Speech and Hearing Clinic, said "Almonds do not affect stammering. Eating almonds may help in overall Brain functioning; it is good for health but has no relation directly to curing stuttering (stammering)."

She further quoted an article published by Singh et al. l (2022) regarding the same issue, and eating almonds was one of the psychological beliefs of the clients, which was mentioned under the label "superstitious beliefs".(4)

"For example, doctors won't support the use of mustard oil for middle ear infections or pain, but most people do it anyway. We ASLPs ( Audio and Speech-Language Pathologists) do not recommend using almonds to cure stuttering. There is no scientific research to authenticate this relationship”, she added

Speaking to the Medical Dialogues team, Dr Chanchal Pal, Senior Consultant, Department of ENT and Head & Neck Surgery, Indraprastha Apollo Hospital, New Delhi, said, "Stammering is purely a personality disorder mostly occurring in people, especially children, due to deep-seated social fears and hesitation. It may also happen due to family, school, or workplace atmosphere. The more we make them conscious of it, the more it becomes dominant. Treatment includes psychological support of family and friends, help in confidence building, and speech therapy. Almond, since ages, has been considered good for brain and memory so it may have some credibility in neural function, but it does not specifically relate to the treatment of stammering."

Medical Dialogues Final Take:

No. almonds mixed with butter, or even alone, cannot cure stammering. No scientific evidence supporting this claim is found. Hence, the claim eating soaked almonds mixed with butter everyday naturally cures stammering is False 

References:

1. Perez HR, Stoeckle J)H. Stuttering Clinical and research update. Can Fam Physician. 2016 Jun;62(6):479–84. PMID:27303004.

2. Sari H, Gökdağ H. An analysis of difficulties of children with stuttering enrolled in inclusive classes who encounter in academic and social activities: from their perspectives. J Educ Pract. 2017;8(2):31–43.

3. https://www.asha.org/public/speech/disorders/stuttering.

4. Singh U, Kumar SS. Perception of Stuttering in Individuals With Stuttering. Indian J Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2022 Dec;74(Suppl 3):4880-4890. doi: 10.1007/s12070-020-02344-4. Epub 2021 Jan 21. PMID: 36742901; PMCID: PMC9895346.