MAINTAINING A HEALTHY VOICE

Take a moment to reflect on how often you use your voice. You use your voice to interact with family and friends, sing along with the radio, or to do your job. Your voice conveys emotion and attitude, and is strongly connected to who you are.

Now what would happen if you developed a voice problem or voice disorder? Perhaps none to minimal interaction with family and friends, time off work, and the possible loss of income.

Approximately 7.5 million people in the United States have voice disorders according to statistics from the National Institute on Deafness and other Communication Disorders. There is evidence of increased incidences of voice disorders in such occupations as homemakers, secretaries, teachers, singers, lawyers, salespeople, preachers, and telemarketers.

Teachers and secretaries are two of the top ten occupations in which voice disorders are most likely to occur. “Vocal abuse and vocal misuse are the most common types of voice disorders, and fortunately they are also the most preventable,” said Dorian Glaze, a Speech Language Pathologist at Lakeview Medical Center. “Following are recommendations to maintain a healthy voice or to progress towards healing a disordered voice.”

Discontinue smoking/tobacco use. Try to avoid second hand smoke. Smoke irritates and dries your vocal tissues and can cause laryngeal cancer.

Limit intake of drinks that contain alcohol and caffeine. These act like diuretics and cause the body to loose water. This can have a drying effect on the vocal tissues.

Drink plenty of water. At least 6-8 glasses/day is recommended.

Allow for times of voice rest. Take time to rest your voice when you have to talk or sing for long periods of time.

Don't talk over loud noises. Try not to talk or yell over loud noises such as machinery at work or the lawn mower. Instead try using gestures or walking up to your conversation partner.

Use appropriate pitch range when singing and talking. Making your voice go too high or low can be harmful.

Use a humidifier. Especially during the winter or in dry climates. Around 30 percent humidity is recommended.

Don't cradle the phone between your neck and shoulder when talking. This can lead to tension and strain in the neck muscles causing the need for more effort to use your voice.

Be careful with cough drops and throat lozenges. They relieve sore throat symptoms by numbing the throat area. This can lead to a false sense that everything is ok, when you are actually straining your voice to talk.

If you have a sore throat or laryngitis do not whisper. A whisper is actually worse for your voice and causes more strain than just using your regular voice.

Watch what you eat. Avoid spicy and acidic foods before bedtime. Frequent heartburn and sour taste in your mouth could mean stomach acids are spilling over into your throat area. This could irritate or damage your vocal tissues.

A voice disorder can progressively develop over a period of time with symptoms increasing in severity or present itself suddenly, as is the case with laryngitis. Most voice problems (about 80 percent) develop from using your voice too much, too long, too loud, and too hard.

You can tell if your voice is not healthy if your throat often feels sore, raw, or strained, if you have to use extra effort to talk, if your voice becomes hoarse or raspy, if your voice suddenly becomes deeper, if you repeatedly clear your throat or frequently cough, and if you have lost some range when singing.

You are encouraged to talk with your regular doctor if you have experienced any of the above conditions. If your doctor determines that additional follow-up is needed, you would likely be referred to an Otolaryngologist, an Ear Nose and Throat (ENT) specialist, and to a Speech Language Pathologist (SLP). The ENT offers specialized assessment in diagnosing voice disorders, and the SLP will evaluate the specific damaged voice characteristics and work with you to develop an individualized treatment program.

For additional information on voice disorders or to learn more about voice treatment that can help you increase vocal endurance, quality, and range contact Dorian at Lakeview Medical Center in Rice Lake at 715-236-6408.