Vocal Problems - Multiple Choices:

Should you continue singing the same way you have always been singing?  Should you ignore the unusual symptoms like hoarseness and dryness of the voice, loss of range, change of tone, etc.?

These are your answers;

You are a singer and have been for a long time. Your voice has never let you down for some time now, but, as musicians like to say, there is no gig lasts forever! Now you are not just getting mature, but you are also getting older and have had a lot of shows under your belt.

Suddenly, you started noticing that you cannot reach the same high notes which you never had a problem with in the past, your tone of the voice is not the same and at times, you are even experiencing pitch problems, which you never had a problem with in the past. After the show, your voice and nevertheless, yourself, feeling exhausted and your voice sounds raspy and hoarse.  Those are very unfamiliar symptoms to you and now you are puzzled, concerned and even in panic.

Your livelihood depends on your voice. You have multiple shows booked ahead…

A couple of years ago, I got a call from Chicago from a local radio DJ, who also was a singer. He was panicking, as he just had two polyps removed from his vocal cords and for a while, he thought that he could continue speaking and singing the same way as he always was. So he did; and then, to his surprise, he found four new polyps on his vocal cords.

Why you may ask? He had a very successful vocal surgery and was able to start speaking and singing again in the while, just like before, so he thought. True, but since he did not change the way he was speaking and singing, naturally, those polyps returned and even multiplied by double. The fact is that polyps have a viral nature and tend to multiply at all given times, especially if the manner of speaking and singing has not been modified. When I asked the above-mentioned person whether he wanted to come to Toronto to get the proper vocal instruction and natural herbal treatment, he said, “Oh no. I have a very busy performing schedule”. Go figure!

He was planning to continue singing and speaking on the radio with all of his polyps and could not bring himself to the realization that there is definitely, a time to stop and do something about it, and maybe this time around, non-surgically, by simply learning how to speak and sing properly - without the pressure on his vocal cords and his vocal box in general.

There is no change without change!

Once you notice the change in your voice, you should immediately stop and assess the situation. Obviously, your voice does not respond the way it used to be, and not only when you are singing, but even when you are speaking.

Any growth on your vocal cords like nodules or polyps will prevent your voice from acting normally, as it is an obstruction for the voice to fly freely from your vocal box out to the listeners.

It cannot be treated lightly and has to be addressed immediately. There is no time to pretend that nothing happened and continue to act as if it didn’t. Remember, by the law of averages, your voice will not get better on its own.

You need professional help!

My suggestion would be to try the alternative methods first before you agree to any surgical procedure. My dentist once said to me, “It is never too late to pull the tooth, but please see the specialist first to find out if we can save it.”