Voice Repair and Other Health Problems in General!

Does anybody know…?

Does anybody care for that matter…?

Vocal Science… The Best or…Nothing.

 

Quite often, people who require voice repair have some other health problems to start with. These health problems could be a trigger to voice loss, or any kind of voice issues.

Sadly enough, our Canadian singer Gord Downie has recently been diagnosed with Terminal Brain Cancer; and peculiarly enough, the tumor is apparently located near the speech center of his brain…

I am not a doctor; though it makes me wonder whether or not his not exactly adequate singing (in my subjective professional opinion) and, understandably, a lifestyle of a rocker (which usually comes with the territory), has anything to do with it?

This is just speculation on the matter, but it probably has some merit.

Let’s also examine a very serious disorder called Spasmodic Dysphonia:

I personally call it “Vocal Epilepsy”, as the voice of the sufferer spasms uncontrollably. The disease, in its nature, is neurological. It, quite likely, could be environmental. However, viruses such as Strep Throat, for example, could also trigger it. It happens a lot to people who, in their nature, are very emotional; also to those who speak very fast and very loud and whose lifestyles are very poor.

So between the environmental causes, air-born viruses and smoking, drinking and drug use, spasmodic dysphonia could easily occur.

Last year, I got an email from a person who was originally diagnosed with Muscle Tension Dysphonia. With this type of Dysphonia, the sufferers’ voice gets trapped in their neck muscles. That usually happens to speakers and singers.

That type of dysphonia is very rarely induced by viruses or environmental causes. It simply occurs due to misuse and abuse of one's voice (speaking or singing). If left untreated, it may easily turn into Spasmodic Dysphonia.

The person who wrote to me last year revealed that she has now been diagnosed with Spasmodic Dysphonia. Speaking with that person on the phone, I had determined that I possibly could have improved her condition to a degree, but definitely would not be able to cure it. In fact, such a disorder as Spasmodic Dysphonia is generally considered un-curable. However, if it's still in a mild form (stage one or two) it could be treated to a near-full recovery. So, in the case of the person first diagnosed with Muscle Tension Dysphonia a year prior, the Spasmodic Dysphonia disorder could have been prevented if the former was timely treated. 

There is another category of people who, instead of expressing their emotions out loud, just simply suppress them. In the holistic teaching, the thyroid (the gland/cartilage in the neck that secretes hormones regulating growth and development) represents suppressed emotions and hurts.  If those emotions are suppressed for too long, the voice gradually begins to drown to the lower throat, then to the chest and could practically "die"  at the person’s gut, so to speak.

All of that brings us to a “full picture” which points out to a complete imbalance within.

So all of this means that if the person is too loud and too emotional, he or she could easily experience voice loss.

On the other hand, if the emotions are suppressed, the person could also easily lose their voice.

Moreover, in both cases, they could acquire such disorders like Muscle Tension Dysphonia or even Spasmodic Dysphonia. Partial loss of speech could also be a symptom of a pre-stroke condition, or even a Lou Gehrig’s disease (ALS).

To conclude: All of this is obviously not a joke; and the moral of the latter is that you should keep yourself in perfect balance. That will prevent you from all kinds of health problems; especially those that could lead to serious voice issues.

Best of voice and best of health in general to all of you!