A Voice Apart

Get this: From Strep Throat - To Laryngitis - To Vocal Cord Paralysis... Isn’t that peculiar? More and more, in my practice (in over four decades), I have been hearing about the devastating vocal disorder - Vocal Paresis, also known as Vocal Paralysis. The interesting thing is that a lot of other vocal disorders are usually caused by speaking and/or singing in the wrong (and often aggressive) way. - Vocal Paresis, as well as, (for example) Spasmodic Dysphonia (SD) , quite often have additional reasons for their occurrence. Interestingly enough, I hear a lot about some kind of a virus (or even a simple cold) that had produced vocal paresis affecting one or even both vocal cords. When a person is under a lot of stress, their immune system subsides which means that they become more susceptible to all kinds of infections, colds, and needless to say viruses. Some time ago, a client from Atlanta, Georgia, USA came with one paralyzed vocal cord, which occurred after he experienced a really s...

Let’s find out more about Vocal Paralysis… Can this very serious and complicated voice disorder be treated Non-Surgically? Every human being, at some point in their lives, experiences a change when it comes to their voice. Some of those changes are natural & some changes are abnormal. Sometimes, those abnormal changes are so severe, they may even warrant an investigation with respect to finding out where the underline cause lies. This leads to the discovery of voice problems and what they signify with regards to one’s health.  In this article, we will focus on a particular voice disorder known as vocal cord paralysis; its causes, symptoms and the options that are available in order to effectively treat it. Introduction Vocal paralysis is a condition where one or both vocal cords are unable to move due to various factors – most of which derive from nerve damage (specifically, the nerves that activate the muscles within the vocal cords). In some cases, the above happens to stroke...

Once again, reader’s discretion is advised. Also, due to the personal and intimate nature of the story, some names have been withheld.      At the beginning of the year 2016, we got an email and then (when we asked her) a call from a woman who was residing near Dallas, Texas and who had undergone a few surgeries on her thyroid (due to cancer diagnosis). And as a consequence, Ms. Schilling ended up not only with a paralyzed vocal cord but also with a hole in her throat due to a very "brutal" tracheotomy. Due to that, Ms. Schilling had a very hard time swallowing foods; and a lot of the times, she could not keep her food down and, apparently, had been expelling it quite often. Due to all of that, needless to say, J.M. was quite underweight and, obviously, did not possess a lot of energy. To boost the latter, we suggested to Ms. Schilling to order the specific natural herbal remedies with specific instructions just for her. Since she had difficulties swallowing, all of ...

Every human, at some point in their lives, experiences a change when it comes to their voice. Some of those changes are natural & some changes are abnormal. Sometimes, those abnormal changes are so severe, they may even warrant an investigation with respect to finding out where the underline cause lies. This leads to the discovery of voice problems and what they signify with regards to one’s health. In this article, we will focus on a particular voice disorder known as vocal cord paralysis; it’s causes, symptoms and the options that are available in order to effectively treat it.   Introduction Vocal paralysis is a condition where one or both vocal cords are unable to move due to various factors – most of which derive from nerve damage (specifically, the nerves that activate the muscles within the vocal cords). In some cases, the above happens to stroke victims, throat cancer victims/survivors, brain cancer victims/survivors & to those who have other ...

Vocal cord paralysis, also known as the vocal cord paresis, is the inability of one or both vocal cords to move. It can greatly impact the daily life of the sufferer, including, job, social interactions and leisure time activities. The condition is caused by damage to nerves going to the vocal cords-the nerve impulses in the larynx are interrupted, resulting in the paralysis of the vocal cord muscles. Patients with vocal paralysis typically experience hoarseness, vocal fatigue, mild to a severe reduction in speech volume, a pain in the throat when speaking, and swallowing things down the wrong way and choking. Signs and symptoms of vocal cord paralysis include: • Changes to the voice • Hoarseness • Noisy Breathing • Changes to vocal pitch • Coughs that do not clear the throat properly • Voice volume may be affected Treatment for vocal cord paralysis The treatment for vocal cord paralysis depends on several factors, including what caused it, how severe the ...

Once, I had a request from a serious voice problem sufferer who was residing in the UK.  He was a throat cancer survivor; and with all of the chemotherapy and radiation therapy, he ended up having both vocal cords damaged. One of his vocal cords was paralyzed and the other one was simply non-functional. He approached me with all kinds of questions and when his question came around the price of my nonsurgical voice repair services and treatment sessions , he exclaimed: “Oh my God, it is too much!” When I asked him what he would do with the same amount of money if he would not end up paying for my services? He said: “I would go on vacation…” Then I asked him if he would enjoy that vacation, being afraid to open his mouth and constantly be conscious on how he would be received and perceived by other people? On that note, I’ve heard the tears in his voice. He had obviously gotten my drift… so to speak. After this emotional moment, our deal had been finalized; and shortly aft...

In a manner of speaking, this blog will be a perfect continuation of the previous blog named “ Voice And Vocal Problems… Out-Doctored And Out-Treated… What’s next? “. Indeed… What’ next? By the law of averages, the next best thing would be to look and find the alternative solution to any of your health or voice problems. After all, we are talking about your health; and not only your voice/vocal health, but your health in general. I always had said that the voice is a reflection of the state of your being and the identification of who you are. It is equivalent to your fingerprints, as they voice you possess is exclusively your property. You can acquire voice problems from all different causes and for all different reasons. One of them could indeed be connected to the state of your health in general. One of the most common reasons could be your thyroid problem, which itself is interconnected to your emotional state of being. According to ...

More and more phone calls and e-mails we are getting from people who have undergone related or non-related surgeries and who’s vocal cords and other parts of the vocal anatomy got damaged in the process.  Recently, we had a few clients who had undergone thyroid removal (thyroidectomy) and all of them ended up with one of their vocal cords being paralyzed ( vocal cord paresis ). One of our former clients who’s voice I fixed previously, but who (unfortunately, by not following the assigned protocol) ended up with having her papilloma growing, had been convinced by her ENT specialist to undergo not one, but two vocal surgeries. In the end, she ended up with what is called Sulcus Vocalis (vocal gap) and, thankfully, (just mild) Muscle Tension Dysphonia. And lastly, a few hours ago, we got an e-mail from a professional person who recently undergone a biopsy procedure for her lung disorder.  After the obvious intubation , she ended up with a very breathy, unclear and...