A Voice Apart

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 lower po

One day, you wake up and you notice that suddenly, your voice is not the same as it normally is. You think to yourself; "maybe, its just morning raspiness and it will go away later in the day".  Five (or more) days pass and you realize that your voice is not getting any better.  It’s actually getting worse with every word you try to convey. On top of that, your throat feels like it is on fire and it has been burning severely. So, by now, you have come to the realization that something is definitely wrong there… Your  voice feels weak, and on top of that, it sounds raspy and hoarse . “What could I do to make it better” you ask yourself in desperation? Of course, right away, you turn to the “all reliable internet" for answers to your vocal dilemma, and find out that all of their “answers” are just generic explanation websites which, at most times, do not lead you to the best diagnosis and/or treatments. Now, you are lost completely and totally unaware

Yes, you may think that you do have asthma, especially if you are experiencing shortness of breath and difficulty swallowing food. Indeed, it is possible that you do have asthma, but it is also possible that you do have problems with your voice to be positioned in the lower throat, and thus, blocking your airway. So asthma or not, it probably would be a good idea to work on your voice and re-channel it to the upper facial muscles which, in turn, will begin to work in full conjunction and coordination with your abdominal muscles, thus to have your voice lifted off of the vocal box and off of the vocal cords. So, in this instance, your air will have a clear path and your asthma symptoms may disappear in an instant. Also, your voice will sound much clearer and your pronunciation and annunciation will become very distinct.  Needless to say, applying natural herbs and remedies onto your throat will clear out your vocal anatomy from all kinds of impurities, such as mucus

Vocal Strain means that the voice was misused or abused in more ways then one. Sometimes, just regular people end up abusing their voices without being aware of doing so. Some of them are speaking a lot and speaking very forcefully; almost screaming instead of speaking. They do get tired by the end of the day, but in the morning, they start all over again. Also, if their work requires them to speak on the phone all day, or to teach classes/courses, that’s where voice/vocal strain may occur; (and sometimes, to the point when they may lose their voice completely). Sometimes, the vocal strain could produce growths (like nodules or polyps) on the vocal cords. That’s where the “alarm should go off”, so to speak. Now we are talking about the growth on the vocal cords which, by itself, is a very serious matter. Either surgically, or preferably non-surgically, any growth has to be eliminated. We know of cases where such growth(s) had been left untreated for some

Recently, we had an inquiry from a singer situated in Europe who had been diagnosed with Spasmodic Dysphonia. …………………………………………………………………………… “I was diagnosed with spasmodic dysphonia, and the doctor wanted to give me Botox injections, but I refused because the risk of not being able to sing well afterwards (I am a singer) was too great! So my question is, Can you help me get my voice or a better voice back? Is it possible to get instructions via Skype. I live in Amsterdam, the Netherlands!” …………………………………………………………………………… Below is my answer. Hi There, I have to note that it is a little unusual to be diagnosed with spasmodic dysphonia, when you are a singer. Usually, it happens to people who are not singers, but just regular (or professional) speaking voice users. But, nevertheless, it is a very serious problem and in conventional sense, cannot be treated, let alone cured. And yes, the only treatment they could offer is the Botox, which in majority of cases, will not work or

Attention all Speakers and Singers! If you have noticed that your speaking or singing voice is not performing as per usual and rather sounds lower and somewhat hoarse, PLEASE STOP !!! If you continue speaking in your usual manor and disregard the fact that your voice is feeling scratchy and your throat is feeling itchy, you might lose your voice completely and for some time ahead. Singers: please do not continue singing if you have noticed that it is much harder now to reach your high notes, which normally would not be a problem and if you have to push and pull your voice out of your inflamed, sore throat . At that time, you may also notice that your voice has deepened and has begun to sound scratchy and hoarse. If you don’t stop in time and look into your voice and vocal anatomy problem, that could be very much the end of your singing career. Coaching and repairing voices for over 40 years , I had a lot of cases where the performer did not stop on time