Voice Care/Vocal Hygiene

1. Hydration - It cannot be overemphasized how important it is to maintain good water intake. We recommend 6 to 8 eight ounce glasses per day. Bring a water bottle with you to work and refill as needed. he goal is to drink until your urine is pale. Good water intake helps keep the lubricating mucus on your vocal cords thin, creating the ideal environment for your vocal cords to work. Coffe, tea, and most soft drinks contain caffeine that tend to lead to dehydration - it is best to avoid these altogether.

2. Thick Mucus - Increasing your water intake as described above will frequently take care of the problems of thck mucus. Sometimes your doctor will prescribe a mucolytic drug to help thin your mucus. The most common is Mucinex(this is over the counter). You must drink 6 to 8 glasses of water for this medication to have significant effect.

3. Throat Clearing - This is a common problem with many professional voice users. It is often seen in people with excessive mucus or reflux problems. It is important that he throat clearing habit is eliminated as it is extremely traumatic to the vocal cords leading to excessive wear and tear. When you feel the need to clear your throat, try the following strategies: swallow, have a sip of water, or clear your throat silently without allowing your vocal cords to touch.

4. Reflux Disease (GERD) - This is quite common among professional voice users. Although the reflux of stomach contents into the esophagus and throat commonly leads to heartburn, many of our patients never experience this symptom. So, just because you are not having heartburn does not mean you are safe from the effects of acid reflux on your vocal cords. Treatment of this condition involves changes in your diet and lifestyle as well as medications to reduce the acid production from your stomach.

5. Vocal Abuse/Overuse - It has been said, do everything in moderation. This is especially true when it comes to the use of your voice. Don't speak excessively; choose your words carefully. Avoid lengthy conversations on the phone. If your job involves talking on the phone all day, then rest your voice for ten minutes every 2 to 3 hours. This will go a long way towards easing the strain on your voice. Talk at a low to moderate volume. You will need to minimize talking when around loud background noises. If you must talk in a noisy environment, you may need amplification. Avoid shouting or screaming as this is very traumatizing to the vocal cords. Needless to say, smoking is one of the worse things you can do to your voice. Irritation to the vocal cords from cigarette smoke can lead to chronic laryngitis, vocal cord polyps, or cancer of the larynx. If your voice is valuable to you, smoking is just not worth the risk.