Ear Nose and Throat Specialists serving Central Indiana | Northside ENT, Inc.

We eat right for our hearts. Try not to smoke. Get mammograms and colonoscopies. Even take our pets for regular checkups.

Not so many of us take care of our vocal cords in this communication-based society.

Each year on April 16, voice specialists around the world recognize World Voice Day. This year’s theme “We Share a Voice” reminds us of the importance of vocal health in everyday life.

There are limits to what your voice can do. And you can damage your vocal cords. Maybe you talk too loud in a crowded restaurant.

Or simply talk too much. With viral laryngitis, you can scar your vocal cords by simply trying to talk through it.

Usually, you don’t have pain when you’re developing a voice disorder. But you don’t want to end up with cancerous nodes. If you’ve been hoarse longer than two weeks, see a voice specialist as soon as possible.

We can always improve or maintain good voice habits.

Professional athletes practice long hours to play at their level. But we tend to forget that professional singers aren’t simply born with voices that sound so good.

Our vocal cords need to be tuned and taken care of just like a piano. Whether you want to sing or speak more effectively, you can train and get a better sounding voice. A simple first step is to drink plenty of water to keep your vocal cords lubricated.

A baseline videostrobe exam is also a good idea so a specialist will have a video record for comparison in case you get sick.

Performance Voice Solutions, a division of Northside ENT, is in Carmel, Indiana.

Continue Reading

Studies have shown that many people with vocal disorders have laryngopharyngeal reflux (LPR). LPR occurs when stomach acid travels up the esophagus and into the voice box or throat, during the day or night.

Patients can get relief through lifestyle changes.

The following Reflux Symptom Index (RSI) (Koufman, Belafsky, Postma, et.al 2002) uses nine items to help you rate the severity of your condition specific to LPR.

A score of 10 or more on the following quiz is considered clinically significant.

Within the last month, how did the following problems affect you?

0 = No Problem 5 = Significant Problem

The first line of defense is behavioral:

Diet Dos

• Eat slowly
• Eat sitting up
• Eat smaller meals
• Avoid overeating
• Chew food thoroughly
• No food 2-3 hours before bedtime
• Restrict liquid/food intake before singing and/or lifting, bending or stooping

Diet Don’ts

• Alcohol
• Soda
• Citrus juice
• Tea/coffee
• Breath fresheners
• Mints
• Milk
• Chocolate
• Spicy and/or fried foods
• Lozenges and cough drops
• Tomato products
• Tobacco

For one week, write down what you eat and drink through the day along with symptoms in the morning, afternoon and evening. This will help identify what affects your gastric reflux more.

Posture & Weight Dos

• Achieve and/or maintain your ideal weight
• Expand your abdomen when breathing in

Posture & Weight Don’ts

• Exercise right after eating
• Tight clothing around your waist
• Slumping down in a chair
• Heaving lifting
• Kneeling
• Bending at the waist

Other Lifestyle Modifications

• Stop smoking
• Reduce stress and tension
• Avoid sedatives
• Sleep with the head of your bed elevated 4-6 inches via cinder blocks, wood or bricks under the legs of your bed
• Sleep on your side, preferably your left side

Remember, acid reflux at the level of the larynx (LPR) is often “silent”. Positive or negative results from this quiz do not necessarily correlate with positive or negative results upon examination.

For more information, talk with a voice specialist at Performance Voice Solutions at (317) 705-2732.

Continue Reading

Videostroboscopy is the gold standard for taking care of your voice. But here are a few things you can do at home:

Drink eight glasses of water daily, as this helps to lubricate your vocal cords. Well-hydrated vocal folds require less effort from the lungs to vibrate. They also recover from injuries faster when they are well lubricated.

Don’t smoke or inhale second-hand smoke, as this is strongly linked with lung cancer and laryngeal cancer. The combination of tobacco smoke and alcohol is particularly risky for esophageal and laryngeal cancer.

Limit your use of caffeine and alcohol because they cause your body to lose hydration.

Use a saltwater rinse to gargle, and avoid peppermint and spearmint, as these promote stomach acid to reflux into your esophagus.

Avoid coughing and throat clearing. Both are very hard on your vocal cords. Try to sip water, swallow hard or clear your voice silently.

During the winter, keep either a hot steam or cool mist vaporizer in your room with the door closed. The ideal room humidity for your voice is 40-60 percent. Mold tends to grow at humidity levels greater than 60 percent.

Eating healthy foods and eating in moderation helps to control excessive stomach acid from spilling into your throat. Eighty percent of people with laryngopharyngeal reflux won’t feel it.

You are a “professional voice user” if your voice is required for your job duties. Examples include call center operators, teachers, radio show hosts, ministers, singers, etc.

If you find that your voice is tired, pay attention and try to rest it. Vocal fatigue is the first sign of vocal pathology. Please see your doctor, or one of our board certified otolaryngologists if you are hoarse for more than two weeks.

Performance Voice Solutions is a division of Northside ENT.

Continue Reading