Vocal Support and Treatment for Singers and Speakers

THE SINGER - THE SPEAKER - THE SORE THROAT - VOCAL SUPPORT AND CARE

Maintaining Vocal Health: Everyday Tips to Support Vocal Strength and Clarity

• It is essential to stay well hydrated for optimal vocal support and health. The general rule for vocalists is 6-8 glasses of water daily. A good rule of thumb is to gauge your hydration by the color of your urine - it should be light yellow or straw color. If it is darker, increase your water intake. If you do not drink enough water, your vocal folds will become easily irritated.

• Get plenty of rest, eat well, and exercise

• Avoid smoking, dusty, and dirty environments

• Use humidification

• Practice vocal exercises

  Speakers: You may want to explore various speaking exercise guidelines on the SPEAKEASY homepage

  Singers: You may want to visit the School of Rock's 9 Best Vocal Warmups for Singers

site. There are many vocal warm-up sites that may be helpful.

Tips for Protecting Your Voice Before and During a Presentation

​Singers and speakers should follow these supportive and protective measures for the voice just before and during a presentation:

• Warmup before a presentation

• Be careful when using "character voices" not to strain.

• Use good breathing techniques during vocalization.

• Do not attempt to alter your "normal" speaking voice to create an effect; particularly avoid pitching your voice too low. (If you are using the lowest note of your pitch range for everyday conversation, this is too low.)

• Choose roles that align with your vocal range and capabilities. Avoid taking on parts that strain your voice or push beyond your natural limits.

• Avoid abusing your voice.

• Use good posture

• You should do nothing to your voice that results in hoarseness and/or throat pain (if possible with your genre). This is especially true of yelling or screaming to the point of hoarseness.

• Try to avoid singing in situations that are so noisy that you cannot hear yourself singing.

• When you have a cold or laryngitis, do not try to talk or sing "over" the problem without decreasing the inflammation, since this can lead to vocal-fold damage. See your doctor

Avoid voice overuse and strain to bring optimal quality and range

"Oh No...I have to present at a big event!!"

Occasionally, a singer or speaker will come into the clinic, VERY concerned because they have to "perform" and have a horrible sore throat, which will make it impossible.

The solution to this problem lies in the cause. It is essential to determine how long the problem has existed and if there was a particular precipitating event. Is it a new (acute) sore throat or a long-term (chronic) sore throat? ​​​

Managing Pain and Inflammation/Sore Throat

Usually, a new-onset sore throat is from a cold, a viral illness. Performers and public speakers tend to wear themselves out, burning the candle at both ends: They don't hydrate, they don't eat well, and they don't sleep much. They are anxious. Additionally, they may be exposed to numerous people around them, some of whom may be sick. Their immune systems suffer, and they get sick—a little too often.

If you are in this predicament and have a sore throat, ask yourself: Are you getting a cold? Do you have drainage? Are you clearing your throat more than usual?

The priority of treatment for singers and speakers who have an upcoming performance will be to decrease throat inflammation FAST. There is no time to try preventive approaches or treatments that take a couple of days to work, and it is not healthy to use treatments and "remedies" that only make the throat feel better without decreasing the inflammation. Avoid straining, excessive vocalization, or loud speaking when inflamed, as this worsens pain and risks vocal damage.

If you have more than a sore throat - if you also have cold symptoms, a cough or a runny nose - your approach will be a bit different.

General Measures for Vocal Support and Treatment

• Fluids: Hydrate well (this is a MUST anytime for any performer or presenter).

  • Just before a "performance," drink water (preferably at room temperature). Add honey and lemon. Avoid extremes of cold liquids (which constrict vocal cords) and hot liquids (which may swell vocal cords).

  • After the presentation, you can try decaf tea with lemon and honey (see below). You can also try COLD WATER/POPSICLES/ SMOOTHIES - some people feel that this helps more because cold decreases inflammation. Again, not right before your presentation.

    
    

• Voice Rest: During times you are not performing it is important to rest your voice(this means talking too)

There are some excellent approaches for vocal support and treatment for singers and speakers mentioned who have throat irritation.

Over-the-Counter Approaches to Vocal Support and Treatment

​Throat Coat Tea: This is a product you can get over the counter. It is an herbal tea. I have had quite a few patients comment very positively about the usefulness of this herbal tea product, and preliminary studies have shown it to be helpful for vocal support and care when compared to a placebo. It contains some herbs that are reputed to help throat inflammation: Slippery Elm, licorice, marshmallow (all anti-inflammatories), and a small amount of peppermint. Occasionally, people complain about the taste.

​Anti-inflammatories

Ibuprofen (Advil and Motrin are all the same thing), Aleve (Naproxen), or Tylenol over the counter as directed - with food. Most people agree that Ibuprofen and Aleve are better anti-inflammatories. Most pills take about 30 minutes to start working, so you will know. Instead of ibuprofen, acetaminophen (Tylenol) may also help, but probably not quite as well.

​Honey 

Honey has anti-inflammatory properties to help calm a sore throat. It can naturally soothe the throat and ease swelling. Add raw honey to warm water or tea, or to create a fast-acting sore throat remedy. The best type of honey for this is reportedly the Manuka honey because they have some antimicrobial properties (There are different grades of Manuka honey, so you will want to be sure to get the better quality: Raw, unpasteurized honey is easier to find, and good because the nutrients and essential elements have not been removed by pasteurizing. Some, but not all, people feel immediate effects on their throat from this.

​Special Lozenges for Throat Discomfort

Singers and others who have to exert their voices should avoid lozenges with numbing properties (like Cepacol/Secrets-benzocaine products) for some time before an event. They numb your throat but do not reduce inflammation, and you can damage your vocal cords without knowing it. Avoid menthol lozenges as well as they can cause irritation to the vocal cords and dry them out.

• Grethers Pastilles "for throat and voice". These are Organic and reputed to have been originally created by vocalists. There are several types of Grethers that contain vitamin C and claim to have immune-building properties, anti-inflammatory properties, and some antimicrobial properties. These get good reviews. There are very few stores that sell these over the counter (they have a store locator). Order online and keep them around to take as needed.​

• ​Vocal-Eze - The primary ingredient in these is peppermint, which "cools" your throat. These get some good reviews from singers, but NOT right before a show. In general, menthol numbs and dries your vocal cords. It may be hard to find in many areas.

• ​​​​​​​​​​Ricola Max Throat Care- These lozenges are good, but sometimes have "too much" coverage, covering both a sore throat and cough. They contain elder, horehound, hyssop, lemon balm, linden flowers, mallow, peppermint, sage, and thyme. Ricola is fairly easy to get at any pharmacy.

Natural Remedies: Herbals/Supplements/Sprays for Vocal Support and Treatment of a Sore Throat

​Some sore throat remedies that are good for most people are NOT good for the singer.  The following addresses those things that may help support the singer in particular.

Some of these might provide some more immediate relief but because they are often hard to come by, are not practical for the person who has "to sing tonight" unless already in the medicine cabinet. Many of these are also good for throat maintenance and throat relief in non-urgent situations - which will help if used over the course of a day or two.

If you tend to get colds a lot along with sore throats, it may be good to keep one or two of these remedies on hand.

Some of these have been shown to have antiseptic and/or antibacterial properties as well.

They include the following:

• Natural Throat Sprays

Many of the over-the-counter throat sprays contain alcohol, which is not good for vocal cords in general and will dry them out. They also tend to work immediately but wear off quickly.

The following are some recommendations for singers:

Cylor Voice 37 (used to be Sprouts Voice Remedy) is made from natural ingredients and is non-alcohol-based. This particular product contains slippery elm, which is known to help sore throats, and horseradish, which is also known to soothe. It's a little spendy and hard to find, but it has very positive reviews - great if you use your voice a lot. It boasts immediate relief and has good reviews from vocalists. 

• Gargles:

Saline Gargle: 1/2 tsp salt in 1 c warm water. Gargle and spit 2-3 times/day. 

Vocal care and techniques help enhance communication and audience engagement

Immediate Anti-Inflammatory - Prescription Options From a Healthcare Provider

When all else fails, there are some last-minute approaches for vocal support and treatment for Singers and Speakers. Consider seeing a healthcare provider. They can often tide you over with a short course of steroids/prednisone to decrease the inflammation. These are awesome anti-inflammatories, and they work pretty fast if you are in a pinch. However, they are not without their potential problems, especially for people with underlying problems like diabetes, psychosis, high blood pressure, and ulcers - but when the show must go on, it must go on.

Avoid: antihistamines (drying), cigarette smoke, and vaping (irritating)

If you are at liberty to change your vocal dynamics, range, or make the piece(s) a bit less challenging (i.e., range) you may try to do so, but often this is not doable.

The Chronic Sore Throat in the Singer and Speaker

If you get frequent sore throats or hoarseness, you need to investigate. Ask yourself if you are incessantly clearing your throat. Do you "abuse", overuse, or strain your voice? Do you have reflux? Allergies? What is your environment like, smoky? dusty? How is your diet? Do you drink alcohol? 

If you are having chronic problems and can figure out the root of the problem, then you may be able to self-treat to some degree. If you are not able to figure out what is wrong, the best person to see is an otolaryngologist who specializes in vocalists. Once they can find the problem, they can find the solution.

​BREAK A LEG !!