With nine auditions just two weeks away, I hear my son coughing in the other room. For the last few day, he has complained of a sore throat and thinks he’s coming down with a cold. We usually just move through these things try to keep it simple–tea with honey and ginger, maybe throat coat, but not much more. Still, with Chicago Unifieds coming up, I’m thinking we need something more pro-active, so that he can get in some practice over the next couple of weeks and be in top form for auditions. Any suggestions?
Do you have a steamer? It works wonders for a dry/sore throat and congestion as well.
@SnapApp, I’ve thought about getting one, but our house has water-radiator heat, so it is not particularly dry. I don’t want to turn my son into a wuss who needs to take a steamer wherever he goes. Have to admit, we did buy our singing daughter one for Christmas!
On the day or the day before auditions start Mucinex the simplest one, sorry not remembering the name, no added stuff. Also try Sudafed with him a few days before and see if he is okay performing with it. If yes then on audition day or maybe the day before start the Mucinex and on audition day if still stuffy give the Sudafed an hour ahead of the singing. Mainly try this stuff ahead of time as everyone reacts differently to all these items. For long time healing, we are big on Emergen-C , like 3 times a day, lots of had washing, the humidifiers, and a daily multi if not taking.
I would avoid anything with “-D” in it - those are typically drying meds- we were told to avoid Sudafed for that reason… Good old fashioned vitamin C and rest for the next 10 days should help.
also pick up some VocalZone from Amazon…good stuff to have on hand.
We’ve found that frequent use of a personal steamer works well when someone is sick/congested at our house. Even though your house isn’t dry, getting the steam right up in the nose is so helpful.
Also, gargle with warm salt water throughout the day.
Make sure he can sleep at night as best as he can. It’s healing. Eucalyptus and extra pillows help, as does the personal steamer right before bed and a large one throughout the night with a drop of eucalyptus in it, even if your house isn’t dry. Nighttime is the one time I suggest taking cold medicine if one can’t sleep well without it. (But do try to avoid those drying meds before an audition.)
My D’s vocal coaches suggest not singing with any sore throat whenever possible. Your S knows his material; it’s better to give his voice a rest so that it doesn’t get strained. And no whispering.
Singer’s Spray, like VocalZone, is good if he still feels remnants of this for auditions–or anytime his throat feels a bit dry before singing. D gets hers at Whole Foods.
Chicken soup with garlic is fantastic, too!
My S felt he was getting sick over the weekend, and we started him on doterra On Guard Plus softgels. doterra is a brand of essential oils and related products. We have used oils to support our immune systems for a number of months now and are pleased with the results.
A few other things to consider…
-rinse and gargle with Listerine.
-use a saline spray or Neti pot to clear out sinus passages
-nasal spray (medicated) as a last resort.
-I make a concentrated soup mix of chicken bouillon(I like Better than Bouillon paste), crushed fresh garlic, crushed fresh ginger, raw honey, cayenne pepper and turmeric to have on hand when a cold hits. Just reconstitute a little at a time. It actually tastes pretty good!
-Apple cider vinegar or other probiotic foods…yogurt (if he can handle dairy), kombucha, etc.
-and lots of vitamin c, mucinex, and sleep.
Oh, fresh garlic is a great suggestion. Make sure you are working with fresh garlic, press a clove of it and we mix it with some applesauce to be able to swallow it. And fresh ginger is good also. We order a chicken/lemongrass soup from an organic thai restaurant when we are sick. It has freshly grated garlic and ginger in it.
Our allergist’s “Atomic Bomb for Sinuses”: Our allergist says to do the following, in this order: Sinus Rinse, then Afrin, then Flonase. He says to do that 2-3 times/day for 3-5 days, but since that is potentially more than is recommended on the label, I would check with your doctor first.
This pretty much repeats what others have said, but we have done all of the following, and it helps:
Personal steamer
NeilMed Sinus Rinse
Mucinex (Guaifeneisin only - no combo products - I recommend to buy the brand name because I have had issues with the extended release in the 12 hour generic). Make sure he takes the Mucinex AT LEAST 1 hour before he needs to perform (to avoid a lot of mucus loosening up and landing on his cords right at the moment he starts to sing. Give it a chance to work in advance.)
Lots of fluids, including Throat coat or other herbal tea, or just hot water with lemon
As much sleep as possible.
If he is super congested then I would try Afrin first instead of Sudafed. It lasts longer and is targeted to just the nasal/sinus area. Get the no drip to minimize dripping onto vocal cords. However, we have used Sudafed, as well.
Ricola or other cough drops, but NO Cough Suppressant or Menthol on singing days. Try Halls Breezers or similar.
Slippery Elm lozenges - this breaks up mucus on the vocal cords
Have also tried Singer’s Spray and Honey Loquat, etc., but I don’t know if they really help or not.
The gargling with salt and water is a good idea. The Sudafed is tricky, the drying is an issue. Even though I mentioned it we really try and avoid it at all costs and just use the Mucinex everyone has mentioned. We will pick up that Vocalzone product and try that.
http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/discussion/comment/15860094/#Comment_15860094
This post by CoachC might be helpful. Or you could try to send her a PM. She knows what she’s talking about.
If a dry throat is an issue, Kaitlin Hopkins, the Texas State program director, helped create a lozenge for performers. It is made by Fontus and has green apple taste to it. You can get it at places like,drug stor dot,com or just google it. I don’t think it has any medicinal properties to help with a cold. But it is good for dry throats when traveling etc…
You beat me to it, alwaysamom. I would add to what I wrote before that steaming most definitely doesn’t make someone a “wimp” - auditionees should be treating themselves like elite vocal athletes and optimizing performance in any reasonable way possible. Steam is the only way to directly hydrate your vocal folds, as anything you swallow, while it soothes your throat (which is also a VERY important part of your vocal tract and therefore of sound production), doesn’t touch your vocal folds. Steam does all the things stated above but also helps singers who aren’t sick to sing with more ease helping them prevent vocal injury. Every performer I know currently working on Broadway in a lead role steams before each show, and some also steam at intermission. Theatres are dry and dusty, and hotels are dry in the winter especially. The only way to ensure that you are in a humid-enough environment not to be automatically dehydrated by simply breathing is by placing a hygrometer (measures relative humidity of a room, about $14 at Bed, Bath, & Beyond) in the room where you are spending time or sleeping. Minimum acceptable hydration for a singer is 30%.
Make sure you know what treats what - you are dealing with:
- Cough- so cough suppressant is an absolute necessity
- Virus or bacteria - treat accordingly (aka antibiotics for bacteria)
- Throat discomfort - this is what the soothing remedies (sprays, drinks, throat drops are for)
- Dehydration - sleep with humidifier; steam in the morning, before singing, and at night (plus any other time you want to); drink mucho water
Send healthy vibes to all auditionees!
Thanks, everyone, for the great advice. Son went off to school this morning tanked up with Mucinex, with a backpack full of Ricola, and a thrermos of tea with lemon and ginger. More armaments coming from online ordering this week–VocalZone, Slippery Elm, and a personal steamer. ‘Cry “Havoc” and let slip the dogs of war!’ Die, cold germs, die.
Here are some tips for fighting off illness from Broadway stars. http://nypost.com/2016/02/02/health-secrets-from-a-broadway-actor-who-hasnt-taken-a-sick-day-in-12-years/
Watch out for menthol or any numbing agent in any of the cough/throat drop if he’s going to be singing through a cough or sore throat. Not worth risking the damage that could occur.And for heaven’s sake, why would you think that giving your son a steamer/vaporizer would make him a “wuss” but that it’s just fine for your daughter?! Your son is about to put a lot of time and energy into these auditions- and you’ve invested a lot of money- so give him every advantage to enable him to do his best.
My daughter chugs Airborne when she’s traveling or auditioning and after much back-and-forth, I got her this ultrasonic humidifier for her apartment bedroom and according to her, it’s been “the best ever”, easy to clean, fill and regulate.
http://www.qvc.com/Air-Innovations-Clean-Mist-Ultrasonic-Humidifie.product.V33401.html?upsh=1&sc=V33401-CSWB
Good luck to him and enjoy Chicago!