<p>Check the above link,which SHOULD take you to an article that tells of a study of opera singers being much more prone to GERD than non-singers!
Funny that it would just show up today when we've been talking about it!
As for the apples, they are supposed to help dissolve/absorb the excess mucus and phelgm (sp?) in one's throat. My D thought I was crazy, but a few slices have gotten her through some bad bouts of throat-clearing before rehearsals.</p>
<p>That article made me throw up a little in my mouth. I have never heard the term "wet burping" before. Just one more thing for me to obsess about - "Honey have you wet burped today?" "On no, that wasn't a wet burp was it?"</p>
<p>Check out this video of Steven Tyler from Aerosmith and his vocal injury/vocal exam - pretty cool info!!!</p>
<p>I noticed recently that sometimes my nasopharynx gets really dry. It's not an allergy thing (I don't have them) and I don't feel at all as if I'm coming down with a cold or anything. I hydrate well, as I get physically ill if I don't drink enough water (I bring a 32-oz rubbermaid bottle with me to school, though I usually only finish it if I stay late for rehearsal). I'm not sure why this is happening, or what I should do. Advice? Should I maybe drink more water, or try some sort of nasal spray thing?</p>
<p>Chelly - </p>
<p>I'd start with a nasal saline spray - these are very safe and often help a lot - and I'll ask the docs for whom I work on Monday if there is anything further you can do and what might be happening and post again. :)</p>
<p>Awesome; thank you! (:</p>
<p>I'm bumping this for all of us beginning the winter audition season.....it is so full of wonderful tips!</p>
<p>wow, as much as Steven Tyler says he's "all better" it SURE doesn't sound like it. yikes.</p>
<p>This may be a weird question... but can hormone levels affect the vocal cords? I was freaking out last week because my voice just started cracking all the time (eight or nine times total in my two 45-minute chorus classes one day; I counted). My voice is basically normal now (basically because I'm coming down with a cold- of course, since my first audition is Saturday!) and I was curious whether that could possibly have anything to do with PMS and such.</p>
<p>Hormone levels can definitely cause the vocal folds to swell during PMS.</p>
<p>I am currently a voice teacher. My background is in music education and not in speech pathology. I have a new student who is coming to me after a year of vocal rest due to nodes on her vocal chords. I have enough experience to give her some vocal instruction that I know won't hurt her, but I would like some more advice on how I can help her start her singing career again insuring that the nodes won't be an issue again.</p>
<p>Dearabby820 -- I sent you a PM</p>
<p>You could try to PM Coach C; she is extremely knowledgeable.</p>
<p>Vocal rest for a YEAR indicates to me that this was a very serious problem. Has this young woman been evaluated by a GOOD laryngologist? If not, she should be and as soon as possible. That MD will have the advice you and she need and should also be able to give you both a list of "do's and dont's". It might also be of great help if you can attend a medical appointment with her and have her warmed up to sing while she is being scoped so that the cords can be checked out that way. If this has been going on for this long, she should have been "scoped" several times before and there would be records to compare her cords to now vs when they were severely inflamed. Please let us know how she does.</p>
<p>Dearabby,
I am assuming that your student has been seen by a speech pathologist. If so, maybe you could contact her speech pathologist and you could work together. If your student has not been evaluated by a speech pathologist (one who specializes in voice), encourage her to do so. Many facotors other than singing can lead to nodes. A speech pathology evaluation will determine exactly what vocal issues need to be addressed (speaking patterns/habits etc).
I agree with MTgrlsmom that you should PM coach C. She is a vocal coach and she has masters degree in speech pathology. In the meantime these websites may be helpful: University</a> of Pittsburgh Voice Center, Frequently Asked Questions, UPMC | University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, PA, USA and University</a> of Pittsburgh Voice Center, Voice Care Tips, UPMC | University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
I am a speech pathologist (voice is not my specialty) and I have never heard of anyone that has been placed on vocal rest for a year! Did her nodes go away completely after the year of rest? Your student must be VERY dedicated! Most people have trouble being on vocal rest for 6 weeks. I wish I had more information for you! Good luck to you and your student, she is lucky tohave such a dedicated voice coach!</p>
<p>If your student is near Philadelphia, PM me and I can give you the contact info for what is probably the best laryngology practice for vocal performers on the east coast if not the country. In addition to docs, their staff includes speech pathologists and vocal coaches, most of whom are singers and have extensive performance experience. They offer consultation for purposes of structuring vocal lessons consistent with a student's medical needs. In any event, it would probably make a lot of sense to consult with the docs who put your student on vocal rest.</p>
<p>dearabby - </p>
<p>No one should be on vocal rest for a year without other intervention (aka voice therapy). Nodules can reduce with rest AND therapy to eliminate the cause of them forming. In our practice, the docs recommend voice therapy and then a follow-up with them after 2-3 months to see if the nodules have reduced, if so how much, and most importantly, how the performer feels she can FUNCTION. If the performer can do what she needs to and the nodules are still present, the docs do nothing except say "keep using your therapy techniques" - because ultimately loss of function is what makes nodules problematic. </p>
<p>The practice MichaelNKat recommends is an excellent one, as is ours. There are a few others in the country that are truly expert in overall voice care of the performer, but not many - as MichaelNKat says, you want a place where you have not only top laryngological surgeons (who can therefore evaluate whether surgery is necessary for full return of function) but also a voice care team of voice therapists and singing voice specialists. </p>
<p>PM me and I'd be glad to help - but your first step is to check who your student's laryngologist is and make sure it is truly a top person. And a list of star clients is NOT a guarantee of "top practitioner" - in no way. That seems counterintuitive, but I encounter problems all the time with performers who have gone to see "top" people.</p>
<p>dearabby820: Is it that the singer suspended study for the academic year when problems arose, then decided to try again, meanwhile having "rested" from voice study singing for a year? It will be a challenge for your student to find the way back to functional, legitimate singing, with so much down time, vocal rest, likely atrophy of the supportive functions. Lots of patience and care will be needed...good luck. Lorelei</p>