TAKE CARE OF YOUR VOICE...FOR LIFE!

By Deb Knickerbocker
Speech & Language Pathologist at Grace Cottage Hospital

Have you ever thought of taking better care of your voice in the same way that you care for your other important tools of communication, such as your eyes and ears? Many of us take our voices completely for granted until we come down with a case of laryngitis. Yet what would you do without those two tiny cords that are located on top of your windpipe, just behind your Adam’s Apple? These tiny cords vibrate up to 200 times per second to make sound, and they close tightly to protect the lungs from food or liquid (including saliva) when you’re swallowing. Everything that you breathe, including pollutants in the air, goes through the vocal cords before entering the lungs.

Vocal cords can be damaged in many ways, the most severe of which would be a stroke that paralyzes the vocal cords, cancer of the vocal cords necessitating their removal, or the formation of a growth. They can also be damaged by misuse and abuse, such as screaming, yelling to be heard above loud sounds such as a music band or machinery, cheering for your favorite team at a noisy sporting event, or extensive singing (especially when it’s above or below your normal range). You know when you’ve done some damage because your throat hurts and you may even lose your voice for awhile. But the vocal cords can be damaged by less obvious means, such as excess clearing of the throat, smoking, air pollution, excessive grunting or groaning, drinking too much alcohol (which can dehydrate vocal cords) or the effects of acid reflux.

How can you protect your vocal cords? In addition to refraining from smoking or excessive drinking, try to avoid shouting. If you’re using or are near a jackhammer, lawnmower or chainsaw, or if you’re attending a well-amplified concert, or a car with no muffler is passing, don’t attempt to shout over the sound. And...if you’re shouting because you’ve lost your temper, remember — a whisper can be a lot more effective in getting attention...and you’ll be preserving your vocal cords at the same time!