***Persistent Sore Throats More Than Just a 'Pain in the Neck'

Some people can yell or talk non-stop all day and never experience hoarseness or sore throats; others cannot. Your voice is as individual to you as are your fingerprints: no two are alike. They may be similar but not exact. In that sense, your vocal apparatus is also unique. For 60 years, Ethel Merman, the renowned ‘Broadway belter,’ never had voice problems. She could sing (yell) all day, every day, with no difficulty. On the other hand, Julie Andrews, a legitimate voice, performed Victor, Victoria on stage for a year and permanently damaged her singing voice. Andrews will never sing again; and, in that sense, there is a noticeable change in her speaking voice as well. While I’m discussing the singing voice in this particular instance, the same holds true for the speaking voice. I remember scores of goalies throughout my son’s high school soccer career who sounded hoarse and gravelly. Many of these teenagers did permanent damage; others did not. And, for all the people coaching their children’s football, hockey, baseball and soccer teams, their voice problems may be chronic as well! Coaching is undoubtedly one of the most difficult jobs on the voice. What is fascinating about vocal abuse is that it can also affect people who are very soft-spoken. For these individuals, just trying to increase their volume to a normal level of sound over an extended period of time can result in short term loss of voice because their vocal cords and throat are being stressed. Some years ago, I was attending a Chamber of Commerce Business Expo; and, the woman in the booth next to mine had no voice by 11:00 a.m. The show had only started at 10! For one hour, this very soft-spoken sponsor, had talked at a volume level which I consider normal. Here she was, within only 60 minutes of the opening of the show, unable to discuss her products with potential customers! If you choose to do nothing about your vocal abuse, it will only continue and in most cases get worse. Yes, you can stop talking – not an option for most people – but even if you were to give your voice a rest for a week, a month, or a year, once you resumed speaking, the vocal abuse would return if you were to continue using your voice exactly as you had in the past. Unfortunately there are no tips, no tricks, and no drugs that can end this abuse. If you have been to an ear, nose and throat specialist and are essentially healthy, your chronic hoarseness or persistent sore throats is caused by overuse and/or misplacement of your speaking (or singing) voice. You are stressing your vocal cords and throat in order to push out your voice. If you learn to power your voice properly by means of your chest; and, if you learn how to project your voice (instead of yell), the vocal abuse will end – quickly, painlessly, permanently.