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Monday, June 08, 2009
Bad habits, overuse, unnatural tones can injure vocal cords
By Howard Cohen
McClatchy Newspapers
MIAMI — From actress Fran Drescher's stratospherically nasal style to statesman Henry Kissinger's deep rumble, many celebrities have used their voices to establish their identities.
But should you also try to affect a distinctive style, unnatural as it may be? Experts say no.
Not tending to your vocal cords, which often starts with finding and using your natural voice, can lead to throat pain or worse.
According to the American Speech-Language & Hearing Association, 28 million Americans experience daily problems with their voices.
About 43 percent of adults will experience a voice problem at some point, including the common "hyperfunctional overuse" — shouting or straining to be heard over others — and the less understood spasmodic dysphonia, a voice disorder characterized by involuntary movements of one or more muscles of the larynx during conversation that leads to a choppy cadence and often unintelligible diction.
California speech pathologist Morton Cooper, who has offered counsel to such celebs as Rob Lowe, Sally Kellerman and Diahann Carroll, believes that many problems can be alleviated through training and practice.
"I can't cure a medical problem, but I can cure a problem that is a bad habit," says Cooper, who has written books on the subject, including "Change Your Voice, Change Your Life" (Voice & Speech Co., $15). "There are lessons on the singing voice, but most people don't get a lesson on their speaking voice — they think it's far out if someone should work on their speaking voice."
Beware phones
Bad habits can lead to physical problems.
Growths or nodules — swellings on the cords where the vocal folds come together — can form from using a voice improperly, says Dr. Donna Lundy, an associate professor with the Department of Otolaryngology at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine.
This is an example of hyperfunctional overuse — telephones and cell phones are particularly troublesome in this instance because we tend to force our voice by projecting with too much force into the small mike rather than speaking in a natural, conversational tone as when face-to-face.
In most cases, these growths are noncancerous, but they can be painful and can turn a once ear-pleasing voice into something raspy or harsh.
"We see it in kids who scream," Lundy says of nodules. "It's also more common in people who use their voice extensively like teachers. It's an overuse and misuse phenomenon."
A similar problem occurs when people drop their voice to a low rumble to sound more commanding. Cooper calls it talking "deep throat."
"We're in a culture that encourages people to talk deep throat," he says. "You get a growth or a serious voice problem if you talk deep throat. When you are doing that, you don't have any awareness of what you are doing to your voice."
Treatments of voice maladies vary. In the case of spasmodic dysphonia, Botox injections are often prescribed to weaken the forces of the spasm believed to interrupt the signal between the brain and the voice.
The remedy is temporary and lasts for about four months and often must be repeated.
Unilateral vocal fold paralysis, another medical condition, leads to a weak, breathy delivery as only one side of the vocal cord moves and leaves a gap where the vocal cords come together and vibrate. It's treated with collagen-like fillers. The paralyzed vocal cord is "bulked up" so that the mobile side can meet it during voicing.
Experts differ on some of the medical or psychological relationships concerning the voice but can find common ground on ways to use your voice properly. The idea is to use your natural tone.
"Each of us are like musical instruments," Lundy says. "We have a ... pitch level that is appropriate for us. That's our natural level."
"Hum the first verse of 'Happy Birthday,' " suggests Cooper. Note the sensation. You should feel your voice resonating in your facial area. "That's where all the good and great voices are. That's the voice of identity."
Speech pathologists can also help individuals learn to use their voices correctly and mitigate bad habits.
"The voice speaks for us ...," Cooper warns. "All too often, it says goodbye."
Enhancing your voice
Avoid food an hour or more before an important speech or presentation. The buildup of saliva can make you sound "nasally."
Water is your friend. A hydrated vocal passageway is a powerful thing.
Good and great voices are placed in the face, not the lower throat, to emphasize facial resonance. To get here, practice saying "mmhmm" in conversation. Note the vibration in your facial area. That's your natural tone. Use it.
Avoid hyperfunctional overuse — screaming, speaking too loud or using a telephone too often (you speak louder on a telephone or cell than in face-to-face conversation).
When public speaking, imagine you are having a conversation with a close friend. Use that natural pitch.
Eliminate placeholders like 'ums' and 'ahs' from your speech pattern. Learn to not fear momentary silences while you gather your thoughts.
Avoid caffeine — colas, Mountain Dew, coffee (have decaf), chocolate. Caffeine dries you out, leaves you raspy.
Soft is better than too loud.
Breathe from the diaphragm to boost a listless voice; shallow chest breathing thins the voice or turns it nasal.
Avoid clearing your throat. What you are doing is jamming your vocal cords together and rubbing them like sandpaper.
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