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Gunky Voice Issues
(updated 04/05/12)
There's a fun tv ad featuring CGI animated talking lumps of mucus
lounging about in someone's repertory system. One is in Bermuda shorts
in the dry desert and another in a rain slicker on wet stormy seas. The
wet and dry of the ad are referring to their medicine helping making
the cough wet and productive but it reminds me of what can sometimes
seem like a battle of trying to find and maintain the right level of
mucus and viscosity balance for my singing voice.
Sometimes my singing voice would sound all flemmed up and sputtering or
the opposite and make this dry creaky buzz sound like a cicada. Other
times it felt strained and would break and I'd feel the urge to clear
my throat but it wasn't productive. I had become the victim of
allergies and acid reflux both.
I want to say right off the bat not to be mislead by the name of these
conditions and automatically rule them out. I never used to have these
issues but they gradually snuck up on me with only mild symptoms and I
often mis-diagnosed and incorrectly treated for them.
Allergies-
Allergy symptoms would seem obvious but I never used to have allergies
and when I started getting symptoms they were relatively mild, no
sneezing, watery eyes, or stuffy nose but I did have difficult to treat
headaches (and toothache like symptom), plugged or popping ears, and a
gurggly quality to my voice that happened frequently but were more
pronounced Spring and Fall. Again there are often other conditions
complicating symptom diagnosis.
It was also causing post nasal drip that I didn't notice but would
build up and irritate my throat and vocal cords giving my singing voice
this sputtering gunky sound with breaks, throat clearing, and plugged
up or popping my ears, especially mornings.
Consulting your doctor is a good idea. Mine was less than sympathetic
but I eventually nagged him into getting me something and he prescribed
steroids for allergies but they didn't help (insert his 'I told you so'
look here:). I also tried herbal supplements without a noticeable
improvement.
Using a Neti Pot for nasal irrigation as prescribed on the packaging
for congestion I didn't find helpful and was only a marginal
improvement for post nasal drip (although others have told me it worked
great for them). But I have found it much more beneficial when used in
conjunction with a technique called "Vyutkrama Kapalbhati" or simply
Jala Neti Stage 2. This method required the Neti Pot solution to be
sniffed/snorted through the nose and spat out the mouth. Yes, it's
gross, but not uncomfortable, in fact soothing, and it reaches where
Stage 1 does not, the nasopharynx. This is where the throat continues
up past the uvula, where the Eustachian tubes to the middle ears are,
and where the nasal cavity side of the soft palate meets its tail like
uvula. Ever get a weird itch way in the back of your throat and try to
scratch it by clucking the back of your tongue which makes a tock noise
out your nose? That's the spot you're trying to reach. After using this
stage 2 technique I feel like I have more soft pallet control and
better placement of nasal resonance. Master Stage 1 before trying Stage
2. It's safest to consult a yoga master to 'spot you' on Stage 2 but I
managed ok on my own. As far as treating issues caused by the
allergies it's benifits seemed mostly preventative and didn't help them
much after the fact.
Meds to help dry up the gurggling, with seasonal allergies for me plain
Claritin or the generic Walgreens version Wal-itin that use the
antihistamine loratadine helps sometimes
but can take a couple of hours to notice improvement and you'll want to
be on it a couple days before you're singing as well for the full
benifit. On
bad days 24hr Clairton-D or Wal-itin D, the "D" indicates decongestant
pseudoephedrine and did seem
help but was drying on my voice. If I've already taken an
antihistamine and need more help I will take a separate decongestant
like pseudoephedrine instead of taking a combo so I don't have to take
another antihistamine dose. If I'm also having a sinus headache
I'll take a sinues headache decongestant that also has ibuprofen
or acetaminophen. FYI in my state of Michigan
there is a limit of the number of tablets with pseudoephedrine in it
that you can buy over the counter which actually comes out to less than
one tablet a day. Which means a doctor's prescription might be helpful.
Consult your doctor before taking any medications (especially if you're
also taking other meds). When the symptoms are milder (like winter or
summer) plain Mucinex which doesn't use a decongestant nor the
antihistamine seemed to help. I've had similar results with generic
brands that use the same key ingredient Guaifenesin, as in Mucinex,
with similar results. The generics are not time released or as long
lasting as Mucinex but are cheaper. During allergy season maximum
strength Mucinex D with antihistamines helped but I didn't feel was as
effective as Wal-itin D.
Buzzing
Voice-
An aspect of my allergies appears to be a buzzing sound my vocal cords
will make. It's like the sound you make to imitate a squeaky door
hinge, possibly some kind of involuntary vocal or glottal fry. It
doesn't hurt and can happen when singing soft or loud. However I have
found that if I try to sing 'through it' while it persists I will go
hoarse. Singing in a chorus I have heard spontaniously appear in others
voices but didn't seem to be a persistant issue for them. Here's a link
to a short audio clip I made of it...
http://greatlakeschorus.org/misc/voicebuzz.mp3
I thought it was caused by a dryness in the voice but my ENT Doctor
ruled that out. In my case he also ruled out any noduals, tumors, and
inflammation, but only an Ear Nose and Throat specialist can make that
determination. He was uncertain what could be causing it but said he
suspected pooling saliva. He didn't have any treatment suggestions
beyond everything else I've tried. He referred me voice specialist whom
I've yet to make an appointment with, fearing my medical doesn't cover
it.
I have been experimenting with allergy meds and dosages to try and
address it better. Don't be a dope like me and try to double dose some
allergy meds and antihistamine, it would leave me dizzy (messing with
my blood pressure which was scary) and would leave my voice feeling as
dry as if I'd chain smoked a carton of menthol cigarettes. In fact If
you have high blood pressure or heart disease you may want to avoid
decongestants all together. Consult your doctor. Oh, and do I have to
say it? Don't smoke! But I have been having some success with a
combination of Claritin-D and a generic sinus congestion & pain
reliever (phenylephrine hci and acetaminophen). If I've already taken
regular Claritin and need more relief I will take Sudafed (with
decongestant pseudoephedrine) which is basically Claritin-D, and the
generic sinus congestion & pain reliever
I'm also very susceptible to different room conditions. For example,
here in Michigan during the winter buildings, homes and cars have their
heat on and in the summer air conditioners. I'm amazed at how I can
sing fine in the car or someplace but then when I walk into another
place, within a few minutes my voice begins to buzz again.
If I get the meds right I'm ok but on occation when it suddenly
presents it's self, to help control it the buzzing sound the best thing
I've found is swallowing
a lot. Unfortunately there are many songs where I barley have enough
time to breath and there's no time for swallowing. But it's also been
helpful while singing to inhale through my nose to reduce occurrences
of buzzing. Breathing through the nose while singing is tricky trying
to get enough air in time and I usually can't do it every time but the
times I can it helps and I only do it when I have to. Sucking on gummy
bears candy (or hard candy) while singing helps as long as used in
combination with inhaling through the nose and are easy to find. Also
sucking on non-medicated lozenge like Riccola (preferably without
menthol) or Halls Refresh non-medicated (according to their website)
cough drops while singing, again in combination with inhaling through
the nose. Candy and lozenges have the added benefit helping with dry
mouth or 'cotton mouth' from stage anxiety.
If my voice is already buzzing I haven't noticed an improvement with
these next few methods but perhaps they have preventative benefits,
also maybe they also work better in combination of inhaling through the
nose or some other treatment. I was surprised breathing through cool
air vaporizers didn't help with the buzzing (but I haven't tried heated
ones yet. I've been told tea with honey is good but I don't notice any
difference for my vocal cords than with other beverages. Neti Pot's
Jala Neti Stage 2 technique helps post nasal drip issues, cleansing the
soft pallet, and plugged ears sometimes but I've not noticed much
improvement with the voice buzz.
Recently I have been trying something called the Entertainer's Secret
Throat Spray. I had been avoiding this product because I've only been
able to find it online and mostly on cheesy looking websites with
gimmicky looking merchandise. But it's been recommended by the Texas
Voice Center and I've had some encouraging results. I find I have to
use a lot of it so I go through it pretty fast. The effect isn't
immediate but only takes a few minutes and sometimes it helps and
sometimes it doesn't. For my buzzing voice issue it may only be
as effective as sucking on the gummy bears and possibly for the same
reason. The taste reminds me of lip balm and at first there is a
slight
numbing sensation at the back of the throat presumably because of the
initial coating but then goes away. It doesn't feel particularly
soothing to me. I've tried a few other kinds of throat/voice
sprays and haven't noticed any benifit to my buzzing voice.
The Texas Voice Center also recommends a concoction for dry voice that
didn't help
with my buzzing sound but maybe it's more helpful for a dry scratchy
kind of throat symptom. Anyways, here's that recipe. "Dr. Lawrence
often recommended a favorite gargle recipe: 1/2 tsp. of salt, 1/2 tsp.
of baking soda, 1/2 tsp. of clear corn syrup, and 6 oz. of warmed,
distilled water. Gargle quietly and gently for two long, boring
minutes. Do not rinse and use as often as necessary to help your dry,
irritated throat." BTW, gargling salty corn syrup is just as much fun
as it sounds.
The web tells rumors of an herbal brew for allergy like symptoms with
ginger root, cayenne pepper, lemon, and apple juice popular with some
singers and called simply, Singer's Tea. There's another herbal remedy
with slippery elm and liquorice called Throat Coat Tea, sometimes also
referred to as Singer's Throat Tea or Singer's Tea, but is entirely
different and used for sore throats. I have tried the ginger root
Singer's Tea and the
cayenne pepper is spicy but not hot or
uncomfortable , in fact it had a peasant tingly sensation in
my mouth and
throat and stimulated salivation but otherwise I didn't notice any
benefits to the buzz in my voice but I will try it again at allery
season. An acquired taste, I actually finished off the whole batch
because I was starting to enjoy it. Not too difficult to prepare, use
the instructions at this link, http://greatlakeschorus.org/misc/singerstea.html
A treatment I'm cautiously optimistic about is Dr. Richard Schulze's
SuperTonic Herbal Juice Tonic & Anti Plague Formula. I know,
the name is obviously not directed to the mainstream marketing and I
can't imagine it's "anti plague" claim would make it past the FDA but
it does have 3 things going for it that I'm willing to give it a try.
One is that it's a horseradish and garlic brew and since certain spicy
foods cause a runny nose I think it at least effects body secretions.
Second is that it comes highly recommended from a friend with one of
the most amazing voices I know. And third, after suffering a kind of
hoarseness brought on by a day of slamming energy drinks and spring
allergies I had a glass of it and it seemed to help. The last point I'm
not yet convinced about because my improvement could have also been due
to location, natural duration of my ailment, or simply drinking
anything would have helped. But that's enough for me to try it some
more. My friend gave me his recipe and since I already know how his
tastes and what to expect I will use it. It wasn't entirely unpleasant.
It was mildly spicy, not hot, with a tingle sensation from the cayenne
pepper and the flavor was kind of like drinking spicy juice with a mild
pickle/onion flavor. Nothing I would want to order at the bar but he in
fact drinks copious amounts. The breath odor is an issue so I would
only use it when the symptoms occur which means if it's benefits are
cumulative that may undermine any benefits it may have. I did try
drinking it every day for a week, it didn't help with the buzz in my
voice but I've saved some to try during allergy season and see if it
helps there. I did find that after a few days I acquired a taste for it
and even found myself craving it. However with the difficulty in
preparing it and the very bad breath it causes I'm more incline to use
the Singers Tea. Use the link, http://greatlakeschorus.org/misc/masalskistonic.html
Reflux-
But even when I don't have the headaches and plugged ears from allergy
symptoms I may still have throat clearing and singing issues which then
may be my GERD or LPR (Laryngopharyngeal Reflux) aka silent acid
reflux. 'Silent' because there's no or little heartburn and may or may
not have acid burps but does have symptoms like, hoarseness, a lump in
the throat, trouble swallowing, chronic cough, and too much throat
mucus. Drinking too many Mountain Dew pops and energy drinks gives me
LPR. And sometimes my allergy meds also upset my stomach and cause
reflux. Actually drinking water faster than I can, uh, process it, can
cause me LPR too. Acid reflux can be mistaken for allergies who's
treatments also aggravate acid reflux. Changing my diet usually
addresses the acid reflux issue but I know some people have it much
worse than I and some should even seek medical advice in case it's some
other more severe condition. Besides diet changes to help correct it
I've had good results with Maalox. I know many people rely on Zantac
(ranitidine) and Prilosec, both using different strategies to inhibit
the amount of acid released into the stomach. Prilosec may counter
blood thinner meds so again, CONSULT YOUR DOCTOR!
There was a lot of trial and error on what would work for me and the
results weren't always clear. So many things can skew the outcome and
you start asking yourself is that horseradish tonic home remedy really
working or is it just twisted wishful thinking?
*If your issues persist seek medical attention. It may be a more sever
version of the above issues and there are dozens of other conditions
such as small physical defects, vitamin deficiencies, etc that may the
problem.
*note; This tid bit isn't really voice related but in bad times it has
been such a god-send I thought I'd share it here. Just headache pain
relievers didn't help my sinus pain much but even when taking sinus
headache meds and the pain persists then I have found taking a hot
shower with my face in the water spray (particularly around the
eyebrows, bridge of the nose, and tear ducts) provides relief almost
immediately and if I can stay that way in the water for several minutes
the relief can last for hours (be careful not to burn yourself). Some
people tell me baths help them but they haven't for me.
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