Search Results - chronic hoarseness

1. How to Increase Your Volume Without Yelling
October 14, 2014

When you increase your volume, does your throat hurt? If you root for your favorite sports team, is your voice hoarse the next day? Perhaps you have no voice by the next day. All three of these situations are known as vocal abuse. If any of these scenarios sound familiar, then you are not increasing your volume correctly. Yelling or shouting to be heard means that you are pushing your voice from your throat. It also means that you are raising your pitch which results in a harsh quality. When you push your voice over an extended period of time in this manner, you can do serious ... (read more)

Author: Nancy Daniels

2. Your Voice Is Your Calling Card - Is That Good Or Not So Good?
April 09, 2014

One of the 1st things you do when you start a new business is to create a business card. While the purpose of the card is to identify you and your business, your goal with that card is to project a positive image of that business. In fact, you should probably hire a creative talent to design your card because you want an image that looks professional and successful. Your voice is a form of calling card as well. When you consider that the sound of your voice accounts for a good 37% of the image you project, what does yours say about you? Does it sound professional? What about over the... (read more)

Author: Nancy Daniels

3. Pushing Your Voice Can Lead to Permanent Damage - Especially Super Bowl Sunday!
January 28, 2014

In less than a week, millions of Americans and Canadians will get together with friends and family to watch the largest sporting event in our country. And, during those 4 hours of play, a lot of fans will experience sore throats, hoarseness, and possibly even loss of voice. Many people will find their voice much improved in the next day or two; however, there are some who will begin to notice that their voices are not returning to their ‘normal’ sound or strength. This is called vocal abuse and the problem with vocal abuse is that it can lead to permanent damage of the vocal cords. U... (read more)

Author: Nancy Daniels

4. What Is Causing Your Chronic Hoarseness or Persistent Sore Throat?
November 12, 2013

If you are experiencing hoarseness or a sore throat which will not go away, it could be vocal abuse. For many of my clients who complain of one or both of these problems, after a visit to an Ear, Nose, & Throat Specialist, they are told that there is no physical problem. Often the vocal cords and/or throat may have some redness; but, other than that, they are told that they are not sick and given a clean bill of health. That is the problem. And that is vocal abuse. Because the majority of people power their voice primarily by means of their throat and vocal cords (as well as the mouth... (read more)

Author: Nancy Daniels

5. Vocal Abuse: Unless You Change Your Voice Placement, It Will Not Go Away on Its Own
September 10, 2013

I recently received an email from a man who runs a museum in Australia inquiring whether he could include my blog posts in his newsletters for his museum guides. Why would a museum guide need information on the voice? Because his employees often speak non-stop throughout their day. Anyone who talks for great lengths of time, be it politicians, ministers, public speakers, trainers, coaches, teachers, professors, and the like, rely on their voice for their living. But vocal abuse does not just affect people in these professions. It can happen to those who root for their favorite sports ... (read more)

Author: Nancy Daniels

6. Calling All Teachers - Will You Experience Vocal Abuse When You Return to School in September?
August 06, 2013

One of the most difficult problems for the middle-aged teacher is having enough voice to get through the day. While it most often effects those in their 40’s and 50’s, I am seeing it in younger teachers as well. Described as chronic hoarseness, a persistent sore throat, or even loss of voice, vocal abuse will not go away on its own until you stop what is causing it. Often the teacher will see an Ear, Nose and Throat Specialist who may discover polyps or nodes on the vocal cords. What is more common, however, is that the doctor finds nothings physically wrong with the cords aside from s... (read more)

Author: Nancy Daniels

7. How Vocal Abuse and Public Speaking Go Hand-in-Hand
July 16, 2013

One of the greatest challenges for those whose careers involve public speaking is vocal abuse. We see it with many who make a living by addressing an audience – from political candidates like Hillary Clinton to world-renowned motivational speakers like Anthony Robbins. Other career choices that involve heavy use of the voice include aerobics instructors, coaches, teachers, ministers, business trainers, and even stay-at-home moms who may be inclined to yell a lot throughout their day. The problem with vocal abuse is that unless you change the placement of your voice, it will continue... (read more)

Author: Nancy Daniels

8. When You Stop Pushing Your Voice, You Will Stop the Vocal Abuse
July 02, 2013

I hear from many people about their chronic hoarseness, a persistent sore throat, or even loss of voice by the end of the day. This is called vocal abuse and until you change how you produce voiced sound, you will not stop this abuse. Most people are using only 4 of their 5 resonators to speak: the voice box, throat, mouth and nasal cavities with most of the work being accomplished by the throat and vocal cords. The 5th resonator is your chest cavity and is responsible for a deeper, richer, warmer sound. It is also the only means of increasing your volume without shouting. If your ch... (read more)

Author: Nancy Daniels

9. Is Training for Your Speaking Voice Something You Should Consider?
March 13, 2013

Many people want to improve themselves. They get an education to learn more; they take courses to improve themselves. What most people do not realize is that they have a better voice inside of them. I call it your real or true voice. Unfortunately, we, as a people, are lazy breathers. All mammals breathe with the support of the diaphragm. You and I were born breathing with the support of that muscle. As we develop, however, we resort to shallow or lazy breathing which has an effect on the production and sound of the speaking voice. It means that instead of powering the voice with a... (read more)

Author: Nancy Daniels

10. You Don't Smoke - You're Not Sick - But Your Throat Hurts
February 19, 2013

Those who smoke, who are sick or who take prescriptive medications can often experience a sore or raw throat. What about the individual who does not fall into any of those 3 categories but experiences a persistent sore throat or chronic hoarseness? The only real cause for an irritated throat is misplacement of the voice. That sounds strange, doesn’t it? You ask, how is it possible to misplace your voice? The answer is simple. When you consider that you have 5 cavities in the body responsible for the vibration and amplification of voiced sound and that you are probably using only 4 of t... (read more)

Author: Nancy Daniels

11. Sore Throats Will Be the Result of the Super Bowl and It Won't Be Caused by the Flue
January 16, 2013

There is no doubt that there are a lot of sore throats right now caused by the flu which is running rampant in the States; however, come February 3, there will be a lot more sore throats and hoarseness which will have nothing to do with any illness. There may even be some who experience loss of voice. Slated for the 3rd of February, the Super Bowl will draw millions of viewers. Many who watch this particular game will experience something known as vocal abuse. The culprit? Pushing your voice from your throat – also known as yelling, screaming or shouting – for 4 hours or more. For some... (read more)

Author: Nancy Daniels

12. A Natural Heartburn Cure By Strengthening the LES
November 30, 2012

For the thousands of people who experience heartburn on a daily basis without any relief, its time to try a natural remedy for acid reflux. Heartburn symptoms include pain in the chest, burning in the throat, difficulty swallowing, and in chronic cases a persistent cough, hoarseness, and sore throat. Acid reflux disease is a condition where acid and partially digested food flows back up from the stomach into the esophagus, causing symptoms of heartburn. Treatment for heartburn and acid reflux include over the counter products and prescription drugs that block the excretion of stomach acid ther... (read more)

Author: Sarah Labdar

13. Do You Have Chronic Hoarseness and You Are Not Sick?
October 24, 2012

Voice Training site at Voice Dynamic and discover The Power of Your Voice or watch as she describes in more detail The Truth About Vocal Abuse. ">I hear about it more often than you may think. It is everywhere; it is a growing concern; and, it is called vocal abuse. While chronic hoarseness or a persistent sore throat may be caused by post nasal drip or even some antihistamines, there is a large percentage of those who are suffering either or both of these symptoms and are not sick. It is even possible that you may be losing your voice by the end of the day. Voice misplacement, as well ... (read more)

Author: Nancy Daniels

14. Could Your Voice Use Some Work?
September 18, 2012

When you hear yourself on your voicemail, chances are good that you don’t recognize what you hear. Chances are even better that you not only don’t recognize the sound but that you find it embarrassing, shocking, or revolting. Because you are unable to hear yourself the way everyone does, the sound you hear on your answering machine is probably higher in pitch than that which you hear in your head. In addition, your voice may be whiny, nasal, breathy, throaty, weak, shrill, boring, monotonous, wimpy, loud, or too soft in volume. The list of adjectives describing the quality of the voice... (read more)

Author: Nancy Daniels