Sometimes my voice feels like it is giving out. This usually happens at the worst possible time; when I have several long appointments to explain the program to new patients, or when I have a speaking engagement.

SOURCE: https://www.voicescienceworks.org/vocal-tract.html

Last fall I decided to see a speech therapist to get some help with this. One of the most useful techniques I learned is also a simple one to pass on to you; it involves humming while blowing through a straw into a glass of water. As I understand it, this creates high resistance to the airflow past the vocal cords, which means the pressures on either side of the vocal cords are more equal and the vocal cords can relax.

There are many videos on YouTube demonstrating this; here is one. I’ve also added it to the resources listed on the Current Patients section on my website.

For my patients, the next time I am asking you whether you are sticking to your diet, you can ask me if I’m sticking to my voice exercises!