Hello there again!
With the beginning of the school year already upon us, I wanted to introduce our 5 Questions With series to you. This will be a series where we will be posting an interview with a specialist in the Speech-Language Pathology field to find out more about their specialty and to get 5 answers to important questions for you. I am very excited for our first guest who has grown immensely in the field of voice therapy since graduating from Duquesne University, where Julie and I both went for undergraduate and graduate studies. He worked at Oregon Health and Sciences University in their Northwest Clinic for Voice & Swallowing for his clinical fellowship year then moved back to Pittsburgh to work at Straka and McQuone, Inc. as their on-staff speech pathologist for voice and swallowing disorders. He is currently studying for his doctorate degree and working as a Research Assistant at Michigan State University. I am very proud to introduce David Ford, our friend, and a specialist in voice disorders.
With the beginning of the school year already upon us, I wanted to introduce our 5 Questions With series to you. This will be a series where we will be posting an interview with a specialist in the Speech-Language Pathology field to find out more about their specialty and to get 5 answers to important questions for you. I am very excited for our first guest who has grown immensely in the field of voice therapy since graduating from Duquesne University, where Julie and I both went for undergraduate and graduate studies. He worked at Oregon Health and Sciences University in their Northwest Clinic for Voice & Swallowing for his clinical fellowship year then moved back to Pittsburgh to work at Straka and McQuone, Inc. as their on-staff speech pathologist for voice and swallowing disorders. He is currently studying for his doctorate degree and working as a Research Assistant at Michigan State University. I am very proud to introduce David Ford, our friend, and a specialist in voice disorders.
K: Thank you so much David for taking some time out of your very busy schedule to answer some questions for us! As I mentioned above, this post is in dedication to the new school year and I wanted this interview to specifically focus on voice for teachers. Working in schools with teachers has really opened my eyes to their struggle with trying to not get laryngitis! Can you explain a little why teachers lose their voices so often and what causes laryngitis?
DF: There are a number of reasons why teachers are susceptible to voice problems such as laryngitis. First and foremost, vocal demand placed upon teachers far exceeds that of the general public (in most cases). It is not uncommon for teachers to speak continuously throughout the day, whether they are lecturing, answering questions, dealing with administrative issues, or chatting with other teachers. In addition, classroom environments are not typically conducive to healthy voice practices. Teachers are often forced to speak over excessive background noise or in the absence of voice amplification, which can strain the voice. There are also occupational issues such as limited sick/vacation days and working in an environment, which can include sick children. When choosing between having an extra day at the beach or a day to pamper the voice, you can guess which one prevails!
K: I have known several teachers who drink tea or use throat lozenges to help with their sore throats. Do those home-remedies work?
DF: While home remedies may reduce symptoms temporarily, they can often lead to more problems down the road. For instance, hot tea and honey can have a soothing effect, but tea contains caffeine and honey contains high sugar content. Caffeine is a diuretic, which can dehydrate throat and mouth tissues, compounding voice problems. Sugary substances can increase mucus production causing excess throat clearing (a vocally traumatic behavior). Hot herbal tea would have the soothing effect of the heat without the harmful additives. Throat lozenges are OK, as long as they do not contain menthol (which has a drying effect) or topical anesthetic (e.g. benzocaine). Typically, the best throat lozenges are the ones with very few ingredients, but a hard candy can have many of the same soothing effects of a lozenge without questionable medicated properties.
K: What are the most important things you would like teachers to know regarding their voice?
DF: I’ve heard teachers say things like, “Oh, it’s just my teaching voice…” or “By the end of the school year, my voice is trashed.” This should not be the case. Lasting hoarseness or voice changes (in the absence of a related medical condition) are NOT EVER “normal.” If you experience these symptoms for longer than a week or two and they do not improve with rest, please consult an otolaryngologist (Ear, Nose, & Throat physician). In any case, seek help from either your school’s SLP or a community-based SLP, who can provide strategies and techniques to prevent voice problems.
K: What can teachers do to prevent losing their voice?
DF: There are many environmental adaptations that can be arranged, some more simply than others.
1. The use of voice amplification is essential. Amplifying the voice requires less effort to produce voice, which can have a compounding effect across a day of teaching. Some school districts are even required to provide teachers with amplification. Some districts have sophisticated systems, but it may be as simple as purchasing a $30 personal voice amplifier on Amazon.
2. DRINK WATER! While it may seem like a no brainer, it is surprising how many people forget or do not prioritize this need highly enough. The daily recommended dose is 64 oz water/day (8 glasses/3.5 bottles). That is for the general public, speaking for many hours a day will likely require more. As you speak there is air passing through the vocal folds more frequently and so they can dehydrate more quickly. It is essential to replenish the lost fluid with water.
3. MORE HYDRATION! Running a humidifier in your classroom is generally a simple adaptation. Even if your schools HVAC system supposedly has humidification, I still recommend having your own personal humidifier.
4. Always support your voice with lots of air. Voicing is a “pressure-driven” event and there should be VERY little muscle effort involved in voicing. Seek help from your school SLP with using more efficient breath support and airflow when voicing.
K: What can teachers do if they very dreadfully end up with laryngitis?
DF: Consult an otolaryngologist (as described above). They can determine if your voice problem is more “functional” in nature (caused by muscle strain based on how your voice is being used) or if it is a true case of laryngitis (an actual inflammation/redness of the tissues used for voicing). The symptoms can be exactly the same, so it can be tricky to identify. If it is more functional in nature, they would likely refer you to an SLP for strategies/techniques to improve your voice use. If it is laryngitis, sometimes a steroid can be prescribed to help reduce inflammation/redness.
Knowing that sometimes, situations are not always ideal…some strategies to get you by would be:
1. Hydration with WATER!!! (Sounding like a broken record yet?)
2. REST when you can. I know this seems trivial, but when you are running on a teacher’s schedule, ANY amount of rest can go a long way. So when you get those rare, planning periods, close your door (if possible) and rest your voice while you plan. Complete vocal rest means no whispering or throat clearing too.
I hope this information has helped all the teachers reading this. Even if you aren’t a teacher, I hope that you have learned a little more about laryngitis and what you can do to prevent it and treat it. I know that I personally get laryngitis at least once per year and I will be doing a little more practicing what I preach. If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to share below. If you feel you need professional consultation or help, please reach out to one of us here at Rehabilitation Specialists and we can either assist you ourselves or refer you to appropriate voice specialists in our area.
Kathleen
DF: There are a number of reasons why teachers are susceptible to voice problems such as laryngitis. First and foremost, vocal demand placed upon teachers far exceeds that of the general public (in most cases). It is not uncommon for teachers to speak continuously throughout the day, whether they are lecturing, answering questions, dealing with administrative issues, or chatting with other teachers. In addition, classroom environments are not typically conducive to healthy voice practices. Teachers are often forced to speak over excessive background noise or in the absence of voice amplification, which can strain the voice. There are also occupational issues such as limited sick/vacation days and working in an environment, which can include sick children. When choosing between having an extra day at the beach or a day to pamper the voice, you can guess which one prevails!
K: I have known several teachers who drink tea or use throat lozenges to help with their sore throats. Do those home-remedies work?
DF: While home remedies may reduce symptoms temporarily, they can often lead to more problems down the road. For instance, hot tea and honey can have a soothing effect, but tea contains caffeine and honey contains high sugar content. Caffeine is a diuretic, which can dehydrate throat and mouth tissues, compounding voice problems. Sugary substances can increase mucus production causing excess throat clearing (a vocally traumatic behavior). Hot herbal tea would have the soothing effect of the heat without the harmful additives. Throat lozenges are OK, as long as they do not contain menthol (which has a drying effect) or topical anesthetic (e.g. benzocaine). Typically, the best throat lozenges are the ones with very few ingredients, but a hard candy can have many of the same soothing effects of a lozenge without questionable medicated properties.
K: What are the most important things you would like teachers to know regarding their voice?
DF: I’ve heard teachers say things like, “Oh, it’s just my teaching voice…” or “By the end of the school year, my voice is trashed.” This should not be the case. Lasting hoarseness or voice changes (in the absence of a related medical condition) are NOT EVER “normal.” If you experience these symptoms for longer than a week or two and they do not improve with rest, please consult an otolaryngologist (Ear, Nose, & Throat physician). In any case, seek help from either your school’s SLP or a community-based SLP, who can provide strategies and techniques to prevent voice problems.
K: What can teachers do to prevent losing their voice?
DF: There are many environmental adaptations that can be arranged, some more simply than others.
1. The use of voice amplification is essential. Amplifying the voice requires less effort to produce voice, which can have a compounding effect across a day of teaching. Some school districts are even required to provide teachers with amplification. Some districts have sophisticated systems, but it may be as simple as purchasing a $30 personal voice amplifier on Amazon.
2. DRINK WATER! While it may seem like a no brainer, it is surprising how many people forget or do not prioritize this need highly enough. The daily recommended dose is 64 oz water/day (8 glasses/3.5 bottles). That is for the general public, speaking for many hours a day will likely require more. As you speak there is air passing through the vocal folds more frequently and so they can dehydrate more quickly. It is essential to replenish the lost fluid with water.
3. MORE HYDRATION! Running a humidifier in your classroom is generally a simple adaptation. Even if your schools HVAC system supposedly has humidification, I still recommend having your own personal humidifier.
4. Always support your voice with lots of air. Voicing is a “pressure-driven” event and there should be VERY little muscle effort involved in voicing. Seek help from your school SLP with using more efficient breath support and airflow when voicing.
K: What can teachers do if they very dreadfully end up with laryngitis?
DF: Consult an otolaryngologist (as described above). They can determine if your voice problem is more “functional” in nature (caused by muscle strain based on how your voice is being used) or if it is a true case of laryngitis (an actual inflammation/redness of the tissues used for voicing). The symptoms can be exactly the same, so it can be tricky to identify. If it is more functional in nature, they would likely refer you to an SLP for strategies/techniques to improve your voice use. If it is laryngitis, sometimes a steroid can be prescribed to help reduce inflammation/redness.
Knowing that sometimes, situations are not always ideal…some strategies to get you by would be:
1. Hydration with WATER!!! (Sounding like a broken record yet?)
2. REST when you can. I know this seems trivial, but when you are running on a teacher’s schedule, ANY amount of rest can go a long way. So when you get those rare, planning periods, close your door (if possible) and rest your voice while you plan. Complete vocal rest means no whispering or throat clearing too.
I hope this information has helped all the teachers reading this. Even if you aren’t a teacher, I hope that you have learned a little more about laryngitis and what you can do to prevent it and treat it. I know that I personally get laryngitis at least once per year and I will be doing a little more practicing what I preach. If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to share below. If you feel you need professional consultation or help, please reach out to one of us here at Rehabilitation Specialists and we can either assist you ourselves or refer you to appropriate voice specialists in our area.
Kathleen
(Originally published 9/17/18)
Comments
Post a Comment