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Liner Notes
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Body
& Soul
Voice Care with David M. Alessi, M.D
REFLUX LARYNGITIS AND FOOD ON SHOW DAYS
DA: A really common thing that actually ties into vocal nodules and is really common in performers--and something
that all performers should keep in mind--is what’s called reflux
laryngitis. And what that means, is that acid from
someone’s stomach can come up and actually burn the vocal cords. There are many, many
people--and I see it really commonly among performers--that actually have acid coming up,
and instead of getting heartburn like the average person gets, they don’t feel it at
all. So they let the acid come up all the way up and burn the vocal cords, and so they
start getting symptoms such as throat clearing, sometimes they get excess phlegm in their
throat, and it can also lead to vocal fatigue. And it’s a thing that’s very
common among performers, especially rock and rollers, because one of the main things that
will cause acid reflux--especially the silent type that can burn the vocal cords--is
eating dinner late at night. It’s extremely common, because performers quite often
will have big meals late at night and then they’ll go to bed. And that’s
probably one of the worst things that they can possibly do.
MBADC: So how long before a performance would you recommend that they
eat, since they don’t like to sing on a full stomach?
DA: It’s a difficult thing to do, but two and a half hours before a
performance. Then right after a performance nothing at all, or something extremely small.
MBADC: Would you say that most vocal cord damage is reversible, or is a
little bit of it permanent?
DA: Almost all of it is reversible. You do see some irreversible vocal
strain and tears. One of the things that can be irreversible is scarring that you can get
from a hemorrhage or from a tear or a rip in the vocal cords. But most things that you see
in the vocal cords are going to be repairable.
Steroid Shots & the Vocal Cords
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