Many people exercise regularly and eat a balanced diet to keep their bodies healthy, but have you ever thought about doing the same for your voice?
New Mexico's first annual World Voice Day will be recognized at the Speech-Language-Hearing Center on Thursday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. During this time, graduate students in the Speech and Hearing Sciences Department will perform free screenings to check for common voice problems. They will also provide information on vocal health awareness and prevention of vocal problems.
Kate Blaker, the clinical instructor who will oversee the graduate students performing the screenings, said they will use checklists that can assess bad vocal behaviors.
"A lot of our screening will look at everyday habits which might include yelling, speaking loudly over music or a TV, smoking, excessive talking, cheerleading, caffeine and alcohol," she said.
These behaviors can lead to voice disorders and are especially harmful when they are combined, Blaker said.
When the screening is over, the graduate students will have an analysis of the important areas of voice: pitch, range, volume, quality and speech rate, she said. They can then refer students to a speech pathologist if they find problems.
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This is the first year UNM is participating in the international World Voice Day, which began in 1999 in Brazil when a group of health care professionals established Brazilian Voice Day. Other countries followed suit, and World Voice Day was created to prevent, treat and provide information about voice problems.
"Vocal issues present themselves in many different ways," said Phyllis Palmer, a professor in the Speech and Hearing Sciences Department.
Palmer said the voice is created when two muscle folds in the throat called the larynx hit together. These folds of muscle should be white and clean, but when abused, their color can dull and cysts may form, Palmer said.
She said that cysts on the larynx are one of the most common problems observed in the clinic, and they are usually easy to treat.
"Cysts are usually related to overuse of the voice combined with other things like poor hydration or excessive loudness," Palmer said. "They aren't terrible, because with proper treatments they are easy to get rid of, as opposed to laryngeal cancer, which is a big deal."
Smokers and drinkers are especially at risk for cancer of the larynx, Palmer said.
"Smoking and drinking increases your risk of cancer," Palmer said. "If you do both, it is not an additive effect, but an exponential one."
There are many ways to keep your voice healthy and prevent problems like cancer and cysts, Palmer said.
She said staying hydrated can prevent irritation in the two muscles of the larynx and help maintain the quality of your voice into old age. Head and neck stretches can help relax and stretch the larynx muscles.
Blaker said vocal warm-ups are also vital to voice health.
"Every morning, all of us should be doing vocal warm-up exercises to prepare for the day," she said.
Prevention and awareness of damage to the voice can help your quality of life into old age, Palmer said.
Philip Dale, department chairman of Speech and Hearing Sciences, said students should take time to participate in the free World Voice Day screenings.
"Anything you use as an important part of your life needs to be taken care of," he said. "People who move furniture use support belts for their back, and your voice needs support as well."
Dale said participation in this screening will provide valuable information and exercises that will allow you and your voice to function healthily throughout life.
"If you can't make it to the screening, contact the department, because we're happy to accommodate anyone who wants a free screening," Blaker said.
World Voice Day
Thursday, 10 a.m.-3 p.m
Speech-Language-Hearing Center
