Singer’s Saving Grace — another supposed miracle which ain’t— at least not for me
This has been an interesting, albeit a bit costly, experiment in searching for quick fixes for those of us sensitive to conditions which make our throats (and mouths!) dry and of course there is a direct effect in the vocal cords. So far I have tried various teas, lozenges, tepid water, and now special throat sprays. Could not find chamomile but did get hold of Singer’s Saving Grace. (I got the kind without alcohol.) I have the honey & lemon flavor which is yummy tasting! Makes throat tissues feel good for a little while, but pretty soon I was as dry as ever. Again, nice but no cure. For a few years I have used Fisherman’s Friend lozenges; they are pretty good. The straight menthol tasted awful but I got them in aniseseed flavor, with only part menthol. Not like candy but they do help me more than any other lozenges. Effects last a bit longer, maybe 20 minutes. I shall stick with them.
🌊 WATER is very helpful! Sunday was a busy day, and by afternoon I was sandpaper-y. No chance to carry any water...boooh. ☹️ Choir had a performance at the nursing home, of course the room was hot, I struggled and by the end I was hanging on for dear life. If I’d had water I know it would have helped me. However, in the evening I had yet another presentation, but the area was cool...PLUS I had a microphone...I dearly love a good mike...and besides I was carrying water. I was comfortable, relaxed, and more hydrated, so that solo went very well. I actually prefer solo work over group singing...more freedom, less pressure. In group setting there might be microphones but they’re far enough away that I instinctively feel I have to over-sing. If I am a soloist with a good mike right there in front of me, I can relax and enjoy myself more! And a little container of tepid water...I’m golden 😀 A friend said something about “coloratura “... ??? I don’t know much about those terms. I just know I like to play 😇
I am practicing diaphragmatic breathing—one thing I ran across elsewhere was advice to hold the upper body motionless while breathing correctly while singing. Good tip! I enunciate well, but I’m trying to open my mouth a little more and keep the tongue down. Doc said he wanted to see my tonsils! 😄
Just thought I would write this in case anyone with similar issues might benefit.
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays everyone! 🎄⛄️🥂🍎❄️
🌊 WATER is very helpful! Sunday was a busy day, and by afternoon I was sandpaper-y. No chance to carry any water...boooh. ☹️ Choir had a performance at the nursing home, of course the room was hot, I struggled and by the end I was hanging on for dear life. If I’d had water I know it would have helped me. However, in the evening I had yet another presentation, but the area was cool...PLUS I had a microphone...I dearly love a good mike...and besides I was carrying water. I was comfortable, relaxed, and more hydrated, so that solo went very well. I actually prefer solo work over group singing...more freedom, less pressure. In group setting there might be microphones but they’re far enough away that I instinctively feel I have to over-sing. If I am a soloist with a good mike right there in front of me, I can relax and enjoy myself more! And a little container of tepid water...I’m golden 😀 A friend said something about “coloratura “... ??? I don’t know much about those terms. I just know I like to play 😇
I am practicing diaphragmatic breathing—one thing I ran across elsewhere was advice to hold the upper body motionless while breathing correctly while singing. Good tip! I enunciate well, but I’m trying to open my mouth a little more and keep the tongue down. Doc said he wanted to see my tonsils! 😄
Just thought I would write this in case anyone with similar issues might benefit.
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays everyone! 🎄⛄️🥂🍎❄️
Comments
You might want to go to an allergist/immunologist and test for airborne allergies.
I was on the course about a year and was having a ton of problems with my singing especially the high end of my voice (I am male). I had to stop pretty much everything to get through the ramp up, singing included. I haven't started work outs again, so I don't know where my voice will be, but in the little singing I do I can hear the change. I will probably start again first of the year some time. I want to give my voice a chance to heal, I really pushed my voice not knowing about the laryngitis, so I want plenty of time to recover. I will have to start over again, but I think it will be worth it, because this time I will have a different voice ... literally.
BTW the allergen shots are a permanent solution with a very high rate of success. My wife was helping me look for an allergist and she ended up going in herself. She had a ton of allergies herself, but more interestingly she had severe asthma (as well as I do). I will probably find that you have bad asthma also. The good news is that once you get far enough along on the shots you can stop all of the asthma meds. I just stopped my inhaler last week. I hated it because it dried out my throat and hurt.
Hope I didn't overwhelm you with a bunch of stuff. Just wished someone had told me a long time ago that a lot of my problems where being caused by my allergies. It is crazy how many things that are affected.
Anwhoo good luck with it.
Sorry, my stupid tablet is being weird today! In the above sentence about being outdoors, “the list goes on” doesn’t belong there!
I am late to this post, but as an allergy sufferer living in Ohio (nothing like what Shane is dealing with) I feel your pain. After an awful spring in 2000 of dealing with my seasonal and not-so-seasonal allergies, I finally saw a doctor who prescribed a simple daily regimen of Allegra and Flonase. They did and still do wonders for me 20 years later. I also use a nasal saline spray in the morning and evening just to flush out any allergens hanging around in my nasal passages.
Thankfully all those medications are now OTC (some of them generic) if you would like to give them a try. I am not a doctor, but that they are OTC and as long as you are generally healthy, any of these meds should be fine following the recommended dosage and heeding any warnings noted on the package, but consult your doctor if you have any concerns.
A little more info.
Allegra, Claritin, and Zyrtec (and their generics) are the main 24 hour, non-sedating oral antihistamines. Their active ingredients are different and you may find that one works better for you than the others. My wife and I use generic Allegra, the kids generic Zyrtec.
Flonase, Flonase Sensimist, and Nasacort are topical (spray), non-sedating nasal steroids. They do not have side effects like other steroids, like weight gain, puffiness, etc. These meds are amazing, but they take a 7-14 days of daily use until they are in full effect.
For much of the year I am just using Allegra daily, but I also add Nasacort or Flonase for major flare-ups as needed. That said, you may prefer the topical spray over the oral antihistamines for daily use.
Bottom line is that there's no reason to deal with allergy problems if you don't have to, especially for how relatively inexpensive it is give them a try to see if they would help. Those types of medications have been a huge blessing for me and perhaps they could give you the relief you want...that and lots of water.
Best regards,
Chris
Hi there...I haven’t been around here much lately either 🙂 I probably should inquire further of my GP to see if I can find out more about my issues. I rarely have a full blown cold, which in the past usually led straight into a sinus infection. I’m on supergreens now, to boost my aging immune system. And so far this winter I haven’t had any colds at all despite the sicknesses at work and elsewhere. So the daily dose must be helping. But I still have the nagging postnasal drip. Not severe, since i dropped cows milk and most sugar, that helped. But there is still enough of a prob to invite the frequent throat clearing and cough. I tried Flonase only once, it caused nausea. Occasionally I use saline solution but effects don’t last. I seem to be somewhere in between Claritin / Flonase and salt solutions.
Plenty of water is crucial. And Fisherman’s Friend lozenges are good. But too many too often can make your tongue feel numb! I had a solo this morning which should have been a piece of cake. But my mouth felt oddly numb. I was hydrated and had taken my lozenges before. Everything should have gone fine. But I felt numb and also, too dry. I suspect it might have been the Mucinex I had at breakfast; along with the lozenges maybe it was just too much.
I think, bottom line, my troubles stem from dust, also too much dry air and/or artificial heat. Air conditioning too, yikes!! Certain weather changes also affect me, but I haven’t quite pinpointed exactly what they are.