Gargle warm salty water

Use a neti pot at least every other day

Echinacea--though it's best to use for a few weeks, then go off it

Drink some tea brewed with sage when your voice falters

Throat Rescue actually works fairly well

Throat Coat tea is good for a sore throat

When the voice fails, massage the larynx; move it up and down, back and forth; 

   also, stick your tongue out all the way and stretch it

There is no replacement for LOTS OF SLEEP

 

 

We had an uncommonly mild winter here in Chicago, the Land of the Big Snow, and we too have had an early outbreak of the usual maladies. My singers--both of my high sopranos--and my voice students---STREP!--are suffering. I had something in late August, myself, and I rarely get sick at that time of year. I am married to an ENT doc and he has remarked at this as well--so you may well be right about the mild winter. 

 

Our family, via Honey Bunch, is exposed to a LOT of germs and we rarely get sick any more.  Why, you may ask?  I'll tell you--and I noticed Eric didn't mention this--WE WASH OUR HANDS!  We wash our hands when we are around sick people.  Hubby washes his hands at work, of course, but I also insist he change his clothes before he takes a nap on our bed or the family room couch. I buy him inexpensive neck ties and he throws them away regularly--he saves the expensive ones when we go out or he visits his mother.  And, changing your clothes when you are exposed to sick people sounds a little wacky but after directing a local children's choir for almost a decade, I learned if something was going around, I changed as soon as I got home or I got sick almost every time.

 

Simple--wash your hands and change your clothes (and throw them in the washer!) when you are around sick people. This will help prevent it going 'round and 'round and 'round!

 

Marie

This problem occured every fall when I was teaching at a University in the southwest, usually about the third week of the semester.  Part of the problem I blamed on the ragweed.  Also, many of the students were from northern and eastern states where the air isn't filled with ragweed and other allergens and they experienced allergies, sore throats, sinus problems that had never been an issue for them.  My suggestion is that, at least on this campus, the air vents in the dormitories had not been cleaned out for many years, so that when the air conditioning was running, all sorts of allergens, dust, who knows what else.....were being blown into their living space.  It's a thought!!!

Marilyn Carver

Good ideas here.  I also use air purifiers in the rooms where I teach. 

 

(On a related note, I would like to highly commend the Hyatt Regency in Dallas, TX, where I just returned from a conference.  They have hypo-allergenic rooms available with air purifiers.  Having stayed in many hotel rooms which were full of allergens, I really appreciated the cleanliness of the room and of the air.  I hope that more hotels will follow their example.)

 

Great points/suggestions.

I would add:  Eat a salad with leafy-green vegetables;  these fight germs.  I add mandarin oranges, or kiwi (has more Vit C than an orange) to sweeten it up, esp. if the greens are a bit bitter.  Chicken and/or chicken soup have been shown to actually have medical benefit.  Stay off dairy in any form.  Many are sensitive to this to this and have no clue.  Several articles available on Google suggest that minority populations have a high percentage of dairy sensitivity.  Allergies, for anyone, can change dramatically at any time during our life.

Except when the actual vocal folds are affected w/ heavy mucous or dryness, sing "ming," and other "hummy" syllables in the shower.  This functions as a natural, no-cost, no-prescription [over-the-choral-counter!?] decongestant.  Only side effect is that it improves resonance!  ;)  But don't do it if the cords are dry, or mucky - obviously that would cause unhealthy pushing.

 

At home, we keep an old beach towel - the "sick" towel is spread on the couch at the first sign, [on the surface/fabric, to keep it germ-free] until the person is back to functioning without coughing/sneezing - then it is washed in hot water, dried thoroughly at high heat,  and stored until the next sickness.    Those Northpoint-weave fleece blankets work well to cover a "sick couch" and wash and dry quickly.  We have about 7.  Another hint that has really lowered our sickness-frequency is washing our toothbrushes w/ disinfectant soap before brushing.

Wash/dust the fans/humidifiers when your energy/health is high - you'll be too tired later, and you'll breathe dust/mold-affected air all night.   We put a temporary moratorium on kissing (hugging at waist level subs for this) until the person seems better.  (Harsh measures?  Not if you realize that "Absence makes the [kiss] grow fonder." )

 

If some have a strong aversion to garling salt water, plain water usually does pretty well.  Also wash the water bottle frequently.

All people concerned:

Wash hands at every opportunity

Use sinus rinses daily as a preventive:  NeilMed Sinus Rinse is easier and quicker for me than neti pot

No sugar

No refined foods - only unprocessed, whole foods

Probiotics and digestive enzymes help get the most nutrition from foods.  (I don't recommend the probiotic drinks and yogurts - not strong enough, use super broad spectrum probiotic capsules.) 

Salt water gargles are helpful but, full strength Listerine is very effective, too.

 

Be careful with echinacea if you are allergic to ragweed. That's what it's made of! I found this out the hard way!

 

 

Donna

Patricia--since none of us are doctors (of medicine, that is!) I don't suppose you are asking for our health advice!  My suggestion is to set a good example.  Do what you believe is medically right for you in order to take good care of yourself and be understanding of the students that do the same.  I might suggest that the one area teachers do have some control over is the level of stress they add to their students' lives.  Not saying that music/choral teachers should give less work than other teachers, but, perhaps it can be given in a way that relieves stress rather than adds to it.  After all, music is supposed to be fun.  Maybe students who are feeling well enough to come to class but not well enough to sing can sit in the back and listen to the beautiful music :).