Stuart Selkin, MD, JD, FACS

•    singers
•    actors
•    comedians
•    TV and radio announcers
•    trial attorneys
•    clergy
•    politicians
•    corporate executives
•    teachers.

Some less-obvious examples include:
•    receptionists
•    sales people
•    telephone operators
•    wait staff.

Your professional voice must always be:
•    clear
•    animated
•    authoritative
•    readily projected.

Your professional voice can’t afford down time. Voice problems can end a career, so professional voice users should make regular visits to a throat specialist. And that specialist should be one who focuses on caring for the professional voice.

 Symptoms of a problem with your professional voice include:
•    hoarseness
•    vocal strain
•    a rough or raspy voice
•    a breathy voice
•    vocal fatigue
•    pitch breaks
•    pain when you speak or sing
•    pain when you swallow
•    decreased range
•    decreased breath support
•    chronic throat clearing
•    a tickle in your throat
•    difficulty when you sing softly or loudly
•    problems at register transitions.

Your professional voice may be adversely affected by:
•    singing in the wrong range (tessitura)
•    incorrect support techniques
•    singing through a cold
•    singing after a long airplane flight
•    singing in a dry environment
•    inadequate fluid consumption
•    the normal menstrual cycle
•    shouting at a hard-of-hearing relative.

But sometimes the cause may be more serious:
•    upper respiratory infection
•    vocal nodules
•    acid reflux
•    smoking
•    tumors, benign and malignant
•    thyroid problems
•    neurologic disorders
•    injury to your neck.

So be sure to consult Dr. Selkin if your voice problem:
•    lasts more than two weeks
•    does not follow a cold
•    is associated with persistent cough
•    is associated with persistent fever
•    is associated with a lump in your neck
•    follows an injury to your neck.

To determine the cause of your voice problem, Dr. Selkin will directly examine your larynx. That’s the voice box that contains your vocal cords. To examine your vocal cords while you speak—and even sing—he uses fiberoptics. That’s a system with:
•    a light at one end
•    a lens at the other end
•    a flexible tube.

Dr. Selkin pioneered uses of flexible fiberoptics in his specialty. He’ll examine your vocal cords in only a few minutes, with only minimal discomfort to you.

Any voice disorder requires treatment that’s individualized to you. Options may include:
•    modifying the manner in which you produce your voice
•    medication
•    only very rarely, surgery

Keeping your professional voice healthy will be best accomplished with:
•    qualified vocal pedagogy teachers
•    speech–language pathologists
•    Dr. Stuart Selkin

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