Vocalist.org archive


From:  dramadiva2002@y...
dramadiva2002@y...
Date:  Fri Jul 6, 2001  12:47 am
Subject:  [vocalist] Re: Swollen cords... advice.


Wow, that's some story. I'm a great believer in eastern medicine. Ok,
let me rephrase that. I believe it works but I have yet to find the
courage to trust it enough to allow someone to use it on me. Lots of
eastern medicine has to do with tapping into one's own natural
resources and "believing" in self-healing techniques. I've often
thought it might not work as well on someone who is skeptical or just
plain chicken. At some point I may take a gander at it though. Your
story does make me think it could be time for me to see a Chinese
doctor for my allergies since Western medicine does not seem to be
doing enough to alleviate them.

This singer you're talking about sounds like a strong and sturdy
soul. Kudos for her!

You can email me the name of that acupuncturist and if this ever
comes up again (God knows I hope it doesn't) maybe I'll take the leap.

Warmly,
DS.

--- In vocalist-temporary@y..., "Lloyd W. Hanson" <vocalist-temporary@y..., "Lloyd W. Hanson" < > Dear Vocalisters:
>
> I would like to share a remarkable experience I witnessed with the
> use of acupuncture to habilitate a voice that was suffering from
> swollen vocal folds. A fine soprano was singing a leading role for
> the Arizona Opera and between the Tucson and Phoenix performances
> she came to visit us in Flagstaff. The day before returning to
> Phoenix for the final performances she awoke with a very low voice
> and the usual congestion that accompanies the beginning of a
> bronchial infection. We were able to arrange a short session with
an
> acupuncturist/oriental medicine practitioner in Flagstaff in the
> morning and an exam by an ENT (Ear, Nose and Throat MD) in the
> afternoon.
>
> The acupuncturist did not have time to do a complete acupuncture
> treatment because of his scheduled appointments but, in lieu of
this,
> gave a pressure point treatment in his waiting room. The soprano
> received immediate improvement in her vocal fold swelling and was
> able to phonate in an almost normal manner. He encouraged her to
> apply pressure to these points herself and scheduled a more
complete
> acupuncture treatment for the next morning. He also gave her a
> Chinese herb mixture and instructed her to make a special tea with
> them and take it every 2 hours.
>
> The ENT confirmed that she had swollen vocal folds and that it was
> likely caused by an infection. She prescribed a steroid treatment
> which she felt would substantially reduce the swelling and make a
> performance the next night possible. The ENT also said it might be
> possible to hold off taking the steroid treatment until 6 hours
> before the performance and still obtain satisfactory results. But
> she warned that the singer would need to continue the steroid
> treatment for its 8 or 9 day completion because serious side
effects
> could result if she did not complete the treatment in the
prescribed
> time.
>
> The soprano decided to not fill the prescription but rather to try
> the acupuncture treatment and keep the steroid treatment in
reserve.
> Consequently, she continued taking the tea at the prescribed
> intervals and slept most of the day. She was much better the next
> morning and after the acupuncture treatment, almost back to normal.
> Her performance that night gave no indication of her having had any
> difficulty with swollen vocal folds and her performance two days
> later was even better.
>
> A post-script to this is that immediately after her last
performance
> she flew to Canada for a series of aria concerts with full
orchestra.
> Her health held throughout all of this but she found it was helpful
> to self administer the pressure points treatment. The infection
> never did gain an ongoing hold on her system.
>
> The acupuncturist told her his treatment would stimulate her
> auto-immune system to fight the infection and swelling and that, if
> caught in time, it would eliminate the infection. That,
apparently,
> is exactly what happened.
>
> Since this experience my wife and I have referred many of our
> students to acupuncture treatments for similar vocal difficulties
and
> these students have had an almost 100% successful experience in
> eliminating congestion, swollen cords and alergy problems.
>
> I do not suggest that acupuncture should replace seeing a physician
> because acupuncture is, in my understanding of it, more of a
> treatment and less of a diagnosis. I always want to have a better
> idea of what is happening physically and why and how it came into
> being. Much of the traditional explanations for the success of
> acupuncture such as energy flow points, chakras (sp?) etc. do not
> define, for me, a logical explanation primarily because there is no
> medical research of which I am aware that supports the very
existence
> of these energy fields. I tend to want research that is well
> documented before I feel a proper explanation can be extrapolated.
>
> But, there is no doubt, from my experience, that acupuncture,
> properly administrated, can be very useful to performers and help
> them avoid the difficulties that are often present with the
> administration of many forms of drug therapy.
> --
> Lloyd W. Hanson, DMA
> Professor of Voice and Vocal Pedagogy, Emeritus
> Director of Opera-Theatre, 1987-1997
> School of Performing Arts
> Northern Arizona University
> Flagstaff, AZ 86011
>


emusic.com