Join us as we sit down with Dr Reena Gupta, a renowned laryngologist, to explore the world of vocal health. In this episode, we dive into common vocal injuries identified in clinic, the misconceptions of injury, and how injury forms, as well as the vocal impacts of the common cold, allergies and acid reflux. This episode is packed with practical insights and tips as Dr. Gupta shares her expertise on identifying and managing these conditions, offering invaluable advice for singers, teachers, and anyone who relies on their voice. 

KEY MOMENTS: 

• ‘I would say the commonest findings are kind of mild inflammation… it’s just inflammation that leads to secondary muscle tension. So we’ll see allergic inflammation, or smoking, or vaping, and all these things make the voice go a little sideways.’
• ‘All vocal injury will start with a little vascular phenomenon, a little bruising… I think of voicing as a sport. So, when you think about that high impact, long duration of work, we get bruising on the edge of the vocal cord, usually on one side, that area, as you continue to use your voice runs the risk of forming injury. And that’s what that kind of polyploid gelatinous tissue is. And then if you continue to use your voice and that’s not identified, now you start to get that same traumatic phenomenon on the other side. And now you have it on both sides, but they’re soft. And then voice use continues and they become harder. And now we’re in nodular land.’ 
• When it comes to laryngoscopy, the most important thing is the light, which should be strobe, rather than if it’s a flexible or rigid laryngoscopy.
• ‘You must attend to anything that’s affecting your voice… So being more aggressive, about managing your allergies…it does not have to mean a bunch of medication, but just a daily sinus rinse, maybe a nasal spray, which admittedly is medication, but it doesn’t really go into your whole bloodstream, and can truly help to get you to vocally function.’ 
• When a singer attends a lesson but is unwell with the common cold, we can continue the session by talking about vocal hygiene and music theory, providing a gentle warm-up or some cardio activity to break up some of the mucus, working through an assessment to see if phonation is better after a warm-up (in which case the teacher can proceed working in chest voice and middle range.) We likely won’t be encouraging a focus in head voice or in a typical belt quality. 
• Carbonated beverages are a current common acid reflux trigger in singers. 
• In the Steamer Vs Nebuliser debate, Dr Gupta is on the ‘least fussy’ side. She says: ‘Neither target the larynx directly. They’re not intended to. They weren’t designed to do that. Steam tends to affect your nose, your mouth, your sinuses…Nebulisers are designed for the lungs, so their optimal delivery is further down past your cords. One can easily argue both impact your vocal cords directly to some degree…’
• ‘Red light is having its moment right now. I think people are really finding that there’s a effect, good research to support a decrease in inflammation. It’s low risk – no risk potential reward compared to, I feel, even an IV has some risk associated with it. So I’m more on board with those kinds of things, but again, I wouldn’t be dogmatic about it.’

RELEVANT MENTIONS & LINKS:

• (Podcast) Singing Teachers Talk: Ep.161 From Speech to Song: Training the Spoken Voice Vs the Singing Voice with SLP Elle Holiday
• (Podcast) Singing Teachers Talk: Ep.75 Vocal Rehabilitation for Singers with Dr Jenevora Williams 
• Dr Jenevora Williams: jenevorawilliams.com & @jenevorawilliams
• (Podcast) Singing Teachers Talk: Ep.87 How to Manage Allergies and Upper Respiratory Infections with Laryngologist Declan Costello 
• The OHNI Voice Book: Straight Talk with Dr Reena Gupta
• (Podcast) Singing Teachers Talk: Ep.60 The Best Nutritional Do’s and Don’ts for Singers with Stephanie Moore 
• Stephen King: voicecarecentre.co.uk/stephen-king
• Lydia Flock: oxfordvocalmassage.co.uk/about-us
• Performing Arts Medicine Association (PAMA: artsmed.org)
• Mindy Pack: mindypack.com
• Chris Johnson: chrisjohnsonvocalcoach.com

ABOUT THE GUEST: 

Dr. Reena Gupta is a laryngologist (voice doctor and surgeon) in Beverly Hills, CA. She was led to this specialty of a love for the voice, which was fostered through singing lessons starting at the age of 11. When she entered medical school, her passion for the voice led her to seek a residency in Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery at NYU. She then did an additional year-long fellowship in Laryngology/Care of the Professional Voice. Dr. Gupta opened her own practice, Center for Vocal Health, as the only Laryngologist-led private voice centre in Southern California. Dr. Gupta is published in numerous journals and textbooks and has been invited to speak at universities and conferences locally and internationally. She volunteers locally and globally and runs educational conferences to empower professional voice users to seek the best vocal care.

Guest Website(s): centerforvocalhealth.com 

Social Media

Instagram: @voicedoctorgupta and @centerforvocalhealth

Book a Ticket to The SVARA Project Voice Summit: svaraproject.com