10 Steps to Heal Your Voice Using Natural and Holistic Methods

If you are experiencing vocal problems likehoarseness, raspiness and issues with your singing or speaking voice, you may need to let your vocal cords rest for a few weeks, especiallywhen you have a career that requires a lot of talking or singing.

As one of the top vocal technique teachers and coaches who teaches vocal health and wellness, all of my methods are holistic and fall into natural medicine. I have found over the years that pharmaceutical medicine does not have answers for the chronic issues that singers have, and can cause other problems down the road that are completely unnecessary.

The path to healing is different for each person depending upon the cause of your symptoms.

START HERE: Take my Vocal Health Quiz to see where you land on the scale of vocal health and wellness.

Your voice is an instrument housed inside of your body. Your voice is affected by your body, mind and spirit. Stress and emotions play a big role in vocal health.

Vocal problems stem from several components but are always accompanied by deep contractions in the muscles surrounding the voice (jaw, neck, tongue, trapezius, upper back, ribcage etc.)

Most vocal issues fall into one or more of these categories:

• Overuse: Overuse of the voice in speaking or singing
• Vocal Production: Incorrect production of the voice, glottals, lack of technique
• Physical body: tension in the muscles surrounding the voice
• Diet + Nutrition: vocal issues often stem from dietary choices or nutritional deficiencies, laryngeal reflux (read more about this in my Vocal Resource Library)
• Environment: air pollution, pollen, allergies, pesticides, chemicals at home (cleaning products) or in the environment (chemtrails etc), carpeting, air fresheners (chemicals), etc.

It’s always a combination of the above that create the conditions for vocal issues. The path to healing requires first identifying what is causing the issue, and then getting on a natural holistic plan for recovery. Here is my advice for improving your vocal health and wellness using natural and holistic methods.

10 Steps to Heal Your Voice Using Natural and Holistic Methods

In my 38+ years of experience coaching and guiding singers with their vocal health, I have developed a system for helping singers to recover their voice and avoid surgery whenever possible.

I use a combination of the following therapies to help singers restore their voices.

Step 1: Vocal Rest

Well known by performing singers as the number one solution for an overused, hoarse voice, vocal rest is the first directive for persistent vocal issues from vocal doctors and coaches. Talking and singing on top of a hoarse voice can lead to more damage and an even longer recovery.

Vocal rest means no talking and no singing for a concentrated period of time. 2-3 days for a quick fix, 1-2 weeks for a more considerable fix, especially when symptoms are persistent. However, if symptoms persist, get a vocal scope with an ENT who specializes in singers’ voices to see if you have a nodule, cyst, hemorrhage or other vocal condition.

Step 2: Hydration Treatment Plan

Most vocal problems are caused first by dehydration. A voice doctor I worked with in NY said that if people drank more water he would lose 3/4 of his patients. Read that again.

A quick test is to stick out your tongue. If it is covered with a white film, you are dehydrated. Another test is if your urine is yellow, it means you are not drinking enough water.

Lack of water will cause everything from hoarseness to pitch problems to loss of ranger to vocal pain to losing your voice after singing for an hour. There are other contributors to these issues as well, but dehydration is often the culprit, more than most people realize.

Water is not the only source of hydration although it is most important. Herbal tea, green juices, eating foods with high water content, steam and a high humidity level in your home are all sources of hydration that help tremendously.

• Water: 6-8 glasses a day. Measure your water at the top of the day and fill a bottle or two to drink throughout the day. Try to get halfway through your water allotment by noon. Slip some chunks of melon in your water when you have it for extra moisture.
• Herbal Tea: Noncaffeinated herbal teas like Throat Coat with licorice, slippery elm, fennel, rooibos, chamomile, peppermint are good sources of hydration.
• Green Juice: Green juice is a great way to help with hydration. Make sure it’s organic!
• Foods with high water content: Watermelon, melons (cantaloupe, honeydew), grapefruit, salads, cucumber, celery, lettuce, bok choy, broth-based soups, broth etc.
• Steam: The best way to hydrate the vocal folds fast is to steam. Inhaling steam through your mouth brings moisture to the vocal cords. Very effective before rehearsal or performance.
• Humidity: For her big Las Vegas show, A New Day, Celine Dion had a $2 million humidifier installed in the Caesar’s Palace Colosseum theater to protect her vocal cords from the dry desert air. The system created an atmospheric bubble of 55% humidity around Dion while onstage. You can simulate this by using a humidifier in your home. However – be extremely careful to keep it clean or mold spores can develop which can cause another issue. Clean your humidifier every 2 days.

Step 3: Vocal Therapy Routine

Get a good routine of vocal therapy exercises established following your vocal rest to help restore your voice. Doing vocal therapy for a concentrated period of time 1-3 months is recommended depending on your progress and needs.

• Vocal therapy exercises: Vocal therapy exercises will help to restore your voice. I have created a set of vocal therapy exercises for singers to soothe and gently repair their voices. Use them whenever your voice needs some extra help or regularly to stay healthy. You can find them here: Vocal Rescue Kit.
• Cooldown exercises: The specific cooldown exercises in my Vocal Rescue Kit will take down inflammation in the vocal folds. They are used post-show or pre-show when the voice needs extra help.
• Speaking exercises: The speaking voice can cause problems in the singing voice. Speaking from the throat or using glottals causing the cords to strike often, leads to hoarseness and vocal problems. I created a set of speaking exercises to help you get your speaking voice out of your throat and to stop rubbing the vocal cords. You’ll find them also inside the Vocal Rescue Kit above.

Step 4: Vocal Massage + Bodywork

Massage is one of my secret weapons. Given that vocal problems are always accompanied by deep contractions in the muscle of and surrounding the voice, the right kind of vocal massage is extremely effective at reducing tension and restoring the voice. Acupuncture is equally as effective.

• Vocal Massage: I teach vocal massage methods in all of my exercises because singers are always fighting tension and inflammation and massage helps to relieve these issues.

Resources: You will find information about my vocal massage methods in my Vocal Resource Library and in my Singers Gift Vocal Warmups you will find my larynx pull-down massage exercise along with others.Acupuncture: Acupuncture is particularly helpful with vocal problems. It is able to release deep tensions or issues within the voice with a few treatments. Look for an acupuncturist who has worked with singers and has had some success with their voices.

• Structural Alignment: Structural Integration is a form of Rolfing that uses a range of techniques to lengthen and reposition the fascia and the body. It is very effective in releasing deep tensions in the physical body and is very helpful for singers who struggle with tension.

Step 5: Stretching / Yoga

Vocal issues are always accompanied by extreme contractions in the muscles surrounding the instrument. I build stretching and yogic movements into my Singers Gift and my Cole Vocal Method for best results to help singers decrease tension.

• Stretches for your voice: Stretching the muscles surrounding your voice is very effective at reducing tension and reducing hoarseness or stiffness. Start with the stretches in my Singers Gift Warmups that are designed to open and free your voice.

• Yoga Practice: Yoga helps to lengthen your muscles and decrease stress and tension. Even 10 minutes of light yoga or stretching a day makes a big difference. If you are not familiar with yoga I recommend starting with restorative yoga to ease into it. Going too fast into yoga you can easily strain your muscles by overstretching too quickly.

Step 6: Vocal Health-based Diet

What you put in your body affects your voice quite a bit. Singers tend to struggle with “laryngeal reflux”. Not the same as GERD, singers tend to suffer from laryngeal reflux often referred to as “silent reflux”. With laryngeal reflux the stomach acids wash up onto the vocal cords. Stomach acids are very strong and will “burn” the folds causing dryness and irritation. The body will then create mucous to protect the irritated cords. This causes terrible issues with your voice. Your voice will crack and break. You will lose high notes and the break area will be awkward and hard to control.

It’s a combination of staying away from highly acidic foods and not eating before bed. In my Vocal Resource Library you will find specific instructions and exactly what you need to avoid this issue causing such problems with singers voices.

In addition, food can either help or hurt. Foods high in acid can cause sluggishness that affects health and performance. Research acid vs. alkaline foods for more information.

Step 7: Eliminating Environmental issues in your home

Our environments can affect our voices and performance. From carpeting to mold, to chemicals and EMF’s, we can have issues in our home environment that can cause issues with your voice. Allergies and toxins in the environment are often present with vocal problems. If you suffer from allergies you will find more information about how to get them under control with natural holistic approaches in my Vocal Resource Library under “Do You Have Allergies”…

Here are suggestions to clean up your home environment:

• Clean up clutter.
• Consider removing wall-to-wall carpeting where you can – area rugs are okay.
• Encase pillows and your mattress to prevent dust mites (see more details in the Vocal Resource Library under “Do You Have Allergies”).
• Replace toxic household cleaning products with natural products.
  Clear up any mold issues in your home.

Step 8: Breath Therapy

Vocal problems are also accompanied by an imbalance of the breath where it doesn’t flow correctly or the breath capacity is low or hindered. Studying the breath and practicing breathing exercises help.

• Diaphragmatic breathing: Learning how to breathe diaphragmatically is essential, however it is hard to find it explained well. If you are interested in learning more, click here to find out more about our Cole Vocal Method taught in our Vocal Freedom Circle.

• Pranayama: Pranayama is a Sanskrit word to describe yoga breathing exercises that have the ability to quickly increase our energy, release stress, improve our mental clarity, and improve our physical health. Start with Nadi Shodhana, alternate nostril breathing to begin the process of calming the breath.

Step 9: Vocal Health helpers: Herbs, Essential Oils (also herbs), Homeopathy

My home (and voice studio) is well stocked with herbs, essential oils, balms and homeopathic remedies, as well as crystal sound bowls, sage and many other crystals which carry high vibration and frequencies.

• Herbs: The top herbs for healing/helping the voice are, licorice, slippery elm, and osha root.
• Essential Oils: Lavender and eucalyptus are great general oils to slather on your throat, hands and feet. When you are sick use tea tree and oregano, peppermint and eucalyptus (among others). There is a blended oil made by Young Living called “Valor” that is particularly helpful for TMJ. My favorite Essential Oil book is the Essential Oils Desk Reference.
• Homeopathy: Homeopathy was around long before pharmaceutical medicine. Blends I use for vocal issues are “Sore Throat Hoarseness” by Boiron and Oscilloccocinum when fever or respiratory distress are present.

Step 10: Vocal Therapy Plan

If you find that you need more help, consider consulting with a vocal therapist who can create a treatment plan customized to your voice. Some problems are a bit more problematic and need a more customized approach. 

If you are experiencing symptoms that don’t go away — lingering hoarseness, losing your voice often or a decrease in range, set up a Vocal Health Session to help determine the root cause and save an expensive trip to the ENT (voice doctor). You’ll also receive the Vocal Rescue Kit with your session ($97 value).

In our Vocal Health Session I can determine whether you need a scope and what treatment plan would be best for you. Don’t wait too long to get back on the road to health!

Visit https://caricole.com/work-with-cari/ and click on the Vocal Therapy Session (60 minute session). This 60 minute session comes with a Complete Vocal Health Analysis and Plan for your return to health and the Vocal Rescue Kit ($97 value) which includes vocal therapy and speaking voice exercises alongside my cool down set to reduce swelling at the vocal folds. 
* Use coupon code 50off at checkout to save $50.00 (you must submit the coupon at the time of purchase. Coupons will not be applied post purchase).