Janine:  Well you know Dr. George; last time we were together you were telling me about hoarseness.  I know my boss, Stevie Wonder, has some special sprays he uses to coat his throat before he sings.  And I know that Jordan Sparks completely lost her voice before her last concert.  Now I use my voice everyday, and sometimes I get hoarse.  What can I do to avoid that?

Dr. George:  Well, there are a lot of things you can do.  It’s actually a very important question because overuse of your voice is one thing you have to be aware of, there’s also vocal training that many people aren’t aware of, that makes a big difference in the longevity of your voice.  Drinking water to remain adequately hydrated is very important, and also warming up before you start exerting your voice.

Those are the basics, but there are other medical conditions that create an issue; for instance heartburn.  If you have heartburn and it’s undetected it can show up as hoarseness.

Janine:  Really, I never knew there was a connection.

Dr. George:  Yes and the treatment for that would be not to eat late at night.  As I mentioned last week, four hours before you go to bed, you shouldn’t eat or drink anything.

Janine:  Now that makes it hard for us people in the entertainment industry.  We stay up late, and sometimes we have to eat late.

Dr. George:   Then you can take a medication, such as an acid blocker.  A very powerful acid blocker will help a lot.
Janine:  Well once again you’ve given us a lot of great information.  We’ll see you again next time.

CONTACT INFO:

Alister A. George, M.D., Gastroenterology & Hepatology.  Board Certified Internal Medicine and Gastroenterology.

www.mygastrodoc.com  tel - 805.492.4800

3510 N. Moorpark Road. Suite 201, Thousand Oaks, CA 91360