Dr. Reena Gupta, laryngologist at OHNI’s Division of Voice, was recently invited to speak in London, England, at the annual meeting of the British Voice Association. This meeting, Choice for Voice: 2010, was geared towards professionals who care for voice users. This includes singing teachers, speech language pathologists, and laryngologists (voice doctors). It stressed the critical importance of having a member of all three groups on your voice team. By bringing together all these groups, the attendees were able to learn outside their own discipline, improving the care they are able to provide.
Dr. Gupta’s talk focused how thyroid disease may affect the singing voice. Several vocal coaches and speech pathologists approached her afterwards, interested in this connection. Had they not attended this conference, they may never have known about this link between thyroid disease and voice problems.
“Fellow voice professionals, the internet, and even friends and family are ready to give advice, but how do you filter all that information; what can you believe?
I believe this to be a challenge that most vocal performers face. My recommendation: the best way to get solid, trustworthy answers is to form a team of professionals that are invested in your voice.”
-Dr. Reena Gupta.