Caution: Not All Herbal Remedies and Supplements are Good for Your Singing Voice

Herbal and alternative remedies have become so popular. There is this belief that they are somehow more “healthy” than other types of medications. What should singers be aware of?

It is a tricky area, because there is not much scientific research on a lot of the herbal and alternatives products on the market.

Intermittently over the years, singers have come into our center with a voice problem that ends up being related either to an FDA-approved drug or an alternative treatment. I worked with a soprano who went off to do a series of auditions and she was having trouble sleeping. She didn’t much like taking regular medication, so she went to a health food store, and the salesperson, who she trusted without reservation, gave her a supplement for helping her sleep. She took the supplement and woke up the next morning with a loss of motor function. It had so relaxed her that when she went to sing the audition, she felt like she was drunk. She blew the audition.

That is an extreme example but this is the kind of thing that singers need to think about. I hear so often, “No, I don’t want to take that drug, but I do go to the health food store and take this, this, and this.” I think that singers should be concerned with anything they ingest and check with a voice specialist or voice doctor to understand the possible ramifications on their voice.

What are examples of herbal remedies that might be a problem?

Vitamin E and St. John’s Wort in significant doses are blood thinners. Ibuprofen is also a blood thinner. Most singers know that you should not take significant doses of Ibuprofen before you sing because there is a greater risk of hemorrhaging a vocal fold. But they may not relate that risk to Vitamin E or St. John’s Wort.

Ascorbic acid, which is often used in Vitamin C and in some herbal teas, is another example. Ascorbic acid can be a real aggravator of reflux, so if you have that ailment, it should be avoided.

Would your medical doctor have information about the impact of herbal and alternative therapies?

Often medical specialists have no idea of the possible impact of these drugs on voice. You really have to ask a voice doctor.

The kinds of remedies that most singers use from time to time are herbal teas or lozenges of various sorts. Are there issues with those?

Some people have an allergic reaction to certain teas and lozenges, so that is something to look out for. The consideration for lozenges is that the ones that contain menthol are drying, which is not what you are going for, unless you have extreme phlegm. Some herbal teas contain ascorbic acid or rose hips, which can aggravate reflux.

It is important not try a new remedy, whether it is an FDA-approved drug or an herbal remedy, right before a big performance or audition. Try it at another time to see how your body and your voice might respond to it.

So I think you are saying, don’t self medicate?

Yes, you really need to do some research before you ingest anything. Even with the FDA-approved drugs, you need to be mindful. Female singers, for example, should think twice about taking drugs that inhibit the production of estrogen. Throwing your hormonal balance off has the potential to affect your voice.

Many older women are taking Fosomax or other drugs that treat osteoporosis. Fosomax is known to exacerbate reflux, which many people do not know. For a non-singer that may not be a problem, but for a singer it is a problem. The physician prescribing that medication may not know that is it a problem for the voice.

With any drugs or herbal remedies, it is not “one size fits all.” Everyone does not react the same way to a medicinal treatment. And we don’t know that much about how medications and herbal remedies interact with each other.

We cannot be cavalier about taking these products that are not FDA-approved. If you can’t find information about a remedy on the Internet, you can go to any of the many voice centers that are online and look for a referral person you can talk to.

Resources

Benjamin Asher, a New York city based otolaryngologist, is an expert in applying alternative medicine to ear, nose and throat disorders. http://www.benjaminashermd.com