What you eat can affect your voice   by Eveline Gan     NO SPICY food or coffee. Forget about fried chicken and roti prata. And don't even think about having durian. If our voice box was human, it would certainly be one fussy eater.   That's because what you eat has a profound influence on your voice's health, said voice experts Today spoke to.   ENT (Ear, Nose and Throat) Surgeon and laryngologist Dr Paul Mok, who runs the voice clinic at Khoo Teck Puat Hospital (KTPH), said common voice-harming culprits include foods that typically trigger indigestion, including high-fat, oily, fried and spicy food.   But what does indigestion have to do with our voices? Plenty, according to Dr Mok, head and senior consultant of KTPH's ENT department.     "Fat triggers an increased acid content in your stomach. When this happens, the acid from the stomach goes back up to the throat and this is damaging to the voice box. Your vocal cords come in contact with the acid, and become inflamed," explained Dr Mok.     The acid reflux also causes the throat to produce phlegm, added Dr Mok. This becomes a vicious cycle. To clear the phlegm in the throat, you start to cough - an action which further irritates your vocal cords.   Dehydrating foods such as caffeine and durians can also cause the same effect.   "We often hear people saying durians are 'heaty'. Scientifically, a sore throat occurs after consuming too much durian because the fruit causes reflux. It also dries up the mucosa in the throat, making it more susceptible to viral infections," said Dr Mok.       VOICE ABUSE   Even though we use our voice box every day, it is one of the most neglected body parts.   "Singaporeans tend to wait a little too long before they seek medical attention. There are even studies that show that on average, professional voice users like teachers wait around three months before they realise their voice problems aren't getting better and then see a doctor," said Dr Mok. His patients include hawkers, teachers and professional voice users such as singers, whose voice problems are worsened by their jobs.   Viral infections, bad dietary habits and overexerting the vocal cords, by frequent shouting, can cause them to become inflamed. In such cases, the voice becomes hoarse. You could also burst small vessels in the vocal cords by shouting or screaming, said Dr Duncan Wong, an associate consultant at the KTPH's ENT department.   "Ordinarily voice hoarseness goes away after two to three days, if you rest. But because of their jobs and lifestyles, people continue with the voice abuse," said Dr Mok.   Over time, benign growths or cysts can develop on the vocal cords. Scarring can also occur, which is hard to treat and the person may have permanent voice damage.   If your voice changes or hoarseness continues for more than two weeks, see a doctor. That could be the first sign of cancer in the throat, warned Dr Wong.       KEEP THEM WELL-LUBRICATED   Prevention is always better than cure. It is also less expensive. The experts shared that the best way to care for your voice is, simply, to drink water.   On average, the vocal cords of a man vibrate 100 times per second when he speaks, said Dr Wong. For women and children, the vibration is respectively two and three times faster.   "Imagine the vocal cords rubbing against each other at such a high frequency. You definitely need it to keep them moist for them to work well," explained Dr Wong.   What about honey, which has been touted to have throat-soothing properties?   According Dr Mok, honey is believed to help break down mucus in the throat but this is not scientifically confirmed. Rather, it could due to the hydrating effects of a honeyed drink that soothes the throat.   He added water and fruits that are high in water content, such as papaya and melons, could also do the same.         Surprise - these could be harming your voice Cough drops and lozenges   - They're supposed to give your throat some relief but they may actually worsen the problem, according to Dr Duncan Wong from KTPH. "The ingredients in these lozenges such as menthol are very dehydrating. It brings takes water away from the vocal cords," he explained.       Smoking and alcohol   - The risk of getting cancer in the vocal chords? A whopping 15 times more if you smoke, compared to a non-smoker. It's also 15 times the risk if you're an alcoholic. If you smoke and drink, then your total risk of developing the cancer is 30 times higher than a non-smoker non-drinking person.               This article was featured in Today April 5, 2011. http://www.todayonline.com/Health/EDC110405-0000264/Lost-for-words?