Medical problems
Neurological Problems of the Voice (Article)
Neurological voice disorders are due to abnormalities of the brain and/or the nerves of the body that impair control of the muscles. The more common neurological diseases discussed are strokes, Parkinson's, spasmodic dysphonia, benign essential tremor, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, myasthenia gravis and multiple sclerosis. (posted 2:34 PM, August 27, 2014)
Sinusitis (Article)
Singing teachers should be familiar with sinusitis, as virtually all will encounter students with sinusitis. Many more students with sinus symptoms actually have allergic rhinitis. (posted 2:34 PM, August 27, 2014)
Thyroid Cancer (Article)
It is helpful for singing teachers to have a basic familiarity with the nature, evaluation, and treatment of thyroid cancer, a relatively common form of the disease. Normal thyroid hormone levels are important to laryngeal function, so thyroid damage even from medical cancer treatment can cause voice problems in singers, but it will not necessarily end a vocal career. (posted 2:34 PM, August 27, 2014)