Coughing, Throat Clearing and the Voice

Everyone experiences colds and respiratory infections at some point, especially at this time when seasons are changing.  Often times, these colds and infections create excessive phlegm that needs to be removed.  But did you know that coughing and throat clearing are two quite abusive behaviors on the vocal cords?  If maintaining good vocal health is important in your job, try throat clearing and coughing the non-abusive way:  force quick burst of air out of your lungs without vocalizing like this….  This technique can be a productive cough so long as your cough isn’t because of a tickle.  You will be able to effectively remove phlegm without damaging your vocal cords.  Next time you feel the need to cough, experiment with this method to save your vocal cords!