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A top E.N.T. - ear, nose, throat specialist, known all over the world for his innovative ear surgery techniques, Dr. Hopp loves our art and wants us healthy. As physician to superstar singers, Dr. Hopp diagnoses and repairs the vocal damage and hearing injuries that plague pro musicians and singers. He has performed many nodule surgeries and eardrum reconstructions. His rules for vocal maintenance and tips for touring will keep your voice in optimum condition. This interview is excerpted by permission from Singing For A Living.

Dr. Martin Hopp is founder of the Tower Center for E.N.T. and practices at the Cedar Sinai Medical Center in Beverly Hills, California.

Dr. Hopp's Rules for Vocal Maintenance

Your singing voice is an extension of your speaking voice.

If you abuse your voice speaking, your singing will be affected.

Get a lot of sleep, drink plenty of water, and participate in exercise.

Rest, moisture, and muscle tone are the three key ingredients to good vocal health.

Going in and out of changing climates (cold/dry/warm) irritates vocal cords.

Smoke is the biggest enemy. It dries and irritates the throat.

Alcohol dries the throat. It is a major enemy to the voice.

Talking while smoking is very damaging.

Caffeine is a drying agent. Avoid it or limit your intake.

Never yell or scream in conversation, especially in dry climates.

Moisture is the key to maintaining healthy vocal cords.

Use a vaporizer when living in dry climates, every day.

Drink plain water to keep your vocal cords moist.

The cords need to be hydrated from absorption through your system.

There are no sprays or potions that help the voice more than consuming a lot of water.

Sip water on breaks when singing.

Water dilutes & flushes mucous in the throat so it wont collect on the vocal cords.

Place a vaporizer about two feet away from your nose when you sleep.

Cool mist vaporizer is better than hot mist because it does not promote bacteria growth.

Don't put and fragrances or additives in the vaporizer- never eucalyptus - which dry out the voice.

To prevent bloody nose or dry sinuses in extremely dry climates

For dry throat, use glycerin based lozenges
such as Grether's Black Currant Pastilles or Pine Brothers Honey.

Dr. Hopp's Tips for Touring

Don't sing while flying on an airplane, and keep your talking to a minimum.

The background noise is 30 to 60 decibels .
It is an extremely loud environment.
You will fatigue your voice speaking over the noise.

The humidity on an airplane might drop as low as 3%! Drink one glass of water per hour on the plane, and don't sing the same day you fly.

Go straight to the hotel after getting off the plane and take a 20-minute steam shower.

Call ahead to hotel and ask concierge put a vaporizer in your room so it's running when you arrive.

Use vaporizers -warm or cool mist- at hotels where the recycled air is also very dry.

Use only plain water in the vaporizer - no additives or fragrances.

Use saline nasal spray, such as AYR or OCEAN, to keep membranes moist.

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A top E.N.T. - ear, nose, throat specialist, known all over the world for his innovative ear surgery techniques, Dr. Hopp loves our art and wants us healthy. As physician to superstar singers, Dr. Hopp diagnoses and repairs the vocal damage and hearing injuries that plague pro musicians and singers.

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Vocal Health

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Some people spend hours at the gym or pounding the pavement to keep their bodies in shape. But beyond singers and actors, who worries much about their voices?

You should, say Norman Hogikyan and colleagues at the University of Michigan Health System.

"Your voice is your ambassador to the outside world," Hogikyan contends. "It portrays your personality and emotions. People make assessments about you based on your voice, so it is very important when you're speaking or singing to think about what people are really hearing. Problems with your voice also can have a tremendous impact on your life."

Some 7 million Americans have some type of voice disorder, according to the American Academy of Otolaryngology.

Hogikyan and colleagues have put together the following 10 tips to help keep your voice in shape:

1. Drink water to keep your body well hydrated, and avoid alcohol and caffeine. Your vocal cords vibrate very fast, and having a proper water balance helps keep them lubricated. Important note: Foods containing large amounts of water are excellent hydration-conscious snacks, including apples, pears, watermelon, peaches, melons, grapes, plums, bell peppers and applesauce.

2. Allow yourself several "vocal naps" every day, especially during periods of extended use. For instance, teachers should avoid speaking during the breaks between classes and find quiet ways to spend the lunch hour rather than talking in a noisy staff room with colleagues.

3. Don't smoke, or if you already do, quit. Smoking raises the risk of throat cancer tremendously, and inhaling smoke (even secondhand smoke) can irritate the vocal cords.

4. Don't abuse or misuse your voice. Avoid yelling or screaming, and try not to talk loudly in noisy areas. If your throat feels dry or tired, or your voice is getting hoarse, reduce your voice use. The hoarseness is a warning sign that your vocal cords are irritated.

5. Keep your throat and neck muscles relaxed even when singing high notes and low notes. Some singers tilt their heads up when singing high notes and down when singing low notes. "The high notes are on the ceiling and the low notes are on the floor," Rosenberg says. "Over time, you'll pay for that"-not just with strained vocal muscles but also by causing future limits on the vocal range.

6. Pay attention to how you speak every day. Even performers who have good singing habits can cause damage when they speak. Many skilled singers don't continue their healthy habits when they speak; indeed, says Herseth, "many people-including singers-should have much more breath flow when they speak."

7. Don't clear your throat too often. When you clear your throat, it's like slamming your vocal cords together. Doing it too much can injure them and make you hoarse. Try a sip of water or swallow to quench the urge to clear. If you feel like you have to clear your throat a lot, get checked by a doctor for such things as acid reflux disease, or allergy and sinus conditions.

8. When you're sick, spare your voice. Don't talk when you're hoarse due to a cold or infection. Listen to what your voice is telling you.

9. When you have to speak publicly, to large groups or outdoors, think about using amplification to avoid straining your voice.

10. Humidify your home and work areas. Remember, moist is good for the voice.

Further, warming up the voice is not just for singers, the researchers say. Think of it like stretching and loosening up before exercise. Easy, daily warm-ups for your voice:

1. Do lip or tongue trills in the morning (try it in the shower or on your drive to work) to facilitate better use of airflow and breath.

2. Perform gentle humming and cooing to warm up your voice in the morning.

3. If you do more vocally complex warm-ups too, such as vocal scales, do the simple warm-ups first.

4. Repeat these exercises throughout the day to reduce muscular tension in the neck, shoulders and jaw.

5. At the end of the day, perform a cool-down of the voice with similar vocal tasks.

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Some people spend hours at the gym or pounding the pavement to keep their bodies in shape. But beyond singers and actors, who worries much about their voices? You should, say Norman Hogikyan and colleagues at the University of Michigan Health System. "Your voice is your ambassador to the outside world," Hogikyan contends.