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From:  "Candace Magner" <magner@l...>
"Candace Magner" <magner@l...>
Date:  Wed Oct 3, 2001  3:02 pm
Subject:  Knowing about our student's meds (was Flonase)


Ms Donnel asked:
"is it really your place ( or our place), to educate others about specific
medications if we are not physicians, pharmacists or chemists? "

I believe when we are talking about our students' vocal health it is
important and necessary that we know as much as we can about the effects of
meds on the voice. The students themselves (any age student, children or
adults) and their parents, in fact even their family physician, may not be
aware of the subtle effects of some drugs on the voice. It is necessary for
the family physician to know the general uses and effects of meds on general
populations and to know the contraindications. However, hearing a 9th grader
say "I sing" doesn't really bring to mind for most doctors the idea that an
antihistimine that drys faster and 'better' might be worse for the singer
than one which lasts a shorter time and doesn't dry as much. This is just
one example.

It behooves us all to be our own and, by extension, our students' health
care advocates. Even medical specialists in fields other than otolaryngology
may not understand the extent to which common meds can affect the singing
voice. An adult student in one of my group voice classes at the university
had some exploratory surgery recently, and came into class thinking she had
a little sore throat. She had been intubated, and hadn't mentioned to me
that she would be. I could have easily told her to warn the anesthesiologist
that she would be auditioning for a musical soon and to use a smaller
breathing tube, but I wasn't aware of the surgery, and she wasn't aware that
there would be something she should ask or tell.

Best wishes,

Candace A. Magner, DMA
University of New Mexico - Los Alamos Dept of Fine Arts/Music
magner@l...
magner@l...
homepage http://clik.to/candace



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