DEAR DR. GOTT: I have been diagnosed with spasmodic dysphonia, which is not on your list of health reports. I have to wait another five months for an appointment with an ENT specialist. In the meantime, I must continue talking, as I am a teacher of FSL (French as a Second Language) and my work means I talk all day long. I’ve tried getting slippery elm lozenges, which are supposed to help the voice, but they are presently unavailable in Canada. So what can I do, short of not talking, to reduce or relieve symptoms?

DEAR READER: Spasmodic dysphonia (SD) is a neurological disorder of the larynx, or voice box. When a person speaks, air from the lungs is forced between the vocal cords (referred to as vocal folds). This airflow causes the vocal cords to vibrate, which in turn produces the voice. In the case of spasmodic dysphonia, the muscles within the vocal folds can spasm, interfering with these folds and preventing the occurrence of a normal voice sound.
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