[HANASHIR:2051] Re: singing with a cold

[Sharonsong <Sharonsong...>]

Hi --

I've got a few additions (okay, more than a few) to this great advice:

1)  Echinacea & Goldenseal (Echinacea promotes good health when taken
regularly.  It's the Goldenseal that helps when you get a cold.)

2)  Garlic and Ginger

3)  Throat Coat tea

4)  Tea made from thyme (fresh is best, just put some in a cup and pour hot
water over, or you can use the dried leaves as if it is loose-leaf tea)

5)  Gargle with salt water or a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar in warm
water

6)  Don't clear your throat.  (A teacher once told me that this is like
gargling with razor blades -- a nice little horrific image.)  Instead, you can
do this yoga thing called the "lion".  Stretch your face as long as you can:
open your mouth as far as you can, stick your tongue out and down as far as
you can, open your eyes wide and stretch up your eyebrows.  Hold for a few
seconds.  Make sure no-one is looking and, if they are, that you haven't eaten
anything green.  (Seriously, this sounds crazy, but you wouldn't believe how
well it works.)

7)  Try not to cough.  When you feel the inclination, try swallowing instead.

And when you're singing, you might want to check if you're breathing and if
your jaw, lips, and tongue are relaxed.  When I have a sore throat, I tend to
get more tense -- seems like a natural reaction to protect the throat area.