Voicecon is an appropriate dais to educate people about the voice related disorders and other related aspects, said Alka D. Marulkar, noted vocalist from Goa, while speaking at the first session of the conference - Pre-conference Seminar on Vocal Hygiene and Voice Culture during the three day international conference Voicecon 2003' dedicated to voice. The conference was organised at Deenanath Mangeshkar Hospital, Pune from February 14 to February 16, 2003.
Delving on the topic of voice disorders in singers, she said that singers should give adequate attention to their voice and added that with training one can improve the quality of the voice and can maintain the voice by taking due care as one grows old.
Dr. Jean Abitbol (France), Vocal therapist said that for last few years people have started taking notice of their voice quality. "Nowadays we see a lot of consciousness amongst people regarding the quality of their voice,'' noted Abitbol, adding that, India is also leading in terms of usage of new technology in voice surgery.
Revealing some statistics about people susceptible to voice disorders, he said, "Teachers are more susceptible to voice disorders followed by telephone operators and lawyers which involves lot of talking and loud voice.'' In India, around 60 per cent of the population suffers from reflux in voice due to the spicy food habit, he pointed out, which results in acidity and causes reflux.
Dr. Sachin Gandhi, Organizing Secretary, Voicecon 2003 said that second session of 'Voicecon 2003', which is a symposium and workshop on `Phono & Advanced Laryngeal Surgery' for medical experts, included case study presentations, panel discussions and live demonstrations of voice surgeries by internationally renowned doctors.
Speaking on the topic of `the aging voice', Dr. Desmond Watson (UK) pointed out that in the old age the saliva production falls making the lining dry. He cited hormonal and environmental factors too, that affects the voice. Hormonal changes such as in women during menopause and environmental factors such as dust, pollution, humidity also shows effects on voice. The other cases when dryness occurs in lining include rheumatoid arthritis and weak bladders. He suggested that one should drink lot of water to avoid the dryness of the lining. He also stressed on vocal hygiene and proper intake of vitamins, fluids and HRT drugs in case of menopausing women.
Amongst other speakers Dr. Vasant Oswal (UK) spoke on `evolution of communication in vertebrates and voice production in speaking and singing'. Dr. Mona Patil, Dr. Sidhart Chaudhri and Dr. Maya Sanghi were also amongst the noted speakers.