I was diagnosed with SD about 5 years ago. After seeing 3 ENTs, a speech therapist, and receiving 4 botox injections at Scott & White in Temple, TX, I decided there has to be a better way. I was determined to live my life without another botox injection. It is my observation that people with SD do not breath properly. A car cannot run without gas, neither can we speak without proper airflow. We try to speak while holding our breath. This is not something we knowingly do. And even if we realize it, we have a very difficult time changing.
Over the past two years I have improved my voice to 90-95%. People who have never heard me talk think I sound normal. People who knew me during my most intense SD bouts are amazed at the improvement. And I have done this without drugs. Please understand, improvement did not come overnight, but then, my voice did not deteriorate overnight. I believe anyone with SD can benefit from the techniques I use.
First, try humming. Can you hum the first line of "Happy Birthday?" Try humming with your mouth closed and pinching your nose closed. Can't do it - can you. It takes airflow to hum. If you can hum, then you can talk. It's all about airflow.
Here is what I have done:
1. Spend time reading outloud, but instead of speaking - hum the words. If your nose and lips tingle as you hum then you are getting optimum benefit. The sound needs to resonate from your face (nose and mouth) not your throat. When I first started humming I would hum for several hours a day. In less than one month I was noticing a difference in my spech.
2. Aerobic exercise. I first began walking in my swimming pool for one hour per day. As I walked I would hum. Later I began to count outloud. 1-2-3-take a breath - 1-2-3 - take a breath. It is impossible to exercise without breathing. Today I use my eliptical machine instead of walking in the pool. Not only am I breathing and speaking better, but I have also lost weight(which is not a bad thing).
The first year I did not notice a whole lot of improvement, but by the second year people were commenting on how much better I sounded.
Botox is forever - A couple of years is nothing compared to that.
