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On World Voice Day 2017, share your voice!

Prevent Voice Problems: Stay hydrated.

Your voice is a primary means of communication, and acts as a reflection of your personality, mood, and health. Experts estimate that nearly 18 million adults in the U.S. report having had a voice problem. World Voice Day, observed every year on April 16, brings organizations around the world together to encourage healthy voice habits. The American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery (AAO-HNS) has sponsored the United States observance of the day since 2002. The National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD) joins AAO-HNS and many other organizations in celebrating our voices and encouraging habits that will help to avoid voice problems and disorders.

In honor of this year’s theme, Share Your Voice!, we encourage you to share our World Voice Day infographic and our new Prevent Voice Problems shareable image (English or Spanish) with friends and colleagues. The infographic explains the causes and symptoms of voice disorders, gives prevention tips, and briefly describes current research. The shareable image advises viewers that staying hydrated, limiting caffeine and alcohol, and avoiding smoking can help to prevent voice problems. Help us spread the word: your voice matters and you can take steps to protect it!

Just in time for World Voice Day, the April 2017 issue of the NIH News in Health newsletter features one of the NIDCD’s voice and speech experts, Dr. Lana Shekim, Ph.D., in an article about taking care of your voice.

The NIDCD also offers fact sheets to help you learn more about how to keep your voice healthy:

For more information about voice and voice disorders, visit the NIDCD website’s health information pages.

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