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Voice Health: Take Better Care Every
Day! Tips I’ve Learned Over The Years 
 
By Randy Thomas
Voice Actor
 
Note: Pictured here on the red carpet at the 80th Annual Academy Awards show, Randy Thomas is one of America’s most recognized voices - heard every day on Entertainment Tonight and The Insider …as live announcer on dozens of awards shows (Academy Awards, Emmys, Daytime Emmys, Tonys) … and in countless voice-overs. She’s also co-author with Peter Rofé of the new how-to book, Voice For Hire. Truly, she depends on a healthy voice …
 
In the voice-over business, the voice comes first. A bit of mouth noise or worse, a sore throat, can take you out of the game. To that end, I would love to share with you tips based on some of the things that have helped me over the years.
 
Last spring I got really sick. So sick that I thought to myself, “This is why elderly people die from the flu.” It was the sickest I had been in eight years.
 
In my effort to understand how I got so sick, I had a conversation with the almighty. Ultimately, I realized that we sometimes get sick because we need the rest – and that the ONLY time I slow down is when I am sick.
 
Note to self: take better care every day so I don’t have to do this for at least another eight years.
 
Following is what else I have learned.
 
AVOID ACIDS
 
Keep your body alkaline. There has been a lot of research on the importance of this.
 
Life, stress, dairy, sugar, fast food, coffee - pretty much everything most of us love - is what creates acid in our system. An acid environment is where disease is born - from the common cold, to sinus infections and even cancer.
 
A product available from Young Living Essential Oils is called Alka-Lime. You place a teaspoon of this powder into a glass of water and drink it at bedtime. It alkalizes your system overnight. If I am feeling challenged, I do this three times a day.

When my daughter was two-and-half, I was diagnosed with having the Epstein-Barr virus or chronic fatigue syndrome. I was told by my physician at the time to take oil of oregano and oil of thyme lingually. Today I use Young Living oil of oregano, oil of thyme and oil of basil.
 
TAKE WITH WATER
 
I place drop of each oil on my tongue. It is extremely hot. Sometimes I place a drop of each in a glass of water, then drink that down and follow with lots of water to cool my mouth down. Some people prefer to take the oils via a gelatin capsule.

Why would I subject myself to this? I have found that oregano, thyme and basil are very anti-viral, anti-bacterial and anti-fungal oils. I believe they keep me strong, healthy and cold- and flu-free.

Also available is Thieves, which is my favorite oil to use when I get the first hint of something wrong with my immune system - like the first dry tickle in the throat.
 
And Thieves mouthwash contains the powerful ingredient, colloidal silver. A gargle before bedtime is best.
 
FOR HEALTHY MOUTH
 
Of course, it’s also vital to keep your mouth healthy. Brush and floss daily.

To combat everyday mouth noise, eat a green Granny Smith apple.
 
Another tip (which I received from voice-over buddy Joe Cipriano, who learned it from George Delhoyo) regarding pesky mouth noise is to use a product called Alkalol. It costs about $5 and is available without a prescription at your local pharmacy.
 
As a gargle, alkalol alkalizes the mouth. It can also be used as a wash for the nasal cavity if you have a sinus infection.
 
I hope these remedies can work for you!
 
Randy Thomas is the voice of radio and TV stations nationwide, and is the first woman to announce the Academy Awards, Miss America Pageant, Tony Awards, and Screen Actors Guild Awards. She has announced the Oscars seven times and is the first person ever to announce the Oscars, Tonys and Emmys all in the same year. Thomas is currently the voice of CBS TV's distrbution of Entertainment Tonight and The Insider. For more, visit her web site: www.randythomasvo.com
 
Voice For Hire: Launch and Maintain a Lucrative Career in Voice-Overs, the new book Thomas co-authored with voice talent and coach Peter Rofé, is a step-by-step guide to achieving voice-over goals, and includes insightful comments and stories from the voice-over industry's top agents, casting directors, producers and artists. For details or to order, please click here.
 
 
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