Recent Blog Posts
Greece
We’re in Greece now, on the island of Mykonos. Staying at the Mykonos Grand in a quiet suite with our own pool. It’s cooler here than in Toronto. Arrgh. Any time summer is ready, I’m ready for it. There’s not much to do in Mykonos (it is a very small, barren island with a few [...]
Category: Uncategorized
Description of laryngeal papillomas
Here’s possibly the best description of laryngeal papillomas (warts on the voicebox), which are caused by the HPV virus (the same one which causes cervical cancer in women) and affect roughly 4 children and 2 adults out of every 100,000 people in the US. The virus recurs, even after treatment, and can cause voice problems or [...]
Category: Papillomatosis, St. Michael's Hospital Voice Chair, Uncategorized, Voice problem, Voice treatment
London
Bill and I are in London staying at the Connaught. Excellent service and food. Possibly the tiniest hotel room I have ever stayed in (maybe 150-180 sq feet?). But then again, I am often (rightly) accused of being a bit of a travel princess. We arrived at about 9:30 a.m. from Toronto and had to [...]
Category: Uncategorized
Voices in space
Love watching my friends do what they do best. Check out this video of my friend Melanie Doane leading her ukulele students as they literally launch a song into space for Chris Hadfield, currently in orbit as the Canadian commander of the International Space Station. Melanie’s dad, Chalmers Doane, received the Order of Canada for [...]
Category: Uncategorized
New Orleans
Just had our best meal in New Orleans in years, at the Royal Sonesta Hotel’s new restaurant, Revolution. On Bienville, between Royal and Bourbon. Quiet, refined, and food not loaded with artery-clogging sauces. Smaller portions. On our way back now, in New Orleans airport. No screw-ups yet.
Category: Uncategorized
CEOs with lower pitched voices make $187,000 more per year
Your voice matters. CEOs with lower pitched voices make more and manage bigger companies. Voters also prefer political candidates with lower pitched voices. Margaret Thatcher, the Iron Lady, even got voice therapy to lower the pitch of her voice.
Category: Voice problem, Voice treatment
Korean-Canadian girl gets new windpipe
A 2 year old Korean Canadian girl received a new windpipe seeded with her own stem cells. She is the youngest in the world to benefit from the experimental treatment. Doctors are hopeful that her larynx will now grow normally and that she will eventually be able to speak.
Category: Uncategorized
St. Mike’s gets new KTP laser!
Just saw Dr. Anderson yesterday, and she told me that 2 generous donors just bought St. Mike’s a $50,000 KTP laser. This will be the second KTP laser in Canada (the other one is in Halifax). A great tool for the busiest voice clinic in Canada! This equipment allows docs to perform laser surgery in [...]
Category: Papillomatosis, Voice problem
Research: Sound of voice influences perception
The sound of a speaker’s voice matters twice as much as the content of the message, according to a study by Quantified Impressions, an Austin, TX, communications analytics company. People with strained or breathy voices are labelled as negative, passive, or weak. Those with normal voices are seen as successful, sociable, and smart. My experience [...]
Category: Voice problem
Canada’s healthcare system expensive and underperforming
The Globe and Mail’s Jeffrey Simpson says Canadians are finally facing up to the fact that Canada’s healthcare system is both expensive and underperforming. It is high time for an informed debate rather than rhetoric (starting a discussion on Canada’s precious public healthcare system is like starting a discussion about gun control in a bar [...]
Category: Canadian health care system
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