For auctioneers who bid call for a living, there are risks — including losing work as a bid caller altogether.
Our focus here is specific risks to your vocal cord health. The more important your bid calling is to your livelihood, the more you need to take precautions and seek medical advice when problems or issues persist.
Here’s ten of the most common vocal fold (vocal cord) medical conditions which might require further investigation:
Dysphagia: Difficulty in swallowing where the larynx is not closing tightly.
Laryngeal cancer: Cancerous tumors that develop in the larynx. Risk is significant for smokers and smokers who drink alcohol.
Laryngeal papillomatosis: Benign wart-like lesions which grow inside the larynx or vocal cords.
Laryngeal stenosis: A narrowing of the vocal fold airway usually caused by vocal cord immobility.
Laryngitis: Inflammation of the larynx resulting in a hoarse voice and may include fever, cough, pain in the front of the neck, and trouble swallowing.
Laryngopharyngeal reflux (LPR): Often referred to as heartburn or acid reflux.
Spasmodic dysphonia: Vocal cord or larynx involuntary muscle tightening.
Vocal cord lesions: Nodules, polyps and cysts including benign masses that form on the vocal folds.
Vocal cord hemorrhage: Blood vessels on the surface of the vocal cords rupture and fill with blood resulting in a sudden loss of voice.
Vocal cord paralysis: One or more vocal folds do not open or close as they should.
The moral to this story is any indication your voice is different from normal is time to have it promptly checked by a doctor, maybe starting with an Otolaryngologist. The longer an abnormal condition is left unchecked, the worse it usually becomes.
The best overall formula for vocal health is: (1) rest (2) hydrating (water) (3) warm-up before talking and cool-down afterward (4) avoid overuse (5) take in moist [high humidity] air.
We also wrote about various vocal cord myths here below; It’s almost as important to know vocal cord facts as vocal cord disinformation. https://mikebrandlyauctioneer.wordpress.com/2017/05/03/six-auctioneer-vocal-cord-myths/.
Mike Brandly, Auctioneer, CAI, CAS, AARE has been an auctioneer and certified appraiser for over 30 years. His company’s auctions are located at: Mike Brandly, Auctioneer, RES Auction Services and Goodwill Columbus Car Auction. He serves as Distinguished Faculty at Hondros College, Executive Director of The Ohio Auction School, an Instructor at the National Auctioneers Association’s Designation Academy and America’s Auction Academy. He is faculty at the Certified Auctioneers Institute held at Indiana University and is approved by the The Supreme Court of Ohio for attorney education.
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