Treating the Wonder that is the Voice Box | Dr. Omid Mehdizadeh

by Anthony Effinger

The Think Neuro podcast from Pacific Neuroscience Institute takes you into the clinic, operating room and laboratory with doctors and surgeons who are tackling the most challenging brain diseases and disorders. Host: Anthony Effinger

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Episode 34: Show Notes

“Voice box” might be the most misleading term in all of human anatomy. It makes a very complex organ sound terribly simple. In truth, the voice box is a set of paired muscles no thicker than a fingernail that do double duty. The delicate muscles produce sound, and they close on cue to protect our lungs as we swallow. ‘It’s one of the most intricate and beautiful structures in the human body,” says Dr. Omid Mehdizadeh.

He’s an otolaryngologist, which means he specializes in surgeries in the sinuses, ears and neck. But it’s the voice box that lured him into his specialty where he treats voice and swallow disorders. He did his residency at New York University, where he treated a number of opera singers. They use their voice boxes the way athletes use their arms and legs, and, often, injuries result. Singing several times a week, they develop nodules, cysts and even bruises.

Listen to this episode to learn how Dr. Mehdizadeh treats this remarkable structure: the simple-sounding voice box.

About Dr. Mehdizadeh

Omid B. Mehdizadeh, MD, is an Otolaryngology, and Head & Neck (ENT) surgeon. Working with colleagues in the Pacific Eye, Ear & Skull Base Center at Pacific Neuroscience Institute, his particular expertise is in voice, swallowing and throat conditions (laryngology).

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Anthony Effinger

Think Neuro's host is Anthony Effinger, an award-winning journalist who is fascinated with neuroscience and the workings of the brain. Anthony spent 24 years at Bloomberg News, where he covered all aspects of finance, with forays into science and health. In 2006, the Association of Health Care Journalists awarded him first prize for Playing the Odds, an in-depth piece on the changing strategies used to treat prostate cancer. These days, he is a staff writer at Willamette Week, a Pulitzer Prize-winning newspaper in Portland, Oregon, where he lives with his wife and two children.

Last updated: August 9th, 2023