Phil, great reply. It's a shame more people don't eat like you do instead of stuffing their face with that thing they call meat from McDonalds;) Actually, health comes from 'organic' foods as the crap we get from the supermarket which are called fresh veggies are overloaded with nasty chemical...and let's not even get started on friggin canned goods.

Many people also become ill from being overworked, drained, stressed, as well as dealing with environmental pollutants. For instance, we live near many horrific power plants and other type of plants that are polluting the air, water, and soil.

Luckily, I haven't been sick for many years, but, I have to admit, I did fight a nasty cold as I mentioned in the interview, due to a nasty nasty medicine I decided to take for my skin, called Soriatane. If any of you have even used Soriatane for acne or for skin diseases, PLEASE stay away from it. It's bad news. I'll never try it again.

The David Katz interview was a great interview, because the guy is a natural foods & herbs type nutritionist, who eats lots of raw foods, stays away from the three evil whites (white flour, sugar, salt) and actually created a great line of healthy combinations that work very well for the singer who runs into trouble. He knows that most singers live on pizza and those who tour usually don't take care of themselves.

BTW- these aren't "cover up" products as Phil has suggested. If you want a "cover up" product, head to any drugstore and you'll find hundreds of them in the cold aisle. Herbs, just like raw foods, have nutrients to feed our bodies, not mask some symptom.

Dear Phil, I appreciate your educated and informative response to the interview I did with Jaime.
As Jaime responded in his post, you are spot in regarding where sickness comes from, how we can avoid it as well as how it is very possible to not get sick at all. Although the main stream media and pharmaceutical corporations try to convince us of "flu season" and "cold season" then prompting us to buy products full of chemicals and durgs to "cure" our "symptoms" as you so aptly and correctly wrote about.

If you read the article fully, you will understand that my products and the intention and mission of Superior Vocal Health have nothing to do with "fighting symptoms". In fact, the article focuses on taking care of your voice with proper technique, excellent health, rigorous commitment and loving to sing.

This all comes from my personal experience singing opera around the world for more than 20 years. I am also a nutritional consultant as well as a studied herbalist. I have undergone every scenario a singer would ever come up against. I have also studied with some of the finest teachers the opera world has to offer.

My experience has been that even though I eat almost a totally raw diet ( about 80% raw 20% cooked ), I cleanse every two months, I practice a very rigorous and deep Yoga regularly, and I try to live honestly and clean, and I literally have not been sick in any way for the last 6 years, I still am human. I am still susceptible to all the things out of my control that directly affect the quality of my voice like:
1. The sick person on the plane next to me who continues to cough on me as I am flying to my next job.
2. The hotel room that is full of dust and mold and someone else's left over debris.
3. The weather changing and affecting my vocal cords.
4. The stresses of normal everyday life including children and a marriage.
5. Over singing because I do not want to turn down an opportunity for a job.
6. Polluted air in planes and clubs and other venues.
7. Emotional ups and downs on a personal level.

And the list goes on.

It is because of these scenarios that I created this company and product line. I know and understand what the singer deals with on a regular basis.

In addition, professional singers are, in my mind, no different than professional athletes. We have to perform and sound as good or better than the last performance. People expect it, deserve it from us and want their moneys worth.
I know for a fact that most professional athletes have full time trainers and nutritionists at their beck and call helping them every step of the way. Also that these athletes take the most powerful and efficient foods and legal supplements( herbs and vitamins) to help them be as good as they possibly can, every time they perform or play.

So why would the singer not use the best nutritional support and help when needed?

As you so aptly and clearly posted, diet and correct lifestyle is probably the number one way to live a sick free and rewarding life. However, when it comes to being a professional singer and having a successful career, that is only one of many important and powerful things a singer can do to take care of their voice.

I hope this post helps you to more understand the intention of my company and products and the reason why Jaime put his professional reputation on the line by blogging, endorsing, and using our products.

I highly encourage you to read the articles and post on my blog Superiorvocalhealth.blogspot.com. There you will find a huge amount of information regarding how to care for your voice naturally, including diet for singers.

If you ever wish to speak or need any help with natural voice care, please do not hesitate to email me at superiorvocalhealth@gmail.com. I will send you my direct cell phone number and we can chat as well.

Warm regards,
David Aaron Katz
CEO- Superior Vocal health

Excellent post, David.

Great posts. Great to see you guys have a handle on health:
"So why would the singer not use the best nutritional support and help when needed?"

Because the best nutritional support comes from wholefoods and not supplements/vitamins (i know you aren't selling these, but you were saying how athletes have the best vitamin support etc). In fact, the body does not recognize vitamin supplements...AT ALL, it won't use them, and this is the reason why western athletes retire when they are 35...beacuse they do not feed the body the nutrition it needs to rebuild after strenuous exercise. The indian wrestlers are 80% raw plant based diet, and still wrestle up into their 60's-70's, they take no vitamins/supplements only natures foods.. All I'm saying is, health is more about cleaning out than adding things on top. If the diet is terrible and you only add some healthy things on top you will still catch colds, have symptoms, get sick, injured etc etc.

Anyway, I think what you're doing with the 80% raw and 20% cooked is a brilliant wisdom. Thanks for the replies

I don't know why Phil, but your first post made me think of an old liver cleanse I've done over the years due to my skin condition. Talk about a body phlegm cleanser;)

hahah. Good water+lemon fast aye?

Nah, it was organic apple juice, lemons, olive oil, epsom salts, etc. I'll dig out the precise order and post if anyone's interested. But don't blame me for a night on the can, haha;)

sounds great mate :)
i recently finished an 18 day water/juice fast, and was having bowel movements up to and including the 18th day. just shows how much stuff gets clogged there over the years of bad eating (i used to be the unhealthiest person ever)

During my week long fast, I will have 24 hour-a day diarrhea.

That is crazy that it affected you through the 18th day. I do the liver flushes because I have a skin condition called PRP, and the flushes help calm my inflamed skin.

Basically, for 4 days, I drink a half gallon of organic apple juice per day, sipping throughout the day. Then at 8PM on the fourth night, I mix a big tablespoon of epsom salts with 8-ounces of water, drink 4 ounces at 8PM, then 4 more at 10PM. Right after the 10PM epsom drink, I mix the juice of one big organic grapefruit with 16-ounces of pure, cold pressed, organic olive oil, down it like I'm putting motor oil in my body, then lie down on my right side.

Supposedly, the malic acid in the apple juice loosens up any hardened bile/gall stones, the epsom salts open the duodenum between the liver and gallbladder, the grapefruit is another cleaner to break loose the gall stones and the oil lubes it all up, so all that junk slides right out your body, haha.

Get ready, it's like being at a bowling alley because your stomach will rumble all night. Some times it hits you within an hour, sometimes it takes hours, but eventually, you'll be glued to the can. The cleanse is supposed to flush out hardened bile, gall stones, and cholesterol.

It has worked well for me when my skin is in bad shape. Though I believe my skin can be affected because of all my mercury fillings, but that's another subject.

PS- Is this Phil from Australia? Just curious. We've had a lot of Phils on here but I have a buddy who attended my workshops, did a few lessons and even helped with correcting some RYV typos;)

Sounds awesome Jaime, i'm gonna give it a go.

as for which phil? haha, I'm the Phil from Australia yes. I'm the one who works at Electronic Arts for Iphone. We talked about doing artwork for some of your books, but you said it wouldn't be happening till 2012. Let me know when you're ready.

Phil
jiyasa@hotmail.com

Yep, that be the one....Wrong Phil, right place, haha. But I do remember you:) That book series has been bumped to 2013 because we have a whole line of fiction title coming out before that trilogy. Touch base with you again when ready.