A year ago, Classical Singer ran the story “Insurance in Altissimo,” which exposed the balance of the high costs of health care and the low incomes of singers. Twelve months later, the tune is the same, though the words are changing on a weekly basis. If you fall among the 65 percent of the U.S. population under 65 who, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, hold private insurance, you may be like tenor Mukund Marathe. Mukund and his wife, mezzo-soprano Mary Marathe, estimate that 30 percent of their income goes towards their insurance and related costs.
“I have diabetes and Mary has a rare autoimmune disease—Wegener’s granulomatosis, one of [TV doctor] House’s favorites—so going without health insurance is not an option,” explains Marathe. “Freelancers Insurance . . . is the only thing we can afford. What with premiums, co-pays etc., it really does add up.”
In such cases, using some of the past tips from the “$50 Week” will help to curb your budget and make the necessary accommodations. However, if you have insurance through an employer or are one of the 43.6 million uninsured as of 2008, you’d be surprised at how well being cheap and being healthy go hand (washed) in hand.
Che gelida manina
Your best friend this cold and flu season is not Plácido Domingo’s ENT, nor is it that cousin who works for Pfizer; it’s a $0.99 bar of Dial soap. “I always read something this time of year in the New York Times explaining how hand washing wards off colds,” says soprano Martha Sullivan. “It’s basic, but hugely important. Because we get germs on our hands and then touch our face and whatever we’ve touched, like the subway pole, goes into our tear ducts. I try to wash my hands as frequently as possible.”
Hand sanitizers are also a good investment for your purse, pocket, or backpack. If, like Sullivan, you’re allergic or react to the ingredients in Purell, you can find an all-natural and nonirritating alternative in EO’s hand sanitizing sprays, gels, and wipes (a $5 bottle will last you the whole season).
So werd ich laufen
Like most New York-based singers, tenor Christopher Preston Thompson does as much as he can to live within his means. However, he makes room in his budget for a New York Sports Club membership, which runs $70 a month (or $17.50 a week).
“A healthy and strong body fights sickness better than an unhealthy and weak body,” explains Thompson, who combines cardio with strength training. “Cardio exercise conditions the heart and the body to work more efficiently and to have greater endurance for physical activity, and strengthening the muscles of the body wards off the deteriorative phenomena that come with aging.”
“I usually say that the musicians are some of our most elite athletes, and so each singer has to really train and work on these things as any elite athlete would,” agrees Dr. Dan Halvorsen, a music physiologist at the McNally Smith College of Music in Minneapolis and St. Paul.
Shop around for a gym membership. Most health clubs and fitness centers are eager to earn members and will make many concessions to get you on their roster. Registration fees are often the first things to be waived, and often you can get the monthly charge lowered—especially if you register with a friend.
Ah! Quel diner
“Eating foods high in antioxidants is also a great way to maintain health and prevent disease,” says Dr. Dolly A. Garnecki, who also cautions singers against sugar intake when trying to avoid getting sick. “One tablespoon of sugar shuts down the immune system for three hours.”
Keeping your fridge stocked with antioxidant-rich foods such as garlic, onions, tomatoes, blueberries, wild fish, leafy green vegetables, and coconut oil is not only friendly for your body and immune system, it’s kind to your wallet. Even a trip to Whole Foods (often called “Whole Paycheck”) with the above grocery list came out to a little under $30. And don’t forget that not all water costs $2 per bottle.
“I maintain a strictly ovo-lacto vegetarian diet, and I find it easy to buy food that conforms to this diet while existing on a strict budget,” says Thompson. “I also find it to be a healthy way to live. It is important for one to figure out the type of diet that makes him or her happy while also fulfilling his or her dietary needs, and it fluctuates from person to person.”
Of course, the colder months also mean holiday months, so while it’s important to maintain a healthy diet, it’s more important to remember that moderation is the key. Don’t be afraid of sugar, but the day after Thanksgiving may not be the best time to make cupcakes if you had apple pie à la mode the day before.
“It’s a discipline,” says Sullivan. “If I have a few glasses of wine with friends one night, I know that I can’t go out for drinks the next night. I’ll feel sluggish, my throat will be dried out, and I’ll be more susceptible if something is going around. Staying in isn’t fun, but it’s a professional necessity.”
Chacun à son goût
Thompson brings up an oft-overlooked keyword in staying healthy: fluctuation. This article could easily be a grocery list of inexpensive supplements and remedies that various singers swear by. Yet where one singer never runs out of Emergen-C, another finds it a waste of $15.
“As a professional, I’m pretty open to each musician figuring out what they have to do to maximize the lifetime performance of their instrument,” says Dr. Halvorsen, who is also quick to note that “I see that many singers are really wasting money on the health remedies that basically don’t do any good.”
Listen to your friends for recommendations—whether it’s chewable ginger, echinacea, Wellness Formula, or Airborne. Many of these items can be purchased in travel or trial size at health food or drug stores. But most importantly, listen to your body when you try these remedies. Sources like the Times of London have revealed that in recent years, with more demanding schedules, it’s easy for opera singers to over-medicate—don’t fall into that rabbit-hole.
“Herbal supplements and so forth have not been evaluated by the FDA, but many of these drugs are regulated in Germany. Go to those websites and research the ingredients and effects,” urges Sullivan. “It’s important to keep up with the science.”
O Sleep, Why Dost Thou Leave Me?
Yes, your life is busy. Yes, this is a hectic time of year. But at the first sign of a cold or worse, the best thing to do is take your go-to med (Tylenol, Benadryl, Advil) and go to bed. This could mean making a monetary sacrifice, especially if you work a day job in which you’re paid by the hour. However, your body is worth it.
It’s important in general to stay on a healthy sleep schedule as a preventative, as well as restorative, measure. “Going to bed before 11:00 p.m. allows the pineal glands of the brain to work most effectively to release melatonin needed for rest,” explains Dr. Garnecki. “Eight hours of sleep, on average, is great for rest and repair—some adults need slightly more or slightly less—but averaging less than six hours of sleep per day will take its toll on the body’s ability to repair, decrease stress, and prevent against disease.”
The Nose
When sickness does hit, make sure you have the essentials. If you don’t already have a neti pot, you can get a starter kit for about $20. Most generic medications (both over-the-counter and prescription) are the same chemical compounds as their brand-name counterparts and sell for half the price. And while Wal-Mart and Target have $4 generic meds, pharmacies like CVS offer—for a $10 annual fee—$9.99 three-month supplies of those same generic prescriptions. For those in New York, that’s a much easier pill to swallow than commuting out to a big box store.
For more serious needs, know that there are clinics and state-owned hospitals that will work with you on a sliding scale—and that the quality of care here is comparable to most insurance-covered practitioners. If your income falls within their guidelines, you could be paying $15 for a sinus treatment or $50 for a broken ankle.
If you are looking for insurance, an organization like the Freelancers Union can help you out with plans that range around $125 per month. And yes, amazingly, that works out to under $50 a week.
