Tinnitus takes the joy of sound away from us. It comes and goes, disrupts conversations, distorts music, and is a tiresome result of a corrupted auditory system. The sounds are only present to the person that suffers from Tinnitus. It can last from several months to an average of almost 7 years and is considered chronic if it lasts past …
How Exercise, Diet, Sleep, and Hearing Affect Brain Aging
Aging is inevitable and while our culture often fears it, when we are proactive about our health, we have the tools to maintain a higher quality of life for years to come. So what should we focus on to maintain prolonged health and vitality? At the 2017 Neuroscience Educational Institute (NEI) Congress, Stephen M. Stahl, MD, PhD, adjunct professor of …
The Dangers of Pretending to Hear
What was that? It can be exhausting for anyone to hear in a noisy environment. When there are multiple conversations happening at once over a loud sound system or a noisy fan it can be disorienting—however for those who live with hearing loss the challenge is amplified. Hearing loss makes it difficult to separate and prioritize sounds. In fact, it …
Improving Communication with Your Family
Do you have hearing loss? You may not even know it. This is because hearing loss can develop gradually over years affecting your communication in subtle ways. While you may not be aware, it’s common that your family members will. They may not diagnose it correctly as hearing loss, but they might recognize that you often mishear them. It’s all …
Monitoring Your Daily Exposure to Noise
The world is full of sounds and with healthy hearing we can navigate a range of sounds throughout the day. However, when sounds reach past a safe listening volume, they can damage our hearing permanently. You may not think of hearing loss as a big deal, but when you think about it, you may use it in more instances than …
Avoiding Hearing Tests Could Make the Problem Much Worse
Hearing loss is all too often underestimated in how serious of a condition it is. For one thing, it inhibits our ability to connect to the people in our lives. However, beyond that, it affects your relationship to the world and your surroundings. Despite the fact that 466 million people have hearing loss worldwide and this number is projected to …
Hearing Loss Detection – Why Your Doctor May Have a Hard Time Diagnosing Hearing Loss
Primary care providers may not always be able to detect hearing loss because they may not consider hearing loss as the underlying cause of symptoms, especially if they are not aware of the patient’s hearing history. During a typical medical appointment, doctors have limited time to conduct a thorough examination, which may not include a comprehensive hearing evaluation. Additionally, assessment …
Exposure to Loud Noise During a Work Shift Can Harm Your Hearing
Do you work a noisy job? You may not even realize it. Professions such as mechanics, manufacturing and construction have a reputation for being loud but there are so many workplaces which are loud enough to damage your hearing, which slip under the radar. This is in part because it’s not just the level of sound which can cause lifelong …
Facts & Fictions about Hearing Loss
The World Health Organization (WHO) speculates that worldwide 466 million people suffer from hearing loss and this number is estimated to rise to nearly 900 million if understandings around hearing loss don’t change on an institutional and personal level. There are so many misconceptions around hearing loss which have created confusion and barriers around seeking treatments over the years. By …
Tips for Driving with Hearing Aids
A driver’s license in the United States is synonymous with independence. Most of the country, aside from some urban areas, is built around the need to use cars to go shopping, get to doctors’ appointments, go on adventures and just about anything else out of the house. For people with hearing loss, when unaddressed it can become a real safety …