February 18, 2020

Modern musicians are not the only ones to suffer from hearing damage. Probably one of the most well-known hard-of-hearing musicians was Ludwig Van Beethoven. While his hearing loss was not due to his music, he still began losing his hearing in his 20s and by the time he directed his Ninth Symphony in 1824, he was entirely deaf.

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July 18, 2019

Everyone knows about pollution. Whether it is smoke and exhaust in our cities, oil and chemicals in our waterways, or pesticides sprayed in our fields, pollution surrounds us. There are even areas that are well-known for their light pollution – having too many lights lit all hours of the day (think New York or Las Vegas). It’s simply too bright all the time to be good for us. But there is one more type of pollution that many people don’t even realize exists: noise pollution. Continue Reading →

June 13, 2019

Over the years, studies have shown that hearing loss is rarely the only chronic disorder an individual deals with. There are several well-documented comorbidities (the simultaneous presence of two chronic diseases or conditions in a patient) that can go along with hearing loss, either as a cause, a result, or simply because they affect the same structures. Continue Reading →

May 28, 2019

Since 1927, May has been Better Hearing and Speech Month.  All this month, clinics and hearing organizations have been working extra hard to bring hearing healthcare awareness to the public. This includes things like hosting free walk-in screenings, seminars offered to the public, health fairs, volunteer hours, and possibly offering discounted hearing devices. Continue Reading →

April 17, 2019

In the last post, we discussed how important it was for the friends and family members of those with hearing loss to utilize strategies to make conversation easier for everyone involved. While it is important for loved ones to do so, it is just as important for those with hearing loss to advocate for themselves as well. Continue Reading →

March 27, 2019

There is a fairly common saying out in the world: “Communication goes both ways.” Usually it is used when you are trying to get a friend to return your calls or when someone is feeling ignored, but it is very apt in regards to hearing loss as well. It is well known in the hearing industry that when someone has a hearing loss, their family and friends do too. Continue Reading →

December 6, 2018

Title: Are You Missing Out Because of Your Tinnitus?

You’re at work, trying to finish up a big project before the weekend. Suddenly, all you can focus on is the ringing in your ears. Continue Reading →

November 29, 2018

You’re relaxing with your family before Thanksgiving dinner. Suddenly, your ears are filled with a tinny ringing sound. You can barely hear the conversation going on around you, let alone the TV show that everyone is talking about. You find yourself feeling frustrated—and worse, isolated from your family. Continue Reading →

November 26, 2018

Since we were little, most of us have been told to never stick anything in your ear smaller than your elbow; and yet, how many of us still use cotton swabs like Q-Tips^R to clean our ears? Continue Reading →

September 25, 2018

There are several fairly well-known types of hearing loss out there. The most common are sensorineural, or “nerve deafness;” conductive, or a loss that can typically be remedied by medication or surgery; and mixed, which is a combination of the two.  However, there is another that should not be forgotten: single-sided deafness. Continue Reading →

August 22, 2018

Most of us have seen movies where the main character is exposed to an explosion at short range and when they come back to themselves everything is quiet except for a high-pitched ringing sound.  After a few seconds that ringing dissipates, the background noise returns, and the character moves on with the film.  For more than 45 million people living in the US – myself included – this ringing doesn’t go away.   Continue Reading →