Category: Uncategorized

Blog Back New Study Shows Association Between Migraines, Hearing Loss, And Tinnitus March 21, 2022 Do you struggle with migraines? Do you have ringing in your ears? If so, you are not alone. A new study has found an association between migraines, hearing loss, and tinnitus.First, let’s briefly review each of these conditions. A migraine is a type of headache that can cause severe throbbing pain or a pulsing sensation. Migraines are often accompanied by nausea, vomiting, and extreme sensitivity to light and sound. Some migraine attacks last hours, while others last for days. Migraine pain can be severe enough to interfere with daily life.Hearing loss occurs when you cannot hear as well as a person with normal hearing. Common symptoms include muffled sounds and speech, difficulty understanding words, frequently asking others to speak louder or more clearly, needing to turn up the volume on the TV or radio, withdrawing from conversations, and avoiding social situations.Tinnitus occurs when you hear ringing or another sound in your ears, yet an external sound is not present. Although ringing is the most common term used to describe tinnitus, the condition may also present itself as a sound like buzzing, humming, hissing, roaring, or clicking in the ears.The recent study, based in California, examined nearly 13,000 subjects. The data was collected from the US National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey database. Researchers used data from 1999-2004, as the survey questions from those years included a question regarding migraines. All of the participants were aged 18-65 and 52.9 percent were female.Of a total 12,962 participants between 1999-2004, 2,657 reported suffering from migraines. Those with migraines tended to be women, slightly older, have a high body mass index (BMI), and have experience with neck pain. A total of 2,344 people reported subjective hearing loss, and 2,582 responded that they had tinnitus. Researchers found that those who suffered from migraines were more likely to also experience subjective hearing loss or tinnitus. Of those who reported subjective hearing loss, migraines were reported in 24.5 percent. The percentage of overlap was even higher among those with tinnitus; 35.6 percent of participants who reported tinnitus also reported migraines.Furthermore, researchers found that those who suffered from migraines were more likely to experience subjective hearing loss or tinnitus than those who did not have migraines. Subjective hearing loss, tinnitus, and neck pain were all more common in migraine-sufferers than non-migraine-sufferers. Among participants with migraines, a higher proportion of those with tinnitus also had subjective hearing loss than those without tinnitus. In addition, a higher proportion of migraine-sufferers with subjective hearing loss also had tinnitus compared to those without hearing loss.Currently, researchers do not yet fully understand the connection between these conditions. However, they believe it may be possible that the otologic effects of migraines may increase the risk for hearing loss and tinnitus in migraine-sufferers. Further research needs to be done to determine whether migraine prevention and treatment may help prevent the associated hearing loss and tinnitus.To learn more about the link between migraines, hearing loss, and tinnitus, we welcome you to contact our hearing practice today. We are eager to care for you. Share :

Blog Back 4 Simple Steps To Protect Your Hearing Aids This Summer March 9, 2022 Summer will be here before you know it! Whether you’re planning to spend your summer by the ocean, in the mountains, or somewhere in between, this season can bring new challenges for keeping your hearing aids safe and clean. Here are some activities and hearing aid care to keep in mind so you can enjoy summer and enjoy properly functioning hearing aids. Keep your hearing aids dry.When you first got your hearing aids, you were probably told to keep them dry and away from moisture and excess humidity. Yet for many people, summer is all about beach days, pool time, and getting sweaty! Thankfully, you don’t need to change your summer plans just to protect your hearing aids. It is important, however, for you to take the appropriate steps to keep your hearing aids dry and safe.First, be sure to remove your hearing aids before you get in the pool, lake, or ocean. Store them somewhere safe so you won’t have to worry about them while you enjoy the water.Second, dry your hearing aids with a dry aid kit. Summer is naturally a more humid season, so this step can help remove any excess moisture. UV boxes are available as well, which are designed to both dry your hearing aids and kill any germs or bacteria lurking on them. If you don’t have access to a dry aid kit or UV box, carefully inspect your hearing aids when you take them out at night and use a clean, dry cloth to wipe away any visible moisture. Keep your hearing aids cool.You may be looking forward to the warm weather that summer brings—but that same warmth can be damaging to your hearing aids. A good portion of your hearing aid is made of plastic, which means heat and sunlight can be destructive to them. Your hearing aids could even melt, given enough heat!To keep your hearing aids safe, avoid placing them in direct sunlight or hot spaces. Do not leave them in the car or garage during summertime. Avoid spending time outside or exercising during the hottest part of the day (which is good practice for your health anyway). If you do need to be outside while it’s hot, wear a hat or sweatband and take breaks from being in direct sunlight. Keep your hearing aids clean.When you’re at the beach, the water isn’t the only thing that can pose a danger to your hearing aids. Sand, salt, and other minerals in seawater can damage your hearing aids, too. Other summertime threats include sunscreen and insect repellent.To keep your hearing aids clean, remove them before you apply sunscreen or insect repellent. Then, wash your hands before touching your hearing aids again. Be sure to store your hearing aids carefully to avoid contact with sand, dirt, dust, or grit. If you are playing sports, gardening, or enjoying other outdoor activities, try not to touch your hearing aids, especially if you have dirt or grit on your hands.Every night, it is important to wipe down your hearing aids, regardless of the activities you engaged in that day. This helps to remove any dust, dirt, sand, moisture, wax, or oils. Keep your hearing aids secure.If you are playing sports or enjoying being out and about during the summer, you might worry about your hearing aids falling out and getting broken or lost. One simple solution is to wear a lightweight lanyard that is specially designed to hook your hearing aids onto your clothing or glasses. This way, even if your hearing aids fall out while you’re moving around, they won’t get lost. For more information about how you can keep your hearing aids safe during summer, please contact our hearing aid practice today. Share :

Blog Back Hearing Loss And The Five Stages Of Grief February 21, 2022 Grief is a deep emotion. You may associate grief with serious losses like the death of a loved one or with major life changes like a divorce. However, grief can come into play when you experience loss of any kind, including hearing loss. Understanding the grieving process may help improve self-awareness and can allow you to better comprehend your emotions and reactions.You may be familiar with the five stages of grief. They were originally outlined in Elisabeth Kubler-Ross’s book On Death and Dying in 1969. As mentioned previously, however, the stages of grief can be applied to how we deal with any kind of loss. You may experience all five stages, or you may skip one or two. It is also normal to experience the stages of grief in a different order than what is listed here.Stage 1 of Grief: DenialIf you have witnessed a loved one experience hearing loss, you have probably noticed the stage of denial. They may not acknowledge that they cannot hear as they once did. Perhaps they truly don’t notice that they no longer hear the birds outside or that they need to turn the volume on the TV higher than before. They may think everyone around them is mumbling, rather than acknowledging that they are experiencing hearing loss. This can be especially true for gradual hearing loss, such as age-related hearing loss.If you are the one experiencing hearing loss, it is normal to make excuses during the denial stage. You may think, “My hearing isn’t that bad,” “I don’t need to see another doctor,” or “I’ve had a cold—my ears are simply stuffy.” For many, denial is the first stage of grief.Stage 2 of Grief: AngerIf you can no longer deny that your hearing is declining, you may move into the second stage of grief: anger. You may feel angry at friends or family members who constantly ask you to turn down the volume on the TV or encourage you to schedule an appointment with an audiologist. You may feel upset that you have to add another doctor to your list of healthcare providers or that you need to spend money on tests and devices.In addition, your family members may experience anger as well. They may not understand why you seem so reluctant to schedule an appointment with a hearing professional, or they may feel you are ignoring them on purpose when, in reality, you cannot hear them well.It is important to work through your emotions, including anger. Consider journaling, talking to a trusted friend or counselor about your feelings, or exercising to relieve stress.Stage 3 of Grief: BargainingOnce the anger has passed, you may enter the bargaining stage. In this stage, you try to create bargains to return your hearing to normal. Perhaps you promise yourself that you will always wear hearing protection when using power tools or lawn equipment. Maybe you commit to turning down the volume on your radio or TV.The difficulty is that in most types of hearing loss, you cannot improve your hearing with these steps once hearing loss has occurred. However, there is good news: hearing aids can help you hear better.Stage 4 of Grief: DepressionYou will likely feel depressed or sad at some point about your hearing loss. This is very common, especially among older adults. You have lost something valuable: your hearing. It is natural to feel sadness over this loss.In addition, untreated hearing loss can lead to depression, anxiety, and social isolation. This is why it’s important to 1) get your hearing loss treated, and 2) maintain contact with your friends and family as you age.Stage 5 of Grief: AcceptanceAcceptance is the final stage of grief. In this stage, you accept that you can no longer hear as well as you once did and you acknowledge your physical limitations. Of course, you can always explore treatment options with your hearing professional. Many people with hearing loss see great benefits from using hearing aids. If your hearing loss is severe or profound, you may also be a candidate for cochlear implants.Studies have shown that using hearing aids leads to an improvement in quality of life. Hearing aid wearers report higher levels of happiness and say that using hearing aids has improved their relationships with family and friends and given them a greater sense of independence. Furthermore, using hearing aids can reduce your risk of depression, social isolation, and falls.If you found this information helpful, you may want to share it with your family as well; they will likely experience some of the stages of grief along with you throughout your hearing journey. To learn more about the stages of grief as they apply to hearing loss, or if you would like to schedule an appointment with our hearing professional, we welcome you to contact our office today.   Share :

Blog Back How Your Brain Can Understand One Voice In A Crowded Room February 8, 2022 It’s a situation we have all been in many times before: a crowded, noisy room where we are trying to listen to just one person talking. Perhaps you have experienced this at a family party, or maybe you find yourself in this situation fairly frequently at a busy restaurant. Whatever the specific situation may be, you likely found that you were able to tune out the other noises and voices in order to focus on just one speaker. While we have all experienced this situation, few of us know how it actually works. Recent research has revealed more about this process.Edmund Lalor, Ph.D., associate professor of Neuroscience and Biomedical Engineering at the University of Rochester Medical Center, has focused his research on how the brain processes stimuli like speech, language, and music. He recently conducted new research on how the brain is able to wean out or ignore other noises and focus on a single speaker in a busy environment.Dr. Lalor and his team found that the acoustics of the attended speaker, or the one you are paying attention to, and the unattended speaker, or the one you are ignoring, are processed in very similar ways. The difference is the next step the brain takes in processing the sounds.In the study, participants listened to two stories simultaneously and were asked to focus their attention on only one speaker. Using EEG brainwave recordings, the researchers were able to see how the brain processed the sounds. They found that the story participants were asked to pay attention to was converted into linguistic units called phonemes. The unattended story was not. Phonemes are units of sound that can distinguish one word from another. Converting sound into phonemes is the first step in understanding the story. In short, the brain heard both stories but worked to understand only one of them.The new research conducted by Dr. Lalor and his associates is not only fascinating but also useful. This type of research is critical for developing hearing technology and assistive devices (like hearing aids) that can help people with hearing loss not only hear sounds better, but better understand the sounds they hear.One common complaint among people with hearing aids is that they can hear noises and voices better, but because all of the noises are amplified, it is more difficult to focus on a single speaker. The study conducted by Dr. Lalor and his team helps us better understand how the brain works to focus on a single voice in a crowded room. This information can help hearing aid manufacturers and technology developers improve hearing aids and other assistive technologies.If you would like to learn more about Dr. Lalor’s recent research, or if you would like more information about how hearing aids can help you hear better in various situations, we invite you to contact our hearing practice today. We are happy to assist you. Share :

Blog Back New Medicare Hearing Benefits Added To The Build Back Better Bill And Passed By The House Of Representatives January 24, 2022 Good news! In November 2021, the U.S. House of Representatives passed an amended version of the Build Back Better Bill (H.R. 5376) that includes several hearing-related provisions. If enacted, this bill would add coverage of treatment services offered by audiologists for the first time in Medicare’s history.This marks a great stride in offering hearing coverage in the United States. Surveys show that one in three people between the ages of 65 and 74 has age-related hearing loss, and nearly half of those over 75 have difficulty hearing. Most Medicare participants are older than 65, meaning that many people covered by Medicare have difficulty hearing and are in need of professional hearing care.In addition to adding coverage for services provided by audiologists, the bill would also reclassify audiologists as practitioners and add them to the list of providers eligible to offer their services via telehealth. This is important because, as we saw in 2021, telehealth is going nowhere soon. Even as countries around the world make strides in offering COVID-19 vaccines and fighting the pandemic, telehealth services remain vital in making healthcare available to more people.Telehealth services are especially important for Medicare participants. As Medicare is available to people aged 65 and older, younger people with disabilities, and people with End Stage Renal Disease, some people who use Medicare may have difficulty attending in-office appointments with their healthcare providers, including audiologists.Furthermore, even as the COVID-19 pandemic wanes, some Medicare participants may feel anxious or hesitant to schedule in-office appointments due to health concerns. By adding audiologists to the list of providers eligible to offer their services via telehealth, these patients will be able to receive the care they need with greater convenience and safety.The amended version of the Build Back Better bill also includes provisions to add hearing aid dispensers as “qualified hearing professionals” eligible to provide hearing assessment services, as allowed by state licensure. The bill includes coverage of hearing aids for individuals with moderately severe to profound hearing loss in one or both ears once every five years if furnished through a written order by a physician, audiologist, or other practitioner for devices that are determined appropriate by the U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services. In addition, the bill excludes hearing aids from competitive bidding when furnished by a physician or other practitioner to their own patients as part of a service.The American Academy of Audiology (AAA), the Academy of Doctors of Audiology (ADA), and the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) have supported these hearing provisions as part of the Medicare Audiologist Access and Services act (H.R. 1587/S. 1731). The focus of these efforts is to ensure that audiologists are able to provide the full range of services under Medicare that they are educated, trained, and licensed to provide. While these provisions mark significant progress, the AAA, ADA, and ASHA believe more work remains to be done to ensure access to audiology care.To learn more about the services offered by our skilled hearing professional, we invite you to contact us today. Share :

Blog Back Can I Program My Own Hearing Aids? January 10, 2022 If you wear hearing aids, you probably know that from time to time, they need to be programmed. Whether you are getting the right fit on new hearing aids or need to adjust the programming after some use, you might want to simply do it yourself. Although a hearing aid professional should always be the individual to program your hearing aids to ensure a good experience, you can get troubleshooting tips for when you don’t have professional help. Here are some things you should know about programming your own hearing aids. Can I program my own hearing aid? As noted above, hearing aid professionals must program your hearing aids for you. They are trained and experienced in programming hearing aids. However, in the future, there may be situations in which you can program your own hearing aid, but that is not the case right now. Things that are considered when programming your hearing aid First things first – you choose your hearing aid(s).Here are a few features that are considered when certain hearing aids are considered: Multiple frequency channels so you can adjust each frequency independently of the others A low delay processor, which reduces the echo perceived from a time delay between air conducted sound and amplified sound An adaptive directional microphone that automatically becomes directional in noisy situations so you don’t need to change programs. This can be very important for improving the quality of speech in noisy environments. An open fit that offers comfort (Open-fit hearing aids do not require custom ear molds.) A good feedback canceller, which allows greater amplification without whistling and is essential in open fit devices If you need help choosing a hearing aid, talk to your hearing aid professional. They will be happy to assist you. Adjust your hearing aids at home. You probably spend the majority of your time inside your home, so this is the ideal place to adjust your hearing aids. Using your hearing aids as much as possible, even alone in your home, ensures that everyday sounds are exactly the way you want. Try listening to the radio or TV while you wear your hearing aids to make sure everything is adjusted properly. Don’t be surprised if some household noises, like the sound of the fridge, sound louder. Listen to real sounds, like your own voice and someone else’s, while programming. Make sure you utilize your hearing aid manufacturer’s app! There are tons of tips and tools you can find on the app that is connected to your hearing aid. Use the tools you have to ensure you are getting the most out of your hearing aid(s). To learn more about hearing aid programming, we invite you to contact our office today. Share :