Did you know that chickens can restore their hearing? When the delicate inner ear hair cells dies, they can be regenerated. Unfortunately people can’t restore their own hearing. Maybe someday we will be able to do it, but not yet. So, the best thing is to protect what you have. Wear hearing protection when you are around loud noise. How do you know if noise is too loud? We are so conditioned to the loud sounds around us that we lose the ability to tell what is too loud. One of my … [Read more...]

Did you know that sports can cause hearing loss? I am not just talking about the “noise” of the sport. Take soccer for instance. We are becoming aware that using the head to hit the ball can cause concussion. It can also cause hearing loss. Football, boxing, and wrestling can also cause hearing loss. Any sport that can cause a jarring movement of the head can damage the delicate inner ear. Because the cochlea, or inner ear is surrounded by bone and filled with fluid, intense … [Read more...]

Lately it seems that whenever I use a public restroom they have very loud electric hand dryers instead of or in addition to paper towels. Some of these hand dryers exceed 90 decibels, well above the level that can cause hearing loss. Very unpleasant. I encourage you not to expose yourself to this noise. If possible, use paper towels. If there are no towels available, I would encourage you to avoid the electric hand dryers. Not only are the dryers uncomfortably loud but that the … [Read more...]

Did you know that noise induced hearing loss is preventable? 15% of Americans between the ages of 20 to 69 and 60% of military personnel have noise induced hearing loss. Unfortunately we live in a very noisy society that seems to think louder is better. It is much better to prevent hearing loss than treat it. Once hearing is damaged, it will never be the same, even with the best hearing aids available. Hearing protection is a must for many situations. We have all been to restaurants … [Read more...]

I often see new patients who are dealing with a lot of anger due to hearing issues. The whole family is generally angry. When a person “mishears”, it can cause a lot of grief for everyone. “He said …” “No, I didn’t.” “Yes, you did.” I have heard from married couples that are on the verge of divorce simply because one person cannot hear. A hearing loss is no reason to break up a family. By identifying the cause and treating it, a happier family can exist. I also frequently see families that … [Read more...]

Most scuba divers are very aware that they have to equalize their ear pressure as they dive. The rest of us don’t think much about it unless you happen to be flying and your ears block. It can be very painful. If you have an upper respiratory infection or allergies, you will be more likely to have problems when flying or traveling through the mountains. Sometimes, chewing gum is enough to relieve the blockage. In many instances it isn’t. If you will be flying and are susceptible to ear … [Read more...]

June is Men's Health month and we are encouraging all men to get a routine hearing test as a part of your health regimen for a healthy lifestyle. Did you know that men are more likely to suffer from hearing loss than women? Here are 5 reasons you want to get a hearing test: 1. Your hearing may say something about your heart. Hearing health and Cardiovascular are linked. 2. Hearing loss is about twice as common in people with diabetes. Those 60 and younger are at greater risk. 3. … [Read more...]

Silence can reduce stress and relax the body. Our society today seems to be telling us that loud is better. There is noise everywhere. A few years ago, while at a conference, I had the opportunity to hear a speaker talk about silence and how difficult it is to find a place with no created human sounds. Since then, I actively look for silent places. I have found a few, while on vacations. The most remote was in Tombstone Territorial Park in the Yukon Territory. There were no sounds, except … [Read more...]