With the Holidays approaching, you might have a perfect opportunity to determine if a friend or loved one is suffering with hearing loss. Dr. Susan Terry shares some tips on what to look for and how to approach the subject in her latest video. … [Read more...]
Why Get Your Hearing Care Where You Buy Toilet Paper?
I have a new patient. He came to me after purchasing hearing aids from a “Big Box Store”. He got the store brand hearing aids and has not done very well with them. I have a hard time understanding why anyone would want to get their health care where they buy toilet paper. I think it is because they think that they are getting a bargain. When it comes to hearing aids and hearing healthcare, this is not true. Store brand hearing aids are often manufactured by second-rate hearing aid … [Read more...]
Hearing Loss impacts Happiness
Just yesterday I saw a new patient for a hearing check. She was with her daughter who was very concerned that her mother was withdrawing and not participating with her family and friends the way she used to. Both mother and daughter told me that they had heard that hearing aids didn’t help and no one liked them. Unfortunately, it is always the people who are unhappy with their hearing aids that talk about them. The majority of people, who are happy, never say anything. After explaining … [Read more...]
October is Audiology Awareness Month
October is Audiology Awareness Month. With so many people selling hearing aids out there, it is difficult to know where to turn. Did you know that a Hearing Instrument Specialist is only required to have 6 months of training? Would you ever trust your teeth to professional with that tiny amount of training? Of course not! How about your eyes? I thought not. So, why do people trust someone with a high school diploma and six months of training to help them with their hearing? An audiologist … [Read more...]
Helen Keller also had Hearing Loss
Hearing is the essential human sense. Without hearing, we do not learn how to speak, or develop language. Hearing allows us to communicate and be a part of society. Without hearing, we are very isolated. Helen Keller said that her hearing loss was worse than her vision loss. If Helen Keller lived today, we could help her with cochlear implants. Just imagine how different her life would be. Although this is an extreme example, almost everyone with any degree of hearing loss can be helped … [Read more...]
Noise Exposure
Today I tested someone with normal hearing! That always makes me happy. I don’t often get to work with people with normal hearing. There are many things that you can do to prevent hearing loss. The biggest factor today is noise exposure. Noise is everywhere. There is so much noise in our society today that you don’t really think about it. The obvious thing that you can do is to avoid noise. This is not very easy. If you are working with power tools, lawn mowers, leaf blowers, etc., wear … [Read more...]
Smoking and Hearing Loss
Did you know that a smoker is 1.7 times more likely to have a hearing loss? Just one more reason not to smoke. Tobacco smoke affects all organs in your body. Because tobacco causes your arteries to be less flexible, less blood is able to get to reach you inner ear (cochlea). The cochlea is a tiny organ, less than a quarter of an inch. It doesn’t take much insult to cause damage. If you don’t smoke, good for you. If you do, there is help out there. If you do notice that you are having … [Read more...]
Swimmer’s Ear can ruin your Fun
Have you had a lot of company lately? I know that lots of grandchildren come to visit their Florida grandparents this time of year. Most kids love to spend a lot of time in the water whether it is the pool or the beach. Nothing ruins a vacation faster than Swimmer's Ear. It is very painful and means a trip to the doctor's office for a prescription and staying out of the water for 10 days. Certainly not what anyone plans for a vacation. There is a very simple preventative measure that … [Read more...]
HealthyHearing.com interviews Dr. Susan Terry
You can read our entire Hearing Center Interview on HealthyHearing.com - but here are some excerpts from the interview. “Part of what I saw when I was working with other people is that I couldn’t take the amount of time I thought was necessary to work with each patient,” she said. “I knew I either had to go into private practice or find another career.” That element of personal care is what sets Broadwater Hearing Care apart from other hearing centers in the area. “I structure my practice … [Read more...]
Sounds of Making a Salad – Music to Her Ears
Many years ago, I had a patient call me a couple hours after she got her hearing aids. She was so excited. She was making a salad and could hear the lettuce tearing in her hands. This is just a small everyday sound that she hadn't heard in years. Hearing the sounds around you makes your whole world richer. I have a friend and a colleague who has worn hearing aids for years. He just upgraded to the latest technology and he can hear things he hasn't heard in years. He is finding everything a … [Read more...]