February is American Heart Month! Did you know that there is a relationship between heart disease and hearing loss!? Heart disease, also known as cardiovascular disease (CVD), occurs when blood vessels become narrowed or blocked. The relationship between heart disease and hearing loss has been studied over the years. While there is not a direct link between heart disease and hearing loss, there is a large body of evidence suggesting a relationship between the … [Read more...]

A research study completed in 2018 (Koksoy et al) looked to see if completing yoga would help patients who have bothersome tinnitus. Interestingly enough, they found that practicing yoga improved the self-reported severity of the tinnitus, reduced the amount of stress the participants felt from the tinnitus, and improved the amount of handicap the participants felt was caused by the tinnitus! Do you have tinnitus? If you do, consider finding time to do some at home yoga to see if … [Read more...]

How is your tinnitus affecting your quality of life? Now that a lot of us are in different working environments we may be surrounded by more calm, more quiet. Although less stress has been known to reduce tinnitus, quiet environments, like working from home, can make you more aware of the tinnitus. My patients are sometimes taken back a little bit when I tell them to avoid quiet environments and always have either a television or radio playing if they are home alone. The external … [Read more...]

Did you know that there is a non-profit organization that focuses on pre-injury education and post-injury medical care for women and girls with brain injuries? Their name is Pink Concussions and their website is pinkconcussions.com! They mention in their website that women and girls are rarely educated about female brain injury. They are helping spread awareness because women see a longer recovery time and risk of Prolonged Concussion Symptoms compared to males. Why do we … [Read more...]

Just how smart does hearing dog Scamp look in his bow tie? Scamp has been 16-year-old Amelia's hearing dog for just over three years now and the difference he has made has been incredible! Amelia said: “Scamp has completely changed my life for the better, he has given me the confidence to be able to do whatever I choose to do. Scamp has changed my whole view of life and how I feel about being deaf; he helps me believe anything is achievable.” Learn more about Hearing Dogs … [Read more...]

"If I knew hearing aids could help my tinnitus, I would have done this so much sooner..." Last week I had a younger woman who shared this quote after her initial hearing aid fitting. She noted that for a few years her primary care doctor had pushed aside her tinnitus (noises in the ears) as something that everyone learns to "live with". But for her, the tinnitus disrupted her everyday life! Work became harder and her attention and focus suffered because of the drowning sound of her … [Read more...]

The new year is here and with it comes the hope for a better year! For many, relationships are restored, projects are completed, gym memberships are purchased, and resolutions are made for the coming year. People have a genuine desire to live a better year than the previous one. Unfortunately, they often overlook a very important part of their health—their hearing.  According to Atlanta Hearing Associates, only 20 percent of people with hearing loss seek out treatment, and the … [Read more...]