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Well Hearing is Well Being

Good hearing and communication are important through all stages of life Statistics Canada reports that 21% of adults have mild hearing loss2 whereas 7% of adults2 experience “moderate or worse” hearing loss. And hearing loss is generally prevalent over age 50. Hearing loss can be avoided through preventative actions like protecting your ears from loud sounds, practicing healthy ear care and keeping up with immunizations. Those at risk of hearing loss should have their hearing checked regularly because hearing loss can be addressed easily when it is identified in a timely manner. How can you take control of your hearing health?

Separate photos of a man playing guitar and a man using binoculars while hunting

Custom Hearing Protection

Did you know that 1.1 billion people around the world are estimated to be at risk of noise-induced hearing loss? While working in a loud environment or being surrounded by noise may not be something you can always avoid, protecting your hearing IS! 50% of young people admit to listening to their music too loudly and 70% of people exposed to loud noise seldom wear hearing protection. And excessive exposure to noises higher than 85dB can damage your hearing. Here’s some common noise decibels for reference… Gun shot: 140 Jackhammer: 130 Motorsport: 100 Hairdryer: 90 Airplane cabin: 80 We’ve all been

Group of people standing together shoulder to shoulder

Gift of Hearing Contest

According to the CDC, the prevalence of hearing loss is twice as common as diabetes or cancer. And although more common in adults ages 50 and up, hearing loss a ects all ages, demographics and people across the globe. About 40 million adults ages 20-69 in the U.S. alone have noise-induced hearing loss, and approximately 3 in every 1,000 babies are born with detectable hearing loss in one or both ears. At Ear and Hearing Clinic, we believe that hearing well is essen al to being able to live life to the fullest! We are dedicated and passionate about crea ng

AN OPEN DISCUSSION

In terms of gaining widespread acceptance by those in need of hearing instruments, the largest strides have been made by recently developed “open-fit” hearing instruments. Not only have these compact instruments proven their ability to help wearers hear better in social settings (which often pose the greatest challenge to hearing instrument users), they are exceedingly comfortable. Open-fit users are particularly enthusiastic about the instruments’ design, which eliminates the need for custom-fitted molds that fit tightly in the ear canal. Instead, open-fit instruments feed processed sound from the small unity, which sits inconspicuously behind the ear, to the ear opening via a

WEIGHING HEAVILY ON THE EARS

Obesity has been linked to an array of health problems, and it seems that impaired hearing is the latest. Analysis of health data of 68,000 women participating in the Harvard Nurses’ Health Study suggests that carrying extra pounds, especially around the waist, may be linked to hearing loss. Researchers found that women who were obese (defined as having BMIs between 30 and 39) were 17 percent to 22 percent more likely to report hearing loss than women whose BMIs were less than 25. (Body Mass Index, or BMI, is a measurement of body fat based on a ratio of height and

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PAINKILLERS LINKED TO HEARING LOSS

As you probably already know, over-the-counter pain-killing medications such as acetaminophen and ibuprofen come with their share of potential side effects, some of which may be quite serious. One recent example of this type of side effect comes from a study that uncovered an association between hearing loss and the long-term use of acetaminophen and “non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs” (NSAIDs) such as ibuprofen. When researchers analyzed data on 55,850 women between the ages of 44 and 69, they found that, over a 22-year period, one-third of the women reported some level of hearing loss. While this finding does not prove cause and

AVOIDING WAXY BUILDUPS

It is especially important for hearing instrument users to avoid earwax (cerumen) buildup. Accumulations of the fatty substance produced by the sweat glands inside the ear not only damage the hearing instrument, but they also can reduce its effectiveness by blocking sound, causing feedback, and producing poor fit. Left to its own devices, earwax will normally migrate through the ear canal and shed on its own. However, because a hearing instrument may block the wax’s normal passage, it is recommended that hearing instrument users visit an audiologist every three to six months to inspect their ears with an otoscope and treat

HURRICANE FORCE

If you stifle a sneeze, you run the real risk of damaging your eardrums or sinuses or even getting an ear infection. The exhaled air from a sneeze exits through the nose and mouth at speeds of about 100 miles per hour. When these exits are closed, a sneeze has nowhere else to go but into the “Eustachian” tube (which connects the nasal passages to the middle ear) and on to the eardrum. Consequently, it is possible that a very strong sneeze could propel air into the eardrum forcefully enough to rupture it. Fortunately, it is more difficult to pinch the

It’s Time to Give the Gift of Hearing

We’ve selected the winner of Ear & Hearing Clinic’s annual Gift of Hearing contest! Before introducing this year’s lucky recipient of FREE hearing aids, we want to thank everyone who took the time to enter. There are many kind and caring people in our community who truly live the sentiment behind Gift of Hearing: “To hear every sound is to live a fulfilling life. Reward a friend with the gift of hearing.” We received quite a few heartfelt nominations, once again making the choice of a winner a difficult one. Our 2017 winner, John Leibold, was nominated by a friend, who