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How Do I Know If I Have Hearing Loss?

Ever find yourself asking people to repeat themselves more often than you’d like? Or maybe you’ve noticed you’re turning up the volume on your television a little bit higher than usual? If so, you’re not alone. Hearing loss is more common than most people realize, and millions of individuals experience it every year. For some, it creeps in gradually, making it easy to overlook, while others face it suddenly. But here’s the good news: recognizing the signs early can make all the difference. Early detection not only helps protect your quality of life but also opens the door to effective solutions.

Image with various hearing related icons

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

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OVER-THE-COUNTER HEARING LOSS

While past studies have largely focused on men with hearing loss related to taking over-the-counter (OTC) pain relievers, a more recent study concerns women with the same problem. According to a large Harvard study involving middle-aged female nurses, those taking ibuprofen or acetaminophen on a regular basis experienced a 20 percent higher risk of hearing loss. Curiously, the study did not show that aspirin produced the same effect even though it is the only OTC pain reliever to carry a warning of potential hearing loss and tinnitus (ringing in the ears) on its label. Hearing loss that does not go away

RUPTURED EARDRUM

The eardrum, a thin layer of tissue that separates the ear canal from the middle ear, vibrates when sound waves hit it. In turn, those vibrations pass through the bones of the middle ear and are transformed into electrical signals that are sent to the brain. When the eardrum ruptures (due to very loud noises, ear infections, pressure changes between the inside and outside of the eardrum, injury, and foreign objects inserted into the ear), hearing loss, earache, discharge, and/or loud buzzing noises can result. Inspection of the ear with a otoscope can help determine the extent of damage. Fortunately, any

HOW WELL DO YOU HEAR?

Because enjoying music and watching videos on any number of personal electronic devices are such popular pastimes with so many people, they may want to have their hearing checked out. An “audiometry test” utilizes an “audiometer” to introduce sounds into a headphone (one ear at a time), which the wearer uses to hear a variety of sounds at different intervals. The test enables the hearing professional administering it to determine at what level of intensity of a person can hear. If the individual being tested has any hearing loss, the hearing specialist can suggest ways to correct the problem and avoid

NOT ANOTHER CHICKEN JOKE

Sometimes help comes from the unlikeliest sources, in this case, chickens. It seems that, unlike humans, chickens have the ability to restore lost hearing. In fact, all vertebrates (the defining characteristic of which having a vertebral column, or spine), with the notable exception of mammals, have the same ability to restore their own damaged hearing. In the case of chickens, they have supporting cells in their inner ears that can replace “hair cells” that have been damaged by loud noises or other causes. With this in mind, researchers’ goal is to identify the mechanism behind chickens’ ability to repair harmed hair