Hearing Loss Signs for Musicians
Hearing is essential to being a musician, and yet musicians are often at a greater risk of noise-induced hearing loss. A 2017 study examined 125 musicians with at least five years of professional experience and had them undergo audiometric examinations. Among the study’s findings were that: 19.2% had bilateral hearing loss 51% reported a history…
Tuning in to the Link Between Music and Memory
If you’ve ever listened to an old vinyl that you picked up at Jackpot Records and felt like you were transported back in time to when you first heard those songs, then you know the power that music can have in helping you recall memories. Music Memory Connection A 2016 study examined how music-evoked memories…
How Fluctuating Hearing Loss Can Affect Language Development
Fluctuating hearing loss is defined as a hearing loss that frequently changes. Fluctuating hearing loss may be conductive, caused by a problem with the outer or middle ear that prevents sound from traveling through, or sensorineural, caused by a problem with the sensory hair cells within the inner ear. In this article we review how…
The Heritage of Hearing and How Genetics Play a Part
We’re still learning just how substantial a role genetics plays in so many aspects of our life, especially our health. Genetics can influence our likelihood of being diagnosed with conditions like heart disease, certain cancers, and, as some research indicates, hearing loss. Genetics and Hearing Loss There are a number of rare genetic conditions that…
May Your Days Be Merry: How to Handle Hearing Loss During the Holidays
The holidays can be a difficult time for people with hearing loss. This is because, while holiday parties are a great way to catch up with loved ones, they tend to present challenging listening situations. It’s hard to have a conversation over the sound of others talking, dishes clanking and holiday music playing in the…
Can Humidifiers Help with Your Allergies?
If you’re experiencing itchy eyes, congestion, runny nose, scratchy throat or any other symptoms associated with allergies, you’ll do just about anything to find relief. For some, this can be achieved by simply running a humidifier. Humidifiers are devices that release steam or water vapor into the air, increasing the humidity. Below we review what…
Audiology Awareness Month: How Hearing Care Is Better than Technology Alone
Did you know that October is Audiology Awareness Month? That means there’s no better time to see an audiologist so you can treat your hearing loss. Left untreated, hearing loss can lead to social withdrawal, feelings of loneliness, depression, anxiety, falls and even cognitive decline. Below we review what your options are for treating your…
What is Telecoil and How Can it Help?
Even with the use of hearing aids people can struggle to hear in busy, public places with a lot of background noise. Sounds can blend and become muddled. It can become difficult to focus on what you actually want to hear, whether that’s the gate change announcement at the airport or music at the Arlene…
How the Flu Affects Your Hearing
As miserable as the flu can leave you feeling, there’s a lesser-known side effect of it that is fairly common: temporary hearing loss. When you’re sick, fluid may build up in the middle ear and Eustachian tube, a thin canal in the back of the throat that connects the middle ear with the nasopharynx. This congestion…
Retraining Your Sense of Smell After COVID
By now you’re probably aware that anosmia, the medical term for loss of smell, is one of the hallmark symptoms of COVID-19. While the exact number of patients affected varies, the experience averages out to about 41 percent.1 Indeed, loss of smell is so common that some professionals advocate using smell as a diagnostic test…
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