The World Health Organization reports that 1.1 billion individuals are at risk for noise-induced hearing loss, generated by exposure to substantial sound levels from personal audio devices and very loud settings such as nightclubs, bars, concerts, and sporting events. An estimated 26 million Americans currently suffer from the condition. If noise-induced hearing loss occurs from […]
If we really want to understand hearing loss, we need to understand both the physical side, which makes hearing progressively difficult, and the psychological side, which includes the lesser-known emotional reactions to the loss of hearing. In conjunction, the two sides of hearing loss can wreak havoc on a person’s total well being, as the […]
Most people are surprised to learn how young the field of audiology really is, and just how recently its founding father established the profession. To put this in perspective, if you wanted to find the founding father of biology, for example, you’d have to go back in time by 2,300 years and read the The […]
Sometimes, it seems like we enjoy to deceive ourselves. Wikipedia has an entry titled “List of common misconceptions” that consists of hundreds of widely-held but false beliefs. Yes, I know it’s Wikipedia, but take a look at the bottom of the page and you’ll see approximately 385 credible sources cited. As an example, did you […]
You have just concluded your hearing test. The hearing specialist is now coming into the room and presents you with a chart, like the one above, except that it has all of these signs, colors, and lines. This is designed to demonstrate to you the exact, mathematically precise properties of your hearing loss, but to […]
We don’t need to explain to you the signs of hearing loss; you already know them all too well. You have a completely different type of problem: persuading someone you care about to get their hearing tested and treated. But just how are you expected to get through to someone who denies there is even […]
It takes the average person with hearing loss 5 to 7 years before seeking a qualified professional diagnosis, irrespective of the reality that the signs and symptoms of hearing loss are very clear to others. But are those with hearing loss simply too stubborn to get help? No, actually, and for a few different reasons. […]
If the unknown creates anxiety, then a trip to the hearing specialist is especially stressful. While almost all of us have experience with the family physician and the local dentist, the visit to the hearing specialist might be a first. It sure would be useful to have someone elaborate on the process before you start, […]
Even though many of us remain current with our annual physical, dental cleaning, and eye exam, we often fail to take into account the well-being of our hearing. And when our hearing does start to diminish, it appears so gradually that we scarcely notice and fail to do something about it. It’s this lack of […]
Do you recall the Q-Ray Bracelets? You know, the magnetic wristbands that vowed to supply instantaneous and substantial pain relief from arthritis and other chronic disorders? Well, you won’t find much of that marketing anymore; in 2008, the creators of the Q-Ray Bracelets were legally required to repay customers a maximum of $87 million because […]
