Do’s and don’ts of getting rid of earwax

Earwax, also known as cerumen, is a gray, orange or yellow material made in the ear canal. It cleans and protects the ears from bacteria, dust, foreign particles, and microorganisms. In normal conditions, wax works its way out of the canal and into the ear opening naturally. However, when there is a build-up of wax, there are many ways to remove it. Some are safe, and some are not. Let’s review best practices for dealing with earwax.

Do’s

1. Do understand that earwax is normal. If it does not block the ear canal or impede your hearing, it can be left as is.
2. Do know the symptoms of earwax build-up. These include decreased hearing, ear fullness, ringing in the ears, and changes to hearing aid functionality (distortion, etc.).
3. Do seek medical help if you experience a change in hearing, ringing, or fullness in your ears, and/or ear pain. Other conditions may exhibit symptoms like earwax build-up, such as ear infections. See a medical professional to rule these out if you experience any of the previously mentioned signs.
4. Do ask a medical professional prior to using at-home remedies to remove earwax. Certain medical conditions can make some at-home remedies unsafe.

Don’ts

1. Don’t clean your ears too much. Overcleaning can cause irritation or infection of the ear canal and can even cause the wax to build up.
2. Don’t put anything smaller than your elbow in your ear. Avoid using cotton swabs, bobby pins, keys, paper clips, etc. to clean or scratch your ears. These can cause damage to your ear canal — such as a cut, or even puncture of the eardrum — which can lead to many other issues.
3. Don’t use ear candles. Studies have shown ear candling does not reduce the amount of wax in individuals’ ear canals. Additionally, ear candling can damage the ear canal and eardrum.
4. Don’t forget to clean your hearing aids as recommended by your hearing healthcare professional. Click here for more information on how to clean your hearing aids.

If you think you may have earwax build-up, are concerned about your hearing, or want a baseline hearing test, we can help. Call us today!

Through my eyes: My first 48 hours with hearing aids

Article from an editor and writer for Medical News Today. We loved his story that is below and had to share with you all!

As an editor and writer for Medical News Today, I am constantly exploring the causes and effects of a range of different diseases and conditions.

At the time of writing, I have been wearing my hearing aids for 2 days, yet their impact is already astounding.

From time to time, I find that a particular article will pop up and alert me to my own health issues. And that is exactly what happened when I looked into deafness and hearing loss around a year ago.

I was going through the questions a doctor might ask during diagnosis, and I was staggered to find that as few as 5 percent of them did not apply to my own ears.

Sure enough, I took these issues to a doctor, and entered the referral process for treatment by an ear, nose, and throat specialist.

After 8 months of waiting, I now have two hearing aids. At the time of writing, I have only been wearing them for 2 days, yet their impact is already significantly greater than I could ever have imagined.

A gradual, creeping impact on your life

To recap, I'm lucky enough to have retained at least half of my hearing in each ear. At present, I can lead a mostly active, healthy life, I don't need to communicate with sign language, and my work is unaffected.

However, it's all too easy to dismiss the impact of a gradual, creeping condition such as hearing loss. It can develop suddenly, or, as in my case, take 20 years to reach a diagnosable level.

I will be 30 years old this year, and those 20 years mark a hugely important period in anyone's life.

Whether you are trying to make an impact as a young professional starting out, rounding off your formal education, building a family, or all of the above, you will undoubtedly be taking account of parts of your life that are becoming increasingly important and complex.

Communication is a huge part of navigating this formative stage. If any element of communication is lacking, it can have a significant impact on the way your personality develops, and the methods you use to connect with the outside world.

The big kicker with gradual-onset hearing loss is that you are not aware of how it's changing you until the physical symptoms have become moderate to severe.

Socializing becomes too much of a risk

Every pang of guilt or embarrassment after saying "what?" or "huh?" might lead to another night when you don't risk going out to socialize. You end up distancing softly-spoken colleagues, friends, and even family members, simply because the effort it takes to process their speech can become draining.ADVERTISEMENTNarcolepsy Test - Identify the SymptomsThis online test can help identify the signs of cataplexy in narcolepsy.MoreThanTired.com

I've forgotten what it's like to chat with a friend at a concert or even a bar. Very often, I will have great difficulty separating conversational frequencies from noises in the environment, making it almost impossible to fully focus on what people are saying.

Something as trivial as needing subtitles when watching television programs and movies with other people can create an isolating feeling of being stigmatized.

Even though your friends are probably understanding, and although subtitles exist to significantly improve the viewing experience for people who cannot hear as well as others, it can still be hard to ignore the underlying feeling of being 'different.'

As a result of these fleeting moments and hang-ups, I developed subtle, invisible coping mechanisms to anchor my social interactions.

For example, I cycle between a set of 10–15 stock phrases that I wheel out based on tone of voice and general context.

"Absolutely!"

"100 percent!"

"I can fully understand that."

"Tell me about it!"

None of these seem out of place in a conversation. However, once they become a substitute for genuine responses and coherent conversational flow, they develop into a cornerstone of shame and awkwardness in daily encounters.

Until you start looking at hearing loss as a condition, it simply feels like part of your worldview. Even if it hasn't yet reached the stage of impairing daily function, it can still strip at least 30–50 percent of the human experience from your day.

After writing the MNT article on hearing loss, I followed this journey to hearing aids on my doctor's recommendation.

Even though I'm missing only one layer of frequencies, the difference is remarkable.

Even food comes alive with hearing aids

My new hearing aids are discreet yet powerful — sometimes, to my underused ears, excessively so.

The hearing aids are discreet yet powerful, sometimes amplifying sounds too much.

A packet of chips opening 20 feet away sounds like it's crinkling next to my head; I can hear the wheels of a stroller from a balcony five floors up; even the cacophony during bathroom breaks sounds like a National Geographic documentary.

There are unexpected changes, too. My experience of food has completely altered — the additional frequencies adding a lightness of bite and extra crunch that I was previously unaware of.

Using a hearing loop system for the first time at a concert was emotionally overwhelming. My balance and spatial awareness have also greatly improved in these first few days of wearing my hearing aids.

My hearing no longer feels impaired — that is, until I remove the hearing aids. Those few moments in the day without them, such as going to the gym or grabbing a shower, are now pretty draining by comparison.

However, I have heard about 20 birdsongs for the first time in the last 48 hours, and I've listened to the phasing hiss of the sea as I've never listened before.

And, I was hit by a hailstorm that might genuinely be the single most impressive thing I've ever heard, although until 2 days ago, the bar was not all that high.

I have a lot to learn about life with hearing aids, but my first lesson was that no one close to me sees it as a negative life event. Everyone has been congratulating me as if I've just become a parent for the first time.

I've realized that however self-conscious you might feel about wearing hearing aids, people only see it as a connection with the world, and this is a huge deal. I see my hearing aids as an opportunity, rather than as debilitating or cumbersome devices.

My hearing aids are a game-changer

There'll be occasional squeals of feedback, and keeping them wedged in my ears can be a challenge, especially while moving around. However, I'm in the early stages of treatment and already connecting with the world more closely.

While my hearing aids are not perfect yet, they remain a genuine game-changer.

If conversations have started to become a struggle for you, or if you've passed on getting a hearing aid because of the visual aspect, then I urge you to look into your options. Visit your doctor, speak to your insurer about coverage, and weigh up hearing assistance as a real option.

Sound is 20 percent of your experience as a human. Conversation, music, and background noise are all part of keeping a steady headspace and progressing with your day. Protecting and enhancing that is a life-changing step to take for people who can't process sound as well as others do.

I cannot wait to stick these bad boys in upon waking up tomorrow and seeing what else I can discover for the first time.

How hearing loss can lead to social isolation

Helen Keller once said, “Blindness cuts us off from things, but deafness cuts us off from people.” While it can seem like a bit of jump from “I can’t hear” to “I am all alone”, the path is more straightforward than you’d think, particularly when you realize most people wait ten years, on average, to do anything about their hearing loss.

Let’s follow the path with a fictional but very representative “Betty Jones.”

Things are “great” at 50

Betty is 50 when her daughter goes off to college. She is at a highpoint. She just got a promotion at work, and is in a book club and card club with her lifelong friends. She has season tickets to the theater and regularly goes out for lunch and dinner with colleagues and acquaintances. Life is going great!

Betty is 52 years old when she first notices that she is missing things. At work, the people on the other end of the conference table seem to mumble. And when her daughter isn’t facing her, she misunderstands her more easily. But Betty can effortlessly explain all this away: people should speak up in meetings, and her daughter has always mumbled.

At 56, things are just “fine”

When Betty is 56, some listening situations have gotten worse. But in her opinion, it isn’t anything she can’t handle. Sure, she stopped going to her book club because everyone talks all at once and it gets so loud. And OK, she let her season tickets for the theater go because it’s too much like work to try and follow the plays and musicals. And yes, at work, the phones got harder and harder to hear ever since they installed the new phone system. But that has nothing to do with hearing loss, if you ask Betty.

Anyway, her daughter is getting married, so there’s no time to think about hearing loss.

Changes become noticeable at 60

At 60, Betty is running into challenges at work. The conference calls and meetings make her tired as she tries to follow all the overlapping conversations. So she reduced the number of meetings she attends, and chooses to focus on paperwork and solo projects instead. Most of her contact with customers is via email now.

Betty doesn’t see her friends as often either. She stopped card club because it’s too hard hearing the bids at the table. Her lunch group is still going, but Betty will only go if they pick a restaurant that isn’t too busy or loud.

For her 60^th birthday, Betty’s daughter, son-in-law and three-year-old grandson came to visit. While at Betty’s house, her daughter noticed that she isn’t as outgoing as she used to be, and prefers to stay home rather than go out to eat or shop. She also noticed that her mom was turning the TV up and asking them all to repeat themselves more often — and that she doesn’t hear much of what her young grandson says, which is frustrating and sad for all involved. Betty’s daughter asks her about getting her hearing checked.

Hearing loss and social isolation don't happen overnight

In the last 10 years, what happened to Betty? Her work and social life declined. Her relationships grew distant. She became isolated.

With hearing loss — because it progresses slowly — we adapt and don’t even notice that we have cut ourselves off. Sometimes it takes our family to first realize it. Sometimes, we wake up and realize what we have lost on our own. Too often, we don’t realize what’s happening until it’s too late.

Don’t be a Betty and ignore your hearing loss. There’s too much you could miss…too many ties that could unbind. Treat it before it’s too late.

Call us today!

Do’s and don’ts of living with tinnitus

Over 50 million Americans experience tinnitus — or ringing in the ears. When you first realize you have tinnitus, it can be difficult to know what to do. Here is a starter list of dos and don’ts for people dealing with tinnitus.

Do’s

1. Do talk to a hearing health professional if tinnitus is affecting your ability to sleep, read, concentrate or take part in normal activities.
2. Do realize that every person responds to tinnitus differently. There is no right or wrong way.
3. Do avoid anxiety and/or stress as it can aggravate tinnitus.
4. Do look at apps and equipment that can help at bedtime to make falling asleep easier.
5. Do know that tinnitus can be managed even if it cannot be cured.

Don’ts

1. Don’t believe everything you read about tinnitus being cured by herbs or supplements. Management via sound therapy or personal devices is the most successful way to treat tinnitus.
2. Don’t forget that tinnitus can be a symptom of something else, so it is important to have it checked out by a professional.
3. Don’t forget about things that can aggravate tinnitus like caffeine, lack of sleep, stress, and even aspirin.
4. Don’t think you are alone! One in six people deal with tinnitus.
5. Don’t forget about hearing protection!Loud sounds and environments can trigger and/or aggravate tinnitus.

For more tips, reach out to Chicagoland Hearing Aid Centers! We are hear to help <3

Are rechargeable hearing aids right for me?

Rechargeable hearing aids are a fairly recent addition to the hearing healthcare landscape. In the past, rechargeable batteries couldn’t provide enough power in a small enough battery to be feasible for use in hearing aids. Recently, though, thanks to lithium-ion technology, rechargeable batteries are not only available, they are also long-lasting and reliable for use in hearing aids!

So the answer to whether rechargeable hearing aids are right for you is YES…probably. Let me explain.

Starkey makes two rechargeable hearing aid systems

A rechargeable hearing aid system consists of hearing aids with rechargeable batteries, a charging station for the hearing aids, and a power cord. When the hearing aids are not in use, they should rest in their charger, which also doubles as case.

It is as simple as that — if the hearing aids aren’t on your ears, they should be charging in their case! The chance of losing the hearing aids is lessened. And charging time is typically short, so the hearing aids are always ready to be used. Starkey’s Livio AI and Muse iQR charging stations can even charge the hearing aids up to three times without being plugged into an outlet.

There are many benefits to rechargeable hearing aids

The benefits of rechargeable hearing aids are many. You no longer need to buy hearing aid batteries. You don’t have to worry about keeping spare batteries on hand. If you keep them charged, you shouldn’t run out of power at inconvenient times. Rechargeable hearing aids are better for the environment because you aren’t buying and disposing of regular, zinc batteries. There is no need to fumble with inserting or removing tiny batteries from the hearing instruments. In fact, there is no battery door on the newest rechargeable hearing aids.

Not all styles come in a rechargeable option

The only downside to rechargeable systems is that they aren’t available in all styles of hearing aids yet. If you want custom hearing aids, you’ll have to use regular hearing aid batteries.

Otherwise, rechargeable hearing aids are a great solution for someone who wants a low-fuss and reliable battery system for their hearing healthcare needs!

Contact us to learn more!

At the gym, turn up the beat, not the dB!

Have you set a goal to get healthier this year? Are you going to the gym or perhaps a workout class a few times a week? Congratulations on setting your goal and taking steps to reach it!

With the rising popularity of fitness classes and niche workout gyms, loud music goes in parallel with the workout, sweat, and pounding heart rates. However, instructors and participants of these classes may be at risk of damaging their hearing.

As we set goals to improve our physical health, it’s important we’re mindful of our overall health, including our hearing, as well.

Know safe listening levels

The unit of measurement used to express the intensity of sound is the decibel (dB). According to the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health’s standards, safe levels of noise exposure are as follows:

• 85 dB for eight hours
• 88 dB for four hours
• 91 dB for two hours
• 94 dB for one hour
• 97 dB for half an hour
• 100 dB for 15 minutes

Average loudness levels of workout classes reach unsafe listening levels quickly. Research from George Mason University in Virginia has shown that many classes average noise levels well over 90 dB, with some between 100 to 110 decibels — around the level of a rock concert or chainsaw!

You can prevent noise-induced hearing loss

Noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL) is the only preventable cause of hearing loss. Although you may adjust to the loud music in a workout class, unfortunately, your ears and brain will not. Once you lose your hearing from noise exposure, known as a NIHL, your hearing will not regenerate. A NIHL is typically gradual; by the time you notice it, it is often too late to prevent damage. However, it’s never too late to take action and prevent further harm.

The majority of gym instructors/owners believe loud music is motivating and helps retain clients, however, not all members agree. Most importantly, research suggests increasing the tempo/beat (instead of the volume) is the best way motivate fitness classes.

Red flags the gym music is too loud

1. Trust your gut. If you think it’s too loud, it probably is.
2. You have to shout for your neighbor to hear you.
3. Your ear(s) are ringing during and/or after class.

Download the mobile application SoundCheck by Starkey, which lets your phone measure environmental noise levels in real time. This will help you know if the music is played at a safe volume. SoundCheck can be used in situations outside of the gym, too — like at restaurants and concerts, etc.

Five tips to avoid NIHL in fitness classes

1. When considering joining a gym, try it out a few times to evaluate the noise level, and make sure it is an acceptable volume by using the SoundCheck app.
2. Be an advocate for healthy hearing. Talk to the teachers and/or the gym manager/owner about the loudness level. If it’s too loud for you, you are likely not the only one.
3. Get your hearing tested, especially if you experience a change in your hearing, or ringing or fullness in your ears over 24 hours.
4. Wear hearing protection during classes and find a place in the class that’s as far away from the speakers as possible. Foam earplugs are an economical solution, or consider purchasing custom earplugs to best reduce the sound levels.
5. Take a break during class. When you need a sip of water or to towel off, step out of class for 30-60 seconds to give your ears a rest.

Chicagoland Hearing Aid Centers advocates living a healthy lifestyle, and we’re here to remind you to take care of your hearing in addition to the rest of you. Hear better. Live better!

Contact us here.

The first and only hearing aid with fall detection and alerts

If you’re an older adult — or care for someone who is — falling is likely to be high on your list of worries. And rightfully so, according to the National Council on Aging¹:

• Every 11 seconds, an older adult is treated in an emergency room for a fall-related injury.
• Falls are the leading cause of fatal and non-fatal injuries for older Americans. 

That’s why we’re excited to introduce the latest feature of our Via^® AI hearing aids, the world’s first hearing aid with artificial intelligence and integrated sensors.

Using their built-in 3D sensors, Via AI hearing aids can detect when a wearer falls, and send alert messages to selected friends or family members. Now, in addition to wearers enjoying our best sounding hearing aid ever, they and their loved ones can enjoy increased peace of mind, too.

Hearing loss and falling are common side effects of aging

Nearly 40 percent of people who live at home after reaching the age of 65 will fall at least once a year.²Accidental falls pose a significant health risk to older adults. They often lead to a loss of independence, and can abruptly alter the course of one’s life.

And people with mild hearing loss are three times more likely to have a history of falling than peers with normal hearing.³

This correlation between hearing loss, aging and falling is one reason why Starkey designed the world’s first hearing aid with a fall detection feature. The odds of having hearing loss and falling increase as we age, so having a single device that can help with multiple aging issues — as opposed to a different device for each — is significantly more convenient and beneficial for users.

Hearing aids are ideal for detecting falls

Plus, unlike other fall-detection devices, which hang around the neck or are worn on the wrist, Via Ai benefits from the anatomy and physiology of the human body. During typical, daily activities and instances of falls, muscles in the neck work with the balance system of the inner ear to protect and stabilize the head. Since hearing aids are worn on the head, they are naturally less prone to mistake daily activities for falls than the devices worn on other parts of the body.⁴

How fall detection and alerts work

• The hearing aid wearer selects up to three contacts to be notified if they fall.
• They (or their hearing professional) can enter contacts easily into the Thrive Hearing app.
• The auto alert feature automatically sends an alert to the contact(s) if the hearing aid wearer falls.
• The alert contains the GPS location of the wearer.
• The contact can then immediately call the wearer back to check on them or otherwise get them help.
• The manual alert feature allows the wearer to simply tap their hearing aid to send an alert for a fall or non-fall related event.

Want to try Via AI for yourself and learn more about its one-of-a-kind features? We can help! Contact Chicagoland Hearing Aid Centers today to schedule your first consultation!

Sources:¹ National Council on Aging² Rubenstein, L. Z. (2006). Falls in older people: epidemiology, risk factors and strategies for prevention. Age Ageing 35, ii37–ii41³ National Council on Aging. (n.d.). Fall prevention facts. Retrieved from: https://www.ncoa.org/news/ resources-for-reporters/get-the-facts/falls-prevention-facts/⁴ Cola, G., Avvenuti, M., Piazza, P. & Vecchio, A. Fall Detection Using a Head-Worn Barometer. International Conference on Wireless Mobile Communication and Healthcare 217-224 (Springer, Cham, 2016)

You’d be surprised by which musicians are more likely to have hearing issues

This hearing fact is interesting, as it is definitely counterintuitive! Classical music is not usually played at the volume or intensity of rock music, nor amplified on stage with jumbo speakers.

But in a National Public Radio story titled, “For Musicians, Hearing Loss is More Common Than One Would Think,” audiologist Marshall Chasin — who works with musicians who have hearing loss issues — makes the case.

As Dr. Chasin notes, “It turns out that classical music is actually more damaging than rock ‘n’ roll. A rock ‘n’ roller might pick up their guitar on a Friday night gig, and may not even practice or touch their music for another week or two until the next gig. In contrast, a classical musician plays four, five hours a day practicing, they may teach one or two hours a day, and then they have four or five, or maybe seven or eight, different performances every week. So even though the spot intensity might be greater for a rock ‘n’ roll set, if you take the dose that they get — the number of hours per week you’re playing — for a classical musician, it’s much, much greater.”

If you are a musician — or one of the other 40+ million Americans with noise-induced hearing loss — do what the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention recommends and get a hearing evaluation right away. 

Contact us here to set up your first appointment :)

Your hearing bone is connected to your brain bone

In a Johns Hopkins news release from 2013 summarizing their study on hearing loss’s effects on the human brain, Dr. Frank Lin — director of the study, and one of the world’s foremost experts on the subject — had an interesting quote:

"Our results show that hearing loss should not be considered an inconsequential part of aging, because it may come with some serious long-term consequences to healthy brain functioning."

He went on to offer this advice, “Our findings emphasize just how important it is for physicians to discuss hearing with their patients and to be proactive in addressing any hearing declines over time."

The body of research linking hearing loss to cognitive decline and even dementia is one reason why we engineered our new Livio AI, the world’s first hearing aid embedded with 3D sensors and artificial intelligence. In addition to it being our best sounding and best performing hearing aid ever, it enable the wearer to help monitor their brain health and stay active and engaged.

Listen to Dr. Lin, and be proactive in addressing your hearing decline

Not sure where to start? We can help. Call us today to set up your first hearing consultation! We are hear to help!

“I can hear but I can’t understand”

One of the first things people with hearing loss observe is “I hear people fine, but I don’t understand what they are saying.”

This is a consistent complaint of individuals who are experiencing the effects of a “sloping high frequency hearing loss.“

Let’s talk about what’s happening and why so many have this complaint

Hearing loss involves not only our ears, but also our brain: where sound waves are coded by the ears and then translated into meaningful words. While hearing loss can present itself in varying degrees of severity in different frequencies, a very common progression of inner ear hearing loss is sloping high frequency hearing loss.

We commonly measure hearing from 250 to 8000 Hz. Individuals with “high frequency” hearing loss have no loss at frequencies below 1000 Hz (lower pitched frequencies), but have abnormal results in the range of 1000 to 8000 Hz (higher pitched frequencies). High frequency hearing loss is one of the most common variances of hearing loss there is.

• 

An audiogram of what sloping, high-frequency hearing loss looks like

Different speech signals produce different frequencies

When examining human speech signals, we see that there are lower pitched sounds or vowels (A, E, I, O and U) and higher pitched sounds or consonants (S,F , Th, Sh, Ch, K, P and H). Being able to hear vowels in the lower pitched frequencies gives us a sensation of hearing speech, but not being able to hear higher pitched sound or “consonants” is what compromises our ability to understand full words. (So we hear, but we don’t understand.)

The high-pitched frequencies where consonants occur is where the discrimination of different words happen. When we have high-frequency hearing loss, we lose the ability to hear the “consonant” sounds efficiently and, thus, our ability to tell the difference between words such as ‘Cat” or “Hat”.

Key sounds and letters aren’t heard clearly

Imagine having a book with every S, F, Th, Sh, Ch, K, P and H erased. You could read part of the book and understand some of it, but you would not be able to understand many key words and phrases and, as a result, be challenged to understand it. This is what is happening with a high frequency hearing loss. You can hear part of the message, however your high frequency loss has “erased” the key sounds or letters needed for discrimination and understanding.

Luckily, high frequency hearing loss can usually be helped with proper diagnosis and appropriate amplification. Plus, now with the transcribe feature on our new Via^® AI hearing aids, you can transcribe a conversation into text, to help ensure you never miss a word or phrase again.

Contact us today, here!

Photo by rawpixel on Unsplash

If I have tinnitus, does it mean I also have hearing loss?

Tinnitus is defined as “the hearing of sound when no external sound is present.” It is one of the most common complaints reported to hearing healthcare professionals. Certainly, tinnitus is associated with hearing loss. That doesn’t mean, though, that if one has tinnitus, hearing loss is also present.

Why tinnitus and hearing loss typically come as a matched set

To hear, sound is funneled through the outer and middle ear to the inner ear. Microscopic hair cells inside the inner ear are responsible for carrying sound through auditory nerves to the brain. Hearing loss can occur at any stage of this process: the outer ear, the middle ear, the hair cells, the auditory nerve or the brain.

Interestingly, tinnitus, too, can be caused at any point in the process! For example, tinnitus can be caused by a wax impaction in the ear canal; it can be caused by middle ear disease such as fluid or Meniere’s Syndrome; it can be caused by damage to the hair cells in the inner ear; and it can be caused by inappropriate firing of nerve cells within the brain.

It's likely that what’s causing your tinnitus is also causing hearing loss

Because both hearing loss and, likely, tinnitus are caused or triggered by the same “malfunction” in our hearing system, there’s a good chance that if you have tinnitus, you’ll also experience hearing loss. We see that often. But not always.

Why? Because there are other triggers for tinnitus that aren’t caused by problems with the ear. For instance, medications (particularly high doses of aspirin), stress, high blood pressure, heart disease and temporomandibular joint (TMJ) disfunction can cause tinnitus.

Get it checked out

If you are experiencing tinnitus, a visit with qualified hearing healthcare professional should be the first stop in finding a cause for your tinnitus. Because hearing loss is often associated with tinnitus, ruling out hearing loss makes sense. If hearing loss is detected, it is likely that the tinnitus is related to the hearing loss. If no hearing loss is detected, it’s time for a visit with your primary care physician to explore other possibilities. 

Contact us today to set up your first hearing consultation with a professional, here! Happy Hearing :)

What’s good for your heart isn’t necessarily good for your ears!

It’s mid-February. How are your New Year’s resolutions going? Was one of them to exercise more? That’s still a fantastic resolution — so long as you’re mindful of the exercise you choose. 

Indoor cycling — also known as spinning — has been growing in popularity. And while it’s great for your cardiovascular and respiratory systems, turns out it’s not so good for your auditory system.

Why? Because the music played in class — which is used to motivate and energize you — is typically played at volumes that far exceed safe levels. This recent vox.com article goes into more details.

We aren’t suggesting you should stop exercising. But we are recommending that if spinning is one of your workouts, wear earplugs! 

Not sure if exposure to loud music has harmed your ears over the years? Call Chicagoland Hearing Aid Centers today to schedule a hearing consultation!

February: A time for healthy relationships, a healthy heart — and healthy hearing

February is American Heart Month, and we want to take a moment to talk about how our hearts and overall cardiovascular system are tied to our hearing, and how keeping both systems healthy can lead to a healthier and better life.

Heart disease is a big issue in the United States. In fact, it’s the leading cause of death for both men and women. According to the American Heart Association, almost 787,000 deaths in 2011 were linked to heart disease, stroke and other cardiovascular diseases, and according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, heart disease is the cause of almost 610,000 deaths per year. 

Cardiovascular disease affects mostly the heart and the blood vessels. Plaque will build up around the arteries, restricting blood flow and resulting in a condition called atherosclerosis, which leads directly to heart disease. What you may not realize, is that there is not only a cardiovascular health link to heart health — it’s also connected to hearing health.

Our ears need proper blood flow to function their best

Blood flow is extremely important to all organs of the body, and the inner ear is particularly sensitive. When there isn’t enough blood flow to the inner ears, it can cause nerve damage, impacting a person’s ability to hear. According to ENT Today, the nerves residing inside the inner ear are so sensitive that they are often the first parts of the body to be affected by cardiovascular disease.

With that being said, healthy hearing can be indicative of a healthy cardiovascular system, and a healthy cardiovascular system can help ensure our hearing remains healthy.

Hearing well can reduce stress, which is good for the heart

When it comes to taking care of your cardiovascular health, reducing stress is one of the best ways to ensure your heart is healthy. Something that can cause a lot of stress is miscommunication, especially among loved ones.

A harmful side effect of hearing loss is the breakdown of communication between you and your loved ones. Research has shown, that people who do not treat their hearing loss often become isolated from loved ones. Even communicating the little things is important to strengthening your overall relationship and reducing everyday stress. Treating your hearing loss not only improves your hearing, but it can also improve your relationships and reduce your stress — which can lead to a lessened risk of cardiovascular disease.

Via AI hearing aids can help keep your hearing and heart healthy

One way to help keep your cardiovascular system healthy is by exercising regularly. A revolutionary new tool to hear your best and track your exercise is our Via AI® AI hearing aids. Thanks to built-in 3D sensors and artificial intelligence, these cutting-edge hearing aids let you track both your brain and body activity — based partly on the amount of time you spend exercising — which is an excellent way to reduce your risk of heart disease, according to the American Heart Association.

Healthy hearing, a healthy heart and healthy relationships are perfect focuses for American Heart Month and also the month of Valentine’s Day. We encourage you to take control of all three this month and all year long!

Contact Chicagoland Hearing Aid Centers today!

Noise annoyance is more than just annoying

Hearing loss has nearly double in just the past 15 years — and chalked up much of the increase to noise-induced hearing loss.

But our increasingly louder world doesn’t just effect our hearing. Studies have also shown that “noise annoyance” can cause stress, anger and disturbed sleep, all of which can permanently impair our physical health and mental well-being.

One study — by the Department of Cardiology at the Mainz University Medical Center — confirmed that noise annoyance increases the incidence or arterial fibrillation, which can lead to strokes, blood clots and heart failure.

So what can you do to prevent noise annoyance? Minimizing your exposure to excessively loud noises is the best recommendation.

For more tips or advice, consult with Chicagoland Hearing Aid Centers today by calling us today! Click here.

Is ‘getting hearing aids’ on your honey-do list?

Treating hearing loss has been proven to provide many benefits, like better hearing, improved communication and confidence, and reduced risk of cognitive decline, to name a few.

But friends and family get to enjoy the benefits of their loved one wearing hearing aids, too. Some benefits, like closer relationships, less worry, and increased participation are huge. Others, like noticing faucets that need to be fixed, aren’t as obvious.

Want to experience the benefits of treating hearing loss for yourself? Meet with a Chicagoland Hearing Aid Center hearing professional today - contact us here!

Hearing loss threatens mind, life and limb

The earsplitting sound of ambulance sirens in New York City is surely hastening the day when I and many others repeatedly subjected to such noise will be forced to get hearing aids. I just hope this doesn’t happen before 2021 or so when these devices become available over-the-counter and are far less expensive and perhaps more effective than they are now.

Currently, hearing aids and accompanying services are typically not covered by medical insurance, Medicare included. Such coverage was specifically excluded when the Medicare law was passed in 1965, a time when hearing loss was not generally recognized as a medical issue and hearing aids were not very effective, said Dr. Frank R. Lin, who heads the Cochlear Center for Hearing and Public Health at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

Now a growing body of research by his colleagues and others is linking untreated hearing loss to several costly ills, and the time has come for hearing protection and treatment of hearing loss to be taken much more seriously.

Not only is poor hearing annoying and inconvenient for millions of people, especially the elderly. It is also an unmistakable health hazard, threatening mind, life and limb, that could cost Medicare much more than it would to provide hearing aids and services for every older American with hearing loss.

Currently, 38.2 million Americans aged 12 or older have hearing loss, a problem that becomes increasingly common and more severe with age. More than half of people in their 70s and more than 80 percent in their 80s have mild to moderate hearing loss or worse, according to tests done by the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey between 2001 and 2010.

Two huge new studies have demonstrated a clear association between untreated hearing loss and an increased risk of dementia, depression, falls and even cardiovascular diseases. In a significant number of people, the studies indicate, uncorrected hearing loss itself appears to be the cause of the associated health problem.

In one of the studies that covered 154,414 adults 50 and older who had health insurance claims, researchers at Johns Hopkins found that untreated hearing loss increased the risk of developing dementia by 50 percent and depression by 40 percent in just five years when compared to those without hearing loss.

An analysis of the voluminous data by Nicholas S. Reed and colleagues linked untreated hearing loss to more and longer hospitalizations and readmissions and more visits to an emergency room.

Within 10 years, untreated hearing loss accounted for 3.2 percent of all cases of dementia, 3.57 percent of people significantly injured in a fall, and 6.88 percent of those seeking treatment for depression. The percentages may seem small, but given how common these conditions are, they affect a very large number of individuals, resulting in great personal, financial and societal costs.

About 85 percent of those with hearing loss are untreated, Dr. Lin said. For older adults alone, this increased health care costs by 46 percent over a period of 10 years, compared with costs incurred by those without hearing loss, the authors reported in November in JAMA Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery.

One of the authors, Jennifer A. Deal, an epidemiologist and gerontologist at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, said that while “hearing loss itself is not very expensive, the effect of hearing loss on everything else is expensive.”

Unfortunately, people tend to wait much too long to get their hearing tested and treated with hearing aids, and the longer they wait, the harder it is to treat hearing loss, Dr. Lin told me.

Age-related hearing loss comes on really slowly, making it harder for people to know when to take it seriously, he said. He cited two good clues to when to get your hearing tested: Family members or close friends say you should, or you notice that you often mishear or don’t know what others are saying.

But even when people are tested and spend thousands of dollars to purchase needed hearing aids, the devices often sit in a drawer. People may complain that the sound quality is poor, too static-y or otherwise annoying, and that the aids merely amplify all sound, making it still hard to hear in a noisy environment. All aids are not created equal, Dr. Lin said, and even expensive, properly fitted aids can require multiple adjustments. Some people give up too readily to get the best results.

“Unrealistic expectations are a big part of this problem,” Dr. Lin said. “It’s not like putting on a pair of glasses that immediately enables you to see clearly,” he said. “Hearing loss is not fixed as easily as eyesight. The brain needs time — a good month or two — to adjust to hearing aids. And the earlier hearing loss is treated, the easier it is for the brain to adapt.”

The new studies give ample cause for taking hearing loss seriously. Consider, for example, the link to dementia. People who can’t hear well often become socially isolated and deprived of stimuli that keep the brain cognitively engaged. As input lessens, so does brain function.

There’s also a heavier load on the brain when it’s forced to use too much of its capacity to process sound. Despite what you may think, our brains are not designed for multitasking.

“Hearing loss is not a volume issue,” Dr. Deal said. “It’s a quality-of-sound issue. Certain parts of words drop out and speech sounds like mumbling. A garbled message is sent to the brain that it has to work harder to decode.”

In addition, when information is not heard clearly, it impedes memory. “A good clear auditory signal is more easily remembered,” Dr. Deal said. “The key to memory is paying attention. The brain can’t stay focused on the words when it is working overtime to decode the signal.”

With respect to falls, she said, hearing loss often goes hand-in-hand with balance issues. “Even when we don’t realize it, we’re using our ears to position ourselves in space,” she explained. Also, when people can’t hear well, they are less aware of sounds around them. They may fall when startled by someone or something that seems to come silently from behind.

Dr. Deal said she and her co-authors were surprised to find a link between poor hearing and cardiovascular disease. “It could be that vascular disease is common to both,” she said, but added that social isolation and stress resulting from hearing loss are also likely to play a role.

There’s good news for New York City residents, among whom noise pollution is the leading municipal complaint. By 2011, all of the more than 10,000 police department vehicles were switched to lower-frequency “rumbler” sirens, which are 10 decibels quieter, and the fire department has begun using them too.

The next step is to get less shrill sirens for the more than 2.5 million ambulance calls in the city every year. The Mount Sinai Health System is testing the two-tone sirens that make an “ee-aw” sound commonly heard in Europe, and the Greater New York Hospital Association has begun testing rumbler sirens for its ambulances.

Please contact Chicagoland Hearing Aid Centers to set up your first hearing test!

Source: New York Times

5 misconceptions about hearing loss

If you thought hearing loss only happened to older people, and that you'd be able to hear perfectly by just turning up the volume of your hearing aid, think again.

Hearing loss is something we tend to associate with aging or serious, genetic disorders of the ear — you either become deaf as you grow older, or you are born deaf — and there is simply nothing in-between.

This and other misconceptions cause us to take healthy hearing for granted and not take proper care of our hearing. Here are some common myths:

1. If glasses can fully compensate for any visual problem, a hearing aid should be able to do the same for my hearing 

The correct lenses may be able to give you 20/20 vision, but unfortunately it's not the same with hearing aids and hearing. The brain needs to adjust to the quality of sound coming through the hearing aid. And while hearing aids can make a tremendous difference, the sound quality will not be the same as you were used to before you experienced hearing loss.

According to the Hearing Health Foundation, each person’s audiogram (a graph showing how sound is processed, ranging from the softest to the loudest sound) is vastly different, and therefore all hearing aids need to be programmed to suit the individual.

However, don’t let this stop you from getting a hearing aid. It does make a significant difference.

2. Hearing loss isn’t so bad — it doesn’t affect the rest of my body

Even though it isn't life-threatening in any way, hearing loss can have a far-reaching impact on your well-being. According to Better Hearing, studies have shown that untreated hearing loss can lead to fatigue, stress, anxiety, depression, isolation, impaired concentration and productivity, and general deterioration of psychological and physical health.

It’s therefore important to take early steps to prevent hearing loss, acknowledge when you start having problems and seek help and treatment as soon as possible.

3. Hearing loss only affects the elderly

Hearing loss can happen gradually or suddenly at any stage of your life. While age-related hearing loss (presbycusis), caused by a change in the structure of the ear as we age, is one of the most common kinds of hearing loss, there are many other causes of hearing loss unrelated to age. One may suffer sudden hearing loss because of disease, or gradual hearing loss as a result of constant noise exposure.

The verdict? You are never too young to start taking care of your hearing or to get treatment for hearing loss. There is no stigma attached to wearing a hearing aid.

4. If I had 'real' hearing loss, I would have noticed it by now

Not true. Hearing loss can develop over an extended period of time and you might not even be aware that your hearing is deteriorating. Your general practitioner will also not pick up any changes to your hearing unless you are very specific about this concern. In America only 14% of doctors routinely screen for hearing, and in South Africa, you would need to see a specialist to know whether you are experiencing any real difference in your hearing.

A previous Health24 article explains how gradual hearing loss can occur. Here are some of the first signs of hearing loss:

• Difficulty hearing people clearly the first time and asking them to repeat what they said, especially in noisy areas
• Constantly having to turn up the volume of your music or television set
• Having to concentrate hard while listening to someone
• Difficulty hearing people over the phone

There are also some factors that might make you more susceptible to hearing loss than your peers. This may include severe noise exposure in your daily work situation, regularly listening to loud music through head- or earphones, regularly suffering from ear infections, a family history of hearing loss, or compromising your nervous system through unhealthy habits such as smoking.

5. I will look 'disabled' if I wear a hearing aid — I don’t need it

According the Hearing Health Foundation, insignificant hearing loss (only in one ear, not enough to be noticed etc.) can easily be dismissed but can still have an impact on cognitive skills such as driving, doing your job, talking to someone in a crowded location, or over the phone.

Hearing aids are not only for those who have severe hearing loss, but can also make a difference to those who are experiencing gradual hearing loss. If wearing a hearing aid can restore your quality of life and help you perform your daily tasks, there should be no stigma attached. Hearing aids are becoming visually more attractive and and many can fit into the ear canal where they are hardly visible.

Contact Chicagoland Hearing Aid Centers to set up your first appointment today!

Photo by rawpixel on Unsplash

Credit/Source: Hearing Health Foundation

Thrive Hearing Control app

The Thrive™ Hearing app is a full-featured, easy-to-use app that puts you in control of your Via Ai hearing aids. Thrive provides an array of features designed to enhance your listening experience anywhere you go, and help you easily enjoy everything you do.

Track brain and body health with Livio AI

If you wear Via Ai hearing aids, Thrive gives you the power to easily monitor your body and brain health via your smartphone. Compatible with both Android and Apple smartphones, the Thrive app gives you a Body Score, a Brain Score and an overall score combining the two, called a Thrive Wellness Score.

Body Score

The combination of activity, steps and overall movement is used to provide a Body Score (100 points possible). Easily track and access your score daily in the Thrive app.

• Steps tracks how many steps you take throughout the day (40 points possible).
• Activity monitors steps that occur at more than a standard walking pace, like running (40 points possible).
• Move measures how many times you get up and move around for at least one minute per hour (20 points possible).

Brain Score

Livio AI measures the brain benefits of wearing hearing aids and provides a Brain Health Score (100 points possible). This includes hours of daily use, social engagement and the tracking of active listening.

• Use points are gained by wearing your hearing aids on a daily basis. The more you use them, the more health benefits you enjoy (40 points possible).
• Engagement measures how much time you are in environments where you are engaging in conversation with others and streaming (40 points possible).
• Active Listening points are earned when you use your hearing aids in multiple listening environments (20 points possible).

Thrive Wellness Score

The combination of your body and brain health scores delivers a good overall assessment of your health and well-being. This is your Thrive Wellness Score (200 points possible).     Other features include; Hearing care anywhere, language translation, phone calls, remote control, better wireless streaming, personalized memories, and a find my hearing aids feature.Contact Chicagoland Hearing Aid Centers to learn more about the Thrive app today!

The ear is the new wrist — for fitness tracking, anyway

Health and fitness trackers have become commonplace in our digital lives. As we strive to stay healthier, we look to fitness trackers as a gateway to our overall health and wellness.The average American walks 3,000 to 4,000 steps or roughly 1.5 to 2 miles per day¹. Yet walking 10,000 steps per day has been shown to lower overall risk of heart disease, obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure, depression, and correlates with reduced risk of many common forms of cancer².

Wrist-worn fitness trackers aren’t always reliable

Unfortunately, commercially available fitness trackers are often highly inaccurate. Stanford Division of Cardiovascular Medicine investigated commonly worn wrist-based fitness trackers and found them to be largely inaccurate in appropriately tracking energy expenditure derived from heart rate and step counts³.None of the devices they tested were able to achieve error rates less than 20%³.In a separate study published in the Journal of Sports Sciences, the iPhone’s pedometer function was found to be on average 21.5% less accurate compared to a research grade step tracker in free-living situations⁴.

The ear is a more accurate place to track your health

Scientists have long believed the ear to be a more reliable place to track movement and monitor health properties. In 2015, Outside magazine wrote:“While the wrist is full of muscles and tendons that move, the ear is all cartilage and about the most inert part of your body. It’s also dark and the arteries here are near the surface of the skin. Shove a sensor into your ear and the signal is about 100 times clearer than at the wrist.”⁵ MIT Technology Review wrote in 2014, “If you’re going to choose a place on the body to measure physical signals…two places are far and away the best: the ear and the rear.”⁶

New Via^® AI are the first and only hearing aids to feature 3D motion sensors

The engineers and scientists at Audibel knew that the ear was a prime health monitoring spot when we started work on Via^® AI, the world’s first hearing aid that tracks body and brain health.That’s because the ear is a more stable surface, and is consistent with the movements of the rest of the body, whereas the wrist and pocket have ancillary movements. These ancillary movements (which are not step related), lead to false positive and false negative step calculations and thus, higher variability.Also, hearing aids (like our Via^® AI devices) are more likely to be worn longer and more reliably due to their multifunctional nature, and people are less likely to leave them behind during daily activities. Gaps in step count and “step-regret” are less likely due to power failures or forgetfulness with Via^® AI vs. fitness trackers worn on the wrist or in a pocket.

Track your brain and body health with Via^® AI

As the first hearing aids with 3D motion sensors and built-in artificial intelligence,Via^® AI — along with the Thrive Hearing app — let you reliably monitor not only your steps and overall movement, they also measure actions that are good for your brain health, like daily usage of your hearing aids, social engagement, and time spent listening actively.With Via^® AI, taking charge of your health and your quality of life has never been easier. To learn more about Via^® AI hearing aids or to try them risk-free for yourself, click here.Contact Chicagoland Hearing Aid Centers today to learn more about the Via^® AI!

Sources:

¹ 2016 National Health Interview Survey

² 2013, Kaiser Permanente “The Gift of Walking” retrieved from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ce0yxolt0Cw

³ Shcherbina et.al. JPM, 2017

⁴ Duncan et.al. Journal of Sport Sciences, 2018

⁵ https://www.outsideonline.com/1957626/your-head-better-sensors-your-wrist

⁶ https://www.technologyreview.com/s/529571/using-your-ear-to-track-your-heart/

Honoring our nation's heroes.

 

Chicagoland Hearing Aid Centers is a proud member of the Audibel Network. Walk into any Audibel office across the country and you’ll experience something that’s becoming more rare every day. You’ll experience a healthcare practice where care and service drive everything we do. Where people come first. And everybody who works there shares a common goal: to help our patients hear their very best.You’re in the right place because only Audibel delivers American Hearing Excellence. 

AMERICAN. It’s what sets us apart. 

Audibel is a Starkey Hearing Technologies brand. Recognized across the globe as a premier provider of hearing healthcare, Starkey Hearing Technologies is the only privately held and American-owned company in its industry.

HEARING. It’s all we do. 

As an Audibel members, we know the importance of hearing because we see how it impacts people every day. Helping people hear better is all we do. It’s all we’ve ever done. Hearing is our passion, our focus and our purpose.

EXCELLENCE. It’s how better hearing happens. 

From our training, to our people, to our products, to our offices, we go to great lengths to ensure excellence is in everything we do — so you can be confident you’ll get the service and solutions needed to make a real and lifelong difference.Choose Audibel for your hearing needs and you’ll know something else, too — that you made the right choice. Contact us today to set up a hearing consultation, here.