More than 57 million Americans suffer from hearing loss, so it isn’t uncommon to question whether it’s happening to you. Hearing loss can occur so slowly that people adapt to the world around them without noticing until the situation has worsened. Even people with severe Hearing Loss have no real basis to know what they are missing.

Hearing loss is attributed to many types of negative health issues some of which are loss of cognitive function including memory loss, depression and a greater tendency to fall.

Hearing is the Keystone to communication and the understanding of our surroundings.  Hearing evokes memories, emotions and spurs intellectual engagement allowing for positive relationships and good overall health.

If you suspect you have hearing loss contact a Hearing Healthcare Professional as soon as possible to schedule an appointment for a comprehensive hearing test and demonstration of premium hearing aids.  For people over the age of 55, hearing tests should be part of your necessary routine in caring for your overall health.

About 20% of all dizziness is caused by Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo (BPPV) which is from a collection of debris, called “otoconia” and sometimes referred to as “ear rocks”, migrating into the semi-circular canals of the inner ear.  The otoconia originates in the areas of the inner ear called the “utricle” and “saccule” but can only be displaced into the inner ear canals from the utricle.  Degeneration of or damage to the utricle due to head injury, infection, or other disorders of the inner ear causes the “ear rocks” to migrate into the inner ear causing “dizziness”.   Displaced otoconia (BPPV) accounts for about 50% of all dizziness in the elderly.  The peak age for persons suffering from BPPV is age 60.

Dizziness (vertigo), imbalance, lightheadedness and nausea are Symptoms of BPPV and are almost always brought on by a change of position of the head with respect to gravity.

If you are suffering from dizziness you should actively seek diagnosis and treatment, taking a wait and see attitude only prolongs the agony.  Once diagnosed, your doctor or your hearing care professional can recommend treatment exercises/maneuvers that can free you from this common form of dizziness.

Your balance can also be affected by your hearing loss.  Your brain also uses your hearing to help keep you in balance.  If you do not hear as well as you use to or hear better in one ear than the other, schedule a hearing test today.

The Journey of Sound ends in the brain an instant after it begins.

You may not live near an ocean, but waves are crashing into you every day. They’re sound waves, and when they hit your ears an amazing chain reaction happens.

Your outer ears act like satellite dishes, catching sounds and funneling them into the ear canal. The sound waves are amplified by the canal’s funnel-like shape. They hit the eardrum and cause vibrations, which in turn move the ossicles, the three tiniest bones in your body. You may know them by their more common names: the hammer, anvil, and stirrup. The ossicles convey the vibrations through the middle ear to the “oval window,” the membrane between the middle and inner ear.

These impulses evoke different physical and emotional reactions, triggering movement, speech and stir the memory.

The spiral-shaped inner ear is called the cochlea. It’s lined with thousands of microscopic hair cells that convert sound energy into electrical signals. These signals travel on nerve pathways to the brain where they are finally interpreted.  These electrical signals are not sounds but symbols of sounds, and are much like the impulses that activate a computer.  These impulses evoke different physical and emotional reactions, triggering movement, speech and stir the memory.

It’s important to know that if these hair cells are damaged by loud or prolonged noise, they can’t be repaired. Make sure to protect yourself from excessive sound so you can hear well for years to come.

Even people with severe Hearing Loss have no real basis to know what they are missing.  If you suspect that you have hearing loss, schedule a hearing test and demonstration of state-of- the- art hearing aids and hear what you have been missing!  Contact a Hearing Healthcare Professional as soon as possible to schedule an appointment for a comprehensive hearing test.

Untreated Hearing Loss leads to poor cognitive function 

For people over the age of 55, hearing tests should be part of your necessary routine in caring for your overall health.  Untreated Hearing Loss  leads to poor cognitive function and depression.

Hearing is the keystone of all communication.