Did you know that 1 in 10 people in the US have diabetes? That’s 34.2 million Americans! Diabetes causes a partial or absolute deficiency of insulin. Insulin is responsible for creating enzymes that break down fat, starches, and sugar in the blood. An increase in blood sugar damages the inner lining of arteries. The body responds by creating plaque on the artery walls which restricts blood flow.
How does diabetes affect your hearing?
This thickening of artery walls affects an area of the inner ear called the stria vascularis, causing it to atrophy and prevent it from doing its job efficiently. The stria vascularis is responsible for controlling the chemical makeup of the inner ear, which allows the hair cells to change mechanical information into electrical information– a key part of how we hear! Some studies show that an abnormal stria vascularis can even cause hair cell death, permanently damaging your hearing.
A 2008 study by the National Institutes of Health showed that people with diabetes are twice as likely to have hearing problems. In fact, even the 88 million people in the US with prediabetes have a 30% higher likelihood of having hearing problems. That’s 1 in 3 Americans at an increased risk!
Get a baseline hearing test if you have diabetes
If you or a loved one have diabetes or prediabetes, it is important to have a baseline hearing test. Monitoring your hearing is vital to your overall health. Like diabetes, hearing problems can develop gradually, and early detection is critical. In honor of Diabetes Awareness, Hearing Health Center offers complimentary hearing check-ups at all five locations.
Click here to book an appointment
Whether you are a new patient that hasn’t had a hearing test since 3rd grade, or a patient who has been wearing hearing aids for years, you probably think you’re doing just fine.
Well maybe you are and maybe you’re not! The thing is, you probably don’t even know.
- Who knows you better than anyone? Most likely, it’s the person who is most important to you…the person whose voice you hear all the time. They may notice issues, difficulties and struggles you may not even be aware of. “The level of the TV has increased, he doesn’t want to go out to restaurants as often, he’s spending more time alone and seems depressed, he doesn’t remember what I say.” These are just some of the things the “familiar voice” often reports. We get a much better understanding of you when you bring someone who knows you.
- Testing and measuring your hearing is only a small part of your comprehensive evaluation. More important than the amount of hearing loss you might have, is assessing how well your brain processes speech. Even if the sound is loud enough, do you understand what is said? The results are most accurate when the voice you are trying to process is familiar, and important to you.
- Annual checkups and re-evaluations are critical to maintain your best hearing ability. Sometimes, the hearing levels remain the same, but behavior and processing ability change. A familiar voice often alerts and apprises us of these changes they’ve noticed in the past year.
5 Summer Activities That Can Permanently Cause Damage and Alter Your Life
Fireworks
From Memorial Day to Labor Day, elaborate firework displays reign supreme. Most fireworks have sound upwards of 125 dB, (think diesel engines or the level of sound which actually causes pain), easily causing permanent hearing damage.
Outdoor Concerts
Summer festivals, outdoor concerts and music festivals are great summer activities for the entire family. However, since outdoor venues cause the sound to disperse, bands turn the music up even louder. In addition to permanent hearing damage, oftentimes, the results of listening for too long and too loud, is tinnitus (ringing in the ears). Sometimes it goes away…and sometimes it doesn’t. Always try to sit away from the speakers.
Parades
Marching bands, sirens, motorcycles, and revving engines are loud…louder than you think. Loud enough to cause hearing damage in just a few minutes.
Yard Work
Any noise measuring in excess of 80 dB (decibels)has the potential to be harmful to hearing. Heavy traffic, window air conditioner, noisy restaurants fall into this category. Most equipment used for yard work measures in excess of 95dB.
Air & Water Shows
The sights and sounds and aerial stunts of air and water shows are exciting and breathtaking. But the noise of the jet engines can be ear-splitting, especially when pilots venture close to the ground. A jet engine at takeoff is 140 decibels. At that level, and depending on how close you are, damage can happen within minutes.
PROTECT YOUR EARS AND YOUR HEARING
Wear ear plugs. Custom-made (made from an impression of your ears for an exact fit) are best. But over-the-counter, foam plugs will do the job. Children are especially prone to hearing damage from loud noise. Their ear canals are smaller, and it takes less noise to cause irreversible damage. Protect yourself and your kids by wearing earplugs. Baby Banz makes lightweight foam-filled ear cups for youngsters.
In the past year, the phrase “staying in” has taken on a new meaning. The general public was encouraged to stay in their homes to reduce the spread of COVID-19, a recommendation that stayed in effect for months. For some, their duration of the “stay-at-home” orders were spent with immediate family. For others, it brought on months of isolation. But for many individuals who are hearing aid users, it left them wondering: what is the point of wearing my hearing aids if I am just sitting at home?
If you were to ask your hearing care professional how often you should wear your hearing aids, a common response would be in turn, “you should wear your hearing aids during all waking hours.” It is recommended that individuals with hearing aids wear their devices shortly after starting their day and take them out before going to sleep, a seemingly straightforward and simple concept. However, many hearing aid users found that they were not as inclined to consistently wear their hearing aids (to be consistent in terminology) throughout quarantine. Most rationalized that there was no reason to wear their hearing aids if they are just sitting at home, a considerable change from the hustle and bustle of their previous routines. Yet, research shows (or experts state) that there are multiple benefits to consistently wearing these devices, even in a mild environment like your home.
Audiologist Dr. Robert Martin from The Hearing Journal compares using hearing aids to exercising muscles. He explains that wearing hearing aids consistently not only allows you to hear better but allows you to listen more effectively. Hearing aids amplify sound based on an individual’s unique hearing loss. Initially, the hearing aid user may find that sound to be unnatural and strange, not what they are typically used to. With regular hearing aid use, that sound becomes more natural and starts to give the person more of that benefit they were looking for. When hearing aids are worn intermittently, you are not exercising the processing centers of your brain, and sound will continue to feel unnatural. Consistency is key in making those sounds more natural. According to Dr. Anu Sharma, research has found that sound is processed in unused parts of the brain, instead of the auditory cortex, after auditory deprivation. When sound is not processed in the auditory cortex, the listener may possibly find that it is far more taxing and exhausting to try to listen and understand the sound that they hear. When the listener begins to wear their hearing aids consistently, there is more auditory input, and the brain begins to change so sound is processed in the auditory cortex. Simply put, your brain needs sound.
Whether you live alone with mild background noise or have family that puts your ears to the test, the takeaway from today is that you should wear your hearing aids all the time. Give your brain the sound it needs, and make your hearing aids a part of your daily routine.
Sources:
Martin, Robert L. “‘Wear Your Hearing Aids or Your Brain Will Rust.’” The Hearing Journal,
vol. 57, no. 1, 2004, p. 46., doi:10.1097/01.hj.0000292405.09805.5a.
Beck DL. How might the brain change when we reintroduce sound? Interview with Anu Sharma,
PhD. Hearing Review. 2020;27(4)[April]. In press
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Itchy, Itchy Ears: Common Causes and Solutions
By Dr. Hilary MacCrae, Au.D., CCC-A, F-AAA
When asking about ears, every audiologist has heard this: “My ears don’t hurt, but they itch a lot!” Whether or not a person uses hearing aids, itching in the ears is very common. But why?
A lot of things can cause itching all over the body, and the ear is no different. I’ve briefly listed some common causes and solutions, but saved an in-depth look for conditions related to hearing aid issues.
CAUSE: Dry Skin
Itchy, dry skin in the ear canal can be caused by your environment—cold winds and dry air in the winter and over-air conditioned air in the summer. It can also be caused by over-cleaning (especially with cotton swabs, which can absorb natural oils too quickly) and by natural aging.
SOLUTION: Moisturize
A drop or two of an oil like Miracell® in each ear at night will absorb while you sleep and often provides fast relief—but take care to never place oil in an ear that has history of holes in the eardrum. Lotion on a little finger or cotton swab can also be put inside the ear canal. Often a humidifier can be the answer to dry skin.
CAUSE: Medical Conditions
Medical conditions like allergies, outer ear infections like “swimmer’s ear” and eczema or psoriasis can cause or worsen itching inside the ear canal. Surprisingly, high levels of stress or anxiety can be felt as itching and discomfort all over, including inside the ears.
SOLUTION: Seek Medical Treatment
Ear, nose, and throat physicians: If allergies or ear infections are the issue, physicians specializing in the ears, nose, and throat (“ENTs” or “otolaryngologists”) can prescribe helpful treatments. Dermatologists: Skin-specialized doctors can help with diagnoses like eczema and psoriasis, for which there are many different treatments available. If you think stress might be the problem, talk it out with a licensed counselor, psychologist, or psychiatrist. You may relieve yourself of more than just an itch!
Hearing Aid Issues
Although hearing devices don’t usually cause allergic reactions, there are other ways they might contribute to itching.
- Ear wax: If there is a build-up of ear wax inside the ear, a hearing aid can make it worse, causing itching or irritation until the ear is cleaned.
- Loose fit: If a hearing aid is sitting too loosely inside the ear, it can “tickle” the canal and cause itching.
- Tight fit/moisture: If a hearing aid has a very tight fit in the ear, and is worn for a very long time each day, moisture can accumulate behind the hearing aid and cause a damp, itching feeling (kind of like when you sweat in the summertime).
- Sensitivity to cleaning solutions: While the hearing aids themselves are usually hypoallergenic, clients will rarely experience allergic reactions to cleaning solutions either in our clinic or over-the-counter versions used at home.
SOLUTIONS: See Your Hearing Care Provider
- Audiologists, and audiology assistants: The hearing care providers at HHC can work with you to look at the fit of your hearing devices (loose/tight) and make recommendations of how to proceed with other changes and treatments. We can also look deeply in your ears, a process called “otoscopy,” to see if dry skin, ear wax, or allergic reactions are the problem. When in doubt, contact your provider!
Scratch Them…Gently!
There’s nothing else like scratching an itch, but we have some recommendations for how to go about it, to avoid causing more problems. Here are some techniques:
- Push and wiggle: Placing a finger on the space in front of the ear and “wiggling” can help ease itching with or without a hearing aid in place. This is using the flat of your finger, not your fingernail!
- Readjust your hearing device: If possible, remove and re-place your hearing aid, or pull the ear bud in and out, to apply some pressure inside the ear and scratch that itch.
- “Referred” itching: This one is a bit weird…Often used by people with missing limbs, “referred” itching is when you scratch itch by not scratching it at all! Instead of trying to reach deep inside your ear canal, gently scratching another part of the body (like the back of your hand) while thinking about your itchy ear (“referring” the itch to the ear), can provide a surprising amount of relief. I’ve used this myself when I get an itch on the bottom of my foot in the car. Sometimes it works!
- What NOT to do: Don’t place foreign objects like Q-tips, bobby pins, long fingernails, pens or pencils, paperclips, or golf tees (yes, we’ve been told someone used a golf tee!) in your ears for itching or wax removal. These objects can push ear wax toward the ear drum, or cut the skin inside the ear and cause bleeding. When that cut begins to scab over and heal…it will itch even worse!
No one likes to be uncomfortable, but itching is part of daily life. Try some of the solutions listed above, and don’t hesitate to contact your hearing care provider if you’d like more guidance or advice on how your unique ear needs to be treated.
Untreated hearing problems are the number one modifiable risk factor for dementia. Even mild levels of hearing loss can double your risk. Dr. Katrina Lapham, an audiologist from Chicago’s Hearing Health Center discusses how to join the fight to battle dementia by getting your hearing tested free of charge. Plus, Hearing Health Center will donate $20 to the Alzheimer’s Association in your name. It’s our way of helping to protect your hearing and preserve your brain. Visit our website to make your appointment today at https://hearinghealthcenter.com/hearing-and-alzheimers/
The Ear is the Window to the Heart
Learn what your hearing can tell us about your heart health!
Heart disease is the leading cause of death for both men and women in the United States today. According to the CDC, one person dies every 36 seconds from cardiovascular disease. The term “heart disease” can refer to many different heart conditions, but the most common is coronary artery disease. Coronary artery disease is caused by plaque build-up on our arteries. This build-up results in a decrease in blood flow, which could eventually lead to a heart attack. Heart disease is often prevented through lifestyle modifications such as quitting smoking, lowering cholesterol, controlling high blood pressure, maintaining a healthy weight, and exercising.
But what does this have to do with your hearing?
The tiny blood vessels in your hearing organ, known as the cochlea, is often one of the first places to be affected by a decrease in blood flow. This reduction of blood flow in the cochlea causes hearing loss. In this way, your hearing health does act as a window to your heart health. Multiple studies now show a strong association between poor cardiovascular health and hearing loss. Because it is one of the first places affected by poor circulation, your hearing may actually be one of the first indications of heart disease!
Hearing loss that is linked to heart disease has a specific configuration that can be identified during a hearing test. If you suspect poor cardiovascular health, it is important to talk to your doctor and consider a hearing test to screen for this early marker of heart disease. Additionally, it is important to have your hearing tested if you have a heart condition, or if you have a family history of heart disease.
Early identification is key, for both your hearing and heart health!
GET YOUR HEARING CHECKED ASAP!
Call us at (312) 260-5037 to discuss further or click here to make an appointment.
Dr. Katrina Lapham, Au.D.
Hearing loss formerly thought “minor” can cause cognitive problems
Studies now show significant changes in the brains of those with early stage hearing loss in comparison with those whose hearing is normal. Specifically, even with minimal auditory deprivation, the brain actually re-organizes itself, which results in poorer speech processing in noise and deterioration of cognitive functioning.
This is a problem. The good news: the decline is reversible.
Following clinical treatment with high-quality, expertly fitted hearing aids, the brain re-organized itself back to the original state.
Just six months after wearing hearing aids, both visual and working memory improved. In addition, processing speed as well as executive cognitive skill* performance were increased
Even better news: You can change the number one risk factor for dementia.
The association between genetics and Alzheimer’s is 60%. That means you have control of 40%.
According to distinguished medical journal The Lancet, “among all of the modifiable risk factors, hearing loss is the most significant modifiable factor leading to dementia.”
Your hearing ability accounts for 37% of all the factors you can change to reduce your risk of dementia.
NO TIME TO LOSE…GET YOUR HEARING CHECKED ASAP!
Call your local office to discuss further or click here to make an appointment.
Chicago (Downtown): (312) 260-5037
Highland Park: (847) 607-6150
Naperville: (847) 607-6150
Oak Brook: (630) 426-6245
Park Ridge: (630) 426-6245
*Executive cognitive functions are the prerequisite to any purposeful and goal-directed action. They allow one to generate plans, solutions to problems, or organizing structures that guide future action. They rely on working memory, mental flexibility, and retrieval of relevant information from memory stores.
It’s been a difficult, trying year – but now the Holidays are here. Hopefully it will be a joyous time to share with your family, and it might be the only time all year you get together with your whole family.
Of course, you want to talk to everyone, get to know new additions (spouses, grandkids, and friends), share stories and memories, and laugh. When you have hearing loss, the holidays can be stressful and worrisome.
Large dining room tables make conversation difficult. Everyone is talking at once and the football game and music in the background makes it almost impossible for you to participate.
You can do several things so you don’t feel left out, and not enjoy yourself.
- Limit background noise. Ask the host to turn down the TV or music.
- Try to sit in the middle of the table.
- Take breaks. Listening and concentrating so intently is exhausting. Go outside, find a quiet spot, and give your ears and your brain a rest. Then you will be ready for more socializing.
- Bring your humor. Forget being embarrassed. So what if you say the wrong thing or answer incorrectly. Laugh at the mis-hearings. They can be hilarious.
- Wear your hearing aids and make the most of them. You have two computers in your ears. They are smart, really smart, with special settings for different situations and environments.
- Hearing aids have special gadgets and accessories to make hard situations easier – tiny microphones to put on the table to pick up voices and deliver them to your ears, chair loops that connect directly to your hearing aids. Don’t be afraid of technology. It’s easier than you think. Experiment.
- Cupping your hand to your ear is a signal for others to talk louder
- Have reasonable expectations. You are not going to hear everything everyone says. That’s ok. With visual cues (facial expressions, lip reading), and context, you can usually get the gist of, and participate in the conversation.
- Don’t fake it. Don’t just nod and pretend you hear or laugh just because everyone else is laughing. It can end up being embarrassing for you or insulting to someone else. Be honest. Be brave. Ask them to repeat. Tell them you have difficulty hearing/understanding.
Enjoy the holidays. Have fun with your family. Every moment is precious, don’t miss it!