Hearing screenings typically absent from routine doctor exams

This post originally appeared on Starkey.com

Today’s fact headlining the lack of hearing screenings at routine doctor exams may surprise you—or not.

If you’re surprised: It’s probably because you’ve been keeping up with the mounting research that strongly links hearing loss with dementia, cognitive decline, depression, loneliness, and falls.

If you’re not surprised: You may be familiar with the current state of shorter appointments in the U.S. and let’s face it—it’s not uncommon for physicians to prioritize other tests, labs, and questions before hearing. You’ve likely “been there,” and realize if you had any hearing loss concerns, it would be your role to mention them to the physician.

Regular hearing screenings are essential to your health

While the reasoning behind the lack of hearing screenings at routine exams isn’t clear-cut, we can take today’s fact as a reminder of how important it is to prioritize our hearing health. Regular hearing exams not only are the first step in helping to prevent the long-term detriments of hearing loss, such as dementia, but also play an immediate role in the early intervention of age-related hearing loss—which is gradual and often difficult to detect. As a result, people may not even realize they have hearing loss until it is further along and more challenging to treat.

On a positive note, the case integrating hearing screenings into regular health exams appears to be gaining some momentum: The esteemed National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine, for example, recently recommended routine doctor hearing screenings in a published report titled Hearing Health Care for Adults: Priorities for Improving Access and Affordability.

But while progress continues to grow, taking care of our hearing is up to us.

Fortunately, there are two things you can do:

Option 1: Tell your physician about hearing concerns

If you think you may have hearing loss, or even if you’re unsure, tell your physician. They can refer you to a licensed hearing care professional in the same way they might refer you to a dermatologist for skin issues. A hearing specialist will have the equipment and expertise to evaluate your hearing and counsel you through treatment options for any hearing issues you may be experiencing.

Option 2: Visit a hearing care professional yourself

As it stands, experts recommend having your hearing screened every three years once you’re 50. So, you can feel empowered to make it a part of annual health checks. Hearing evaluations are simple and pain-free, and can easily be set up with a hearing care professional near you.

For a head start, simply type your zip code in here to generate a list of local providers. They will be happy to show you how your hearing is doing, and as mentioned, discuss treatment if needed.

If you’re interested in a hearing test, visit your closest Land of Lincoln Hearing office to learn more about your hearing health.

The inability to distinguish sounds is a form of hearing loss

The National Safety Council’s Safety + Health magazine recently published an article about ototoxicants, chemicals that can cause hearing loss and balance issues.

In the article, warnings were shared from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) about which industries have higher exposure risks to these chemicals — and how the adverse effects of ototoxicants increases when “workers are exposed to elevated noise levels.”

One type of hearing loss OSHA notes as “especially hazardous” is speech discrimination dysfunction. What’s that?

Speech discrimination dysfunction is when a person cannot distinguish a voice or warning signal from ambient noise. In other words, they can hear, but everything sounds the same to them. This can put the worker at an elevated risk for accidents or mistakes if, for instance, an alarm or alert goes off and they don’t register it for what it is.

It’s not dissimilar to a complaint that many people who have hearing loss — but don’t initially recognize it — say, that “I can hear, but I can’t understand.”

If this describes you, a consultation with a hearing healthcare professional is advised. Please call Land of Lincoln Hearing today!

Photo by Ahsan S. on Unsplash

Five things you should know about tinnitus

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) estimates that 50 million Americans experience tinnitus. That’s over 15 percent of the U.S. population, or nearly one in every six of us.

So what is this condition that affects so many people — and what can tinnitus sufferers do about it? We cover the basics here.

1. What is tinnitus?

Tinnitus is the medical term for the sensation of hearing sound in your ears when no external sound is present. In most cases, tinnitus is a subjective sound, meaning only the person who has it can hear it. Typically, sufferers describe the sound as “ringing in ears,” though others describe it as hissing, buzzing, whistling, roaring and even chirping.

Just as the sound may be different for each person, the effects of tinnitus are different for every individual, too. For some, it is sporadic and “not that bad.” For others, tinnitus never stops and can make daily life awful.

But one thing everyone with tinnitus has in common is a desire for relief. For most, this desire is so great they will try anything to make their tinnitus less annoying, including resorting to acupuncture, eardrops, herbal remedies, hypnosis and more.

2. What causes tinnitus?

Scientists and health experts have yet to pinpoint the exact cause of tinnitus. But several sources are known to trigger or worsen ringing in the ears, including:

• Loud noises and hearing loss — Exposure to loud noises can destroy the non-regenerative cilia (tiny hairs) in the cochlea, causing permanent tinnitus and/or hearing loss. Noise-induced tinnitus is often the result of exposure to loud environmental noises, such as working in a factory setting, with or around heavy machinery, or even a single event like a gunshot or loud concert.

• Aging — Natural aging, too, gradually destroys the cilia, and is a leading cause of hearing loss. Tinnitus is a common symptom of age-related hearing loss.

• Ototoxic medications – Some prescription medications such as antibiotics, anti-inflammatories, antidepressants, diuretics and others can be ototoxic, meaning they are harmful to the inner ear as well as the nerve fibers connecting the cochlea to the brain.

• Hearing conditions – Conditions such as Ménière’s disease are known to cause tinnitus.

• Health conditions – Tinnitus has been associated with a number of health conditions, including:

• Cardiovascular disease

• Hypertension (high blood pressure)

• Thyroid problems

• Fibromyalgia and chronic pain

• Head or neck trauma

• Jaw misalignment

• Auditory, vestibular or facial nerve tumors

• Stress and fatigue

3. Is there a cure for tinnitus?

Currently, there is no known cure for tinnitus. However, according to the American Tinnitus Association (ATA), there are a few established therapies and tinnitus treatment options. Because there is no cure, the ATA notes, “the primary objective for all currently available tinnitus treatment options is to lower the perceived burden of tinnitus.”

Hearing aids are one tinnitus treatment option the ATA lists, with hearing professionals reporting that 60 percent of their tinnitus patients experience relief when wearing them.

Sound therapy is another treatment option listed by the ATA, which notes that hearing aids are an effective component to most sound therapy protocols.

Sound therapy — and hearing aids — work by masking the tinnitus sound and reducing the perception and intensity of any “ringing in the ears.” This helps take your mind off of your tinnitus, which helps lower its burden.

4. What should you do if you or someone you know has tinnitus?

Since the exact cause of tinnitus is not known, the ATA recommends you visit your primary care provider and a hearing healthcare professional for evaluation. This evaluation helps them determine if tinnitus is present and what may be causing it. Specialized tests are performed to evaluate the auditory system. Some of these tests measure the specific features of the tinnitus itself, and could include:

• Audiogram

• Evoked response audiometry

• Tinnitus pitch match

• Tinnitus loudness match

5. How can you get tinnitus relief?

While there is no cure for tinnitus, Audibel’s’s hearing aids with proprietary Multiflex Tinnitus Technology have been clinically proven to provide relief for ringing in the ears.

Call Land of Lincoln today to make an appointment!

Multiflex Tinnitus Technology enhances the masking capabilities of Audibel hearing aids even more by creating a customizable and comforting sound stimulus that you and your hearing professional can fine-tune. This sound stimulus soothes the unique, irritating sounds you hear — so you can get your mind off your tinnitus and get your life back.

Photo by Toimetaja tõlkebüroo on Unsplash

Wearing hearing aids can reduce the risk of cognitive decline

Research by Johns Hopkins and other institutions have linked cognitive decline and even dementia to hearing loss for reasons you can read about here. One study found that older adults with hearing loss experience a 30-40 percent faster decline in cognitive abilities than peers with normal hearing.

But a 25-year-long study published in 2015 found that hearing aid use reduced the risk of cognitive decline associated with hearing loss. Researchers also reported that treating hearing loss in midlife is the single greatest change a person can make to lower their risk of dementia.

Contact Land of Lincoln Hearing today, here.

Photo by Ravi Patel on Unsplash

Hearing loss impacts memory and comprehension

Readers of the publication Trends in Neurosciences will already know today’s fact. For the other 99.9 percent of us, though, it is definitely interesting.

According to a story in the June 2016 edition, research has confirmed that “even relatively mild levels of hearing loss” can lead to cascading negative effects on the brain. Those effects can impact perception, comprehension and memory.

The thinking goes: the more effort it takes to listen and piece together what someone is saying (due to hearing loss), the more it impacts other cognitive operations, “such as remembering what has been heard.” It’s one huge reason why experts at Johns Hopkins recommend treating hearing loss sooner rather than later.

It’s best to not wait until it’s too late! Scheduling an appointment is just a phone call away. Contact Land of Lincoln Hearing today, here! We are looking forward to hearing from you.

Photo by Robina Weermeijer on Unsplash