While the two most common culprits of hearing loss are loud noise and age, certain chemicals and medications can also damage the inner ear. This is called “ototoxicity, which literally means “ear poison.” Ototoxicity can lead to hearing loss, tinnitus,...
Q&A: Is My Dizziness Normal?
Q: Why am I dizzy? A: We receive this question often. Dizziness is a very common symptom that can spontaneously occur and resolve without any underlying conditions. When there is an underlying condition, it can be as simple as hunger...
How Head Injuries Impact Hearing and Balance
The force of a traumatic brain injury (also known as a TBI, concussion, or head injury) can damage or displace the delicate bones of the inner ear, rupture the eardrum, and disrupt parts of the brain responsible for auditory processing....
Diabetes and Your Hearing
Did you know hearing loss and diabetes have something surprising in common? Sure, they’re both health issues affecting millions of people around the world: Hearing loss affects 466 million worldwide, and diabetes affects 422 million people worldwide, per the World...
5 Simple Ways to Boost Your Mood This Winter
Hearing health and mental health have a clear connection. In fact, untreated hearing loss increases your risk of depression, anxiety, social isolation, and more. Winter is also a prime time for seasonal blahs. If you could use a little mental-health...
How to Wear BTE Hearing Aids and Glasses
As technology advances and “hearables” become more commonplace, one odd fact emerges: We’re putting more and more things behind or in our ears. Whether glasses, headphones, or the latest discreet behind-the-ear hearing device, the area our ears occupy is starting...
Tinnitus-Friendly Recipes
From sound-based therapies to mindfulness-based exercises, new ways to manage or reduce the sounds associated with tinnitus — a ringing, buzzing, or pulsing that has no external sound source — are being developed every day. Though there’s no cure, treatment...
Is Weight Connected to Hearing Loss?
Studies about weight often concern its relation to overall health. Common connections include weight and the risk for or prevalence of heart disease, diabetes, and sleep apnea, to name a few. One topic that doesn’t get as much attention is...
How Are Smoking and Hearing Loss Related?
The connection between smoking and heart disease, cancer, and respiratory problems gets all the attention, but the effects of smoking on hearing have long been known. If you’re one of the 40 million U.S. adults who smokes cigarettes — or...
Balance Disorder Basics
Awareness and Support Are Key Have you or a loved one had to cancel gatherings with friends or leave events early because of dizzy spells? Do others dismiss it with, “Everyone gets dizzy”? If only they could see what you...
