The leaves are starting to turn shades of red, yellow, and orange and fall to the ground. October means pumpkins on doorsteps and ghouls on porches. However, many people don’t know that October also means it is time to think about noise. This and every October is protecting your hearing month, a national campaign led by the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD) to raise awareness around the risks of loud noise. …
Since earwax seems to be a popular topic these days (don’t ask us why, but earwax cleaning videos are trending on social media), we thought now was a good time to answer this FAQ. Can earwax cause hearing loss? A lot of things can cause hearing loss. Noise exposure. Aging. Certain medicines. And yes, too much earwax. But earwax alone is rarely the only cause of one’s hearing loss. In fact, very few people who …
Today’s blog makes for a rare good news/bad news/good news blog. The first good news is that more of us are living longer than ever. Let’s toast to that! The bad news is, as our population increasingly ages, the rates of dementia increase right alongside. The World Health Organization (WHO) has the number of people currently living with dementia at 50 million — but projects that will triple by 2050. And while that is definitely bad …
September marks World Alzheimer’s Month! Launched by Alzheimer’s Disease International, this global campaign focuses on raising awareness about dementia. Dementia is an umbrella term that encompasses several types of conditions characterized by cognitive decline. The most common type of dementia that people experience is Alzheimer’s disease. According to the Alzheimer’s Association, an estimated 6.2 million people in the U.S. live with the condition. This number is expected to grow exponentially, reaching 12.7 million by 2050. …
If you’ve ever flown, you most likely know the sensation of your ears plugging up. Irritating, right? Here’s why that happens. The most common reason for ears to feel clogged or plugged is due to something called Eustachian Tube Dysfunction (Eustachian is pronounced “You-Station”). The Eustachian tube connects the back of the nose to the middle ear and serves to protect, ventilate and drain the middle ear when necessary to keep the air pressure equal …
