724.705.0360 washingtonent. net
Sources: The National Institutes of Health( NIH) | National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders( NIDC) | National Council on Aging( NCOA) | Sergei Kochkin, Ph. D. The Impact of Treated Hearing Loss on Quality of Life- Better Hearing Institute, Washington, DC. Retreived from: www. betterhearing. org / Hearingpedia Frank Lin, M. D.( 2014 January 22) Hearing Loss Linked to Accelerated Brain Tissue Loss. Johns Hopkins Medicine News Release. | Ha-Sheng Li-Korotky, Au. D., Ph. D., M. D.( 2012) Age-Related Hearing Loss: Quality of Care for Quality of Life. The Gerontologist, Volume 52, Issue 2 265-271 | Karen J. Cruickshanks, PhD; Ronald Klein, MD; Barbara E. K. Klein, MD; Terry L. Wiley, PhD; David M. Nondahl, MS; Ted S. Tweed, MS.( 1998) Cigarette Smoking and Hearing Loss: The Epidemiology of Hearing Loss Study. JAMA. 1998; 279( 21): 1715-1719. doi: 10.1001 / jama. 279.21.1715 | Hull RH, Kerschen SR.( 2010) The influence of cardiovascular health on peripheral and central auditory function in adults: a research review. Am J Audiol. 2010 Jun; 19( 1): 9-16. doi: 10.1044 / 1059-0889( 2010 / 08-0040). | De Moraes Marchiori LL, de Almeida Rego Filho E, Matsuo T( 2006) | Hypertension As a Factor Associated with Hearing Loss. Braz J Otorhinolaryngol. Jul-Aug; 72( 4): 533-40. Babich, M., Hoffmeister, D. & Doughty, A.( 2009). Osteoporosis and Conductive Hearing Loss: A Novel Model of Clinical Correlation. Retrieved from: PHILICA. COM Article number 148. | American Tinnitus Association, ATA. org | www. mayoclinic. com / health / tinnitus / DS00365
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INDUSTRY INSIGHT
YOUR HEARING
TOTAL BODY HEALTH BEGINS WITH BETTER HEARING HEALTH
Addressing hearing loss isn’ t just about what you hear— it’ s about how you feel and function. Studies show that when people address hearing loss, it can have a positive effect on their home life, self-confidence, relationships, mood, overall health, job performance, and even income. It safeguards quality of life by helping people maintain an active, healthy lifestyle and stay socially and cognitively engaged.
Learning the status of your hearing health and addressing hearing loss are important to quality of life at every age as well as total body health. Gen Xers and youthful-minded baby boomers, in fact, are developing hearing loss in greater numbers. And as older Americans are putting off retirement and staying in the workforce longer, the ability to hear your best is becoming all the more important.
The Better Hearing Institute( BHI) urges you to have your hearing tested. In fact, they offer a free, quick, and confidential online hearing check that families and friends can take together, at www. BetterHearing. org, to determine if they need a comprehensive hearing test by a hearing healthcare professional.
Luckily, the vast majority of people with hearing loss can benefit from hearing aids. And today’ s state-of-the art hearing aids are better than ever. The latest technologies make it easier to hear people and sounds from all directions. And today’ s hearing aids are designed to filter out noise, like at crowded restaurants. Many styles sit discreetly and comfortably inside the ear canal and out of sight, making them virtually invisible. Some are even waterproof. Perhaps best of all, they’ re wireless, helping people of all ages stay connected to their smartphones, home entertainment systems, and other prized electronics— but most importantly, to life.
Whether its conversation and laughter around the dinner table you enjoy most, or watching a movie or football game together on the television, let the latest hearing aid technologies help you hear your best, improve the way you function and stay connected with family and friends this year.
Nicole Wasel, Au. D., CCC-A
Dr. Wasel is committed to providing patient education, counseling and hearing solutions to patients of all ages and abilities. She works at Washington Ear, Nose and Throat located at 80 Landings Dr., Suite 207, Washington, PA 15301. Dr. Wasel is a member of the American Speech, Language and Hearing Association and also serves as a field instructor for West Virginia University.
Please feel free to contact Dr. Wasel at 724.225.8995 with any questions or to schedule an appointment.
SPONSORED CONTENT
TINNITUS
90 % COGNITIVE DECLINE
Those with untreated hearing loss experience A 30-40 % GREATER DECLINE in thinking abilities compared to those without hearing loss.
SAFETY / BALANCE
PEOPLE WITH MILD HEARING LOSS( 25dB) ARE
3 more likely to have a history of falling. Every additional 10 decibels of hearing loss increases the chances of falling by 1.4 times.
TIMES
HYPERTENSION
THERE IS A SIGNIFICANT ASSOCIATION BETWEEN HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE AND UNTREATED HEARING LOSS.
Hypertension can be an accelerating factor of hearing loss in older adults.
OBESITY
HIGHER BODY MASS INDEX( BMI) AND LARGER WAIST CIRCUMFERENCE ARE ASSOCIATED WITH INCREASED RISK OF HEARING LOSS IN WOMEN.
ISOLATION
OSTEOPOROSIS
ADULTS 50 YEARS AND OLDER with untreated hearing loss are more likely to report depression, anxiety, anger and frustration, emotional instability and paranoia than those who wear hearing aids.
HEALTHBEGINS WITH
A study linked osteoporosis and hearing loss, theorizing that demineralization of the three middle ear bones may contribute to a conductive hearing impairment.
OF PEOPLE WITH TINNITUS ALSO HAVE HEARING LOSS.
Tinnitus affects 1 in 5 people. Tinnitus can be caused by hearing loss, an ear injury or a circulatory system disorder.
TOTAL BODY
BETTER HEARING
HEALTH
BE THEIR FAVORITE STORYTELLER.
HEAR
EVERY LAUGH.
NOW
IS THE TIME.
Call today to schedule a hearing aid evaluation!
Erinn Altman, Au. D., CCC-A
724.705.0360 washingtonent. net
Nicole Wasel, Au. D., CCC-A
EYE HEALTH
VISION HELPS YOU IDENTIFY WHERE A SOUND IS COMING FROM.
If you have vision and hearing loss, your ability to target sound location is compromised. The amplification from hearing aids helps compensate for the vision loss.
HEART HEALTH
THE INNER EAR IS EXTREMELY SENSITIVE TO BLOOD FLOW.
Studies show that a healthy cardiovascular system – a person’ s heart, arteries and veins – has a positive effect on hearing. Inadequate blood flow and trauma to the blood vessels of the inner ear can contribute to hearing loss.
DIABETES
DEPRESSION
Untreated hearing loss gives rise to poorer quality of life, isolation and reduced social activity, leading to depression.
SMOKING
CURRENT SMOKERS HAVE A 70 % HIGHER RISK OF HAVING HEARING LOSS THAN NONSMOKERS.
HEARING LOSS IS TWICE AS COMMON IN PEOPLE WITH DIABETES COMPARED TO THOSE WITHOUT.
Adults whose blood glucose is higher than normal but not high enough for a diabetes diagnosis, have a 30 % higher rate of hearing loss compared to those with normal blood sugar.
OTOTOXICITY
THERE ARE MORE THAN 200 MEDICATIONS ON THE MARKET TODAY THAT ARE KNOWN TO CAUSE HEARING LOSS( TOXIC TO THE EARS).
The list of known ototoxic drugs includes:
• Aspirin
• Some anticancer drugs
• Quinine
• Some anesthetics
• Water pills • Environmental chemicals
• Certain antibiotics like carbon monoxide, hexane and mercury
Mary Catherine Mazi, Au. D., CCC-A
Meadows Landing Outpatient Center
80 Landings Dr, Ste 207 Washington, PA 15301
Upper St. Clair | Summer 2016 | icmags. com 19