Hear, Here

By: Dr. Dawn H. MacMillan, Audiologist Happy National S'mores Day ! To celebrate, we are sharing with you tips on how to prevent hearing loss. Each day in our office, we treat patients who feel like they are doomed to have hearing loss because someone in their family has hearing loss. While there may be a greater likelihood of developing hearing loss in those with a genetic link, often times it is because unhealthy hearing habits are passed down from generation to generation! Nights spent under the lights at the racetrack with no hearing protection, mowing the lawn with no hearing protection, smoking--there are  things you can do to reduce your risk of hearing loss. 1.) Move away from the noise- This doesn't mean you can't enjoy a good outdoor concert. While being near the action may be good for your soul, it's bad for you hearing. By putting some distance between you and the noise source, you are reducing he level of hazardous noise reaching your ears which is g

By: Dr. Dawn H. MacMillan, Audiologist  It's hard to believe, but school starts locally in just about two weeks. Like so many other parents, I've been running around buying school uniforms and shoes because my kiddos have outgrown almost everything this summer. We've been busy with school supply lists and finishing all the back to school tasks required before August 5th when they return to school. For my little one who will begin kindergarten, I had to verify she had her required hearing test to enter school  (funny to me considering her mama is an Audiologist!) and was up-to-date on her vaccinations. All this running around and list-checking got me thinking about my pediatric patients. How my back to school lists mirror the lists of the parents of my pediatric patients with hearing loss but they have more things they need to do to prepare their little ones for the new school year. It got me thinking about childhood hearing loss and what I can do to help prevent hearing

By Dr. Dawn MacMillan, Audiologist Hearing aids are wonderful tools to assist those with hearing loss! They can make things louder when needed, brighter-sharper-clearer if that's what is needed. Modern digital hearing aids are based off a prescription, your hearing test, so your Audiologist can program in precisely the sounds you need. Instant-fit and over-the-counter (OTC) options cannot do this as they are typically programmed to a particular hearing loss shape and configuration. This is bad because it means some sounds you need to hear will be UNDER-amplified while other sounds are OVER-amplified, leading to dissatisfaction with the sound quality and for most, poor wearing habits. To get the most out of your investment, here are five tips to maximize success with hearing aids:  1.        Learn how your hearing aids work . Spend some time with your Audiologist, and really learn how hearing aids work.  A hearing aid fitting appointment can be a little bit like drinking w

Approximately one in three people in the United States between the ages of 65 and 74 has hearing loss, and nearly half of those older than 75 have difficulty hearing. Having trouble hearing can make it hard to understand and follow a doctor's advice, respond to warnings, and hear phones, doorbells, and smoke alarms. Hearing loss can also make it hard to enjoy talking with family and friends, leading to feelings of isolation. Age-related hearing loss most often occurs in both ears, affecting them equally. Because the loss is gradual, if you have age-related hearing loss you may not realize that you've lost some of your ability to hear. There are many causes of age-related hearing loss. Most commonly, it arises from changes in the inner ear as we age, but it can also result from changes in the middle ear, or from complex changes along the nerve pathways from the ear to the brain. Certain medical conditions and medications may also play a role. Why do we lose our heari

By: Dr. Dawn MacMillan, Audiologist Imagine this. You make the decision to eat better and lose a few pounds. You go to the grocery store and buy a cart full of fresh fruits, vegetables, and lean protein. You arrive home from the grocery store, put all the food away. You are ready to take control of your waistline! But the next time you go into the kitchen for a snack, you pick up a sugary, pre-packaged snack made by a lady named Debby. You repeat this over the next week, eating lunches out when friends ask, foamy coffee drinks when the late afternoon slump hits. You step on the scale and are shocked! What?!? You didn’t lose a single pound! Are you really shocked? Of course not! The fruits and veggies you bought are moldy and furry! You bought the food but didn’t get in the habit of eating it. Hearing aids are no different. You can have the test, buy the aids, have them professionally fit and that fitting verified but if that’s all you do when you leave their office, the hearin

By Dr. Dawn MacMillan, Audiologist 1. Realize that getting used to new hearing aids takes time. You probably didn’t lose your hearing overnight; you won’t adjust to new hearing aids overnight. Ask anyone who wears hearing aids and they’ll tell you their hearing aids probably didn’t sound “good” when they first put them on, they probably sounded “different”. Not necessarily ‘bad different’ but just different. Hearing aids may feel strange at first on your ears, especially if you wear glasses. Wearing glasses with hearing aids is ok! You may just not be used to having both glasses AND hearing aids behind your ears, don’t be alarmed if you need to wear them for a few days, or even weeks, before they become comfortable. When your Audiologist first puts your hearing aids in your ears, you may notice a big difference or no difference at all! This alarms some users but is normal. Depending on your level of hearing loss, you may have heard your audiologist in their quiet office eve