Dana Notaro, Au.D., CCC-A, F-AAA As we celebrate Audiology Awareness Month, it's essential to focus not only on hearing health but also on the often-overlooked aspect of balance: the vestibular system. Many people are unaware that dizziness can be related to issues in this system, which is crucial for maintaining our balance and spatial orientation. Let’s dive into what vestibular testing involves and why awareness of dizziness is so important for your overall health. What Is the Vestibular System? The vestibular system, located in the inner ear, plays a vital role in helping us maintain our balance and navigate our environment. It works closely with our visual and proprioceptive systems to keep us oriented. When this system is functioning properly, we can move around confidently. However, issues in the vestibular system can lead to dizziness, vertigo, and balance problems. Common Causes of Dizziness Dizziness can arise from various factors, including: Vestibular Disorders: Conditions like Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo (BPPV), Meniere’s disease, and vestibular neuritis. Inner Ear Infections: These can disrupt balance and cause feelings of dizziness. Medication Side Effects: Certain medications can impact your balance and cause dizziness. Neurological Disorders: Conditions such as migraines or multiple sclerosis can also affect the vestibular system. Why Is Dizziness Awareness Important? Being aware of dizziness is crucial for several reasons: Quality of Life: Chronic dizziness can severely impact your daily activities, work, and social interactions. Safety: Dizziness can increase the risk of falls, particularly in older adults. Recognizing and addressing these symptoms can help prevent injuries. Underlying Conditions: Dizziness can be a symptom of underlying health issues that may require treatment. Early detection can lead to better management. What to Expect During Vestibular Testing If you're experiencing dizziness, your audiologist may recommend vestibular testing to evaluate your balance system. Here’s what you can expect: Comprehensive Assessment: Your audiologist will take a detailed history of your symptoms, including when they occur and their severity. Balance Tests: You may undergo various tests, such as: Electrophysiology Testing: This involves measuring the electrical activity in the vestibular system to assess how well each pathway is functioning, helping to identify any abnormalities. Videonystagmography (VNG): This test measures eye movements to assess the vestibular system's function in different scenarios. Rotary Chair Testing: This evaluates how your vestibular system responds to rotational movements, providing insight into how well your balance system is functioning. Caloric Testing: This test uses warm and cold air in your ears to see how well your vestibular system is working in each ear separately. Vestibular Head Impulse Test (vHIT): This checks how well your eyes and head work together during quick movements by isolating each of your 6 semicircular canals. Results and Recommendations: Based on the tests, your audiologist will discuss the results and develop a tailored plan to address your symptoms. This may include vestibular rehabilitation therapy, lifestyle changes, or referral to a specialist. Tips for Managing Dizziness If you’re experiencing dizziness, here are a few tips to help manage it: Stay Hydrated: Dehydration can exacerbate dizziness, so drink plenty of water. Limit Sudden Movements: Stand up slowly and avoid rapid head movements to minimize dizziness. Practice Balance Exercises: Simple exercises can strengthen your balance and coordination. Seek Support: Don’t hesitate to reach out to your audiologist if you have concerns about dizziness. This Audiology Awareness Month let’s not overlook the significance of our vestibular system. Awareness of dizziness and understanding the importance of vestibular testing can empower you to take control of your balance and overall health. If you or someone you know is experiencing dizziness, schedule an appointment with your audiologist to discuss your symptoms and explore your options. Together, we can work towards a safer, more balanced future!

Are you planning to take a vacation soon? Traveling with hearing aids can present a few unique challenges, but with proper preparation and a few handy tips from me, your favorite audiologist, you’ll have no problem enjoying your trip to the fullest.

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.

We don’t have to tell you that communication is an essential part of daily life. We are constantly communicating with others at work, at home, and in social situations. Because we do it so often, we all tend to develop some bad communication habits that can creep up and negatively impact these interactions we have with others.

Stop Making These Mistakes When It Comes to Hearing Loss

A common misconception about earwax is that it’s “bad” or “dirty” but, earwax has a purpose. As an audiologist, I get to see my fair share of earwax up close, and I’ll be the first to say that it’s not gross at all. In fact, it serves a very important purpose and it’s just one more example of how amazing the human body is. It’s a common misconception that all our appointments center around hearing loss. We do a lot more than that, and one example is earwax removal. Did you know that people come to us all the time for this? A lot of people don’t even realize we perform this service! Often, patients decide to make an appointment with us because they’re experiencing issues like muffled hearing, ringing in their ear(s), itchiness, or odor. But you can come to us for earwax removal anytime, even if you aren’t having any issues. We would love to help you! If you’re here reading this post, it means you’re at least a little bit curious about earwax. Why do we have it? Can we use cotton swabs to remove it? Is that bad for our ears? In this post, I’ll share my expertise and my opinions on all things earwax related. Are you ready? First Things First: What is Earwax? Your ear canal contains tons of tiny little pores that are responsible for producing earwax, which is also called cerumen. This waxy substance consists of dead skin cells, hair, and the secretions of the ceruminous and sebaceous glands of the outer ear canal. Earwax can vary in appearance but most of the time it’s a yellowish orange color and it has a slightly sticky consistency. The color and even smell of your earwax can indicate certain health issues, for example an ear infection or buildup. The most important thing to understand about earwax is that it’s a GOOD thing. It is a superhero that helps protect your sensitive ear canal against things like bacteria, fungi, and water. Is There Any Safe Way to Remove Earwax? I strongly recommend that you do not try to remove earwax at home. As of right now, I don’t know of any over-the-counter products that are able to effectively remove earwax without potentially pushing it further back into the ear canal, which is something we want to avoid. Home remedies are so ineffective that most of my patients schedule ear cleanings after attempting to remove the wax themselves. I’m an audiologist and I can’t even remove my own earwax without pushing it further back in my ear canal, because I can’t see what I’m doing! There are over-the-counter cleansing products, but I haven’t seen great results with them. While some earwax may come out, there is almost always an amount that gets pushed back further into your ear canal that you cannot see. Or the product may dry out your ear canal too much. The only technique I usually feel comfortable suggesting to patients in our office are drops of mineral oil or Debrox. Adding a few drops of oil to your ear canal can help keep it moist and soft enough so that it can more effectively push the wax out on its own. This is ONLY recommended for people who have a healthy middle ear with no perforations (holes) or prior surgeries. Make sure you schedule an appointment before trying this technique so we can make sure it won’t cause harm or damage. If the earwax is bothering you for any reason, you can schedule an appointment with us to have it removed in our office. We have some patients that schedule routine earwax removals every three or six months, and we are always more than happy to do this! Is Earwax Buildup a Sign of Poor Hygiene? Audiologists like to see a little bit of earwax when they’re doing an exam because this signifies a healthy ear canal. When the ear canal becomes too dry (from using cotton swabs or ear drops), it can sometimes cause the area to drain or itch. Still, the presence of earwax is something that people get embarrassed about. We see this all the time after we do a cleaning in the office. People will be horrified by the amount of earwax that we were able to remove from their ears. I promise, this is nothing to be embarrassed about and it is not an indication of poor hygiene. What Happens if My Ears Become Blocked?  Your ear canal contains tiny hairs called cilia, which are responsible for naturally moving earwax out of your ears. However, only the front half of the ear canal has cilia; the back portion of the ear canal – the part that connects with the eardrum – does not. So, if earwax gets pushed back PAST the cilia (as a result of using cotton swabs, for example), your ear won’t be able to move the wax out. This can lead to a blockage. Age-related dryness in the ear canal can also cause blockages. If you have a blockage, you might start to hear your own voice differently or just experience the feeling of your ears being plugged up. Or, when you lay down on a pillow with your “good” ear, you might find that you can’t hear as well. If this happens, schedule an appointment with us. A blockage is almost impossible to fix on your own, but we can help you clear it out in no time. Do you want to have us take a look at your earwax? Schedule an appointment with 4 Bridges Audiology today! We can remove earwax via suction, curette, and irrigation. Give us a call at 423-521-3277 to learn more about these options.

Read what 4Bridges has to say about common Issues that arise when you travel with untreated hearing loss.

Read the steps 4 Bridges Audiology has provided about "Addressing Your Tinnitus"

Trying to budget and save money in the new year is an extremely popular goal. Most of us are looking for ways to cut costs, especially now. If this is something you’ve been thinking about — and you’re someone who will need to purchase hearing aids this year — you might be wondering if switching to an over-the-counter device is a viable option. Now, we are not against over-the-counter hearing aids. They’re a great option for certain people with certain needs. However, they are not going to be the best choice for everyone. When you are looking at options, your budget matters (of course), but so does your quality of life. If an over-the-counter option isn’t going to address your specific hearing issues, it isn’t a good option, plain and simple. So, let’s go over each option together so you can start planning! Over-the-Counter Hearing Aids As you probably heard, hearing aids are now being offered over the counter at places like Walmart, Costco, Walgreens, and Best Buy to name a few. This is great news for a lot of people, but we still like to educate our patients about some of the potential drawbacks, as well as the benefits! Over-the-Counter Pros: There is typically a cost savings when purchasing an over-the-counter hearing aid, as long as you are someone with mild to moderate hearing loss. There’s no appointment needed; you can set up your hearing aids at home after watching a tutorial or hopping on a video call with customer support. For many of these over-the-counter options, there is an app you can download that will help you adjust the devices as needed. Over-the-Counter Cons: Most of these devices will require the use of a smartphone to program and adjust the devices as needed. Over-the-counter hearing aids are not going to work with all types of hearing loss. Additionally, they do not come with programs for tinnitus therapy. Many of these devices only come with a 1-year repair warranty and do not have a loss or damage warranty. If you want to make a return, you will likely have to cover the shipping costs out of pocket. The companies also carry a very strict return policy and are not willing to budge if the devices are returned after the 45-day trial period. Remember that these are electronic devices that are exposed to ear wax, humidity, moisture, and sweat among other elements. They will require maintenance and repairs that the user is not able to perform without sending them in for a repair. This can take up to a week to complete by the time you mail them off and receive them back. It can take three to four weeks to properly adjust a hearing aid, and this can be a confusing process to go through without the help of an audiologist. Most over-the-counter devices are going to be in-the-ear devices (like many Bluetooth devices or earbuds). Depending on the hearing loss in the low frequency region, in-the-ear devices can create an occlusion effect, or barrel-like sound quality, which does not necessarily improve hearing ability and understanding. Prescription Pros: Most audiologists will include a three-year repair warranty and a three-year loss or damage warranty with every hearing aid purchase, which is great for added peace of mind. During your routine hearing evaluation, you will also be screened for any middle ear diseases that would warrant medical attention before the fitting of a hearing aid. The lifespan of prescription hearing aids is longer. Your hearing aid, with proper care, can last 5-7 years, which is an important consideration when budgeting. Most prescription fit hearing aid technology comes with tinnitus retraining therapy, which isn’t something that is currently offered over-the-counter devices. The audiologist DOES THE WORK FOR YOU! There is no need to figure out how to program or adjust the device on your own. Your audiologist will teach you how to use and care for the device to get the maximum benefit for many years. YOUR INSURANCE MAY COVER THE COST OF A HEARING DEVICE IN FULL! But you may not even know it. Even if a device is only $300, if your insurance covers it wouldn’t you want to take advantage of those savings?!?! Prescription Cons: The cost of prescription hearing aids will almost always be more than over-the-counter devices. You must schedule an appointment for a routine hearing evaluation, and then come back in for follow-up appointments to make sure you have a good fit. Most of the time, you may not be able to leave with a hearing aid the same day as your hearing test. Payment Options Over-the-Counter Devices Payment is due in full upon ordering. Most of these companies do not offer payment plan options unless put on a credit card already owned by the user. Prescription Hearing Aids  Insurance may cover the cost of the devices or services in-part or in-full. If you do not know what your insurance will cover, call them to find out what benefits you have for prescription hearing aids. Most offices will offer financing options, such as CareCredit to help with the cost of the hearing aids. As you can see, there is a lot to consider when budgeting for hearing aids. If you have mild to moderate hearing loss (no tinnitus) and you feel confident going through the steps to set it up and adjust it as needed, the over-the-counter options might be great for you. If you’re someone with more severe hearing loss or tinnitus, you may want to work with an audiologist to ensure you end up with a device that is truly going to work for you. Even if you save money up front, it’s not a good investment if you aren't getting the desired outcome. Of course, we are here to help you decide! You might think that we’re always going to tell you to come in and work with us, but that isn’t the case. If we think an over-the-counter hearing aid will meet all your needs, we will tell you that. We even sell some of these devices in our office. We just want you to feel your best, and if we can save you a little bit of money at the same time, we’re happy to do that. Feel free to contact us at 423-521-3277 if you would like to discuss your options!