From HealthyHearing

Ahhh, spring! That wonderful time of year when everything is new again — and we are mysteriously compelled to engage in the annual ritual of spring cleaning.

Unfortunately, some of the equipment we use to clean inside and out this time of year is hard on our hearing. According to the Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA), individuals who are exposed to noise levels over 85 decibels (dB) for more than eight hours daily run the risk of permanently damaging their hearing. That’s why employers with noisy job environments are required to provide hearing protection for their employees.

Noise, not age is the leading cause of hearing loss. Unless you take steps now to protect to your ears, sooner or later many of you — and your children — will have difficulty understanding even ordinary speech.

Tens of millions of Americans, including 12 percent to 15 percent of school-age children, already have permanent hearing loss caused by the everyday noise that we take for granted as a fact of life.

“The sad truth is that many of us are responsible for our own hearing loss,” writes Katherine Bouton in her new book, “Shouting Won’t Help: Why I — and 50 Million Other Americans — Can’t Hear You.” The cause, she explains, is “the noise we blithely subject ourselves to day after day.”

This is a very sweet commercial was made by a Miracle-Ear Franchise up in Wisconsin.

If you find yourself in the same situation call us @ 1-877-4My-Ears

The National Board for Certification in Hearing Instrument Sciences (NBC-HIS) announced that Katie Isgriggs of Potosi, Missouri has successfully

 completed the NBC-HIS National Competency Examination. Passing this exam grants the hearing health professional the designation Board Certified in Hearing Instrument Sciences. This designation attests to Ms. Isgriggs experience, dedication, professionalism and commitment to quality care 

to the hearing impaired.

The national Board for Certification in Hearing Instrument Sciences is a certifying agency fully accredited by the National Commission of Certifying Agencies in Washington, DC. The Commission is the nation’s only organization that sets, applies and promotes comprehensive standards for credentialing professions and occupations.

Joyce Hill Cooley, Kyle Griffin and Cynthia Bradley were recognized in the December 2013 issue of the Hearing Review as being among the best Hearing Healthcare Professionals in the nation. The determination was made by some of the industry’s top hearing healthcare professionals; a review panel chosen by the Hearing Review. Mrs. Cooley is a registered nurse, national board certified hearing instrument specialist and certified occupational hearing conservationist, Mr. Griffin is a National Board Certified Hearing Instrument Specialist, and Mrs. Bradley is a National Board Certified Hearing Instrument Specialist; they are all employed by Miracle-Ear Center located in the different branches including Jackson Medical Center, 2387 Jackson Blvd, Jackson, MO. 1465 N. Kings highway in Cape Girardeau, MO and in the Farmington Wal-Mart. They all have years of service  in the hearing health field were mentioned in the recommendation to review board.

Here is a link to a very interesting radio interview from NPR.  Dr. Alicia Quesnal of the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary talks about hearing loss in patients that were victims of the Boston tragedy.

Stay safe, have fun, and protect those ears!

From the Hearing Review.

Many third person documentaries have been produced about cochlear implant recipients. Now, an Oxford University student in the United Kingdom has produced a first person documentary that shares her experience of hearing the world through a cochlear device.

The video was made by cochlear implant recipient Helen Willis, who starts by briefly explaining the technical aspects of an Advanced Bionics’ cochlear device. But that’s only a small part of the video’s 9 minute length.

Most of the video shares Ms Willis’ life with the implant, which she received after contracting meningitis as a child.

According to a new study by researchers at Brigham and Women’s Hospital (BWH), women who took ibuprofen or acetaminophen two or more days per week had an increased risk of hearing loss. However, there was no association between aspirin use and hearing loss.

The study, recently published in the American Journal of Epidemiology, found that the more often a woman took ibuprofen and acetaminophen, the higher her risk for hearing loss. Also, the link between these medicines and hearing loss tended to be greater in women younger than 50 years old, especially for those who took ibuprofen 6 or more days per week.