Where’s the one place you should never kiss a baby — or anyone else? The ear, according to a professor of audiology at Hofstra University in Hempstead, N.Y.

An innocent kiss right on the ear opening creates strong suction that tugs on the delicate eardrum, resulting in a recently recognized condition known as “cochlear ear-kiss injury.” Such a kiss can lead not only to permanent hearing loss, but a host of other troubling ear symptoms including ringing, sensitivity to sound, distortion and aural fullness.

This is a great post from the Better Hearing Blog written by Sergei Kochkin

Despite years of graphic anti-smoking campaigns and public smoking bans, people continue to light up – especially at home, where more than half of American children and teenagers are exposed to secondhand smoke. Scientists believe that passive smoke either causes or exacerbates lung cancer, asthma, learning disabilities, heart disease and other conditions and now a new study now finds that teenagers exposed to tobacco smoke may also have significant hearing loss – and not even know it. Here is, a brief guide:

Hearing loss has been around forever, but hearing aids only started to pop up in the late 1800s.  Take a look at these hearing aids and be thankful that we have evolved from using ear trumpets!

Did you know someone who used a hearing aid like these?  Tell us your story!

It has been a busy couple of months here at the offices, but it certainly does pay off when things like this happen!

Joyce Hill Cooley RN, BC-HIS, COHC and Cynthia Bradley,  BC-HIS, both National Board Certified Hearing Instrument Specialists, from our local Miracle-Ear franchise were awarded for their excellence in continuing education by the Missouri Hearing Society at their Annual Convention and Education Seminar in Kansas City, Missouri last week!