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A Campaign to Make Listening Safe for All

In Communication, Ear Health, hearing health, hearing loss, hearing loss causes, Hearing Loss Impact, News, Prevention, Research, Tips & Tricks by Laurie Duffy, M.S.

Do you use headphones when listening to music, movies, and media? Most people do. Since the invention of the Sony Walkman in 1979 headphones have been all the rage, allowing people to listen to what they want, when they want in public, without disturbing others around them. There is no denying that headphones are amazing, but they also come at a risk to our hearing. The World Health Organization (WHO) reports that 1.1 billion young adults are …

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Tips for Cleaning Your Ears

In Ear Health by Laurie Duffy, M.S.

Does earwax drive you nuts? It builds up around your ear and gets stuck on your earbuds and while no one always wants to do it, it’s nice to keep your ears clean. However, there’s a wrong way and a right way to clean your ears safely Avoid Cotton Swabs While it was a standard of the past to use a cotton swab to clean your ears, in retrospect it is a dangerous method. In …

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Hand Dryers Can Hurt Kids’ Ears

In Ear Health, hearing health by Laurie Duffy, M.S.

Hearing damage can be caused by prolonged exposure to loud noise (over 80 dB) or by a single loud noise. Because children’s ears are still developing, they are susceptible to hearing loss from sounds that adults would not consider hazardous.  Make an appointment with HearCare RI immediately if you fear your hearing has been compromised or someone in your family has hearing loss. Hand dryers: surprisingly loud Even the most innocuous objects can offer a …

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Sensitivity to Sound As We Age

In Ear Health, hearing loss, Hearing Tests, Research by Laurie Duffy, M.S.

As we get older, we face a growing number of critical life transitions, such as employment changes and retirement, children leaving home, the loss of loved ones, —and even the loss of independence. Healthy aging is typically determined by how we respond to and grow from these changes.  There are changes to your hearing, too, including an increased risk of sensitivity to sounds. Let’s take a closer look at this condition.  Aging and sensitivity to …

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Tips for Earwax Removal

In Ear Health by Laurie Duffy, M.S.

We are all familiar with the sticky substance that is earwax! But did you know that experts do not recommend using a cotton swab for its removal? Knowing about how to remove earwax may seem obvious but it is often done incorrectly, not enough, or too much. Excess earwax that remains in the ears can produce unpleasant symptoms so knowing how to remove it effectively is helpful for maintaining ear health!  What is Earwax? Also …

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Ear Candles: Effective or Dangerous?

In Ear Health by Laurie Duffy, M.S.

There are many ways to clean the ears at home and some are safer than others. Recently people have become interested in an alternative method of cleaning out the ears using “ear candling”. Ear candles claim to create a suction using heat, to pull earwax and debris out of your ear canal. While this method has been popular in alternative healing communities, many doctors are skeptical if this process actually works, or if it could …