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Why You Should Schedule a Hearing Test for World Alzheimer’s Month

In Dementia & Alzheimer's, hearing health, hearing loss, hearing loss causes, Hearing Loss Treatment, Hearing Tests, Research by Laurie Duffy, M.S.

Does Alzheimer’s Disease or other forms of dementia run in your family? It can be alarming as experts still struggle to truly understand what causes this devastating disease. Experts believe that a family history of Alzheimer’s increases your risk by 30%, a risk on top of other risk factors. While you can’t change family history or advanced age, by identifying the risks in your life of Alzheimer’s you can modify behaviors and have a chance …

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How Quitting Smoking & Lowering Blood Pressure Could Support Healthy Hearing

In Health, hearing health, hearing loss, hearing loss causes, Lifestyle, Research by Laurie Duffy, M.S.

Even for those who take their health seriously, hearing loss is often underestimated. What was once thought of as an ear issue has in recent years been identified as a key factor in the reduced quality of relationships, and chronic emotional issues including depression, anxiety, loneliness, and social isolation? In addition, hearing loss is now been strongly linked to a less active lifestyle, cognitive decline, dementia, and a greater risk of accidents leading to hospitalization. …

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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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Comorbidities of Hearing Loss

In Dementia & Alzheimer's, Family and Relationships, Health, hearing loss, hearing loss causes, Hearing Loss Impact, Hearing Loss Treatment by Laurie Duffy, M.S.

Comorbidities is an intimidating-sounding term that is used to indicate when a health condition has other health concerns that often manifest alongside it. A testament to how all the systems in the body are connected, the frequency of comorbidities is often an indicator of cause and effect relationships in one’s health.  Hearing loss can seem like such a singular health concern it can be hard to understand that, like many other chronic health conditions, it …

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Ear Infections & Hearing Loss

In Health, hearing loss, hearing loss causes by Laurie Duffy, M.S.

There are many causes of hearing damage including advanced age, head trauma and exposure to excessive noise. These aforementioned causes are most often caused by damage to the tiny hair follicles in the inner ear or nerves, which transmit signal to the brain to process. This is the most common type of hearing loss classified as sensorineural hearing loss, which affects the auditory nerve. A sensorineural hearing loss cannot be reversed, only treated with amplification, …

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The Growing Problem of Noise Pollution

In hearing loss causes, Lifestyle, Prevention by Laurie Duffy, M.S.

We’ve gotten so used to traffic, technology alerts, manufacturing noise that can be heard outside the facility that it just seems a natural part of the urban environment. But those sounds are referred to by many as part of the urban plague and there are growing concerns about the problems associated with noise pollution. If you have concerns your hearing may be harmed because of noise pollution, schedule a hearing evaluation at HearCare. Everyday noise …

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Is Your Mood Connected to Hearing Loss?

In Health, hearing health, hearing loss, hearing loss causes, Lifestyle, Mental Health, Research by Laurie Duffy, M.S.

Most people don’t realize how intricately linked your sense of hearing is to other parts of your life. When hearing loss is left untreated it takes a large toll on our total health affecting everything from coordination to quality of life to mental health. Hearing loss has long been linked to increased risk of depression, anxiety and even dementia. Now, research is underway to see if hearing loss is linked to the neurotransmitter dopamine and …

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Train Your Brain to Stave Off Hearing Loss

In hearing health, hearing loss, hearing loss causes, Hearing Tests, News by Laurie Duffy, M.S.

As we learn more and more about the human brain, it’s intricacies and processes become even more remarkable. For a very long time, it was believed that our brains were pliant only as children and that their pathways became permanent as we aged. Certainly, we believed that older adults were incapable of changing the ways that their brains functioned. After all, we’ve all heard the saying that “you can’t teach an old dog new tricks.” …

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A Possible Link Between Exercise & Reduced Risk for Hearing Loss

In hearing health, hearing loss, hearing loss causes, Lifestyle, News, Prevention, Signs & Symptoms by Laurie Duffy, M.S.

The benefits of regular exercise have long been trumpeted. Since history has been recorded, humans have understood that physical movement and exertion are of benefit to the mind and body. Marcus Cicero, a Roman politician said that “It is exercise alone that supports the spirits and keeps the mind in vigor” all the way back in 65 BC. And this proves even more powerful of a statement in today’s times, in which so much of …

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Sounds That Could Harm Your Hearing

In hearing health, hearing loss, hearing loss causes by Laurie Duffy, M.S.

Think of a time when you’ve been surrounded by the peace and quiet of uninterrupted nature. It’s an experience we only really come across on purpose, like while camping, or in those early predawn hours before the mechanical world wakes up. This is the soundscape that our ears were built for. In fact, the human ear was designed to accommodate sounds considerably less aggressive than the ones we’ve managed to produce on a mass scale …