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01/Mar/2020

Meniere’s disease is a condition that affects the inner ear. There are 4 typical symptoms associated with Meniere’s disease:

  • spontaneous, recurrent episodes of vertigo (coming and going attacks of dizziness or giddiness);
  • hearing loss;
  • tinnitus (a constant noise in one ear, often described as a buzzing or humming sound); and
  • a sensation of fullness or pressure in the ear.

Meniere’s disease usually affects one ear, but can affect both. People aged 40 to 60 years are most likely to develop Meniere’s disease, but it can affect people of all ages.

The disease is thought to be due to an increase in the pressure of the fluid (called endolymph) contained in the membranous labyrinth, a part of the inner ear.

Medications that reduce fluid (diuretics) may help reduce the pressure of fluid in the inner ear and help control the frequency and severity of symptoms. Medicines that improve circulation to the ear, such as betahistine (brand names Seniere, Serc), may help control symptoms in some people. A hearing aid may help with hearing loss.

Eating a salt-reduced diet can help reduce fluid retention and help decrease the volume and pressure of fluid in your inner ear, and is generally recommended. This may help reduce the severity and frequency of symptoms.

Avoiding caffeine may help reduce tinnitus, and avoiding nicotine can also help improve symptoms.

Learning techniques to manage stress and anxiety and joining a support group may also help people with Meniere’s disease. Minears organisation, Whirled Foundation are few such support groups….Need more information or a friendly chat free feel to call ‘ My Audiologist” on  07 3446 5845


01/Mar/2020

Researchers have found that older patients with hearing loss appeared better able to be balance when their poor hearing was enhanced with hearing aids. The study found that participants for the study used sound information coming through their hearing aids as auditory reference points or landmark to help maintain balance…..

Do you suspect your hearing is not as good as it had been and also have trouble with your balance.  Please call ‘ My Audiologist” on 07 3446 5845 for a  comprehensive hearing assessment and advise…..


01/Mar/2020

Exposure to some chemicals can result in hearing loss. These chemicals are known as Ototoxic substances. Hearing loss is more likely to occur if a worker is exposed to both noise and ototoxic substances than if exposure is just to noise or ototoxic substances alone. There are three major classes of ototoxic substances: solvents, heavy metals and asphyxiants. Work activities that commonly combine noise and ototoxic substances include:

• painting

• printing

• boat building

• construction

• furniture making

• fuelling vehicles and aircraft

• manufacturing, particularly of metal, leather and petroleum products

• degreasing

• fire-fighting

• weapons firing

Some medications have also been identified as ototoxic substances. These include some anticancer, anti-inflammatory, anti-thrombotic, anti-malarial, anti-rheumatic and antibiotic drugs. Quinine and salicylic acids (such as aspirin) are also considered to be ototoxic substances. Some of these can be absorbed through the skin and are considered particularly hazardous.  Control measures such as substitution, isolation and local ventilation should be implemented to eliminate or reduce chemical exposures. Personal protective equipment should be used to prevent skin and respiratory absorption when other controls are insufficient.

If you work with Ototoxic substances with or without exposure to noise please do get your hearing checked… Call ‘My Audiologist’ on  07 3446 5845 for a  comprehensive audiological assessment.


01/Mar/2020

Studies have shown that a healthy cardiovascular system—a person’s heart, arteries, and veins—has a positive effect on hearing. Conversely, inadequate blood flow and trauma to the blood vessels of the inner ear can contribute to hearing loss. The inner ear is so sensitive to blood flow that it is possible that abnormalities in the cardiovascular system could be noted here earlier than in other less sensitive parts of the body.” researchers found that audiogram pattern correlates strongly with cerebrovascular and peripheral arterial disease and may represent a screening test for those at risk. Researchers even concluded that patients with low-frequency hearing loss should be regarded as at risk for cardiovascular events, and appropriate referrals should be considered.Research shows that hearing loss is frequently associated with other physical, mental, and emotional health conditions, and that people who address their hearing loss often experience better quality of life. Eight out of 10 hearing aid users, in fact, say they’re satisfied with the changes that have occurred in their lives specifically due to their hearing aids—from how they feel about themselves to the positive changes they see in their relationships, social interactions, and work lives.
When people with even mild hearing loss use hearing aids, they often improve their job performance; enhance their communication skills; increase their earnings potential; improve their professional and interpersonal relationships; stave off depression; gain an enhanced sense of control over their lives; and better their quality of life.

Do you have  a family history or predisposition towards heart diseases. Please get your hearing checked… Call ‘My Audiologist’ on 07 3446 5845


01/Mar/2020

There are many risk factors associated with dementia, but one of the most recently discovered correlations is a condition that few would consider as even related to the disease. Research has identified hearing loss as a potential indicator of the development of dementia. Compared with individuals with normal hearing, people with hearing loss are more likely to develop dementia. The findings are found in a study published in 2011 made by Frank Lin, otolaryngologist and epidemiologist at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine in the US. He and his team followed 639 patients for 18 years. None of the subjects had cognitive impairments at the beginning of the study, although some did have a certain degree of hearing loss. During the 18 years of follow up, 58 cases of dementia were diagnosed amongst the 639 patients. The researchers found that for older adults with hearing loss, brain tissue loss happens faster than it does for those with normal hearing. We “hear” with our brain, not with our ears. When we have a hearing loss, the connections in the brain that respond to sound become reorganised.

Fortunately, for many people, hearing aids can provide the sound stimulation needed for the brain to restore the normal organisation of connections to its “sound centre” so it can more readily react to the sounds that it had been missing and cognitively process them.

Researchers says un-addressed hearing loss not only affects the listener’s ability to “hear” the sound accurately, but it also affects higher-level cognitive function. Specifically, it interferes with the listener’s ability to accurately process the auditory information and make sense of it.

In one study, Wingfield and his co-investigators found that older adults with mild-to-moderate hearing loss performed poorer on cognitive tests than those of the same age who had good hearing. The sharpness of an individual’s hearing has cascading consequences for various aspects of cognitive function. Even if you have just a mild hearing loss that is not being treated, cognitive load increases significantly.One has to put in so much effort just to perceive and understand what is being said that you divert resources away from storing what you have heard into your memory. As people move through middle age and their later years, researchers suggest, it is reasonable for to get  hearing tested annually. If there is a hearing loss, it is best to take it seriously and treat it.

You want to know more about this call ‘My Audiologist’ on 07 3446 5845……


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