Writing and reading about hearing loss and other disorders that make communicating difficult or impossible, I can't help but think about my own senses and abilities. I too easily take for granted my ability to hear, see, speak, taste and move. One of my favorite pastimes, going to the movies, has been a burden for people with hearing loss for ...

New York City's mayor Michael Bloomberg has become the latest advocate for hearing-loss prevention. Specifically, he's aiming to help teenagers and young adults understand just how badly ear buds can damage their hearing. With a $250,000 grant from the city's Fund for Public Health, the Hearing Loss Prevention Media Campaign will conduct ...

A few years ago when I went to a local music venue to hear the band, Ryan Adams & the Cardinals, a very memorable scene played out on stage. After playing for a few hours with the full band — guitars, drums, bass, even a pedal steel guitar — the singer settled into some quieter, softer music, just Adams and his piano. The ...

Bullies, trolls, creeps — whatever you want to call them, they're everywhere on the Internet. They play pranks, say hurtful things and push their agenda of being a jerk without having to show a face or give a name, at least their real name. In late August, in the name of mean-spiritedness, thousands of these Internet trolls began nominating ...

I came across a disturbing story today about a deaf woman in Tacoma, WA, who was tased inside her home and arrested. It was reported she made a 911 emergency call in distress. The operator told her to wait outside of the apartment for officers to arrive. The woman communicates via sign language and an interpreter. When the officers arrived, they ...

Throughout my first year in graduate school, we students were reminded of the delicacy of hearing loss. In particular, how patients may respond negatively and seemingly irrational to the bad news. Many times, the negative response is not confined to a few days, but persists of years. It could be the difficulty in accepting they have what is ...

Two more weeks until I begin my externship. I have managed to stay busy through the break. I still have one academic course before course work is officially through. It's an online elective in Social Gerontology. Admittedly, I wasn't amped to take an elective in my last summer as a student, but ...

I'm becoming more excited by the day to begin my fourth year. Not only the opportunity for full immersion into practicing audiology and, but also for the next set of endeavors I will have time to focus on. I really like the concept that each individual has something he or she can bring to the table to improve an area of interest. There are many ...

Either I was half asleep, or I witnessed what it was like to have Eustachian tube dysfunction heal in seemingly an instant. Upon getting out of the shower on Tuesday, I felt the pressure equalize. My hearing has returned, and all feelings of fullness are gone. No more tinnitus annoyance either! My quick turnaround was confirmed as most of my ...

It has been over two weeks since the onset of my sinus infection and still no sign of improvement. In fact, my thresholds have worsened, showing a unilateral mild-moderate conductive hearing loss in my right ear. Tympanometry yielded similar results from last Friday. The feelings of aural fullness and annoyance from tinnitus have both increased as ...