Posts by Monique Hammond
Making the Most of DIY Hearing Care
Over-simplifying hearing loss? The son who had accompanied his mother to a hearing loss meeting shared confidentially that he liked his music loud and that he did not worry about hearing damage. He felt that he heard enough and that nowadays hearing loss is easy. “With all of that technology out there, you fix it…
Read MoreCoronavirus and Tele-health
Most people prefer hands-on health care by seeking medical opinions from “live” professionals– at the doctor’s office, the Urgent Care Clinic, the Emergency Room or wherever medical help is offered. Then times change courtesy of an encapsulated smidgen of RNA known as COVID-19, the dreaded, potentially aggressive member of the Coronavirus family. Sorting out symptoms…
Read MoreNano Technology for Drug Delivery to the Ears
Research into tiny particles with big potential Nano research works with extremely teensy and invisible particles whose diameters are measured in nanometers. A nanometer is one billionth of a meter. For comparison, a half-inch (1.27centimeters) is roughly one hundredth of a meter Because of their super small sizes, such particles could serve as future payload carriers for drug delivery…
Read MoreImproved Communication Year-round
Be included, not excluded! There is no time like the Holidays to remind those with hearing loss of the dreaded oncoming communication crunch. The struggle to understand speech in noisy groups and places makes it hard to participate in conversations and activities. And so. it is easy to feel excluded rather than included during the peak…
Read MoreOTC Hearing Aids Public Comment Period
OTC hearing aids will be “self-fitting,” non-prescription devices. They will be regulated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) but people can buy them Over-the-Counter without a prescription or the input of any professional help. Would-be users will be on their own when it comes to deciding if they qualify for these devices because they are…
Read MoreThe Phantom Sounds of Subjective Tinnitus
Subjective Tinnitus, the infamous “ringing in the ears” derives its name from the Latin verb tinnire, which means “to ring.” It is said to be a symptom of an underlying process rather than a condition in itself. Usually simply referred to as “Tinnitus,” it is defined as the perception of sound in the absence of an outside noise…
Read MoreHearing Loops & Telecoils Ease Travel
Hearing loops & telecoils create assistive listening systems Travel happens mostly in sound environments that generate serious communication challenges for those with hearing loss. Yet, understanding speech in the least amount of background noise is a major issue for those who are hard-of-hearing. Luckily, hearing loops are gaining in popularity with the travel industry…
Read MoreMight that Persistent Dizziness be PPPD?
Dizzy and unsteady? Check it out! Dizziness is a symptom with numerous and diverse causes. It is not normal and must be checked out, the sooner the better. Untangling the complexities of “dizziness” is a serious diagnostic challenge for doctors. Persistent Postural-Perceptual Dizziness (PPPD) is only one of the reasons why people may suffer from chronic, on-and-off…
Read MoreLazy Ear in Children
A sound processing disorder The technical term for “Lazy Ear” is ambly-audia, which means dulled or blunted hearing. Although the condition can be genetic, it is often acquired during the phases of hearing development and maturation in infancy and throughout the childhood years. Lazy Ear or amblyaudia is lopsided, asymmetrical hearing, which results from sound processing challenges…
Read MoreCytomegalovirus (CMV) and Newborn Deafness and Hearing Loss
The dangers of congenital CMV during pregnancy Cytomegalovirus (CMV) is a common, non-genetic cause for hearing loss or deafness in newborn babies. If the virus that infects the mother during pregnancy is passed on to the child, he/she will be born with congenital (present at birth) CMV infection. Yet, some 91% of women do not know…
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