What Is VNG Testing?
Videonystagmography (VNG) is a test that determines whether you have a vestibular disorder. When there is something wrong with the vestibular system of the inner ear, you’ll experience dizziness, vertigo, imbalance and/or falls. Testing is the first step toward treatment. What Does VNG Measure? When the brain gets conflicting messages from the eyes and the…
Protect Your Hearing in These Three Environments
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), hearing loss is the third most common health condition for Americans, and one in four people has some degree of noise induced hearing loss. What Is Noise Induced Hearing Loss? Noise induced hearing loss can be caused by either one-time exposure to a very loud…
What Is Low-Frequency Hearing Loss?
Low-frequency hearing loss is hearing loss characterized by difficulty hearing low-pitch sounds, including men’s voices, musical bass and thunder. It’s sometimes called reverse-slope hearing loss due to the shape it makes on an audiogram, which is a standard chart that audiologists use to measure levels of hearing loss. For most people with low-frequency hearing loss,…
5 Facts About Hearing Aids
Nine out of ten people who are diagnosed with hearing loss in Santa Barbara can benefit from hearing aids, but studies show only about 16 percent actually wear them. There are several oft-cited barriers to care, but most of them are really nothing more than excuses. Hearing aids are sophisticated electronic devices that do a…
Should I Bring Up Hearing Loss Over Thanksgiving?
Giving Thanks for Good Hearing Santa Barbara households will be filled with the scent of roast turkey and fresh-baked pumpkin pies this week. Thanksgiving is a time for families to get together and share what they are thankful for. It also presents an excellent opportunity to address the topic of hearing loss if a loved…
A Simple Surgical Procedure Can Help Those with Protruding Ears
Bullying is an ongoing problem not just in Santa Barbara but across the country, as well. Children are targeted for a wide variety of reasons, including their physical appearance. Kids with protruding ears fare especially poorly on the schoolyard, but a simple surgical procedure can make a world of difference. Overcoming the Stigma of Prominent…
Do Essential Oils Help with Hearing & Balance Problems?
Essential oils are the concentrated liquids derived from a variety of plants, usually herbs and fruit. People have been extracting them and using them for medicinal purposes for centuries; records date back as far as the 12th century. There has been a resurgence in their popularity in recent years, as people have discovered aromatherapy—a form…
Three Days of Music, a Lifetime of Hearing Loss
This summer marks the 50th anniversary of Woodstock—a gathering that attracted 400,000 people to upstate New York for three days of peace, love and music. The event has become so ingrained in popular culture, its name has been borrowed to refer to adults old enough to have attended the seminal festival. Many of these individuals…
How Do I Know When It’s Time for Hearing Aids?
Unless you can’t hear a word anybody else is saying, knowing when it’s time for hearing aids can be tough. About one in every five people in Santa Barbara has hearing loss, and for many of them, the condition develops so gradually they aren’t even aware of the problem until somebody else – usually a…
Summer Hearing Protection in Santa Barbara
Summertime in Santa Barbara is…well, not all that different from the rest of the year! We are blessed to enjoy a temperate, sunshine-filled climate year-round. But it can be a little warmer and slightly sunnier. If you wear hearing aids, you’ll need to take steps to protect them from some of the things most synonymous…
