Hearing Loss
Show 1364: Staying Sharp Through Better Hearing
This week’s interviews focus on the benefits of better hearing. Dr. Frank Lin describes the results of the ACHIEVE study, in which some participants got a very significant delay in the onset of cogn…
Is Your Hearing Loss Setting You Up for Dementia…
What'd you say? How many times have you had to ask someone to repeat themself? Be honest now! Do you have trouble hearing? If so, you are not alone. The NIH reports that 15% of Americans (37.5 million…
Could You Benefit from Over-the-Counter Hearing …
The FDA hopes to revolutionize the hearing aid marketplace. Its new rules will allow over-the-counter hearing aids to be sold directly to consumers. Manufacturers will likely sell the devices online w…
What’s Wrong with OTC Hearing Aids?
A few weeks ago we asked “Could You Benefit from Over-The-Counter Hearing Aids?” We pointed out that roughly 30 million Americans have hearing problems but only about 20% use hearing aids. The cos…
Show 1261: Overcoming Hearing Loss
Hearing loss is a common problem, but many people with difficulties don’t know how to address it. Not everyone who has trouble hearing in noisy spots like restaurants or busy workplaces needs hearin…
Do People Who Eat Fish Grow Old More Healthfully…
Does eating fish or taking fish oil make any difference for your health? For decades, researchers have touted the anti-inflammatory benefits of the omega-3 fatty acids found in fish oil. They have sug…
Training the Brain Helps You Hear What People Sa…
Have you ever strained to understand what someone is saying in a noisy restaurant? Even people with hearing aids can have difficulty following a conversation when there is a great deal of background n…
Can You Spend Less to Hear Better?
Uncorrected hearing loss can contribute to social isolation, but in the US hearing aids are extremely pricey (thousands of dollars). In addition, they are not usually covered by insurance. That helps …
Are NSAID Pain Relievers Like Ibuprofen Hurting …
Americans love NSAID pain relievers. Millions take ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin IB), or naproxen (Aleve) every day. Millions more swallow NSAID pain relievers their physicians prescribe. These drugs incl…
Will Fish Oil for the Heart Contribute to Prosta…
For decades health professionals focused primarily on cholesterol (especially LDL cholesterol) as the chief culprit in heart disease. Now, other blood fats are considered important, especially triglyc…
What Did You Say? Vitamins and Magnesium Linked …
Vitamin supplements have been denounced by many health professionals as a waste of money. A new study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition suggests that antioxidants vitamins such as beta-car…
Prostate Pill Linked to Hearing Loss
Q. I used Cialis several years ago for ED. After using it twice, I lost all the hearing in one ear. I really wonder if the benefits are worth the loss of hearing. What other medications are available …
Basketball Fans Risk Hearing Loss
The energy and enthusiasm in a basketball arena are palpable. Baseball and football fans may be equally enthusiastic, but they're not screaming in an enclosed space. Basketball arenas are like echo ch…
OTC Pain Pills Linked to Hearing Loss
Over-the-counter pain relievers like ibuprofen and acetaminophen are taken daily by millions of Americans. Because they are available without a prescription most people believe they are completely saf…
Pain Relievers Pose Predicament
There is bad news for people in pain. Those who have had a heart attack raise their risk of another if they take popular pain relievers such as celecoxib (Celebrex), diclofenac (Cataflam, Voltaren), i…
Injection May Reverse Sudden Hearing Loss
Sudden hearing loss is a frightening occurrence that affects one person in 20,000 every year. While doctors often are unable to find the cause of the deafness that becomes apparent in 72 hours or less…
Quinine Tablets Triggered Temporary Deafness
Q. I have had horrendous leg cramps at night. My pain threshold is high, but these had me moaning, unable to find a position without having some other muscle cramp. Quinine tablets usually gave relief…
Fish Fights Hearing Loss
Fish and omega-3 fatty acids may also be good for the ears. A study of nearly 3,000 older people in the Blue Mountains of Australia has found that people who ate two or more servings of fish a week ha…
Beware Acetaminophen Dangers
Q. Acetaminophen is perceived as an extremely safe pain reliever for both children and adults. More people should realize that this drug has numerous risks, including asthma and hearing loss. Even tho…
Will Tonic Water Cause Hearing Loss?
Q. I drink tonic water all the time. (Really it is half tonic water and half regular water to help with the cramps I get in my legs.) A friend told me the other day that tonic water has been linked to…
Pain Relievers Raise Risk of Hearing Loss
Common pain relievers may raise the risk of hearing loss. This surprising finding comes from a decades long study of almost 27,000 men, the Health Professionals Follow-Up Study. The men were between t…
Common Pain Relievers May Affect Ears
Q. I have taken Advil for years for inflammation or pain. I have stopped because I began to have ringing in the ears, ear pain, dizziness and loss of hearing. This all disappeared when I stopped the A…