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Professional Hearing Center Blog View all posts

Patient Testimonial
[Shared with Patient Permission] E, J & their Audiologist, Dr. Danielle Barton.
Jan 3rd, 2023

PHC Audiologist: Kelly Spiller, Au.D.
For our next series of blog posts, we will be highlighting our audiologists so you can get to know us a little better! This week we are highlighting our leader of Professional Hearing Center, Kelly Spiller, Au.D.
Jun 4th, 2021

Unilateral versus Bilateral Amplification
A majority of the population with hearing loss have the presence of hearing loss in both ears. Hearing loss is most commonly symmetrical. Therefore, a majority of patients treat both ears with the purchase of bilateral amplification.
Jun 2nd, 2021

Over the Counter (OTC) Hearing Devices
In recent years, consumers have increasingly taken charge of their health and options for medical treatment, which includes bypassing traditional routes of care.
May 22nd, 2021

Types of Dizziness
There are four main types of dizziness: vertigo, disequilibrium, presyncope, and lightheadedness.
May 8th, 2021

Ototoxicity
Ototoxicity refers to the meaning that something is toxic to the ear. More specifically, something being toxic to the cochlea (the inner ear) and the auditory nerve.
May 7th, 2021

Captioned Phones
For people who are living with hearing loss, captioned phones can be an excellent tool to aid in communication with friends, family members, and professional contacts
May 6th, 2021

What's Okay to Put in My Ears?
Did your mother ever tell you to never put anything smaller than your elbow in your ear? Well, turns out she was right.
Apr 15th, 2021

Ear "Fitness"
Fitness can refer to other areas of health as well as ear fitness.
Apr 7th, 2021

Can Diet Affect Hearing?
We all know that a healthy diet is good for our overall health, but did you know that research also indicates that it’s also good for your hearing?
Feb 20th, 2021

Earwax - Is It Bad?
Cerumen, commonly known as earwax, is the protective yellow waxy substance secreted in the passage of the outer ear, i.e. ear canal.
Feb 17th, 2021

Tips for Hearing Better on Virtual Meetings
In a time where most communication has switched to an online or virtual setting, it is important to consider some strategies that can help you or others on the call hear better. 
Nov 19th, 2020

Hearing Aid Batteries
Hearing aid batteries: While there are rechargeable batteries available on the market, the most common type is still the zinc-air button disposable battery...
Apr 15th, 2018

Audiology: Qualifications & Specialties
Audiologists are healthcare professionals who are skilled in the assessment, diagnosis, and treatment of hearing and balance disorders. As audiologists, we take pride in combining our enthusiasm for serving others with evidence-based practice...
Apr 2nd, 2018

Audiologists, Otolaryngologists & Otologists
When you come to any of our offices, you may in fact encounter a few different types of professionals depending on the type of appointment or evaluation you are having that day.
Jan 20th, 2021

Are my hearing aids water resistant?
Particularly during the summer, patients wonder about the water resistancy of their hearing aids. It is a great question! Today we will discuss how much moisture hearing aids can handle and some tips and tricks to protect your hearing aids from too much...
Aug 26th, 2020

Communication Strategies
People who have hearing loss usually exhibit one of the following strategies when communicating with others: Passive – Most people with hearing loss exhibit this communication style.
Jul 29th, 2020

Sound Apps to Help with Tinnitus
If you suffer from tinnitus, one of the best things you can do to help cope with the annoyance of the sound in your ears is to keep your ears and brain busy with a different sound. There are several sound apps available to help you.
Jul 22nd, 2020

Animal Audiology
People of all ages wear hearing aids. But, have you ever thought about your favorite furry friend having their hearing tested?
Jul 16th, 2020

Noise Cancelling Headphones
Noise cancelling headphones are often used to eliminate ambient noise while listening to any other audio. They are a safe and effective way to get high quality sound from headphones at adequate volume.
Jul 8th, 2020

Newborn Hearing Screening
Newborn Hearing Screenings were developed to assist in quickly and effectively diagnosing hearing loss present at birth. Catching hearing loss at an early age and enrolling a child in early intervention maximizes communication, literacy, and...
Jun 29th, 2020

Sound Level Measurements
In the world of Audiology, it is great to see our patients, family, and friends beginning to pay attention to hearing health and protecting their ears for the future. With technology getting more and more advanced, when it comes to measuring sound...
Jun 24th, 2020

Hearing Loss and Cognition
It is estimated that 40–50% of adults over the age of 65 have a measurable hearing impairment. This rises to approximately 83% of individuals over the age of 70.
Jun 17th, 2020

More Prevalent Hearing Loss During Covid-19
Have you noticed an increased prevalence of hearing loss during this time of Covid-19? I sure have! This has caused me to stop and reflect on these changes. It is not necessarily that more hearing loss is being caused during this time.
Jun 10th, 2020

Nutrition and Hearing
Nutrition is fundamental to health. And nutrition is also connected to hearing health; however, this connection is often overlooked.
May 27th, 2020

Otitis Media and PE Tubes
Middle Ear infections (Otitis Media) Infections can occur in the three different parts of the ear: external, middle, and inner.
May 20th, 2020

Otosclerosis
Otosclerosis is a hearing disorder that is caused by an abnormal amount of bone growth in the middle ear ossicular chain. Our middle ear system is comprised of the tympanic membrane (more commonly known as the eardrum) and three little bones that make up
May 13th, 2020

Meniere's Disease
Ménière’s disease is an inner ear disorder that leads to aural fullness, tinnitus, fluctuating hearing loss, and dizziness. Ménière’s disease produces a recurring set of symptoms as a result of abnormally large amounts of a fluid called endolymph...
May 6th, 2020

Hearing Aid Connectivity Resources
Resound: With the most recent firmware updates, iPhone and Android users can utilize both the Resound Smart App as well as directly stream music and phone calls from the hearing aids to their cell phones.
May 1st, 2020

An Important Notice from Your Audiologists at PHC
As you may know, precautions are being put into place nationwide to decrease the transmission and spread of the COVID-19 (Coronavirus). We are deeply concerned about your overall health and want you to know that during these times, we are still open...
Apr 30th, 2020

Well-Hearing is Well-Being
We are all experiencing some type of isolation at this time. It is difficult not to socialize and to distance ourselves from others.
Apr 23rd, 2020

Diabetes and Audiology Hearing Healthcare
Over the past 20-25 years, the percentage of Americans with type 2 diabetes has nearly doubled to over 9% of the nation’s population. Diabetes is defined as high blood glucose levels as a result of underproduction - or no production - of insulin, which...
Apr 15th, 2020

Health Literacy: Obtaining the Best in Healthcare
Health literacy is a growing concept in the healthcare and public health field. According to the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010, health literacy is “the degree to which an individual has the capacity to obtain, communicate, process...
Mar 18th, 2020

Mild and Unilateral Hearing Loss in Children
What is mild hearing loss? Hearing loss is determined by the softest sound a person can hear in decibels. In adults, mild hearing loss occurs when the softest sounds a person can hear on average fall between 26 and 40 decibels.
Mar 4th, 2020

What is New with Custom Hearing Aids?
So what is new with custom hearing aids? Custom hearing aids are amplification devices that are made using an earmold impression of the patient’s ear.
Feb 28th, 2020

What is a Cochlear Implant?
A cochlear implant is an electronic device that electrically stimulates the cochlear nerve which is the nerve for hearing. A cochlear implant is comprised of surgically placed internal components as well as external components that sit behind the ear...
Feb 19th, 2020

Genetics and Hearing Loss
Genes contain instructions that tell cells how to grow and work. Many genes are involved with hearing.
Jan 28th, 2020

Types of Pediatric Hearing Tests
There are several tests that may be completed during your child’s appointment with an audiologist based on their age and the reason for their visit. At their appointment, the audiologist will perform tests that assess the health of your child’s outer...
Jan 22nd, 2020

Central Vestibular Disorders
Dizziness or vertigo is grouped into 2 main categories: peripheral vestibular disorders and central vestibular disorders. This week I will discuss central vestibular disorders. See previous post for details about peripheral vestibular disorders.
Jan 14th, 2020

Peripheral Vestibular Disorders
Dizziness or vertigo is grouped into 2 main categories: peripheral vestibular disorders and central vestibular disorders. This week I will explain peripheral vestibular disorders.
Jan 8th, 2020

Hearing Conservation
Work Noise, or unwanted sound, is one of the most prevalent occupational health problems. Noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL) is permanent damage to the tiny hair cells in your ears, which are responsible for sending sounds to the brain.
Dec 31st, 2019

Vestibular Migraines
Vestibular migraine (VM) or migraine associated vertigo (MAV) is defined as a migraine variant presenting with additional vestibular symptoms in addition to typical migraine symptoms. It is estimated that around 40% of migraineurs have a vestibular...
Dec 24th, 2019

BPPV
Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo, otherwise known as BPPV, is the most common cause of vertigo. Vertigo is the sudden sensation that you are spinning or that the room is spinning.
Dec 18th, 2019

How to Properly Clean Hearing Aids
It is imperative that hearing aid users clean their hearing aids daily in order to keep them in good working order. Parts of the hearing aid can often get clogged with earwax, dry skin, hair spray, or other cosmetics.
Dec 3rd, 2019

How to Hear Your Best for the Holidays
The holidays are an exciting time to spend with friends and family. If you have hearing loss, it can be very difficult to follow conversations with those around you.
Nov 27th, 2019

Can Hearing Aids Damage Your Ears?
A very common question we often get when working with hearing aids is “Will wearing the hearing aids cause further hearing loss?” The quick answer to this is generally no.
Nov 20th, 2019

Classroom Acoustics
Modern classrooms are loud! This blog will define components of classroom acoustics and give tips to reduce background noise and reverberation in order to benefit learning environments.
Nov 13th, 2019

Hearing Loss and Comorbidities
The connection of hearing loss to other health conditions has been a hot topic lately. In the past few years, there has been an increase in society’s focus on wellness and hearing health.
Oct 30th, 2019

Rechargeable Hearing Aids
One exciting new advancement in hearing aid technology that is improving patient satisfaction for ease of use is the availability of rechargeable hearing aids. These rechargeable hearing aids eliminate the need for patients to change disposable...
Oct 23rd, 2019

How to Help Your Child with Hearing Loss
When a child receives any diagnosis, it can be accompanied by feelings of fear, frustration, and confusion for a parent. When a child is diagnosed with hearing loss, parents are often stepping into uncharted territory in parenting that many of their...
Oct 18th, 2019

Tinnitus
At Professional Hearing Center we find it very important to share our knowledge about ear-related topics with our community. Today I would like to discuss tinnitus.
Oct 9th, 2019

Bone Conduction Headphones
Bone conduction headphones are another way, besides traditional earbuds or headphones to listen to a device (music, videos, phone calls, etc.) without others hearing. If you have ever had your hearing tested by an audiologist, they typically test...
Oct 2nd, 2019

Hearing Loss and Cognitive Decline
Hearing Loss and Cognitive Decline A recent study investigating the association between hearing loss, hearing aid use, and cognitive decline was published in the Journal of American Geriatric Society.
Sep 25th, 2019

Pulsatile Tinnitus (Hearing Heartbeat)
Tinnitus is most commonly referred to as the conscious perception of a noise or sound in a person’s ear. Some individuals state that their tinnitus sounds like a ringing, buzzing, humming, hissing, roaring, or even a pulsating sound that resembles...
Sep 18th, 2019

Pediatric Hearing Aids
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Hearing Screening and Follow-up Survey, about 2 out of every 1,000 infants screened at birth show some degree of hearing loss.
Sep 3rd, 2019

What is Misophonia?
What is Misophonia? (more commonly known as “please stop chewing/breathing/grinding your teeth/etc so loud it’s driving me CRAZY”).
Aug 28th, 2019

Hyperacusis
If you have difficulty tolerating everyday sounds, you may suffer from hyperacusis. Hyperacusis is a hearing disorder that causes sounds which would otherwise seem normal to most people to sound unbearably loud.
Aug 20th, 2019

Hearing Aid Accessories
Hearing aids are becoming more and more advanced each year. Manufacturers spend countless hours and dollars conducting research about what people with hearing loss need assistance with the most, and which situations tend to create the most difficult...
Aug 14th, 2019