Hearing Loss
Although hearing loss is often associated with aging, hearing loss is clearly present in newborns, children, teenagers, young adults and adults. Healthy human ears can perceive an enormous range of sounds in terms of pitch and loudness. Hearing is the primary sense through which we learn speech and language. The ability to hear clearly from birth is extremely important with regard to normal development of speech and language skills, auditory processing skills, a sense of self, as well as normal emotional and psychological well-being and more. Causes for acquired hearing loss include a genetic predisposition, ear disease, noise exposure (including music, industrial, military and more), ototoxic medicines, head trauma, and others. (AAA, 2011)
Dizziness
Before treating your dizziness, it is important to determine the cause of your dizziness. It is often best to contact your ENT physician and describe your symptoms to him or her. Your description may include how long the symptoms last, as well as movements, positions, situations, or times that seem to cause the symptoms to start, or to make them worse. Pay attention to new or associated symptoms that occur around the same time as the dizziness such as headache, ringing in the ear(s), changes in hearing, pressure in the ears, or increased sensitivity to light or sound.
Rarely, dizziness is a medical emergency. If you experience slurred speech, confusion, difficulty swallowing, or the inability to walk, dial 911 or see a physician immediately.
The majority of dizziness complaints are the result of inner ear (vestibular) disorders. Typical complaints of vestibular disorders include vertigo, nausea, unsteadiness, and visual blurring with head movement. Vascular (blood flow) disorders such as blood pressure changes are another common cause of dizziness. Typical symptoms of vascular disorders causing dizziness include feeling faint or lightheaded and transient loss of balance, often made better by lying down and sometimes made worse by standing quickly.
Some causes of dizziness resolve on their own, and others can be easily treated. For example, the most common cause of dizziness is benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV). BPPV can often be effectively treated in one office visit. There are many sensitive tests and effective treatments for most causes of dizziness. Your physician can help you decide if you need additional evaluation with a vestibular specialist such as an audiologist. (AAA,2011)