No Hearing Protection at Stadium Sports Events
I was excited to watch the Canada vs Belgium World Cup men’s soccer match in Qatar. I had no doubt our team would do Canada proud. But this isn’t about a well-played game by the Canadian team (despite the loss). It’s about people ignoring the hearing health risks of stadium noise exposures. Being amazing fans […]
Protecting Hearing at Concerts
Images by Jan L. Mayes taken at Vancouver, BC, Canada concert on Avatar Going Hunting Tour 2022. Whether it’s pop, rock, or country, amplified music at concerts is loud enough to damage hearing health. I’m an old bat in my 50’s and have tinnitus. That doesn’t stop me from going to see my favourite bands […]
Finger Plugs Protect Hearing Health
This International Noise Awareness Day 2021, ignore the images showing people clapping their hands over their ears to block out loud noise. This doesn’t lower sound levels. Hands are NOT earmuffs. Instead, use your finger plugs to block out loud or uncomfortable sounds. Finger plugs lower sounds levels and protect hearing about the same as […]
Tinnitus Today: Building Your Own Hearing Protection Toolkit
I was pleased to write an article and help answer reader questions for the American Tinnitus Association Winter 2020 issue of Tinnitus Today. This is an excellent issue full of research, treatment, and coping news and information. My Tinnitus Q & A is on page 30 and Building Your Own Hearing Protection Toolkit is on […]
Hyperacusis and Gaming Soundtracks
Regular everyday sounds are physically painful for people with hyperacusis or decreased sound tolerance. This means sometimes we need to use hearing protection to cope when other people don’t need any. Sound quality is an important factor. For example, metallic higher pitch sound sources usually hurt more than natural lower pitch sound sources. This means […]
Fake crowd noise poses real health threat
[Originally published at silencity.com] With coronavirus pandemic restrictions on fan attendance, NFL football teams have lost the stadium crowd noise once called a home field secret weapon by the Seattle Seahawks. As a solution, the NFL has developed club and stadium specific crowd-noise audio to use during TV broadcasts. While the TV crowd-noise audio will […]
MRI Testing with Tinnitus or Hyperacusis
Doctors don’t make MRI referrals unless testing is important for a person’s healthcare. But MRI testing can cause hearing loss, tinnitus, or hyperacusis. In 2018, scientists found noise levels of modern MRI machines are extremely high. MRI machines have average noise like a jackhammer or chainsaw loudness (110 to 115 dB), and peak or max […]
Social Hearing Protection
Websites, media and other sources say use ear protection if you’re in damaging high level environmental noise whether that’s mowing the lawn, going to a concert or stadium event, or doing some hunting or shooting. This couldn’t be more general or vague. It depends on if you need to hear in noise. Do you want […]
Style Guidelines for Children’s Hearing Protection
As a general rule, earplugs are not recommended for children up to age 12 unless prescribed or fit by an audiologist or hearing healthcare professional. Earplugs are difficult to insert safely into a child’s smaller ears. If earplugs get dirty, which they do, it could aggravate ear infections. Most audiologists believe kids shouldn’t stick anything […]