Finally, Movie Theaters Playing Subtitles (OC)!

Hi ,

Happy July! What an exciting month this will be. All of the 4th of July festivities, backyard BBQs, water parks and concerts will be back in (nearly) full swing. We can walk about in public freely, visit grocery stores and public parks without wearing face masks, if we want. Per Colorado mandates, masks are now optional in all of our clinics, but we are happy to wear masks or make any accommodations you request to ensure your comfort and safety.

With Independence Day this weekend, we are reminded of a few things; USA is AWESOME, we value our celebrations with friends and family, and FIREWORKS ARE LOUD!

We want you to keep enjoying those celebrations by taking care of your hearing. This 4th of July, be sure to protect your ears, and the ears of those around you, while enjoying the loud booms, bright lights, and big smiles of your loved ones.

One thing you can do to protect yourself and children is to use ear plugs or ear muffs when you’re viewing the fireworks display. Earmuffs may be the better option for younger children as they won’t be a choking hazard compared to earplugs. Inexpensive foam earplugs are available at most convenience and drug stores.

According to the American Academy of Audiology, noise levels from fireworks can reach more than 140 decibels (This is comparable to standing next to a jet airplane taking off). Exposure to loud noises such as fireworks is one of the main causes for permanent hearing loss and tinnitus.

Speaking of tinnitus, this month’s feature article is part one of a two part series on tinnitus. This month in “EEEEEEEEE - The Friend That Never Leaves,” by Dr. Kacy Hooten, you will learn about the most common triggers of tinnitus, one of which is loud noise. Then stay tuned for part two next month which will share why tinnitus is more bothersome for some folks than others, and what you can do to make it less annoying.

Tinnitus is known as one of the most commonly reported health issues in the nation. It is expected that approximately 10% of the American population experiences intermittent tinnitus in some form. It is often reported as ‘ringing’ but can present as many different sounds including humming, buzzing, static, crickets or hissing. We often describe tinnitus as a symptom rather than an illness but it can be a symptom of many things! More often than not, it is a symptom of hearing loss. If you have tinnitus and wear amplification, hopefully you perceive some kind of relief while your hearing instruments are on and in.This is common! Most of my patients that have both hearing loss and tinnitus feel their perceived severity of tinnitus is diminished while they use their hearing instruments. But, what happens if the tinnitus worsens?

Let’s talk about tinnitus triggers!

There are eight major impacts on tinnitus that the medical world is aware of and refer to frequently. We recommend patients who report changes in tinnitus to investigate these triggers and how they are incorporated in your life. If any of these triggers apply to your routine and you have tinnitus that has changed or find your tinnitus to be bothersome, I recommend cutting the use in half.

Play the classic elimination game. If you normally sit down and eat an entire bag of chips try to only eat half, if you normally have 5 cups of coffee each day try only 2 cups or if you normally drink 3 glasses of wine each night –put it down, call us and invite us for the party to share (kidding, sorta).

Monitor these changes to see if it makes any difference in your perceived tinnitus. As I mentioned above, tinnitus can be a symptom of many things but most often, it is a symptom of hearing loss.

If NONE of these triggers apply to you and you still have tinnitus, call us to schedule a hearing evaluation.

Loud Noise

Tinnitus caused by loud noise is basically your brain's warning signal.
It’s your ears' inner voice saying, “That hurts and is causing temporary or even permanent damage!” If you experience tinnitus after shooting or working in a factory, it’s time to put hearing protection in.

Tinnitus triggered from loud noises is definitely damaging the cochlea. It only takes one time to damage it permanently and there is no fix or cure. It may damage the auditory system leaving you with tinnitus forever, or damaging the cochlea causing hearing loss (temporary or permanent), or cause so much damage it causes both tinnitus and hearing loss forever.  

No need to fear if you protect your ear!

Stress

It all boils down to hormones – aka cortisol levels.
Stress actually doesn’t have to be a bad thing; sometimes it’s that boost of adrenaline that we all naturally seek. However, prolonged stress can be detrimental to our mental and physical state. Our cortisol levels control a variety of functions including……blood pressure! Surprise!

We know stress can be a vicious cycle and it’s much easier said than done to reduce the recurrence or severity of stress. We still encourage trying to control fluctuations in stress. It can be a nasty symptom - even causing more wrinkles or deeper expression lines. Which, let’s be honest, we all wish we could control better. 

As you probably recognized, almost all of these triggers have some involvement with blood pressure. It is very possible you are having blood pressure fluctuations and are not aware. Consult with your physician to discuss your blood pressure and see if maybe the tinnitus is a symptom of the fluctuations.

"All of these triggers
have some involvement
with blood pressure."

There has been some recent discussion about the COVID vaccine causing changes in tinnitus. Of course, we are still learning about all the symptoms, if any, that are involved with the vaccine. From what we’ve seen clinically, the tinnitus is aggravated and heightened for a temporary amount of time and then commonly eventually settles to your original “normal”.

If you have questions or concerns, call us at 303-816-3869 or schedule an appointment online.

I grew up in Minnesota and moved to Colorado to snowboard and go to school at CU. 25 years later, I'm still here and I still love it!

This summer, I finally worked up the courage to go skydiving! I get nervous about heights, so it feels good to have faced my fears head on! I would highly recommend jumping out of an airplane to anyone (with a certified professional attached to your back, of course).

I'm a big fan of live music and going to concerts. I try to make it to Red Rocks at least once every year to see my favorite bands. I've been collecting concert ticket stubs since high school. I think it's fun to see just about anything on a live stage, from Neil Diamond to Nine Inch Nails!

On this Independence Day, I look forward to celebrating with family, friends and fireworks in the tiny farm town of Mazeppa, MN.

Due to some incredible advocacy of Hearing Loss Association of America Boulder Chapter, ALL Colorado Cinemarks are playing EVERY movie that comes with Open Captions (OC) two days every week for the next three months! Cinemark will then re-evaluate this OC program to see if it should continue. Please let people know as well as let Cinemark know you are patronizing them because they have open captions on the screen.

Find your closest Cinemark theater

The movies that have open captions showings will have those times listed separately under show times.

We are a small company, but we have 7 locations between 140 miles! This makes it challenging for all of us to get together in one place at one time. But we make it happen. Sure, we communicate every day through video chats and email, but we know the importance of getting everyone together periodically. There is just no substitute for in-person meetings and team building activities.

Last month, we went to a paint-your-own pottery place in Longmont. It was so much fun! Who knew our staff were such talented artists! Here's a few photos from that wonderful experience. You can see more photos from this event on our Facebook page. Don't forget to follow us if you haven't already!