2016 Stu’s News - Advanced Ear Care Hearing Aids · ears sensation” (tinnitus) when he was in his thirties. But it’s not just the musicians that report damage to their hearing;

SEP2016

Now ‘Ear This from the Expert

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Music Lovers, Be Aware

As more and more of the rock-n-roll musicians of the ‘60’s, ‘70’s and ‘80’s become part of “the mature population”, many of them are beginning to acknowledge that all of those years of loud music—both on stage and in the studio—have taken a toll on their hearing.

That list includes Pete Townshend (The Who), Mick Fleetwood (Fleetwood Mac) and scores of other aging rockers, but it also includes musicians who are only

now in their 30’s and 40’s. For example, Will.I.Am (lead singer of the popular hip-hop group ‘Black Eyed Peas’), now only 41 years old, recently told an interviewer that he began to notice both a hearing loss and “that ringing-in-the-ears sensation” (tinnitus) when he was in his thirties.

But it’s not just the musicians that report damage to their hearing; it’s the rest of us who listen to it whose hearing is damaged, as well. In fact, one in every

September 11, 2001. Fifteen years ago, on a crisp, clear, pre-autumn day, the morning’s beautiful blue skies billowed to ashen gray and the world instantly stopped. Literally shook on its axis and ground to a halt. Yes, time heals

all wounds but we must never forget.

Names like Ted Beamer, Mark Bingham, Thomas Burnett, Jeremy Glick and Rev. Mychal Judge will always be remembered. While their valiant stories emerged from the midst of horror, there were

many other heroes whose names were never mentioned again except by the families who loved them. They are no less heroic, or patriotic, or deserving of memory.

Michael Benfante, then 36, and John Cerqueira, 22, were in the North

Honoring Unsung Heroes

Cont. pg 3

Cont. pg 2

SEPTEMBER EVENTSAnswers on pg. 3

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A funny thing happened on the way to better hearing...I asked our gentleman patient, “What made you finally decide to come in and have us check your hearing?”

He tried to wiggle out of the question, but his wife stopped him cold in his tracks when she blurted out, “Oh, Henry! For heaven’s sake! Why don’t you just tell them you were embarrassed by our 5-year-old grandson?”

I asked her to elaborate.

“Lyle—our little grandson in kindergarten—was so proud that he had learned the Pledge of Allegiance. But Lyle cried after reciting it because Henry just laughed and kept teasing him. He thought Lyle said, ‘I led the pigeons to the flag…’

“Poor little Lyle was heartbroken that Grandpa didn’t believe him and laughed at him, instead of telling him how proud he was. That’s why we’re here today.”

Henry admitted he really had hurt his grandson’s feelings and now he understood how his bad hearing was affecting those he loves.

Kudos, Henry! Anybody else ready to admit and commit? We can help you, too.

CALL US TODAY!

FUNNY BONE“ A cheerful heart is good

medicine ...”

Stu’s News

Laboring to hear? Relax!With “Labor” being a major focus in September, there is one thing we hearing care professionals don’t wish any of our patients to labor over: hearing well.

Most patients say they can hear someone speaking, but they don’t understand all of the words. Or, they have moments in conversation where they’re thrown off because they didn’t understand just one important word. If this is you, we can help!

Nearly everyone remembers the hearing test from grade school, where you “push the button when you hear the tone”. Although the “tone test” is the most recognizable means of checking for hearing loss, there are many other ways we evaluate someone’s hearing acuity. One very effective test is the “speech discrimination” (word understanding) test. For this evaluation, the professional reads a list of words and the patient is instructed to repeat

them. These word lists are phonetically balanced to identify which sounds the patient struggles to understand most. This test gives the specialist a barometer of how often the patient misunderstands words, and helps them formulate their best recommendation.

You know that “Special Someone” who always says “You can’t hear!”? We invite you to bring him or her with you. We will have them read the list to you. Using your Special Someone’s familiar voice helps you see how well you do—or don’t—understand words.

Come on! This is your chance to prove how well you hear—or how softly they talk, or how bad they mumble! Don’t work so hard. Give yourself a break! Hearing well and having good conversation needn’t be laborious.

Call us today to schedule your speech discrimination test.

Fill in consonants for clues about these September events, to say goodbye to summer.

1. __ A __ __ /__ O / __ __ __ O O __ Return to the Classroom

2. __ E A __ __ E __ __ Instructors for Younger Students

3. __ E __ E __ __ Every Student’s Favorite Subject

4. __ A __ __ __ A __ __ Schoolbook Carrier Bag

5. __ __ A __ __ __ O A __ __ Need Chalk and Eraser for This

6. __ O __ / __ U I __ Unexpected Test

7. E __ __ / O __ / __ U __ __ E __ Another Way to Say “Closing Out the Season”

8. __ A __ O __ / __ A __ September Celebration of Workforce

9. U __ I O __ __ Organized Teamsters

10. __ __ __ E E / __ A __ / __ E E __ E __ __ 72 Hours to Enjoy the Last Bit of the Season

949-484-4310

Advanced Ear Care24310 Moulton Pkwy., Ste. DLaguna Woods, CA 92637949-484-4310 www.advancedearcare.com

Stuart Spencer, BC-HIS Board Certified Hearing Instrument Sciences

Honoring Unsung HeroesCont. From pg. 1

Buddy’s Bio – Buddy Gets Blasted (and not from Mariela)

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Cont. From pg. 1

Answers to September EventsFrom pg. 4

Music Lovers, Be Aware

Summer time is great for the outdoors. We like to hike in the hills behind our house in San Clemente. The city has made some really nice trails for hikers, bikers and every once in a while you can even see an occasional horse.

One time I was walking the trail with Buddy and we saw a rattle snake (about 5 feet long) slither out of the bush from the side of the trail and then he stopped, stretching out

straight across our path. Of course Buddy started barking about a minute later. Thank goodness the snake continued on into the grass on the other side.

This week Buddy and I took a walk and we weren’t so

lucky. We didn’t run into any snakes, but we did find a very mischievous skunk. I’ve seen coyotes, snakes, tarantulas and bob-cats up there but never a skunk.

It didn’t take long for the skunk and Buddy to see each other. Buddy is always on the leash due to past experiences with the coyotes. He was barking away and evidently this skunk had had enough. He turned and blasted his spray right in our direction.

I can tell you – that is one powerful odor! We were a pretty good distance and

still caught the full effect. We didn’t get the main spray but it was enough to retreat and go a different direction.

Buddy wasn’t at fault by any means but we both did take a tomato juice cleansing when we got home to get rid of the awful smell. Next time I’m running!

four hearing losses diagnosed each year is for someone under the age of 21. That’s an alarming statistic.

And hearing loss can happen as a result of just being exposed to consistent, loud noise in a confined environment, such as an automobile. Some of the newer vehicle music systems can generate well up to 130 decibels (with 85 dB’s being dangerous after 8 hours; 115+ dB is dangerous after a mere 30 seconds)! And, once you have a noise-induced hearing loss, it is permanent! That is why prevention is essential.

It may surprise you to learn that it is not just pop, rock, rap, electronica or other kinds of contemporary music that can cause hearing loss; it’s all music. One study involving the Chicago Symphony found that more than 50% of its

musicians have significant hearing loss. Classical musicians play six-to-eight concerts a week, and practice for five hours, putting them at the same serious risk of suffering hearing loss as rock musicians.

Music is a simple pleasure for many of us, but it can cause permanent damage by way of hearing loss or tinnitus. If you, or a loved one, are a music-lover, we encourage you to contact us for special “musician ear plugs”. They temper the intensity, but allow the sound quality to still be heard at levels that are safe for your hearing pleasure.

Remember: “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure”. This is a good time to harken to your mother’s blast from the past, “Turn that noise down!”

tower of the World Trade Center when it was hit. They herded everyone to the stairway and began the 81-floor descent. On the 68th floor, they found a woman in a wheelchair and carried her for more than an hour to the ground floor. All lives were saved.

Nameless, faceless amateur radio operators around the world provided vital communications to organize rescue. Two unnamed women carried a badly-burned stranger down long flights of stairs and out of danger. An unnamed man, found days after the World Trade Center collapsed, died

with his arms wrapped around the body of a paraplegic.

Coffee shop owner, Johnny Costalas, helped his diners safely escape, then set up a triage inside his restaurant, overseeing its operation for more than six weeks. Welles Crowther, an equities trader, saved at least 18 lives that morning when he exited and re-entered the WTC three times. His body was recovered six months later.

Moira Smith, the only female of NYPD’s twenty-three victims, saved countless lives before being found among the dead. She was laid to rest on what would have been her 39th birthday.

F.B.I. Special Agent, Leonard Hatton, saw smoke and fire coming from the North Tower. Radioing his supervisor that he was going to help, he joined right in with the NYFD, running in and out of the smoldering building. In the end, he exchanged his own life for the lives of strangers.

This minuscule list of unsung heroes is meagerly representative of the bravery and selfless nobility that heroes have in common. We owe it to every hero, every American, who has died for this country, to value this distinctive nation we have and to preserve it for as long as we can. They died as Americans, for America. In honor of their ultimate sacrifice, let us remember.

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1. BACK TO SCHOOL2. TEACHERS 3. RECESS 4. BACKPACK 5. BLACKBOARD

6. POP QUIZ7. END OF SUMMER8. LABOR DAY9. UNIONS 10. THREE DAY WEEKEND

— POTPOURRI —Kwik Facts About US Labor1. First U.S. Labor Day was

celebrated September 5, 1882, in NYC with a parade of union members.

2. At least 20,000 people were at the parade. Workers had to forfeit a day’s pay to attend.

3. Labor Day became a federal legal holiday in 1894, signed into law by Grover Cleveland.

4. The Adamson Act of September 3, 1916 established an 8-hour work day.

5. The National Hot Dog and Sausage Council says that between Memorial Day and Labor Day, Americans will eat 7 billion hot dogs.

— FUN FACTS —No word in the English language rhymes with month, orange, silver or purple.

— LOONEY LAW —It’s illegal to sit and eat a sandwich in St. Mark’s Square, Venice, Italy. Fines start at $50-$60, but can go as high as $600!

Happy Grandparents’ Day!Sunday, September 11, 2016