“Help! The Room is Spinning!”

You’re feeling dizzy. Do quick movements of your head or bending over increase your dizziness? How about looking up? Does turning over or getting in and out of bed cause things to spin more? According to a standardized test known as the Dizziness Handicap Inventory, answering yes to some or all of these questions is… Read more »

The COVID-19 Hearing Loss Crisis

The coronavirus emergency has made life more dangerous and difficult for people worldwide. However, the extraordinary challenges experienced by the hearing impaired and deaf populations have not been addressed adequately to date by the media. Listening is defined as an “active or intentional behavior involving the brain’s ability to decode and process communication.”1 Affecting approximately… Read more »

You Can’t See Hearing Loss

Hearing loss is invisible. Unlike noticing you need glasses because your vision is blurry, we can’t see hearing loss, but those around us often notice it. It is hidden in the inappropriate response to a question, in the request for someone to repeat what they said, or in the complaint that people need to stop… Read more »

Maintaining Quality Of Life with Tinnitus

It is estimated that 50 million Americans suffer from a tinnitus disorder, a ringing or buzzing in the ear.1 Most patients describe the perceived noise as a persistent, chronic, annoying and sometimes debilitating buzzing, ringing, static or high-pitched sound in the ear(s) or head. However, current tinnitus research now defines tinnitus as a disorder involving… Read more »

Hearing Loss and Disease Risk Factors

Being able to communicate with ease has been determined to be a critical topic and aspect of healthy aging. Since 2014, a greater emphasis has been placed on hearing health and associated disease risk factors including the following life threatening co-morbidities: Dementia. Dr. Frank R. Lin, M.D., Ph.D., otolaryngologist and investigative researcher at Johns Hopkins… Read more »

Dizzy No More with Vestibular Rehabilitation

Dizziness, vertigo and disequilibrium are all signs of vestibular system dysfunction. Vestibular disorders can be caused by peripheral damage (occurring within the inner ear), or by central damage (occurring within areas of the central nervous system responsible for balance and equilibrium). These symptoms do not have to be permanently debilitating and can often be treated… Read more »

For All the World to Hear: Cochlear Implants

Loss of hearing is America’s most prevalent physical ailment.  More people suffer from hearing loss than from heart disease, cancer, blindness, tuberculosis, multiple sclerosis, venereal disease and kidney disease combined. Despite the magnitude of the problem, we pay less attention to hearing loss than to any other major affliction.  Perhaps it is because hearing loss… Read more »

My Head Is Spinning

Dear Dr. Kato: For the past 3 weeks, I’ve experienced dizziness nearly every morning when I turn over to get out of bed. I feel like I am spinning inside my head, and it is very frightening! If I lie perfectly still, I’m okay. Can you tell me what is causing this? Dear Reader: Dizziness… Read more »

How to Handle Family Gatherings with Hearing Loss

Family gatherings should be a joyous time of celebration, spent with loved ones, and reconnecting with friends and family. Grandparents delight in seeing their grandchildren.  Many of us catch up with those we haven’t seen since last year. However, these gatherings can be less than pleasant for some individuals. Hearing-impaired individuals, for one, have difficulty… Read more »

Medications and Dizziness

Medications are often the first line treatment for patients experiencing severe dizziness and vertigo. These medications are essentially “rescue” drugs that can greatly alleviate the symptom of debilitating vertigo. However, these “rescue” drugs are neither always effective nor appropriate for many types of dizziness, and they may have potentially serious side effects and drug interactions.… Read more »