
If you think you might suffer from hearing problems, you should try to gather some information on the possible problems before scheduling an appointment with a doctor. While it is true that the internet shouldn’t replace medical advice, it is also true that the right information can help you gain a better understanding of how your ear works and of the most common hearing problems and their possible solutions.
The New Hampshire Hearing Institute (NHHI) website can be your trusted source of information on everything that relates to hearing impairment, hearing protection, tinnitus, as well as the various hearing aids available today. You’ll become familiar with the most common hearing disorders such as earwax build-up, vertigo, ototoxicity, tinnitus, noise-induced hearing loss, and sudden hearing loss. You’ll also learn about balance disorders among many other things.
As a matter of fact, New Hampshire Hearing Institute covers all the above-mentioned problems, so this is the place to go if you are an NH resident and you suspect you have hearing problems. The NHHI specialists will run all needed tests and will evaluate your situation, in order to ensure an accurate diagnosis of the causes and of the severity of your hearing impairment.
The good news is that some of these problems are reversible. Earwax build-ups, for instance, are very easy to get rid of. Nevertheless, you should avoid using ear candles or other methods to remove earwax, because you can do more harm than good. Also, cotton swabs are extremely dangerous, because they can cause eardrum perforations or earwax impaction.
Perhaps the most interesting part of the NHHI website is the section that explains in detail how hearing works. It shows the anatomy of the ear using an explanatory chart that’s both beautiful and exhaustive. You’ll learn everything about the three sections of the human ear. Study this illustration to find out why using cotton buds to remove earwax is actually a very bad idea.
Check out the three little bones that transfer the vibrations of the eardrum from the middle ear to the inner ear, to the organ of hearing, namely the cochlea. Also, you’ll see the fine hair cells in the cochlea and you’ll understand their role in converting sound waves into electrical impulses.
After checking out this illustration and the videos on the website, you’ll see how important it is to protect your hearing by avoiding prolonged exposure to background noise or attending extremely loud concerts.