Selected Podcast
Audiology and Healthy Hearing Care
As the years go by, many of us notice that we're not hearing as well as we used to. Dr. Hannah Carlson discusses different ways that we can help our hearing stay as healthy as possible.
Featuring:
Hannah Carlson, AuD
Hannah J. Carlson, Au.D. graduated with her Doctor of Audiology (Au.D.) degree in 2020 from Pacific University School of Audiology in Hillsboro Oregon. Dr. Carlson completed her clinical externship at Virginia Mason Listen for Life Center in Seattle Washington. She earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in Communication Sciences and Disorders with a minor in Dance from The University of Montana in Missoula. Dr. Carlson has training in treating patients, both pediatric and adult, in private practice and hospital settings. In her free time, Dr. Carlson enjoys painting, cooking, baking, and spending time with her friends, family and cat, Mia. Transcription:
Deborah Howell (Host): As the years go by, many of us notice that we're not hearing as well as we used to. So today, we're putting the focus on how to keep our hearing as healthy as possible. I'm joined today by Dr. Hannah Carlson, an audiologist at Skagit Regional Health. She's here today to talk with us about audiology and healthy hearing care.
This is Be Well, the podcast from Skagit Regional Health. I'm Deborah Howell. Hannah, what a pleasure to have you on with us today.
Hannah Carlson: Yes. Thank you. Thank you for having me. I appreciate it.
Deborah Howell (Host): I'm looking forward to this one. So let's jump right in. What exactly is an audiologist?
Hannah Carlson: Yeah. So audiologists, we are primary healthcare professionals and we evaluate, diagnose, treat and manage hearing loss and balance disorders - for all ages, from infants to teens and even adults and the elderly.
Deborah Howell (Host): Sounds like a full plate.
Hannah Carlson: Yes.
Deborah Howell (Host): You know, our hearing is something we kind of take for granted, but how often should we have our hearing tested?
Hannah Carlson: Yeah, that's a great question. I always say it's always good to have a baseline hearing test at the age between 40 and 50 years old. It's a good time. So then once we detect a hearing loss, we like to retest it every two to three years. But if we don't see anything at that time at that baseline hearing test, we usually say, you know, once a year or every other year.
Deborah Howell (Host): Wow. A lot of people, including me, are not doing that. So I'm glad that you indicated that we should be doing that. What really happens when you go get your hearing tested?
Hannah Carlson: Yeah. So we bring you into what we call an audio booth, which is a soundproof room. And we always ask you first case history questions just by bringing the person in. And then of course, we look in the ears with our otoscope, which is our tool that we're able to look into the ear. And then from there, we do a test that checks the pressure behind the eardrum. And then from there, most people recognize the test, but we give them a button. You press the button when you hear the beeps. We test one ear at a time. And then, we do also some speech testing as well. In the end, we go over the results with them and we refer them if they need any other medical look-over based off of their hearing loss or we recommend them if they need hearing aids.
Deborah Howell (Host): Okay. And tell us a little bit more about the speech testing.
Hannah Carlson: Yeah. So speech testing is really important. We hear with our ears, but we also hear with the brain. The brain is the one that actually takes the sound and processes it. So when we test the speech, we're finding is there a link between when you hear the beeps versus hearing words without context. So we're testing more of the processing part of our auditory system and seeing how well and if you're a true candidate for hearing aids.
Deborah Howell (Host): Got it. Now, some people might wonder what kind of hearing loss do I have? Can you speak to that?
Hannah Carlson: Yeah. So really for audiology, we can detect multiple different types of hearing loss. The most common is what we call sensory neural hearing loss. It just means that it's permanent, that there's no surgery or medication to correct it. It's normally common that we see age-related hearing loss as well as anybody who is around loud noises, like machinery and things like that.
We also see conductive hearing loss, which is something going on behind the eardrum in the middle ear system. So most of the time, there is surgery or medication that can correct it. And then the last one is a mixed hearing loss. And that just means you have both permanent and that mixed conductive component. Sometimes there is surgery for it. Other times, it's just managing it through a hearing aid.
Deborah Howell (Host): Okay. That's very useful. Thank you. Now, is it really such a big deal if I don't treat my hearing loss?
Hannah Carlson: Yes. It is because there is a relationship between hearing loss and cognitive decline. We all know that as we get older, we tend to experience some level of decline in our cognitive ability. So most of us can be mild, whereas others are more serious. So the normal part of aging is typical issues that tend to be forgetting details, taking longer to learn new things, or even just having difficulty concentrating or focusing. So to help with that, we see a correlation between hearing aids and hearing loss. So really, what we see is that older people with hearing loss are most likely to develop Alzheimer's and dementia because a lot of times the cognitive decline is isolating others. So they're not being in conversations, being around others. So they're being more kind of by themselves, which causes a lot of other health issues like depression, anxiety and things like that.
A lot of times, cognitive load is a big thing. So with untreated hearing loss, the brain gets overworked by constantly straining to understand speech and sound as well as the overworked brain doesn't work efficiently. We also see that another has to do with brain structure. Brain cells can shrink from a lack of stimulation. So including the parts of the brain that receive and process sound, we need to keep that active. And the last thing is, of course, social isolation. So a lot of times, trouble hearing conversations, socializing with others so they start staying home instead, which then becomes less of the ability for the brain to really receive all the sounds that you should be hearing in your typical environment.
Deborah Howell (Host): Sure. Well, you know, hearing aids used to be these big, bulky, ugly things, and I can understand why people wouldn't want to be seen in public with them, but they've really come a long way, right?
Hannah Carlson: Yes. Technology, style and everything have come a long way. And I would even say it's come a long way in the last five years.
Deborah Howell (Host): Truly. Now, the big question I have for you, and of course, let's talk about the pronunciation of the word tinnitus. My father insists it's TIN-ni-tus, but everybody else says tin-NYE-tus.
Hannah Carlson: I always tell my patients it's like tomato and tomato. Most of the time you're hearing TIN-ni-tus, but you also hear tin-NYE-tus, but most of the time you'll hear TIN-ni-tus.
Deborah Howell (Host): Okay. So what is it?
Hannah Carlson: So basically, tinnitus is the perception of noises within the ear or the head, which can either be a ringing, a buzzing, a whooshing, a roaring, or some people say, "I hear crickets in my ears" and they hear it in the absence of an external sound, so meaning that there's nothing happening in the environment that the single person is actually hearing it.
Deborah Howell (Host): Got it. And the wooshing is kind of interesting.
Hannah Carlson: Yeah. So we always like to ask what they're hearing, because a lot of times, the way that they're hearing their tinnitus can also effect whether there's something going on neurologically. So sometimes in our auditory system, there can be a tumor growing, which is called an acoustic neuroma. And so a lot of times, patients have different sound qualities in their tinnitus, as well as their balance.
Deborah Howell (Host): One more reason to get that hearing checked every year after 50 and get a baseline. Did you say between 40 years and 50 years?
Hannah Carlson: Yes.
Deborah Howell (Host): So, is there anything else you'd like to add to our conversation today?
Hannah Carlson: I would just say, you know, that our hearing is very important and we all take it for granted and that, you know, we all need to protect our hearing. So whether, if you're in a noisy environment, such as concerts, or you use power tools, like a lawn mower, a chainsaw, or anything like that, you want to protect your hearing with hearing protection. I always advise my patients to always use it no matter what because it can just take one incident and you can lose your hearing forever. So I always say protect it, because you only have your hearing once.
Deborah Howell (Host): And the headphones, kids in headphones.
Hannah Carlson: Yes. I manage, you know, how loud the volume is for headphones because that can also cause hearing loss as well. So you need to manage that as well.
Deborah Howell (Host): Got it. Well, Dr. Carlson, thank you so much for being with us today. It's been so informative and I'm sure our listeners appreciate all the good tips for keeping our hearing healthy. What a pleasure to have you on.
Hannah Carlson: Yeah, of course. Thank you. And I appreciate it. And I hope everyone has an opportunity to see an audiologist because we doctors of audiology love to see patients and help in any way we can when it comes to our hearing.
Deborah Howell (Host): Wonderful. And you can make sure to visit skagitregionalhealth.org to learn more. Thanks for listening to Be Well, the podcast from Skagit Regional Health. If you enjoyed this podcast, be sure to tell a friend and subscribe, rate and review this podcast on your favorite podcast app. I'm Deborah Howell. Thanks for listening and have yourself a terrific day.
Deborah Howell (Host): As the years go by, many of us notice that we're not hearing as well as we used to. So today, we're putting the focus on how to keep our hearing as healthy as possible. I'm joined today by Dr. Hannah Carlson, an audiologist at Skagit Regional Health. She's here today to talk with us about audiology and healthy hearing care.
This is Be Well, the podcast from Skagit Regional Health. I'm Deborah Howell. Hannah, what a pleasure to have you on with us today.
Hannah Carlson: Yes. Thank you. Thank you for having me. I appreciate it.
Deborah Howell (Host): I'm looking forward to this one. So let's jump right in. What exactly is an audiologist?
Hannah Carlson: Yeah. So audiologists, we are primary healthcare professionals and we evaluate, diagnose, treat and manage hearing loss and balance disorders - for all ages, from infants to teens and even adults and the elderly.
Deborah Howell (Host): Sounds like a full plate.
Hannah Carlson: Yes.
Deborah Howell (Host): You know, our hearing is something we kind of take for granted, but how often should we have our hearing tested?
Hannah Carlson: Yeah, that's a great question. I always say it's always good to have a baseline hearing test at the age between 40 and 50 years old. It's a good time. So then once we detect a hearing loss, we like to retest it every two to three years. But if we don't see anything at that time at that baseline hearing test, we usually say, you know, once a year or every other year.
Deborah Howell (Host): Wow. A lot of people, including me, are not doing that. So I'm glad that you indicated that we should be doing that. What really happens when you go get your hearing tested?
Hannah Carlson: Yeah. So we bring you into what we call an audio booth, which is a soundproof room. And we always ask you first case history questions just by bringing the person in. And then of course, we look in the ears with our otoscope, which is our tool that we're able to look into the ear. And then from there, we do a test that checks the pressure behind the eardrum. And then from there, most people recognize the test, but we give them a button. You press the button when you hear the beeps. We test one ear at a time. And then, we do also some speech testing as well. In the end, we go over the results with them and we refer them if they need any other medical look-over based off of their hearing loss or we recommend them if they need hearing aids.
Deborah Howell (Host): Okay. And tell us a little bit more about the speech testing.
Hannah Carlson: Yeah. So speech testing is really important. We hear with our ears, but we also hear with the brain. The brain is the one that actually takes the sound and processes it. So when we test the speech, we're finding is there a link between when you hear the beeps versus hearing words without context. So we're testing more of the processing part of our auditory system and seeing how well and if you're a true candidate for hearing aids.
Deborah Howell (Host): Got it. Now, some people might wonder what kind of hearing loss do I have? Can you speak to that?
Hannah Carlson: Yeah. So really for audiology, we can detect multiple different types of hearing loss. The most common is what we call sensory neural hearing loss. It just means that it's permanent, that there's no surgery or medication to correct it. It's normally common that we see age-related hearing loss as well as anybody who is around loud noises, like machinery and things like that.
We also see conductive hearing loss, which is something going on behind the eardrum in the middle ear system. So most of the time, there is surgery or medication that can correct it. And then the last one is a mixed hearing loss. And that just means you have both permanent and that mixed conductive component. Sometimes there is surgery for it. Other times, it's just managing it through a hearing aid.
Deborah Howell (Host): Okay. That's very useful. Thank you. Now, is it really such a big deal if I don't treat my hearing loss?
Hannah Carlson: Yes. It is because there is a relationship between hearing loss and cognitive decline. We all know that as we get older, we tend to experience some level of decline in our cognitive ability. So most of us can be mild, whereas others are more serious. So the normal part of aging is typical issues that tend to be forgetting details, taking longer to learn new things, or even just having difficulty concentrating or focusing. So to help with that, we see a correlation between hearing aids and hearing loss. So really, what we see is that older people with hearing loss are most likely to develop Alzheimer's and dementia because a lot of times the cognitive decline is isolating others. So they're not being in conversations, being around others. So they're being more kind of by themselves, which causes a lot of other health issues like depression, anxiety and things like that.
A lot of times, cognitive load is a big thing. So with untreated hearing loss, the brain gets overworked by constantly straining to understand speech and sound as well as the overworked brain doesn't work efficiently. We also see that another has to do with brain structure. Brain cells can shrink from a lack of stimulation. So including the parts of the brain that receive and process sound, we need to keep that active. And the last thing is, of course, social isolation. So a lot of times, trouble hearing conversations, socializing with others so they start staying home instead, which then becomes less of the ability for the brain to really receive all the sounds that you should be hearing in your typical environment.
Deborah Howell (Host): Sure. Well, you know, hearing aids used to be these big, bulky, ugly things, and I can understand why people wouldn't want to be seen in public with them, but they've really come a long way, right?
Hannah Carlson: Yes. Technology, style and everything have come a long way. And I would even say it's come a long way in the last five years.
Deborah Howell (Host): Truly. Now, the big question I have for you, and of course, let's talk about the pronunciation of the word tinnitus. My father insists it's TIN-ni-tus, but everybody else says tin-NYE-tus.
Hannah Carlson: I always tell my patients it's like tomato and tomato. Most of the time you're hearing TIN-ni-tus, but you also hear tin-NYE-tus, but most of the time you'll hear TIN-ni-tus.
Deborah Howell (Host): Okay. So what is it?
Hannah Carlson: So basically, tinnitus is the perception of noises within the ear or the head, which can either be a ringing, a buzzing, a whooshing, a roaring, or some people say, "I hear crickets in my ears" and they hear it in the absence of an external sound, so meaning that there's nothing happening in the environment that the single person is actually hearing it.
Deborah Howell (Host): Got it. And the wooshing is kind of interesting.
Hannah Carlson: Yeah. So we always like to ask what they're hearing, because a lot of times, the way that they're hearing their tinnitus can also effect whether there's something going on neurologically. So sometimes in our auditory system, there can be a tumor growing, which is called an acoustic neuroma. And so a lot of times, patients have different sound qualities in their tinnitus, as well as their balance.
Deborah Howell (Host): One more reason to get that hearing checked every year after 50 and get a baseline. Did you say between 40 years and 50 years?
Hannah Carlson: Yes.
Deborah Howell (Host): So, is there anything else you'd like to add to our conversation today?
Hannah Carlson: I would just say, you know, that our hearing is very important and we all take it for granted and that, you know, we all need to protect our hearing. So whether, if you're in a noisy environment, such as concerts, or you use power tools, like a lawn mower, a chainsaw, or anything like that, you want to protect your hearing with hearing protection. I always advise my patients to always use it no matter what because it can just take one incident and you can lose your hearing forever. So I always say protect it, because you only have your hearing once.
Deborah Howell (Host): And the headphones, kids in headphones.
Hannah Carlson: Yes. I manage, you know, how loud the volume is for headphones because that can also cause hearing loss as well. So you need to manage that as well.
Deborah Howell (Host): Got it. Well, Dr. Carlson, thank you so much for being with us today. It's been so informative and I'm sure our listeners appreciate all the good tips for keeping our hearing healthy. What a pleasure to have you on.
Hannah Carlson: Yeah, of course. Thank you. And I appreciate it. And I hope everyone has an opportunity to see an audiologist because we doctors of audiology love to see patients and help in any way we can when it comes to our hearing.
Deborah Howell (Host): Wonderful. And you can make sure to visit skagitregionalhealth.org to learn more. Thanks for listening to Be Well, the podcast from Skagit Regional Health. If you enjoyed this podcast, be sure to tell a friend and subscribe, rate and review this podcast on your favorite podcast app. I'm Deborah Howell. Thanks for listening and have yourself a terrific day.