Getting a Hearing Test Just May Help Your Heart, Says the Better Hearing Institute
This research is in line with the earlier findings of David R. Friedland, MD, PhD, Professor and Vice-Chair of Otolaryngology and Communication Sciences at the Medical College of Wisconsin in Milwaukee, who explains the cardiovascular-hearing health link: “The inner ear is so sensitive to blood flow that it is possible that abnormalities in the cardiovascular system could be noted here earlier than in other less sensitive parts of the body.”
In Dr. Friedland’s study, published in The Laryngoscope, he and fellow researchers found that the hearing threshold test pattern correlates strongly with cerebrovascular and peripheral arterial disease and may represent a screening test for those at risk.
Five Heart-Healthy Reasons to Get a Hearing Test
1. Six decades of research points to heart-hearing health link. A comparative review of more than 60 years of research found a correlation between cardiovascular and hearing health.
2. The ear may be a window to the heart. Some experts find the evidence showing a link between cardiovascular and hearing health so compelling that they say the ear may be a window to the heart.
3. The same lifestyle behaviors that affect the heart impact hearing. More evidence of the interconnectedness between cardiovascular and hearing health is found in three studies on modifiable behaviors. Coincidence? Or does it all come back to blood flow to the inner ear?
4. Addressing hearing loss improves quality of life, helps reduce stress. Eight out of 10 hearing aid users say they’re satisfied with the changes that have occurred in their lives due to their hearing aids. Many say they see improvements in their interpersonal relationships, that they experience reduced anger and frustration, and enhanced emotional stability.
Today’s hearing aids are better than ever and virtually invisible. State-of-the-art, sleek, sophisticated, and low profile, today’s hearing aids combine high-performance technology and style with durability and ease-of-use.
