'tips' posts

If you have been living with incontinence, you may have modified your daily activities around bowel movements.  Some people become homebound, fearing an accident in public. 

The good news is that you don’t have to live with incontinence.  Over the last few years, more treatment options have become available which can provide additional ways of improving lifestyle.

What is the cause of incontinence?

Both men and women can be affected by incontinence.  There are several causes of incontinence.  The most common causes include damage to the anal muscles or nerves during childbirth.

After a thorough history and physical examination, you and your physician will formulate a treatment plan that is right for you.  One or more treatment options may be recommended to address your particular symptoms:

Did you know that 6.2 million people in the U.S. are unaware that they have diabetes?

Stroke risk is two-and-a-half times higher in people with diabetes compared to those without diabetes and, in combination with heart disease, is the #1 cause of death and disability.

Here are some tips to help optimize your health:

• Does anyone in your family have diabetes?  Talk to your healthcare provider, it may be necessary for you to be tested regularly. They will also have information about lifestyle changes that may help you stay healthy.
• Do you have diabetes yourself?  Work with your healthcare provider to ....

It’s easy to get caught up in day-to-day demands and ignore changes in our health. It may not be wise, however, to dismiss those changes as symptoms of a hectic life. Blurred vision, dizziness or headaches that don’t get better can signal something serious.

Anywhere from 1 to 6 percent of Americans have a brain aneurysm but don’t know it. An aneurysm is a blister-like bulge on the wall of a blood vessel. It can go unnoticed for a long time. If it’s not treated, the pressure of the blood weakens the vessel, and the aneurysm grows like a balloon filling with air. If the aneurysm bursts, it causes a stroke.

An aneurysm can put pressure on nerves or tissue in the brain, which may cause:

• Headache or neck pain
• Vision problems, enlarged pupil, drooping eye lid
• Numb face
• Severe drowsiness

If you have a brain aneurysm, your doctor may ...

Muscle tension dysphonia (MTD) is one of the more confounding and misunderstood conditions of the voice.  With this condition the vocal cords and supporting structures may be healthy but they are working too hard.  MTD is caused by the throat muscles being too tight and out of balance with the rest of the voice production system.  The person with MTD may feel that it takes more effort to talk and their voice gets worse the more they talk.  Many patients may feel a soreness of their neck, throat and often their shoulders. Sometimes MTD may develop in trying to compensate for a weak vocal fold or a vocal fold lesion.

MTD is characterized by the following:

• Voice that sounds rough, hoarse, gravely, or raspy
• Voice that sounds weak, breathy, airy, or is only a whisper
• Voice that sounds strained, pressed, squeezed, tight, or tense
• Voice that suddenly cuts out, breaks off, changes pitch, or fades away
• Voice that “gives out” or becomes weaker the longer the voice is used
• Pitch that is too high or too low
• Difficulty singing notes that used to be easy
• Pain or tension in the throat when speaking or singing
• Feeling like the throat is tired when speaking or singing
• Voice that may sound normal sometimes, such as during laughing or coughing

Once an otolaryngologist has examined you and diagnosed you with MTD, you will typically be referred to a speech pathologist for voice therapy.  In some cases there may be some underlying physical or emotional stress contributing to the dysphonia.  Our voices are very emotional instruments and help to convey a spectrum of emotions including happiness, sadness and anger.  “I’m all choked up” is more than just a figure of speech.  As such, you may ...

Most parents have experienced a child swallowing something that was not intended to be put in the mouth. Most of the time it turns out to be okay, but not always.  It is always a good idea to check in with your doctor or Poison Control (800-222-1222).

When to worry and what to do if your child swallows...

Detergent pods – such as Tide or Cascade
These packets may look like candy but can cause lots of problems, and symptoms may be delayed for 1-3 days: 

• Nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and stomach aches. 
• Burns to the mouth, throat, esophagus and stomach. 
• Scarring or perforation of the esophagus and stomach. 
• Burns to the cornea of the eye.

Magnets

• New “rare earth” magnets such as Buckyballs have stronger attractive properties
• Attraction across ....

Hearing loss is a term that many associate with an aging population. For some it may trigger memories of large, obvious and obtrusive hearing aids or devices that squealed!  This is not the reality in 2013.  A look at the individuals I see every day as an audiologist reveals a large number of employed professionals who are encountering difficulty in work environments.  From telephone work to conference and lunch meetings, hearing loss is impacting our workforce.

The National Institute on Deafness and other Communication Disorders (NIDCD) estimates that nearly 1 in 5 Americans between the ages of 45-64 years of age experience hearing loss.  The prevalence of hearing loss increases with age and with an aging workforce that includes many working well into their 70s, it should be noted that the incidence of hearing loss increases to 1 in 3 for Americans between the ages of 65-74 years of age.  We now have a culture of employment that includes unique viewpoints from four generations working side by side.   Many of us are aware that intergenerational communication styles may vary.  It would behoove us to also consider hearing loss as we think about intergenerational communication in the workplace. 

Individuals who work in a quiet or solitary environment may “get by” with their hearing loss. However, most individuals will encounter much more complex listening environments at work. Imagine if you had hearing loss and were required to listen in the following environments:

• Working in a cubicle environment where colleagues speak from behind or speak over/through walls.
• Participating in conference calls and telephone calls in which there are no visual cues to supplement the speaker’s voice.
• Participating in conference room meetings where distance can create a barrier in the ability to hear individuals around the table.
• Listening to individuals with ...

If your life has been touched by stroke, one of the greatest resources you can connect with is your local stroke support group. 

There are many benefits of joining a stroke support group, including the opportunity to:

• Socialize in a relaxed environment – feeling connected to a community is incredibly important after a stroke.  Isolation can be a significant contributor to depression and deteriorating condition.
• Share your stories, setbacks, and achievements – the connections you establish within a stroke support group are great resources for encouragement and advice.  These relationships are also important in challenging you to push forward, continuing to work towards complete recovery.
• Learn something new – education provided at stroke support group events can be priceless!  There is an incredible amount of information regarding navigating life after stroke and this is a wonderful venue to hear information and ask questions.  Common topics of discussion include: