(516) 872-8485 www.HearingCenterofLI.com
Long Island Sound
July 2017
Always With You One of the first things anybody walking into our office will notice is our decor — my beat-up high school trumpet perched on the credenza, the mandolin sitting in the waiting room, the numerous prints of musicians, and musical instruments. The theme permeates the building. And sure, it makes sense for an audiologist to frame their profession with a musical perspective. After all, when you lose your hearing, you lose access to one of the oldest forms of human expression, one that’s been present in virtually every known culture throughout history in some form or another. But in our office, music is more than decoration. It’s an integral part of our lives and the lives of many of our patients. The Buried Emotional Energy of Music
Music has been an important part of my life since grammar school, when I started playing the trumpet at Rhame Avenue School in East Rockaway under the tutelage of Mr. Sansenbach. Though I don’t pick up the instrument too often anymore, I can’t deny the lasting influence he had on me. Mr. Sansenbach was a serious musician whose primary instrument was clarinet, but could play almost anything. He was eager to share his broad knowledge with us kids, and he had lots of patience. I revisited the school as a teenager to see my younger brother play there. Let me tell you, if you want to see true dedication, watch the band director at a grammar school concert after he counts off and the inevitable squeaks begin. My musical pursuits continued when I graduated to high school. Our band teacher, John Pellicane — who has unfortunately since passed away — had been a professional tenor saxophone player before settling in at East Rockaway High School. “A good musician, a real artist, can express his or her thoughts and feelings within the confines of a single quarter note,” he told us. “If you take pride in your craft, it doesn’t matter if there are two people in the audience or 2000 — you play your heart out.” It was a
valuable lesson, not only for us as budding musicians, but as future professionals. Do your best, all the time. It’s a principle I’ve applied to my practice to this day. Back then, I played with a local youth group band, traveling to nursing homes around the area. We would perform old standards, like “Bye Bye Blackbird” or “Blue Skies.” It didn’t matter if these elderly folks had Alzheimer’s and couldn’t recall what they had for lunch. When we played a song that was popular in their teenage years, they’d sing along emphatically to every word. When my father was in the hospital for open-heart surgery, they gave him tapes
affects our emotions and enriches our lives was made obvious to me through music. My dad didn’t make it through the operation. After he passed, I sat down and picked my way through every song he mentioned that day. Though he’s not with me today, the songs are embedded in my memory. I can conjure some tiny part of my dad whenever I need to — just like those folks at the nursing home, singing along to tunes lost to them for 60 years.
of slow meditative music to keep him calm. “This is so slow and boring!” he said. “Why don’t they have something upbeat, like ‘Downtown Strutters’ Ball’?” He rattled off all these songs, old standards like “Sunny Side of the Street,” from before his time. Music affects us on a deep level. It can touch the deepest parts of our hearts and minds and even affects our bodies. It’s one of the reasons I followed audiology as my passion. The way that sound
Dr. Larry blowing his own horn
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Dive Into Fitness Why Swimming is the Workout Routine of Your Dreams
During summer’s peak, when hot weather reigns supreme, most of us head to the cool safety found indoors. In the heat of summer, working out can be less desirable than usual, but your workout routine shouldn’t suffer. In fact, the warm weather is a great opportunity to try out swimming, which is considered one of the best exercise experiences you can have. Unlike other workouts like running or weight training, which create an unpleasant strain on your body, swimming lets you work out longer, without the stress, and it’s easier on your joints and muscles. When floating in a pool, your body doesn’t come into repeated contact with the hard
surfaces that can put a strain on your skeletal system. In fact, research in the Journal of Applied Physiology found that swimming builds bone mass and that swimmers possess greater bone mineral density than non-swimmers. Swimming also helps improve your all- around flexibility and muscle strength. Nearly every muscle in your body gets a workout, so you’re building muscle strength while toning your body. Blood circulation is also improved, which can help prevent high cholesterol and heart disease. A study from the University of South Carolina suggests swimming might even offer a chance at longevity, especially country music. She inspired me to take up the guitar some of you might have noticed I keep in my office and play a verse of Hank Williams’ “Jambalaya” for her. (I choose that song partly because it only has two chords and is the easiest song to play that I know of.) Thank you, Mrs. D’Angelis, for tolerating my singing — and for allowing us to provide your hearing care. I would like to thank Dr. Larry and his staff at Hearing Center of Long Island for the expert service and caring attention they have given me. I was reluctant to get help for my hearing for a long time. The staff at Hearing Center
among men. Researchers followed over 40,000 adult men for 32 years and found that the swimmers of the group had a 50 percent lower mortality rate than those who made running their exercise of choice. The summertime heat can make jogging, weight training, and many of your other fitness routines a real challenge. With swimming, you can beat the heat, get a great workout, and vastly improve your health in many ways. So what are you waiting for? Jump in. The water’s great! of Long Island put me at ease right away. Now I can hear and understand conversations very well with my new hearing aids. I don’t misunderstand what people are saying like I used to, and I no longer have to ask people to repeat themselves. I can even enjoy my country music more. I realize now how much I was missing out on before I let Hearing Center of Long Island help me. My children thank you, too! I no longer annoy and frustrate them with my hearing difficulty.
What Our Patients Are Saying
Rose and Dr. Larry
Rose D’Angelis was a Perry Como and Frank Sinatra fan before she met her husband. Her husband and his family were avid country music fans. She eventually came to share their love of country music. After one of her visits to our office, Mrs. D’Angelis and I got to discussing what we both enjoy about country music — especially older
Thanks again to all my friends at Hearing Center of Long Island.
Sincerely,
Rose D’Angelis, Valley Stream, New York
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Why Is My Hearing Aid Battery Dying?
We recently had the pleasure of having an enthusiastic student of communication disorders with us for a day. Jennifer Parisi is a student at Molloy College studying speech pathology and audiology. Her visit with us helped her fulfill her requirement to observe an audiology practice. Her enthusiasm for learning about audiology and helping people overcome communication difficulties was obvious and truly delightful. Dr. Lazzaro and I thoroughly enjoyed teaching her about some of the things audiologists do to help their patients. I’m sure she will be very successful in her future endeavors and will certainly help many people. Jennifer’s current course of study includes audiology and speech therapy. She became interested in speech therapy when she saw the work a speech therapist did with her younger brother as part of an early intervention program to help him develop his speaking ability. (Her brother, whom I have met, has grown into an excellent student who is a pleasure to speak with.) As for Jennifer’s thoughts about her visit with us, here is some of what she had to say: A Student’s View At Hearing Center of Long Island, as many of you know, we provide hearing aid batteries for our patients at no charge, so they never have to be concerned about buying them. But that doesn’t mean they are not important. The humble hearing aid battery doesn’t get a lot of attention, but it’s vital for the functioning of your intricate, important device. Although some hearing aids have rechargeable batteries, most modern hearing aids are powered by a small zinc air battery. A sticker on one side of the battery keeps it inactive. When it’s peeled off, oxygen in the air makes contact with the zinc within the battery, and it activates. Logic might lead you to believe that placing the sticker back on the battery would prolong its life, but it won’t. However, when stored in a cool, dry environment, most zinc air batteries have a shelf life of up to three years, but it may vary.
We are often asked why some batteries last longer than others. There are several reasons. Consistent loud noise can cause the hearing aid to work overtime, requiring the batteries to work harder and discharge sooner. Increasing your daily hearing aid use will also reduce its lifetime. Low humidity can steadily dry out the battery, while high humidity may interfere with regular function over time. Low temperatures or high altitudes can similarly shorten its life expectancy — don’t keep your batteries in the fridge. Sweat, strangely enough, can also damage your battery, resulting in tiny amounts of rust, causing the battery to work only intermittently. Even equipped with these common reasons, it can be difficult to determine the root cause of a failing battery. If you notice that your batteries are not lasting as long as they should, give us a call; we can help!
“I had the pleasure of observing Dr. Cardano and Dr. Lazzaro at the Hearing Center of Long Island. It was a wonderful experience. Doctors Cardano and Lazzaro are so dedicated to helping their patients. They
Dr. Jennifer, Jennifer, and Dr. Larry
kept me very interested, and they inspired me. It is with a lot of enthusiasm that I look forward to my future audiology classes. My day at Hearing Center of Long Island proved to be as exciting as I thought that it would be. I am very grateful to have had the opportunity to spend a day learning from these caring audiologists I couldn’t have chosen a better office; they were so welcoming and interested in sharing their passion for what they do. I am very excited to see what is in store for my future career.”
Take a Sudoku Break! Grid n°63708 easy
- Jennifer Parisi
The Sound of Laughter
On Listening Friends are those rare people who ask how we are,
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Q: How do you know when a bad musician is at your door? A: He can’t find the key, and he doesn’t know when to come in.
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and then wait to hear the answer.” – Ed Cunningham
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(516) 872-8485 www.HearingCenterofLI.com
INSIDE This Issue
Always With You Page 1
Care for a Swim?
What Our Patients Are Saying Page 2
Meet Jennifer Parisi
Take a Break Page 3
How to Treat Your Summer Sunburn Page 4
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Natural Remedies to Soothe a Sunburn
There are four staples in your kitchen right now that are great for soothing summer sunburns. Here’s how each one can help. COLD WATER It’s not the most exciting or exotic choice, but applying cold water to your burn several times per day, for about 10 to 15 minutes, is very effective. Dip a washcloth or rag in the water and lay it against your skin to reduce irritation and relieve inflammation. OATMEAL To best use your oats, grind up a cup of oatmeal, pour it into a bathtub filled with water, and soak yourself in the tub so that your burn is submerged. Or try wrapping dry oatmeal in an absorbent material like gauze and running cool 4 • We’re listening to you.
water through it into a container. Soak a small cloth in the solution and apply it to your burn every few hours. YOGURT Yogurt is excellent at absorbing the burning sensation of a sunburn, and eventually, after four or five applications, yogurt can eliminate the redness too. Another positive effect: The lactic acid in yogurt dissolves dead skin cells, which prevents peeling. Pat your skin dry after you’ve rinsed off the yogurt, and remember, if you take the yogurt route, make sure it’s plain yogurt — not vanilla — and contains live cultures. BAKING SODA You should approach baking soda a little bit differently than the other choices. All you have to do is sprinkle some baking
soda into a lukewarm bath, like you would with the ground-up oatmeal. Go ahead and soak in the water, but when you’re done, don’t dry your skin. This nontoxic solution will soothe the pain long after you’re done soaking, as long as you let it.
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