2627 North Third Street, Ste. 100, Phoenix, AZ 85004 | 14418 West Meeker Blvd., Bldg B, Ste. 102, Sun City West, AZ 85375
OCTOBER 2019
602-277-4327 | AZHear.com
How to Talk to Your Patients About Hearing Loss It’s Time for a New Approach
A common misconception about hearing aids is that people are too vain to wear them. I hear this time and time again, usually from everybody but the patients themselves. Sometimes I think family members use the vanity excuse upfront because they don’t want to have a conversation about hearing loss with someone they look up to. The bottom line is we don’t do a great job talking about hearing loss in a familial context, so we find reasons not to talk about it at all. And the discussions we have in a medical context aren’t that much better. Physicians struggle to broach the topic of hearing loss for the same reasons regular folks do. We have created an unusable discourse for treating the issue, where avenues lead to frustration, delay, and hard feelings, so it’s no wonder we don’t pursue them in the first place. I’m willing to bet you’ve heard a patient tell you their hearing loss is solely their own problem. They think since they’re the person impacted by the failing hearing, it’s up to them to decide what to do about it. Conversation over … or maybe not. Perhaps they rely on their spouse to communicate for them outside of the home, so they still function almost as they did before hearing loss. Already, you start to see how hearing loss doesn’t just impact the person who’s suffering from it. Hearing loss affects
everyone who has to interact with the untreated person. If we don’t communicate this to patients, we are doing them a disservice. Another common problem with the way we discuss hearing loss is relying only on real-world experiences rather than using a data-based approach. I’m sure a patient has used this classic discussion-ender with you: “I’m doing just fine.” In terms of communication, they may be, but that doesn’t mean they shouldn’t be tested. Hearing loss isn’t a cognitive condition; it’s an empirical one. Patients aged 60 and over should get an audiogram or, even better, a comprehensive Arizona Hearing Center evaluation to determine the status of their hearing loss. We have the tools to detect hearing loss before it hampers a patient’s ability to communicate effectively. All we have to do is encourage patients to be evaluated. Speaking of tools, we also need to update the way we talk about hearing aids. We think of them as a relic of the days of brick-sized cellphones, but they’ve advanced quite considerably. We now live in a society where wearable technology has no stigma. Walk down the street in a major city, and you’ll see dozens or people wearing AirPods, which are much more conspicuous than most modern hearing aids. Yet somehow, we don’t view these pieces of technology in the same way at all.
A conversation in frustration doesn’t work, but we shouldn’t let it get to the point where loved ones are frustrated with somebody’s hearing loss. We need to have a compassionate, honest conversation with patients about the real nature and treatment of hearing loss. In a world where only 1 in 5 people who could benefit from hearing aids has them, we are obviously not doing a good job addressing this widespread issue. To treat hearing loss better, we first have to find a better way to discuss it. So, let’s start having a different kind of conversation.
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PUT YOUR BEST CARD FORWARD
A Woman’s Guide to Corporate Success
Business Card Etiquette in 3 Different Countries
While Mireille Guiliano is best known for “French Women Don’t Get Fat,” her book on healthy eating and balanced living, authorship is actually her second career. Before she took up the pen, Guiliano was president and CEO of the French Champagne brand Veuve Clicquot. She developed Veuve Clicquot’s reputation in America almost single- handedly over a 20-plus year career, and now she has chronicled that success in her 2010 bestseller “Women, Work & the Art of Savoir Faire: Business Sense & Sensibility” — a guide to climbing the corporate ladder geared specifically toward women. Just as “French Women Don’t Get Fat” upended the typical diet book format, “Women, Work & the Art of Savoir Faire” leaves the usual business book style behind almost immediately. As Guiliano writes in her introduction, “This isn’t another business book that tells you how to ‘succeed’ or ‘get the corner office.’ Yes, of course, you’ll find advice on getting ahead and getting promoted … but more than that, you’ll find advice on being happy and living a good life, even while you are making the biggest contribution you can to the workplace. That’s why I dare to talk about style, and clothes, and food, and wine, and entertaining, and LIFE in a business book. We don’t work in a vacuum.” Guiliano is true to her word. Between the covers, readers will find advice on topics as far-ranging as developing the perfect handshake, choosing catering for a business dinner, dressing for success, and putting together an effective presentation. Guiliano has plenty of experience to back up her counsel and shares amusing anecdotes about the food and beverage industry, French culture, and her own journey along the way. There are no easy three-step solutions here, only long-term goals and strategies. What really makes “Women, Work & the Art of Savoir Faire” unique is that it caters specifically to women in pursuit of high-powered CEO or CFO jobs. Guiliano covers circumventing prejudice right alongside choosing a dress and tips on being the perfect lunch date. Still, both men and women will come away from this book with ideas about how to achieve success without sacrificing the pleasures French women hold so dear.
The business card is a nearly ubiquitous way to give your name, position, company, and contact information to potential clients and business partners all over the world. And while the exchange of business cards in the United States does not come with a lot of pomp and circumstance, that is not the case in many other countries. If you find yourself in one of the following places, remember these tips about exchanging business cards. Japan Known in Japan as meishi , the exchange of business cards comes with a lot of ceremony. Present your card with both hands, as this gesture is seen as respectful. Japanese culture places a lot of value on hierarchy and status, so make sure your title is listed prominently. When receiving a card, take a minute to look it over and comment on it. Immediately putting it away is disrespectful, and once you’re done looking at it, put it in a cardholder, folder, or binder. and contact info in English on one side and in the local language on the other is good practice. Gold lettering is considered auspicious, and if your business is relatively old, make sure the year it was founded is on your card. The practice of giving and receiving cards is very similar to that of Japan. Finish the exchange with a bow as a way to thank your acquaintance for meeting with you. India Business cards are exchanged even in nonbusiness interactions in India. Much like hierarchy and status are valued in Japan, academic achievements are valued in India, so list your university, degrees, and honors along with your other information. When exchanging cards, always give and receive them with your right hand. This is also common practice in many Middle Eastern countries. Exchanging business cards the wrong way probably won’t be detrimental to your business deal, but learning the proper etiquette in the country you’re visiting can go a long way in starting a professional relationship on the right foot. China In China, as in many other countries, having your credentials
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Thinking With Your Gut The Amazing Connection Between Your Stomach and Your Brain
While it may seem strange to think about, the human stomach is truly a thing of wonder. Most humans only acknowledge its digestive processes, but the gut plays a much more influential role in our day-to-day lives than simply breaking down food for nutrient production; it's closely connected to our emotional states, as well. Think about it. Have you ever felt butterflies before a date, intestinal pain during moments of stress, or nausea before an important presentation? Have you ever told someone to “follow their gut” before making a big decision? These physical symptoms are not a coincidence; they are known in the scientific world as the gut-brain axis . Your gut is connected to the limbic system, the part of the brain that processes emotions. The brain sends messages to all other organs in your body, so it’s not surprising it
communicates with your stomach, too. What is surprising, however, is that the connection goes both ways. Just as your brain can relay information to your gut about excitement and anxiety, your gut can have a direct impact on the way you feel. According to a recent study published by the National Library of Medicine, when a person’s microbiome — the diverse population of good and bad bacteria living in the GI tract — becomes significantly altered or imbalanced, psychological or neurological issues
to determine the extent of the stomach’s influence over emotional and mental states, plenty of evidence proves the connection is real. Your stomach “talks” to you all the time, and, if you didn’t have enough reasons to pay attention to the food you eat, now you have one more thing to keep in mind. If you start thinking a bit more with your gut, your health will thank you for it!
can arise. In response to these emerging findings, dietary approaches and probiotics are being explored to see how well they can modulate a person’s microbiome and address symptoms. While research is still being conducted
PUZZLE
HAVE A Laugh
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PRST STD US POSTAGE PAID BOISE, ID PERMIT 411
602-277-4327 | AZHear.com
2627 N. Third Street, Ste. 100 Phoenix, AZ 85004
2627 N. Third, Ste. 100 Phoenix, AZ, 85004
14418 W. Meeker Blvd., Bldg B, Ste. 102 Sun City West, AZ 85375
Inside This Edition
1.
We Need to Talk About Hearing Loss
2.
Tips for Women Climbing the Business Ladder
International Business Card Etiquette
3.
Learn About Your Gut-Brain Axis
Have a Laugh
4.
Tips for Fighting Free Radicals
HOW TO MINIMIZE AGE-INDUCING ATOMS
THE FREE RADICAL 411 If you’ve ever picked up a health magazine while waiting at the doctor’s office, then you’re probably familiar with the term “free radicals” — at least enough to know that they get a bad rap from doctors and beauticians alike. But what are they, exactly? According to Live Science, free radicals are atoms with unpaired electrons that have split off from oxygen molecules in the body and started to “scavenge” for other electrons to pair with. That wouldn’t be problematic, except that these atoms tend to damage cells, lipids, proteins, and even DNA along the way, and that destruction has serious consequences. As Live Science puts it, “Free radicals are associated with human disease, including cancer, atherosclerosis, Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, and many others. They also may have a link to aging, which has been defined as a gradual accumulation of free-radical damage.” Unfortunately, it’s impossible to entirely avoid free radicals and the havoc they wreak. The process that forms free radicals, called oxidative stress, can be kick-started by a variety of
different substances found in food, water, medicine, and even the air we breathe, according to the Huntington’s Outreach Project for Education at Stanford University. Unsurprisingly, these substances are things already considered unhealthy, like alcohol, exposure to X-rays, ozone, fried food, chemical pesticides, air pollutants, and tobacco smoke. That said, there is one molecule that is stable enough to stand up to and reduce free radicals: the antioxidant. According to a study published by Pharmacognosy Reviews, antioxidants can “donate an electron to a rampaging free radical and neutralize it, thus reducing its ability to damage.” Synthetic antioxidants exist but can sometimes have harmful side effects, so scientists advise protecting yourself by avoiding free radical triggers like alcohol, processed foods, and red meat, and ingesting natural antioxidants in the form of berries, stone fruits, olives, onions, garlic, and green and black teas. Herbs and spices like cinnamon, basil, turmeric, and fenugreek can ratchet up your antioxidant levels too. While it can’t guarantee immortality, the right diet can certainly help you stave off aging and disease, so why not start today?
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