online newsletter for Hearing Center of Long Island August 2017
(516) 872-8485 www.HearingCenterofLI.com
Aug 2017
Long Island Sound
Dr. Larry’s Most Embarrassing Secret Don’t Let Your Hearing Stay in the Gutter I’m about to reveal an embarrassing secret, one that I typically try to keep to myself and avoid telling a single other soul: I was in a bowling league in grammar school.
abundance of new sounds, and develop your focus. I encourage my patients to wear their hearing aids full time so that they can really master the art of active listening. (Remember: people who have normal hearing hear normally all the time – whether they like it or not!) When I stepped up to the foul line for the first time last May, I was feeling self- conscious at my lack of bowling prowess. What if I messed up? What if I humiliated myself? I made my share of mistakes, but once I relaxed and let the worries leave my mind, I bowled much better. Don’t let fear or impatience get in the way of participating in conversation. Make a conscious decision to put yourself out there and do your best at listening – you’ll be glad you did.
There it is. Yes, it was an uncool thing to do. Yes, I did have my own custom-made bowling ball — my favorite color, royal blue. And yes, I did use one of those goofy wrist braces. In my opinion, it didn’t help my game much, but it did look good. At least I thought so at the time. For about a year, I would show up once a week to the league and bowl. You would think that bowling every week with a coach and fellow teammates would turn me into at least a decent bowler, but you would be incorrect. I remember admiring my fellow teammates who were adept enough to roll consistent turkeys, but when it came to my own game, I struggled. However, despite my consistently mediocre performance, I learned how to have fun during those weekly competitions — an important lesson for any kid. Last May, the Valley Stream Lions Club put on a big bowling fundraiser. At first, I hesitated to accept the invitation, but that lesson came back to me: If you only do things you are great at, you will miss out on a lot of life. Besides, I’ve been a member of the Valley Stream Lions Club for many years and they are a terrific organization dedicated to helping those in need. (For more information, see e-clubhouse.org/ sites/valleystream/projects/php). It was the first time I’d bowled since that
year in grammar school, and I was jarred by the changes I saw in the sport. Gone were the little golf pencils and wide paper scoring sheets, replaced by flat-screens suspended above the lanes that played animated cartoons after every roll. What I wasn’t shocked by was my skill level. I’ll just say that I was more than a little rusty. It was a lot of fun anyway. Plus, with every frame, the muscle memory came back little by little. In many ways, listening is a lot like bowling. It’s a skill you master through practice and exposure. Dozens of factors affect your active listening ability at any moment: background noise, conversation volume, how fast the person you are listening to is talking, or the cacophony of bowling balls striking the pins out on the lanes. For this reason, achieving adequate listening ability takes time . I didn’t head to the bowling alley for the first time since grammar school and expect to be a fantastic bowler. It’s the same thing when someone begins hearing sounds they have been missing. You can’t slap on hearing aids and expect to be able to listen perfectly right away. The aids need to be adjusted as you become acclimated to hearing more, but your own skills need to develop. You need to relearn how to filter out ambient chatter, adapt to the
– We’re listening to you®.
– Lawrence Cardano, Au.D.
Dr. Larry at the lanes
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Long Island’s Largest Senior Citizen Health and Wellness Fair
and cholesterol screenings; blood pressure screenings; hearing screenings; body mass index readings; balance, posture, and spinal analyses; and much more. Additionally, Hempstead included a number of its own programs, such as the town clerk’s senior identification program, the animal shelter’s pet therapy program, and the receiver of taxes “taxpayer checkups.”
It was a most enjoyable day. I got a chance to speak with many seniors about their hearing-related concerns and to offer advice and guidance. Many of the attendees had very thoughtful questions, and it was a pleasure to meet them. I even had a chance to say hello to a number of patients I have known for many years who were in attendance. If you have a chance to get to Lido Beach next year for the fair, I would encourage you to. “Our Senior Citizen Health and Wellness Fair provides important screenings in a quick and timely manner,” said Hempstead Town Senior Councilwoman Dorothy Goosby. “There is no reason any of our mature residents should miss out on this essential fair.” I would agree.
Dr. Larry and Lido Beach Health Fair staff
On June 8, I had the pleasure of participating again in the town of
Some of the other health screenings were provided by St. Francis Hospital, South Nassau Communities Hospital, NYU Winthrop Hospital, Northwell Health — LIJ Valley Stream, NuHealth — Nassau University Medical Center, Metro Physical and Aquatic Therapy, and the Levittown Health Center of New York Chiropractic College.
Hempstead’s Health and Wellness Fair at Lido Beach. This is Long Island’s largest senior citizen health and wellness fair. I have been honored to be chosen to provide hearing screening and counseling at this annual event for over 10 years. In addition to my services, the free health services offered included blood glucose
What Our Patients Are Saying
“I have been going to Hearing Center of Long Island for my hearing care since 1997. I had been wearing hearing aids for a long time before that. I’m so glad I found Hearing Center of Long Island. “I’m especially happy to have the follow-up service I get. I have been surprised by the improvements in technology over time. Technology for hearing improvements keeps
getting better and better. The doctors at HCLI make sure that I am introduced to improvements that can help address my concerns, without paying for features and technology I don’t need. “The doctors and staff go out of their way to explain things in a clear and timely way, and they respond to any questions or concerns I have. The service I have received is excellent. I would definitely recommend Hearing
Center of Long Island to anyone struggling with hearing difficulty!”
- Sheila Taaffee Garden City, New York
Sheila and Dr. Larry
2 • We’re listening to you.
Take a Break
GINA’S GREEK ORZO SALAD
Patient Care Coordinator (and chef) Gina
Ingredients
Can Working Out Delay the Progression of Age-Related Hearing Loss?
• ½ pound orzo • 1 small red onion, chopped • ½ cup cucumber, diced • ½ cup parsley, chopped • 2 tomatoes, diced • 1 cup feta cheese, crumbled • ¼ cup black olives, sliced • Juice of 1 lemon
Everybody knows that regular physical exercise lowers your risk for cardiovascular diseases, sidelines weight gain, and rewards you with a longer life expectancy. But what most people probably don’t realize is that the benefits of exercise likely reduce your risk of age-related hearing loss, as well. Almost two-thirds of elderly people over the age of 70 develop significant hearing loss late in life, which, as many of our patients know, can present significant challenges to effective communication. People want to know how they can prevent or slow hearing loss, and these new discoveries show promise. Though the research is fairly preliminary, studies are beginning to show the links between reduced age-related hearing loss and frequent exercise. One study, published in November 2016 in the Journal of Neuroscience, measured indicators of age-related hearing loss in mice that ran on an exercise wheel. They compared that data to the information collected from mice on a nonwheel-running control group.
After 24 months, the wheel-running mice showed not only significantly less cochlear hair cell and spiral ganglion neuron loss (principal factors in the onset of age-related hearing loss), but better auditory brainstem response times when compared to the control group. This resulted in an almost 20 percent loss of hearing in the sedentary mice, compared to only a 5 percent loss in the runners. As lead study author Shinichi Someya writes, “The cochlear, or inner ear, is a high-energy-demanding organ. The auditory system is always on and always processing sound. To process sound, it needs a huge amount of energy molecules.” Exercise naturally facilitates blood flow and high energy levels, so it makes sense that working out regularly could lead to decreased hearing loss. Although the research is just starting in earnest, this study and others like it offer valuable insights. Perhaps exercise can play a significant role in staving off hearing loss. Coupled with innovations in hearing aids, the future looks bright for those seeking improved hearing.
• ¼ cup olive oil • Salt and pepper Instructions
1. Cook pasta, drain, and let cool. 2. Add onion, parsley, cucumber, diced tomatoes, and black olives. 3. Add juice of 1 lemon, olive oil, and salt and pepper to taste. 4. Mix well, add feta cheese, and refrigerate.
The Sound of Laughter
Good bowlers have talent to spare.
On Listening
One of the best hearing aids a man can have is an attentive wife” - Groucho Marx
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INSIDE This Issue
Dr. Larry’s Most Embarrassing Secret Page 1 Long Island’s Largest Senior Citizen Health and Wellness Fair
What Our Patients Are Saying Page 2
Can Exercise Delay the Progression of Age-Related Hearing Loss?
Take a Break Page 3
This Month in History: August 1914 Page 4
This Month in History August 1914
August 1914 may be the most important August in history. Tensions had been simmering in Europe for years, and in August the first shots were fired — the beginning of World War I. Patriotic jingoism amongst European nations soon turned to horror as the full picture of mechanized slaughter became clear to all. By the end of 1914, a million European soldiers and citizens had been killed in the trenches and city streets. The war would claim the lives of 15 million more and the souls of a rapidly globalizing world. The war put immense pressure on lines of supply — pressure that was intensified by intentional blockades of civilian food supplies by both sides. Historian N.P. Howard writes that
these blockades “spread death and disease, as famine encroached upon the civilian populations of Central Europe.” Blockades on some countries, especially Germany, were not lifted after the war ended in 1918. These punitive measures resulted in needless death and more tensions between Germany and the rest of the world, which led to the Second World War a few decades later. Some countries fared better. America and Canada, untouched at home across the Atlantic, found what Canadian Lieutenant Timothy C. Winegard describes as “a context of nationhood and a sense of pride in an achievement” as new-world nations testing their mettle. This was particularly true in America, which entered the war relatively late
to topple the German alliance. It was the United States’ first European intervention. But in August 1914, nobody knew any of that. Not the world leaders, not the men and women back home, and certainly not the millions of soldiers headed for the trenches. It was a lesson the world would never forget, even when war broke out again two decades later.
4 • We’re listening to you.
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