Mark S. Brigham D.O., Inc.

03/03/2026

This World Hearing Day is a great time to take that step that you've been meaning to take (or that somebody around you has been begging you to take), and schedule your comprehensive hearing evaluation.

Hearing loss is not just everything being turned down. It is most often a very gradual decline in certain areas of your hearing while other parts are perfectly normal. This is why most people do not believe that they have hearing problems. They can hear people talking, but that trouble understanding them that they blame on "everybody mumbles" or "so and so is a quiet talker" is really a decline in the high frequencies. These high sounds are where the clarity of speech exists. It is very possible that you can have a deficit there and normal hearing in the low register. These low frequencies trick you into not realizing the loss in the highs.

Besides hearing loss, our evaluations can find signs of hidden problems that are far more serious that just hearing loss. Hearing loss is one of the most common disabilities yet it is often so far off of our radar that hearing tests are ignored until well after hearing has deteriorated and a slow reduction of quality of life has set in.

Hearing evaluations are covered by most insurances, so what's keeping you???

01/21/2026

Have you seen the commercials with the couple conversing with their young grandson over a phone that converts the incoming speech to text? They say something about how their hearing does not allow them to be able to communicate well over the phone so this caption phone is a life saver and doesn't cost anything.

It is a good idea to approach most things you see advertised with some suspicion-especially if it is a little TOO good (looking at YOU, $99 "hearing aids"!). However, these caption phones are absolutely legitimate, viable tools that can benefit you in your communications and they really ARE available at no cost! Okay, there's some cost as you'll need home internet access or a landline (depending on the provider of the phone) for them to work, but beyond that they really are Federally funded.

Apart from the actors clearly not having the degree of hearing loss that their characters claim to have, the commercials are being truthful. There are multiple companies that provide these phones and services and they do things a little differently. If you think that this sort of thing may be a benefit to you and your communication, the link below will take you to a really great source of information that compares the different options.

In this article, we'll explore the best caption phones, what to consider when selecting, and bonus apps or features for cell phones.

01/02/2026

Pets and hearing aids do not mix!

Besides being costly to replace, they can be very dangerous to the pets. Unfortunately, they smell funny, sound funny, and can look like an irresistible toy.

This is a good time to remind everybody that your hearing aid purchase automatically includes 3 years of loss and damage coverage from the manufacturer. If something like this happens within that 3-year window, the hearing aid can be replaced for substantially less than full price-however each one can only be replaced one time. After that, it would be full price.

12/31/2025

Ear wax. It happens. It is natural. It has a purpose.

With that said, TOO much can be a problem, but when does it become an issue?

Many patients talk about how they try to keep their ears clean, and many seem to have missed out on the past few decades of warnings against using Q-tips because they freely talk about it as though it is as reasonable an act as flossing their teeth. STOP IT!

Ear wax, or "cerumen" as the fancy folks in the lab coats may call it, is a natural secretion that your body produces to protect your ears, so don't be in such a rush to get rid of it. It may help your ears from drying out and it helps to collect dust and debris and keeps that stuff from reaching your ear drum. That nasty stuff that you're in such a hurry to get out of there is actually keeping the genuine nasty stuff from getting into your ear.

Your ears are self-cleaning and gradually push the old wax out. That Q-tip (or any other object that you're using to try to swab out wax) is pushing the was deeper in the canal after your ear has been working so hard to push it out. Besides being a significant risk for puncturing your eardrum with a foreign object (and yes, we do see this happening), you're doing the opposite of what you're trying to accomplish!

Ear wax becomes a problem when the production rate is greater than the expulsion rate. This can be made worse if you have hearing aids or wear earbuds for long periods because the wax will come up against this barrier and may not exit your body.

If you notice that your hearing is muffled but sometimes gets better, then you may be due for an ear cleaning. Wax buildup can block a significant amount of your hearing and is sometimes worsened after a shower. These are good signs that wax may be the culprit.

IF YOUR HEARING SUDDENLY DROPS IN ONE EAR, DO NOT ASSUME THAT IT IS WAX! Hopefully it is, but it may be a much more serious condition that will require immediate attention from an ENT to try to recover the lost hearing. If it IS a wax buildup, the staff at an ENT office has much more experience removing it than a walk-in clinic or family physician's office.

11/17/2025

Not all hearing protection is the same.

You are probably unaware of the enormous amount of choices available in hearing protection. It has become so much more than just a chunk of foam in your ear canal and there are options specifically made for a multitude of occupations, hobbies, and lifestyles. For all that we know about the dangers of noise levels and the abundance of noise induced hearing loss, there are still an astounding number of people that are choosing to expose their ears to dangerous situations on a regular basis.

The classic foam plugs are not ideal, but FAR better than nothing. It is not recommended to only use them in situations like a shooting range (where they should be used in addition to over-the-ear earmuff style protection) and they tend to fall short in settings where fidelity is desired, but they are a superior alternative to permanent hearing loss.

We work with multiple manufacturers of hearing protection to bring a very large range of options. These ear plugs are custom fit to each patient by taking impressions of your ears and sending them to the manufacturer to create a superior fitting plug for maximum comfort and performance. As an added bonus, you can customize the colors to get some pretty wild designs!

Just a few of the options available are:

Filtered musician earplugs protect your hearing while allowing sound to still pass through at a more uniform response so that you hear the range of frequencies, just at a safer volume. They can be selected with filters that have different decibel level reduction.

Shooter's ear protection comes in several options. There are custom molded solid plugs for maximum protection and there are an assortment of electronic options that allow for communication and hearing ambient sounds, but they activate to instantly suppress incoming shots. Some options for hunters even serve as in-ear amplifiers to enhance your surroundings to hear what you may be tracking but then electronically reduces shots to around 85 dB.

Earplugs for swimmers protects from waterborne ear infections and/or keeps water out of ears that have a perforation in the eardrum or for those that have ear tubes but do not want to give up swimming, and they float so you don't have to worry about losing them!

There are even special plugs for surfers and anybody else that may be highly active around the water. They also float and are filtered so that conversations can still be heard, but they are sealed around the filter to protect your ear canals from water and cold air.

Bikers can have special hearing protection to keep you safe from the potential of high decibel wind noise on long roadtrips. Even if there isn't much wind, motorcycles are LOUD and they will impact your hearing if you spend enough time on them. We have you covered!

There are types of hearing protection that are specifically designed for certain occupations. Dentists and their assistants are subject to very loud tools but still need to be able to communicate and there are plugs designed for that.

Sleep plugs are comfortable options for people that find themselves having to try to sleep in less-than-ideal conditions. Great for frequent flyers, riding shotgun on those long trips, or just in close proximity to snoring, CPAPs, loud hotels etc.

No matter the circumstances, children should absolutely have hearing protection in loud environments. Little growing ears will soon outgrow custom plugs, so most kids will do just fine with the over-the-ear earmuff styles that can serve them for several years. For swimmers, there are some OTC options or custom swim plugs may be more appropriate.

These are just some of the options available to keep those ears safe.

10/28/2025

Most people don't seem to realize that difficulty with hearing-more than any other sense-tends to impact everybody ELSE more than the person with the hearing loss. Hearing almost always takes a back seat to pretty much everything, so by the time that it IS addressed, there has been a great deal of life that has passed by.

We frequently hear from frustrated family members that cannot stand to be in the same room as a spouse or parent because the TV is painfully loud, but to the relative, it is just the right volume. It doesn't sound too loud to them, but like the person that doesn't notice that they are shouting over their headphones' volume, it is bothering everybody else in the room.

The cartoon is a lighthearted poke at a very stressful way of living. It is exhausting to live with somebody with hearing loss! To have to constantly repeat themselves and to often do it at a louder volume than their natural voice, wears down your family and friends and to be in a room where the TV is twice as loud as comfortable is a miserable experience.

With hearing loss, your private conversations aren't as private as you think, that video you're watching quietly on your phone is annoying people 15 feet away, and you can't even begin to imagine what all you're missing out on because the hearing loss sneaks up on you so slowly that you didn't notice those sounds slipping away.

Because of our ear's anatomy, most people will start to show some decline in the high frequencies long before you notice it in the low frequencies, but it occurs over years and at a rate that is imperceptible until it is quite significant. The high frequency range of your hearing includes subtle sounds that are crucial for your ability to understand WHAT people are saying. You can hear the talking, but the clarity is easily lost when you have a high frequency hearing loss. This can lead to misunderstandings, not realizing that people are even speaking at all, and missing out on things like rustling leaves, bird chirps, and a laughing 2 year old.

When people are properly fit with hearing aids, they are often amazed at the things that they hadn't realized had slipped away in their lives, but it is appreciated even more by their loved ones that no longer have to shout.

Hearing aid candidacy is determined by a comprehensive hearing evaluation from a licensed hearing heath practitioner AND the patient's openness to their benefit. If you refuse to accept that you'll benefit and if you refuse to give them the opportunity to help you, then you are not a candidate at this time. This is an unfortunate situation because through it all, the people around you are the ones that may be suffering the most.

10/08/2025

A few patients have inquired about at what point might they want to start looking at cochlear implants as an option. The candidacy for the implants is more complicated than just where on the chart your hearing lies, and we refer possible candidates to a cochlear implant specialist that works directly with University Hospitals to help determine if the person is a good candidate. UH works with all three manufacturers of the implants and through this process will determine which one is the best for your needs.

If you or somebody that you know is curious about cochlear implants, what they do, and how they differ from hearing aids, there will be a virtual event to discuss them next week on October 14th at 7pm. They are vastly different from hearing and are for when hearing aids are no longer sufficient. There is a significantly more involved adjustment period utilizing several different disciplines in the healthcare industry. Videos can be found on YouTube that replicate what something would sound like through an implant.

This is not meant to deter people that would benefit because for the right candidate, a cochlear implant can be a miracle. However, just like with first time hearing aid users, we want to be sure that your expectations are not too lofty.

If you are interested in attending this virtual event, please register at:

https://webapp.spotme.com/login/sonova/journey-to-sound-ohio-valley

09/08/2025

A recent study of over 7 MILLION Veterans has discovered possible connections between untreated hearing loss and Parkinson's Disease. SO many patients come in for their first hearing evaluation when they're in their 70s or 80s because hearing health is not prioritized by most people, although more and more examples of how hearing loss can impact other aspects of our health continue to surface.

A comprehensive hearing evaluation looks at the entire auditory system from your ear lobe to your brain and can detect serious medical conditions such as a tumor on the auditory/vestibular nerve. A baseline evaluation-the sooner, the better-can catch problems before they escalate.

"Results showed that those with hearing loss have a much higher risk of developing PD later in life. Research also showed that those who have the worst hearing loss seemed to have the highest risk of developing PD.

The study also looked at any link between the use of hearing aids and lowering the risk of developing PD. Researchers found that as long as people got a hearing aid within two years of having an abnormal hearing test, their risk of developing PD later in life was lowered substantially."

A new study from a database of millions of veterans nationwide reveals a possible connection between hearing loss and Parkinson’s disease.

07/10/2025

Traveling with allergies?
Some extra planning can help for a comfortable vacation.

Be mindful of airplanes and dry cabin air, which can irritate nasal passages. Bring saline spray or gel with you. If you know your ears struggle with changes in altitude (particularly ascent and descent), despite normal measures such as chewing gum or drinking water, consider using Afrin nasal spray or taking a decongestant one hour prior to flight. Other pressure reducing devices such as earplanes or mack’s flight guard may also help with pressure. ✈️

With hotels and Airbnb‘s don’t be afraid to ask for accommodations such as pet free and smoke free rooms. Some places might also offer dust mite covers for bedding. Consider bringing your own hypoallergenic pillowcase or a portable air purifier.

If traveling to a different climate, check pollen counts and forecasts ahead of time. If spending time outdoors, make sure to shower after and change clothes. If traveling by car, keep the windows up and use air conditioning. Remember to check & change your car cabin filter routinely.

Bring all necessary medications, supply of as needed meds, EpiPens, and nasal saline rinses like Nettie pots (please use distilled water).

If you’ve made it this far with reading my post, I’d like to know where you have been or plan to go this year?

05/23/2025

Sadly, the market is flooded with fake miracle pills and bizarre procedures that claim to fix tinnitus, however there really are legitimate attempts to tackle ringing/buzzing/choosing etc in the ears.

04/09/2025

In celebration of Cherish an Antique Day, here is the antique audiometer that is enjoying it's golden years in our testing room.

This model of Maico audiometer was manufactured between 1949 and 1953, however that was all of the information that the company was able to provide.

It still lights up, and it still plays tones!

03/03/2025

Coming soon to our office, medical ear piercings. 💎 what better place to provide ear piercings than a sterile, medical environment performed by ENT experts. This jewelry is QUALITY.
Pricing will be announced soon, along with special discounts to first 10 customers! Stay tuned for more info!
-Natalie Topp FNP-C