Hearing Tips

What's New at McLean Hearing Center

A woman with blonde hair touches her ear with her finger, appearing thoughtful. She is wearing a gray sweater and sitting indoors with blurred shelves and a plant in the background.

Why Are My Hearing Aids Whistling, and How Can I Fix It?

A sudden, high-frequency whistle from your hearing aid can trigger immediate annoyance and disrupt communication if left uncorrected. Our audiology providers can pinpoint whether the feedback sound results from earmold sizing, impacted earwax, volume settings, worn-out parts, or an internal malfunction. Explore why acoustic feedback occurs and which safe home inspections can rectify minor whistling

A person with wavy brown hair adjusts a behind-the-ear hearing aid. They are wearing a black hat and dark shirt, with a black hair tie on their wrist.

Understanding Difficulty Hearing in Restaurants and Finding Real Relief

Following dinner conversations becomes challenging when high ambient noise interferes with your focus and hearing. Our practice provides targeted diagnostics to evaluate hearing in quiet atmospheres as well as complex noise environments. Once the diagnostic etiology of your difficult hearing is established, we implement personalized clinical and technological strategies. Understanding the Contrast Between Quiet Hearing

A person cleaning their ear with a cotton swab, holding it near the ear canal.

Is Using Q-Tips Unsafe for Your Ears? Clinical Methods for Earwax Removal

While many consider cotton swabs handy cleaning devices, placing them in the ear canal disrupts natural clearing and causes physical damage. We can determine whether earwax actually needs removal and recommend a method suited to your ear health. The auditory canal generally manages its own cleaning; however, should impaction arise, our team provides safe clinical

A woman sits on a bed with her eyes closed and one hand on her forehead, appearing to have a headache or feel unwell.

Feeling Dizzy When You Lie Down? Understanding Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo

Feeling as though the room spins when you lie down, roll over, or sit up can be alarming, especially when the sensation appears without warning. Our specialists conduct thorough dizziness and equilibrium evaluations to diagnose benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV) and related inner ear disorders. Knowledgeable clinicians outline the mechanical causes of positional vertigo and

Older man with closed eyes holds his temples in pain, red highlights on both sides of his head indicate a headache or migraine.

Why Am I Experiencing Headaches From My Hearing Aids?

Specialized hearing aids are designed to help address your specific auditory deficit. Regardless of whether you are a first-time user of hearing aids or have utilized them for a long time, if your hearing aids prompt headaches or physical discomfort, relief is available. A properly adjusted hearing aid will fit comfortably in your ear and

A healthcare professional checks a babys hearing using an ear probe while the baby lies on an exam table, looking up. Medical equipment is in the background.

Infant Hearing Test Failure: Understanding Your Next Steps

For mothers and fathers with newborns, learning that their baby has hearing loss often feels deeply disheartening and sad. Yet the optimistic truth is that via rapid screening and support, young children facing auditory deficits will achieve profound developmental success. In fact, such infants can acquire language, communication skills, and strong connections with the world

An older man in a yellow sweater sits on a bed, looking thoughtful and concerned, with his hands clasped near his chin. There are several plants and natural light in the room.

Is Untreated Hearing Loss a Direct Catalyst for Depression and Anxiety?

Compromised hearing entails much more than basic anatomical loss; it represents a deeply personal challenge that reshapes how a person navigates daily life. While auditory decline is commonly characterized by reduced sound sharpness, its unseen psychological consequences carry immense weight as the physical symptoms. From subtle emotional friction to total social disconnection, leaving hearing loss

A plastic anatomical model of a human ear sits on a desk, with a person in a white coat and stethoscope blurred in the background, possibly a doctor taking notes.

Anatomy and Perception: Examining the Direct Impact of Ear Shape on Hearing

It is a well-documented biological fact that dogs with long, floppy ears do not capture directional sound waves as efficiently as pointed-ear breeds. Most people find it natural that domestic cats, dogs, and hamsters possess specialized muscular control to shift their ear orientation, boosting signal tracking from all directions. However, these domesticated animals are far

A woman wrapped in a blue blanket sits on a couch, holding a tissue to her nose as if sneezing or blowing her nose, appearing unwell.

How to Clear Blocked Ears and Fluid Buildup After a Cold

With the average adult experiencing two to three colds every year, this viral infection remains one of our most frequent health complaints. Notwithstanding how common they are, these viral episodes still inflict significant misery through systemic symptoms like low-grade fevers, raw sore throats, rhinorrhea, constant sneezing, and dry coughing. But among all these classic complaints,

Close-up of two hands gripping a black steering wheel inside a car, with a blurred view of greenery visible through the window in the background.

How Loud Is Too Loud? Car Noise and Hearing Loss Risk

You are deeply attached to your personal vehicle. While you would never surrender the absolute sense of freedom experienced behind the wheel, it is vital to consider whether your car is actively degrading your hearing mechanisms. Let’s look closely at how modern transit modes provoke vehicle-related hearing loss, while introducing straightforward habits to reverse this

A person in a gray shirt touches their throat with both hands, showing discomfort. The neck area is highlighted in red, indicating pain or a sore throat.

Understanding Laryngitis: Clinical Triggers, Symptoms, and Recovery Pathways

The popular expression “voice box” gives a completely wrong impression. When you were young, you might have visualized a miniature plastic or metal box in your throat managing your speech. Fortunately, your true internal anatomy is far more elegant and lacks any boxy dimensions. When people mention the “voice box,” they’re generally referring to an

A person holds their hand behind their ear, as if trying to hear better. Only the ear, hand, and part of the face are visible, with a neutral gray background.

Unexplained Static or Whooshing? What That Internal Noise Is Trying to Tell You

Have you noticed an unusual auditory sensation that mimics baseline white noise or a steady breeze in your ears? What explains the fact that you are the sole individual capable of detecting this frequency? You are not inventing these symptoms; the sensation is entirely real. Fortunately, your symptoms do not point to “phantom ring syndrome,”