The Importance of Regular Checkups

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the importance of regular checkups

It can be so easy to forget a checkup from time to time—life gets busy, and things fall to the wayside. However, we never forget how important regular checkups are. And, if you notice that you are turning the TV up a little louder or asking people to speak-up, you may be overdue for a hearing checkup.

Regular checkups are vital to our health and well being. An undiagnosed and untreated hearing problem can become much harder to manage and treat later down the line. Regular checkups help identify a problem early and make treatment much less difficult.

A 2012 article in Men’s Health calls the hearing screening a neglected but crucial health test, going as far as to say, “A growing body of research shows that dwindling hearing could be an early tip-off of other conditions—from Alzheimer’s to cardiovascular disease.” The article also discusses how problems with hearing can lead to depression, and how often the hearing screening may be missed or skipped in regular evaluations.

Here are some of their findings:

  1. Some experts believe hearing loss is due to nerve damage—and that the nerve damage in the ears could be a sign of nerve damage elsewhere.
  2. Problems hearing low-frequency sounds could indicate that something is wrong with your blood vessels, leading to cardiovascular disease.
  3. According to Italian researchers of people with mild to moderate hearing loss between the ages of 35-55, psychological distress such as depression and anxiety can be more severe.
  4. Routine ear and hearing examinations can also help your doctor spot cancer in and around your ears.

A Hearing Journal article from July 2012 said that an “AARP-ASHA survey found that patients are far more likely to get blood pressure checks, cholesterol screenings, and vision tests than they are hearing tests.”

The importance of regular checkups cannot be stressed enough: hearing loss significantly impacts your quality of life and your ability to communicate. Just like with routine checks of your heart, lungs, eyes, blood pressure and so forth, regular hearing screenings can detect problems early. Please schedule a screening as soon as you can.