Join the thousands who have used this dietary supplement to help fight tinnitus, and the constant ringing in ears, improve ear and auditory health, improve sleep and enhance overall brain and mental health, and finally learn how to stop tinnitus once and for all by click here: https://pulsatiletinnitustreatments.com/relief/ear-ringing/
I can hear, I just can’t understand.” If that sentence sounds familiar, this episode is for you.
Most people walk into an audiology clinic thinking hearing care is about hearing aids. Melissa Baker and Dr. Libby Benson of Baker Audiology in Sioux Falls explain why hearing is a brain, body, and timing problem, and why women in their twenties, thirties, and pregnancy years are some of the most underdiagnosed patients in the country.
You will learn what changes during pregnancy can affect hearing, what otosclerosis is and why family history matters, why a baseline hearing test is the most valuable test you will ever take, why hearing aids alone hit a wall in restaurants, and what LACE auditory training does that hearing aids cannot.
Two audiologists, decades of clinical experience, real answers.
Host Melissa Goodwin asks the questions you would ask if you were sitting across from them.
CHAPTERS
00:00 I can hear, I just can’t understand
01:24 Welcome to Dialed In Health
02:37 Meet Melissa Baker and Dr. Libby Benson
04:13 The Disney World patient experience
06:22 Hearing versus understanding explained
08:03 Hearing changes during pregnancy
09:36 Otosclerosis and the bones of the middle ear
12:54 Cue tips, earwax, and ear candling
17:45 Stepping into the audiology booth
19:55 Insurance, advocacy, and the pie patient
23:14 Vitality Growth Labs sponsor break
23:48 Screener versus full diagnostic exam
28:10 Random tinnitus and COVID hearing loss
30:00 Sudden hearing loss: the 72 hour window
31:48 What is LACE auditory training
36:52 The only practice in the region offering LACE
37:42 Hearing aid stigma and modern features
39:39 Myth Busters
43:01 Dementia and untreated hearing loss
45:44 Where to find Baker Audiology
46:39 Subscribe and connect
FEATURED GUESTS
Melissa Baker, M.A. Audiologist and Owner, Baker Audiology. Bachelor’s and Master’s from the University of South Dakota. Decades of clinical experience across ENT, private practice, and military test sites.Founded Baker Audiology in 2018. Voted Local Best for hearing aids six years running.
Dr. Libby Benson, Au.D. Audiologist, Baker Audiology. Bachelor’s from the University of South Dakota. Doctorate of Audiology from the University of Northern Colorado. Residency at the Sioux Falls VA Medical Center. Joined Baker in May 2022.
VISIT BAKER AUDIOLOGY
429 W 69th Street, Sioux Falls, SD 57108
Phone: 605-306-5756
Web: https://siouxfallshearing.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bakeraudiology
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bakeraudiologysd
ANSWERS TO COMMON QUESTIONS
Can pregnancy cause hearing loss or tinnitus?
Yes. Blood volume rises up to 50 percent during pregnancy, hormonal shifts can trigger pulsatile tinnitus, and pregnancy can occasionally trigger sudden sensorineural hearing loss. Same day evaluation is warranted for any new or sudden change.
What is otosclerosis? Abnormal bone growth in the middle ear that blocks the tiny bones from transmitting sound. Strong genetic component. Most often surfaces in women 15 to 45. Pregnancy estrogen can accelerate it.
Why can I hear but not understand? High frequency hearing loss removes consonants like s, f, th, k, p, and sh while preserving vowels. The brain knows someone is talking but cannot decode the words.
Should I get a baseline hearing test?
Yes. A baseline documents your normal so any future change can be proven quickly, opening urgent ENT access and medical necessity coverage.
What if I wake up with sudden hearing loss? Treat it like a stroke for your ear. There is roughly a 72 hour window for steroid treatment. Call an audiologist or urgent care immediately and ask about steroids and an MRI.
What is LACE? Listening and Communication Enhancement. An app based home program from UCSF that trains the brain to process speech in noise, competing speakers, and rapid speech. Published outcomes show roughly 40 percent improvement in listening in noise.
SPONSORED BY VITALITY GROWTH LABS
Dialed In Health is the conversation. Vitality Growth Labs is the engine. The health and wellness marketing company that optimizes everything for AI search, traditional search, and human trust at the same time.
Learn more: https://vitalitygrowthlabs.com
Provider directory: dialedin.health/the-directory
ABOUT THE PODCAST
Dialed In Health is where regular people go for real health information from real practitioners. Subscribe on YouTube. Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and anywhere you get your podcasts.
Are you a provider who wants to be on the show? Contact melissa@vitalitygrowthlabs.com.
DISCLAIMER
This episode is general education, not medical advice. Consult a licensed audiologist or physician
for evaluation and treatment.
#pulsatiletinitus
#tinnituscauses
tinnitusrelief
#earringing
