1
00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:04,000
Welcome to the AdaptX podcast where we have conversations with individuals who are building

2
00:00:04,000 --> 00:00:08,480
accessible businesses, advocating for inclusion or excelling in adaptive sports. Our intention

3
00:00:08,480 --> 00:00:11,760
is never to speak on behalf of those with disabilities, but provide a platform to share

4
00:00:11,760 --> 00:00:16,240
insights to make a more accessible world. Today we are joined by Dr. Keith Darrow, a Harvard

5
00:00:16,240 --> 00:00:21,200
medical school and MIT trained neuroscientist, clinical audiologist, professor, author of two

6
00:00:21,200 --> 00:00:26,720
amazon.com bestselling books and director of treatment at Audi Experts. He is the co-founder

7
00:00:26,720 --> 00:00:30,560
of the Hearing and Brain Centers of America. Dr. Darrow has chosen to lead the excellence in

8
00:00:30,560 --> 00:00:35,280
audiology movement across the country to improve the lives of the 1.5 billion people worldwide

9
00:00:35,280 --> 00:00:39,760
living with untreated hearing loss. Dr. Darrow is a nationally recognized speaker, trainer,

10
00:00:39,760 --> 00:00:44,080
and his research conducted at the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary has been cited over 1200

11
00:00:44,080 --> 00:00:49,600
times. And we just found out that we live in the small suburban town, Sterling, Massachusetts.

12
00:00:50,800 --> 00:00:56,400
Keith, thanks for joining me. Absolutely. No, thank you for having me. It's not often I get

13
00:00:56,400 --> 00:01:03,520
to do a podcast with a neighbor. Yeah. So I've heard you talk on other podcasts that I listened

14
00:01:03,520 --> 00:01:09,360
to before this episode about struggling maybe to find your passion academically through high school,

15
00:01:10,560 --> 00:01:15,520
but then that changing drastically in college. So what was it that drew you to hearing loss

16
00:01:16,080 --> 00:01:22,720
research and learning about it? It's one of those things where I didn't know we were going to start

17
00:01:22,720 --> 00:01:27,360
at high school, but I'm glad you brought it up. It's one of those things where that old adage,

18
00:01:27,360 --> 00:01:31,360
when you do what you love, you don't work a day in your life. Look, I'm the first person to say,

19
00:01:33,440 --> 00:01:39,680
it's a cliche. I don't know if I believe in it, but I'm actually living proof of it.

20
00:01:42,000 --> 00:01:49,440
For me, I don't have one of those stories where, oh, I grew up with a deaf brother or a parent.

21
00:01:49,440 --> 00:01:56,320
I mean, honestly, I stumbled into it. And the way it was basically my mom saying, hey, look,

22
00:01:57,040 --> 00:02:02,560
you've always wanted to be a social worker, a therapist. Why not consider communication

23
00:02:02,560 --> 00:02:08,160
disorders, helping people to find their voice, helping people to be able to communicate,

24
00:02:08,160 --> 00:02:13,680
surround themselves with others. And that's what brought me to taking classes in speech and hearing.

25
00:02:13,680 --> 00:02:20,320
Now, once I got in, the hearing just, I mean, still to this day, I'm out of college. I'm not

26
00:02:20,320 --> 00:02:27,760
going to say how long, but it's been a while. I'm still so drawn to everything that has to do with

27
00:02:27,760 --> 00:02:33,920
hearing. And I think one of the most profound things that I learned early on is not only

28
00:02:34,960 --> 00:02:41,120
do the sounds we hear, the experiences we have go from the ear up to the brain, but there's also

29
00:02:41,120 --> 00:02:47,680
this return passage wherein the brain sort of then communicates with the ear. And there's this back

30
00:02:47,680 --> 00:02:56,480
and forth communication that allows you to really understand, to embrace what you hear, to understand,

31
00:02:56,480 --> 00:03:03,520
recognize. And it's just a fascinating sense. And my argument for why it's the most important sense

32
00:03:04,240 --> 00:03:09,840
is actually rooted in evolution and anatomy. You know, the ear, your inner ear, deep down in your

33
00:03:09,840 --> 00:03:16,880
skull is housed in the hardest bone in the body. And the way our body works is if there's something

34
00:03:16,880 --> 00:03:22,160
important, it will figure out how to protect it. Kind of like your heart and your lungs are protected

35
00:03:22,160 --> 00:03:28,640
by your chest. Well, the ears are protected by the hardest bone in the body. So that early on told me

36
00:03:28,640 --> 00:03:35,120
there's something about this sense that's really important. And so I just snowballed, graduate

37
00:03:35,120 --> 00:03:41,120
school, then my doctoral work, and I'm still doing it today and loving every minute. You talk about

38
00:03:41,120 --> 00:03:45,120
communication disorders, and maybe this would fall in the category of hidden disabilities or

39
00:03:45,120 --> 00:03:51,360
invisible disabilities. Do you think the not having an outward facing physical presence when we're

40
00:03:51,360 --> 00:03:57,920
talking about hearing loss makes it less understood or people might not be taken as seriously by

41
00:03:57,920 --> 00:04:06,000
medical professionals? I think it's both. I think you just nailed it there. It really is the silent

42
00:04:06,000 --> 00:04:12,800
disability. It really is the hidden disability. You don't see it. And there's definitely a stigma

43
00:04:12,800 --> 00:04:19,200
to it in that, oh, if you do have hearing loss, you wear big beige bananas, you can't understand.

44
00:04:20,240 --> 00:04:25,920
Look, I'm not saying this. I'm just going to give a historical perspective. It used to be

45
00:04:25,920 --> 00:04:33,840
children born with hearing loss were the deaf and dumb. So it wasn't that long ago. And I'm talking

46
00:04:33,840 --> 00:04:39,840
like 50 years ago, which in the human lifespan is not that long ago, just a generation or two ago,

47
00:04:40,240 --> 00:04:46,240
where people with hearing loss, the quote unquote deaf person was basically

48
00:04:47,280 --> 00:04:54,720
ostracized from society. They had difficulty getting jobs. They had difficulty in school.

49
00:04:54,720 --> 00:04:57,760
Difficulty in school. And they were kind of just brushed under the rug.

50
00:04:59,120 --> 00:05:03,840
How have you seen the field if it's only a generation two or two ago where these

51
00:05:03,840 --> 00:05:10,960
stigmas were kind of dispelled and addressed? How have you seen the field evolve maybe even over the

52
00:05:10,960 --> 00:05:16,960
course of your career? Well, you know, Darwin taught us evolution is very, very slow.

53
00:05:16,960 --> 00:05:24,880
So with that, I think the biggest change definitely comes in the youth, definitely comes in people who

54
00:05:24,880 --> 00:05:31,280
are, you know, I call them the post ADA babies. So they were born after the Americans with Disability

55
00:05:31,280 --> 00:05:38,400
Act, born in the 90s and the 2000s. I teach at a local university. And when I have these conversations,

56
00:05:39,760 --> 00:05:45,680
I feel like they look at me in disbelief, like that can't be real. They didn't really do that.

57
00:05:45,680 --> 00:05:50,080
They didn't really do that to people with hearing loss. Like they just they don't get it.

58
00:05:50,720 --> 00:05:58,640
And so I have, I'd say at least two to five students a year who are significantly hearing impaired.

59
00:05:58,640 --> 00:06:04,720
And they're sometimes they're running circles around their classmates. They're the smartest in

60
00:06:04,720 --> 00:06:10,480
the classroom, probably because they're the most motivated. They work so hard. But they're

61
00:06:10,480 --> 00:06:17,120
completely the same as as you and I. They just have a little less hearing, some have a lot less

62
00:06:17,120 --> 00:06:23,440
hearing. So for the younger generations right now for the youth, it's amazing to see that people

63
00:06:23,440 --> 00:06:29,840
with hearing impairment are, dare I say just completely accepted. Oh, okay, you need help.

64
00:06:29,840 --> 00:06:35,760
They'll help with note taking, they'll help with transcribing classrooms. I mean, I have seen such

65
00:06:35,760 --> 00:06:44,640
wonderful compassion and empathy in my students. Now, remember, right, we said one to two generations

66
00:06:44,640 --> 00:06:51,760
ago, some of those people are still around. I'm talking 60, 70, 80 years old, the pre ADA,

67
00:06:51,760 --> 00:06:57,440
who grew up potentially with friends who had hearing loss and were, you know, ostracized,

68
00:06:57,440 --> 00:07:02,880
were shipped off to live, you know, somewhere other than home, couldn't get a good career,

69
00:07:02,880 --> 00:07:09,520
couldn't go to school. And so there is definitely still a stigma in the older population, I would

70
00:07:09,520 --> 00:07:18,080
say 60 plus wherein hearing losses is still looked at as a significant disability, a significant

71
00:07:18,080 --> 00:07:24,080
difference. It makes you look old, it makes you look stupid, it makes you I mean, I've heard all

72
00:07:24,080 --> 00:07:31,040
the adjectives out there. And I think the proof of that is that we're still living in a day and age

73
00:07:31,040 --> 00:07:39,120
where less than 20% of adults with hearing loss actually do anything about it. So they go without

74
00:07:39,120 --> 00:07:44,480
treating their hearing loss. And what we've learned in the last decade is how traumatic that can be

75
00:07:44,480 --> 00:07:50,560
for your body and your brain. Do you think less than 20% are seeking help because they're not even

76
00:07:50,560 --> 00:07:57,520
aware that it's declining? Or do you think there's a financial reason or a social stigma? Can I just

77
00:07:57,520 --> 00:08:04,560
say yes to all of the above? Maybe. Is that an option on the multiple choice? Yes. So the stigma

78
00:08:05,440 --> 00:08:11,840
is definitely there. It's real. Although, and if you're listening to this, and you're an older

79
00:08:11,840 --> 00:08:18,720
adult with hearing loss, I'm going to let you in on a little secret. You look a lot older if you

80
00:08:18,720 --> 00:08:24,240
can't hear and follow the conversation. What happens if you know, you're the mom and you're

81
00:08:24,240 --> 00:08:28,480
visiting your kids and everybody's together for a holiday dinner and you leave the room,

82
00:08:29,120 --> 00:08:35,120
everybody's talking about you behind your back saying, I'm worried about mom. She's not

83
00:08:35,120 --> 00:08:39,840
interacting anymore. She's not leaving the house anymore. She's becoming more frail.

84
00:08:39,840 --> 00:08:45,440
I'm worried about her memory. So not being an active participant in a conversation

85
00:08:45,440 --> 00:08:55,200
is a much bigger stigma than having hearing loss. Now you also mentioned price. I think the issue

86
00:08:55,200 --> 00:09:03,840
is into the price because Americans in general spend a lot of money on things. Obviously there

87
00:09:03,840 --> 00:09:09,600
are people that have difficulty, that don't have the means, but then there's a lot of people who

88
00:09:09,600 --> 00:09:14,480
drive cars, have cell phones. They do a lot of things. They spend a good amount of money

89
00:09:14,480 --> 00:09:23,440
but they look at hearing loss as not a value. They don't see how important it is. And that's

90
00:09:23,440 --> 00:09:31,440
really part of my mission because yes, it will probably cost you a couple of grand a year to

91
00:09:31,440 --> 00:09:38,640
treat hearing loss properly. Now we all have cell phone bills, cable bills that add up to a couple

92
00:09:38,640 --> 00:09:44,240
of grand a year and we're happy to pay that. We don't bitch and complain. We don't live without.

93
00:09:44,240 --> 00:09:51,120
I hope I'm allowed to say that. I think ultimately if you ask somebody, why do you spend two grand a

94
00:09:51,120 --> 00:09:58,320
year on TV or on a cell phone, they'll tell you all about the value it provides. My mission is to

95
00:09:58,320 --> 00:10:04,720
teach older adults about the value in treating hearing loss, like reducing the risk of cognitive

96
00:10:04,720 --> 00:10:10,800
decline and dementia, reducing the risk of a traumatic fall, improving quality of life,

97
00:10:10,800 --> 00:10:18,080
reducing the tinnitus in your ears, improving memory. How do you put a monetary value on those

98
00:10:18,080 --> 00:10:25,360
things? To me, that's a bargain at a couple of grand a year, sorry, not a month, a couple of

99
00:10:25,360 --> 00:10:31,360
grand a year to live your best life, to be an active part of the conversation. But yeah, I think

100
00:10:31,360 --> 00:10:39,200
ultimately it boils down to the lack of public knowledge and education about hearing loss.

101
00:10:40,160 --> 00:10:43,920
Yeah, maybe let's dive into that topic. You talked a bit on your website about the link between

102
00:10:43,920 --> 00:10:51,360
tinnitus and dementia or memory loss. Can you maybe give us kind of like an overarching view into

103
00:10:51,360 --> 00:10:57,280
what causes that relationship if that's known or where the research is going in that area?

104
00:10:57,280 --> 00:11:03,120
So historically, and I'll make this quick because I could give you a four-hour lecture, but I won't

105
00:11:03,120 --> 00:11:06,320
do that. I'll give you the three minutes. Consolidate in the four minutes, please.

106
00:11:07,520 --> 00:11:14,800
Four minutes, got it. Start the timer. Basically, about 70 years ago, the first paper came out,

107
00:11:14,800 --> 00:11:23,040
and this was in psychology that said, it looks like people with hearing loss, something's not

108
00:11:23,040 --> 00:11:32,160
cognitively right. And then there was more research in the 60s, in the 80s, in the early 2000s that

109
00:11:32,160 --> 00:11:36,960
all seemed to indicate, hey, this group of people over here, this group of older adults with

110
00:11:36,960 --> 00:11:43,360
significant hearing loss, there seems to be a higher rate of cognitive decline and dementia.

111
00:11:43,360 --> 00:11:49,120
And then finally, and I promise I will come back to tinnitus, finally in 2010,

112
00:11:49,120 --> 00:11:55,280
a landmark study came out of Johns Hopkins, right? So this isn't just some random research,

113
00:11:55,280 --> 00:12:00,320
you know, from some foreign country. This is John Hopkins. This is a leading medical

114
00:12:00,320 --> 00:12:07,040
research institute that basically said, here's the summary. People with hearing loss have an

115
00:12:07,040 --> 00:12:12,000
increased risk of developing cognitive decline and dementia. And the numbers that they put on it,

116
00:12:12,000 --> 00:12:16,480
they said that you're 200 to 100% of the population with hearing loss.

117
00:12:16,480 --> 00:12:22,800
And the numbers that they put on it, they said that you're 200 to 500% more likely to develop

118
00:12:22,800 --> 00:12:29,760
cognitive decline and dementia with hearing loss, right? Now, you asked specifically about tinnitus,

119
00:12:29,760 --> 00:12:36,160
and I promise I didn't forget the question. What we've learned, what a lot of people don't

120
00:12:36,160 --> 00:12:42,960
realize is that tinnitus and hearing loss are actually the same thing, okay? And what I mean

121
00:12:42,960 --> 00:12:50,800
is they're the result of the same neurologic disorder. They're just different symptoms.

122
00:12:50,800 --> 00:12:55,760
So hearing loss, not being able to follow a conversation in background noise, that's a

123
00:12:55,760 --> 00:13:03,360
symptom. Not being able to tolerate loud sounds, a lot of older adults will tell me that. That's a

124
00:13:03,360 --> 00:13:11,360
symptom. Tinnitus is a symptom. They're all symptoms of the chronic neurologic condition that we know

125
00:13:11,360 --> 00:13:17,840
as hearing loss. So hearing loss and tinnitus, probably 99% of the time are actually the same

126
00:13:17,840 --> 00:13:24,560
thing. And so there's been a number of research reports that have shown the presence of tinnitus,

127
00:13:24,560 --> 00:13:30,880
which makes sense, also seems to increase your risk of cognitive decline and dementia.

128
00:13:30,880 --> 00:13:38,320
A great study came out of South Korea that actually found people with bothersome tinnitus

129
00:13:38,320 --> 00:13:43,840
are more likely to develop early onset Alzheimer's, which is really scary. But I think it just goes to

130
00:13:43,840 --> 00:13:53,280
show that when you deprive the brain of sound, when you have tinnitus, your brain is significantly

131
00:13:53,280 --> 00:13:59,600
compromised. I heard this analogy once. Tinnitus is like your check engine light for your brain.

132
00:14:00,240 --> 00:14:05,360
It's telling you there's something wrong. So if you have tinnitus, if you lie in bed at night and

133
00:14:05,360 --> 00:14:10,320
you hear ringing or roaring or buzzing or whatever adjective, something's not right,

134
00:14:10,320 --> 00:14:15,360
because that's not supposed to be there. Yeah, I was going to ask if you could succinctly define

135
00:14:15,360 --> 00:14:20,480
it in case people that are listening don't know what tinnitus is as a whole, but you kind of said

136
00:14:20,480 --> 00:14:24,320
it there. So yeah, well, it's, you know, some people will say, hey, look, they'll say, oh,

137
00:14:24,320 --> 00:14:30,320
is this tinnitus? Once a month, I get a little bit of ringing in one of my ears that lasts for

138
00:14:30,320 --> 00:14:35,520
about 10 seconds. That's not what we're talking about. Right. I often joke and say, that's just

139
00:14:35,520 --> 00:14:40,400
people talking about you behind your back. Right. That was the sort of the old saying with that.

140
00:14:41,120 --> 00:14:48,400
I'm talking about that, that ringing that comes and goes, that can last for hours, days, weeks.

141
00:14:48,400 --> 00:14:54,880
I'm talking about the buzzing that when the world is quiet, when you lie down at night, or you get

142
00:14:54,880 --> 00:14:59,280
up to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night, and the world is pretty quiet, and you hear

143
00:14:59,280 --> 00:15:07,680
that's the tinnitus I'm talking about. That is a part of a neurologic condition. Here's what most

144
00:15:07,680 --> 00:15:11,360
people don't understand. They don't think it can be treated. They don't think there's anything that

145
00:15:11,360 --> 00:15:19,600
can be done about tinnitus, and it's just not true. We effectively treat 90% of our patients

146
00:15:19,600 --> 00:15:25,520
with tinnitus, meaning we can dial it down, in some cases completely eradicate it. And it's not

147
00:15:25,520 --> 00:15:31,760
just at our practices. This is the research data that's out there. Is there a specific subset of

148
00:15:31,760 --> 00:15:38,320
the population or maybe even an occupation that seems to be most prone to tinnitus? Well,

149
00:15:39,840 --> 00:15:48,160
let me answer your question in a second. Let me just state this. As fact, mammals, as we get older,

150
00:15:48,160 --> 00:15:55,120
almost every mammal has hearing loss written into their genetic code. So it's sort of a fact of life.

151
00:15:55,120 --> 00:16:01,040
It's got a fancy term. It's called presbycusis. It's age-related hearing loss, presbyopia,

152
00:16:01,040 --> 00:16:06,160
older people who wear glasses, right? Our senses diminish as we get older. That makes sense to

153
00:16:06,160 --> 00:16:13,760
everyone. The question is, what about occupations? What about noise exposure? What can make that

154
00:16:13,760 --> 00:16:20,800
hearing loss and tinnitus worse? And you really hit the nail on the head there in that what the

155
00:16:20,800 --> 00:16:26,400
science out of Massachusetts Eye and Ear, out of Harvard Medical School, my thesis advisor,

156
00:16:26,400 --> 00:16:33,440
Dr. Charlie Liberman, what he taught us over 20 years ago was that we all get hearing loss as we

157
00:16:33,440 --> 00:16:39,760
get older. But if you're exposed to noise throughout your life, instead of hearing loss starting at,

158
00:16:39,760 --> 00:16:49,440
let's just say, 72, it'll start at 55. It'll start anywhere from 10 to 20 years earlier. And so it

159
00:16:49,440 --> 00:16:56,160
could be one rock concert. It could be going to work in a noisy environment over the course of

160
00:16:56,160 --> 00:17:01,840
eight years. Defining noise exposure is difficult because you have to consider volume and time.

161
00:17:01,840 --> 00:17:06,720
But noise exposure, if you feel uncomfortable, if you feel like, oh, that's a little loud,

162
00:17:06,720 --> 00:17:09,920
I promise you, it's too loud and it's damaging your ears.

163
00:17:09,920 --> 00:17:14,080
Yeah, I was going to ask if it was dose dependent or amplitude dependent, but it's probably too

164
00:17:14,080 --> 00:17:19,040
hard to quantify. It absolutely is. And that's just so hard to define, right? Because it really,

165
00:17:19,840 --> 00:17:25,440
the research tells us, it says if you went to a concert when you were 20, and it was really loud,

166
00:17:25,440 --> 00:17:30,640
and you had the hearing hangover for three days, meaning your ears were ringing for three days,

167
00:17:30,640 --> 00:17:39,440
that was really bad. And that will speed up the aging process in your ear. But on an individual,

168
00:17:39,440 --> 00:17:44,640
case by case basis, it's nearly impossible to say, is it seven years? Is it 10 years? We just looked

169
00:17:44,640 --> 00:17:50,880
at average data that found anywhere from 10 to 20 years younger. And we see this in our population.

170
00:17:50,880 --> 00:17:58,800
We see, I've been in clinical audiology for over 20 years. And I've been in clinical audiology for

171
00:17:58,800 --> 00:18:05,680
over 20 years. And I would say the average age of a patient when I first started was closer to 76.

172
00:18:06,560 --> 00:18:13,600
Now we're down closer to about 65. And I think that's because while we're getting the word out,

173
00:18:13,600 --> 00:18:19,440
number one, we live in a pretty noisy environment, right? This post-industrial revolution world we

174
00:18:19,440 --> 00:18:26,400
live in is very loud. Our ears never evolved to handle this much noise. And so we are seeing

175
00:18:26,400 --> 00:18:31,600
people younger, which is a shame, but it's also good because you want to catch it early and treat

176
00:18:31,600 --> 00:18:35,600
it early. Yeah. I was going to, when you mentioned that statistic, I was just thinking like, is it

177
00:18:35,600 --> 00:18:40,800
just a matter of being more educated and more committed to health and longevity or whether it's

178
00:18:40,800 --> 00:18:46,480
actually a physiological consequence of our environment? Yeah. Again, I'm going to go with D,

179
00:18:46,480 --> 00:18:58,480
all of the above. So look, here's the way I put it. Science and medicine has enabled human beings

180
00:18:58,480 --> 00:19:05,920
to double their lifespan in the last 120 years or so, right? We went from living to about 40s

181
00:19:05,920 --> 00:19:13,520
to about 80s. And we did that all in the last 120 years, which in the span of human life is really

182
00:19:13,520 --> 00:19:19,840
just a little blip on the radar, right? So what we're doing now is we're trying to figure out

183
00:19:20,320 --> 00:19:27,520
how to add more life to those years. And I look at my own family and I'm sure everybody listening

184
00:19:27,520 --> 00:19:34,880
can kind of come up with their own story. I remember my great aunt, my own grandmother,

185
00:19:34,880 --> 00:19:41,840
you know, when they were like 65, 70, they pretty much shut it down, right? They lived at home,

186
00:19:41,840 --> 00:19:48,640
they were in their house dress, they watched their TV. Now I look at my own mother who's in her 70s.

187
00:19:48,640 --> 00:19:54,240
If I say her age, she'll kill me, but she's in her 70s. She has a way more active social life

188
00:19:54,240 --> 00:20:01,680
than I do. So the way we approach aging is very different. And so I think that's a major component,

189
00:20:02,560 --> 00:20:08,640
probably more so even than, you know, what I wake up every day and try to do is educate more people

190
00:20:08,640 --> 00:20:17,600
about how important it is to treat hearing loss. But I think that social activity that, you know,

191
00:20:17,600 --> 00:20:21,680
older adults are out playing pickleball, they're out at, you know, senior centers,

192
00:20:21,680 --> 00:20:27,440
they're just having a lot of fun. Yeah, we talked about health span versus lifespan. So not just the

193
00:20:27,440 --> 00:20:31,600
number of years that you have, but the quality of those years for sure. And we have members

194
00:20:31,600 --> 00:20:38,400
at our gym that are into their 80s. And I hope that my body functions in the same way.

195
00:20:38,400 --> 00:20:44,640
And in 45 or 50 years, but you said that addressing some of this tinnitus is one of the most important

196
00:20:44,640 --> 00:20:49,440
things you can do for your health. And at your clinic, you guys have a success rate of over 90%.

197
00:20:50,800 --> 00:20:56,320
If someone is interested in addressing these symptoms, where would you recommend that they go

198
00:20:56,320 --> 00:21:00,880
or find out? Yeah. So I would say there's actually two things. I always like to give options, right?

199
00:21:00,880 --> 00:21:09,120
So if you're looking for a provider, we have a network, it's excellenceinaudiology.org.

200
00:21:09,120 --> 00:21:15,840
This is a national organization, which is actually going international, that is providing you,

201
00:21:16,640 --> 00:21:20,560
the patient on the other end, the person who's suffering with tinnitus, suffering with hearing

202
00:21:20,560 --> 00:21:26,320
loss, worried about dementia, worried about falling at excellenceinaudiology.org. There's

203
00:21:26,320 --> 00:21:31,360
tons of education, tons of resources. And if you're looking for a provider, there's one of

204
00:21:31,360 --> 00:21:37,920
those maps. You put in your zip code and you can find your local certified provider, right? I mean,

205
00:21:37,920 --> 00:21:43,040
look, it's no easy feat to get into this network. This isn't a pay to play thing. This is a,

206
00:21:43,600 --> 00:21:49,120
have you gone through the certified dementia practitioner course? Do you follow best practices?

207
00:21:49,120 --> 00:21:55,280
There's a number of check boxes that you need. Do you follow our proven method for treating

208
00:21:55,280 --> 00:22:01,200
tinnitus? So excellenceinaudiology.org. If you're looking for just some education,

209
00:22:01,840 --> 00:22:08,560
I recently put out a new book, brand new book. It's called Silenced. It's all about the medical

210
00:22:08,560 --> 00:22:15,600
treatment of tinnitus. You can go to stoptheringingtoday.com. I'm actually giving away free

211
00:22:15,600 --> 00:22:22,400
copies. Okay. I've always said to my publisher, I don't write books to make money. I write books

212
00:22:22,400 --> 00:22:27,840
to educate people. And so I would rather give them away, have somebody pay a couple of bucks

213
00:22:27,840 --> 00:22:34,560
for shipping. I would rather give it away so that they are empowered to then do something and treat

214
00:22:34,560 --> 00:22:39,040
their tinnitus and live their best life. Yeah. Well, actually, I would definitely include that

215
00:22:39,040 --> 00:22:44,640
in the show notes. And even if someone isn't currently dealing with it, they almost certainly

216
00:22:44,640 --> 00:22:50,800
will know someone who is or come up in conversation with someone who is facing those things. So the

217
00:22:50,800 --> 00:22:56,560
more knowledge that they have to kind of support those individuals, the better. What differentiates

218
00:22:56,560 --> 00:23:01,280
between the show and... I just want to say about that. I hope you don't mind, but I always find

219
00:23:01,280 --> 00:23:07,920
this one funny. I'll give a talk or a patient will come in and they'll tell me, tell me about

220
00:23:07,920 --> 00:23:14,640
your tinnitus. Tell me about the sounds. I only have a little bit of tinnitus. And I just look

221
00:23:14,640 --> 00:23:21,040
at them and I'm like, how would you feel if the doctor said, I have a little bit of cancer? I have

222
00:23:21,040 --> 00:23:29,520
a little bit of diabetes. You only have a little bit of Parkinson's, right? Like people in general,

223
00:23:29,520 --> 00:23:34,880
and this is one of those issues where I think we've got to inform the public. I love this type of

224
00:23:34,880 --> 00:23:42,880
podcast that is about access and education because we have to look at tinnitus and hearing loss for

225
00:23:42,880 --> 00:23:50,480
what they are. They are a major chronic neurologic condition. It's actually the most common neurologic

226
00:23:50,480 --> 00:23:57,600
condition on the planet affecting 1.5 billion people worldwide. So everybody knows somebody.

227
00:23:57,600 --> 00:24:03,920
So a little bit of tinnitus is you're in the early stage of this neurologic condition.

228
00:24:03,920 --> 00:24:12,560
Your future is at risk for decline, for dementia. And so the best bet, just like cancer, just like

229
00:24:12,560 --> 00:24:19,680
diabetes is to catch it early and treat it early. Yeah, this podcast has been such a treat for me,

230
00:24:19,680 --> 00:24:26,000
just getting to talk to people that are experts in all these various niches. I'm very grateful for

231
00:24:26,000 --> 00:24:30,720
everyone that kind of shares their expertise with our audience. But going back to that excellence

232
00:24:30,720 --> 00:24:36,240
in audiology network, what differentiates, and you don't have to throw people under the bus,

233
00:24:36,240 --> 00:24:41,200
but what differentiates an excellent clinician from one that maybe doesn't meet those standards?

234
00:24:41,200 --> 00:24:47,200
And how can the general public recognize outside of finding someone in that network?

235
00:24:47,840 --> 00:24:55,280
Yeah, so here's, you're right. It's not about throwing anybody under the bus. It's not about,

236
00:24:55,280 --> 00:25:02,960
you know, I think it boils down to you can only get the best treatment if you have the best

237
00:25:04,080 --> 00:25:10,320
medical provider who does the best medical testing, who does, I mean, it just keeps going on and on.

238
00:25:10,320 --> 00:25:16,880
So for example, right, anybody that comes into one of the hearing and brain centers, which are our

239
00:25:16,880 --> 00:25:22,000
clinics, anybody that goes to an excellence in audiology approved provider, you will go through

240
00:25:22,000 --> 00:25:28,800
a seven step cognitive screening and diagnostic evaluation. So we're going to do an FDA cleared

241
00:25:28,800 --> 00:25:34,880
cognitive screening because we know hearing loss, we know tinnitus affects your brain, affects your

242
00:25:34,880 --> 00:25:39,520
memory, your ability to process. And so we're going to screen for that. And this is, again,

243
00:25:39,520 --> 00:25:44,400
this is FDA cleared technology that we're using. Then we're going to put you through an entire

244
00:25:44,400 --> 00:25:51,920
series of tests to figure out what stage of hearing loss you have. So we're staging hearing

245
00:25:51,920 --> 00:25:58,000
loss stage one through stage four, just like other major neurologic conditions. Here's the

246
00:25:58,000 --> 00:26:02,960
difference. And if you're out there and you've experienced this, I'm just going to tell you,

247
00:26:02,960 --> 00:26:07,520
you were gypped. So I bump into people all the time or they come into my own clinic and they say,

248
00:26:07,520 --> 00:26:13,040
oh yeah, I got my hearing tested down the street. Okay, great. What was that like? Oh, you know,

249
00:26:13,040 --> 00:26:19,520
they played some beeps and I raised my hand. And then they just, they said some words to me over

250
00:26:19,520 --> 00:26:27,200
the microphone and I just repeated them back. That's not a hearing test. It's just not. It is

251
00:26:27,200 --> 00:26:32,640
the most basic component, right? By the way, no patient ever comes in and says, I can't hear

252
00:26:32,640 --> 00:26:39,200
beeps. They come in and they say, I have tinnitus. So we quantify that. They come in and they say,

253
00:26:39,200 --> 00:26:45,120
we have difficulty hearing at restaurants, which is a cognitive thing. It's not a hearing thing.

254
00:26:45,120 --> 00:26:50,560
We have a special battery of tests to actually measure how difficult it is to hear in background

255
00:26:50,560 --> 00:26:56,320
noise, which helps us get you, the patient, the right prescription. All of our providers

256
00:26:56,880 --> 00:27:02,400
are certified dementia practitioners. Now that's actually approved by the international council of

257
00:27:02,400 --> 00:27:08,240
certified dementia practitioners. It basically goes to show that we truly understand how hearing

258
00:27:08,240 --> 00:27:13,760
loss in the brain interact. We understand everything possible about dementia, about

259
00:27:13,760 --> 00:27:20,880
prevention, about new medications, treatments. Now we don't diagnose cognitive decline or dementia

260
00:27:20,880 --> 00:27:26,720
and never should as a hearing healthcare provider, but we can help you on that path should it be a

261
00:27:26,720 --> 00:27:34,640
concern. So there are a number of significant differences. Absolutely. I'd love to dive in a

262
00:27:34,640 --> 00:27:40,880
little bit into the growth of that hearing and brain centers of America. How many locations

263
00:27:40,880 --> 00:27:46,480
do you guys currently have? So we're up to 14 locations from the hearing and brain centers.

264
00:27:47,040 --> 00:27:55,600
What started in our backyard in Worcester, Massachusetts has now grown to over 14 locations

265
00:27:55,600 --> 00:28:02,080
in four different states. I pause for a second because it's growing so fast and I'm not

266
00:28:02,080 --> 00:28:07,440
genuinely, I'm on the medical clinical side, not on the business development side. Although I train

267
00:28:07,440 --> 00:28:12,640
all the providers, but so, you know, sometimes I kind of have to think it was, it was 12 about

268
00:28:12,640 --> 00:28:21,920
two months ago, but now it's 14. Basically in Texas, in Arizona, in Utah, like I said, Massachusetts,

269
00:28:21,920 --> 00:28:31,040
the network that we started, the excellence in audiology network. Now that Hawaii, Alaska,

270
00:28:31,040 --> 00:28:38,720
across to Maine, down to Florida, Canada, South Africa, there's international members coming on

271
00:28:38,720 --> 00:28:43,760
board every day. So we've got you covered almost no matter where you are, especially in North America.

272
00:28:44,560 --> 00:28:49,520
Yeah. Maybe it's a question more so for the people handling the scalability of the business. But one

273
00:28:49,520 --> 00:28:56,960
thing I'm interested in is how to create more inclusive gyms. So we teach our course to health

274
00:28:56,960 --> 00:29:01,840
and fitness professionals on accessibility as well as strategies to train different diagnoses.

275
00:29:04,000 --> 00:29:10,240
But I'm very concerned, I guess, concerned might be too strong of a word that the quality will be

276
00:29:11,760 --> 00:29:17,600
sustained as we branch out to more locations. So when I was reading about the development of

277
00:29:17,600 --> 00:29:23,200
that program, I was just kind of thinking about how it related to what I hope my next five years

278
00:29:23,200 --> 00:29:27,920
of business growth will look like, more locations. Yeah. Okay. So I can definitely address that a

279
00:29:27,920 --> 00:29:34,880
little bit more. I guess I'll start by saying it's no easy feat, right? Because what happens is,

280
00:29:35,680 --> 00:29:41,440
number one, you have to obviously define the vision, define the goals. Where are you going to be in one,

281
00:29:41,440 --> 00:29:46,720
five, 10 years? You've got to lay out the groundwork for how to get there. And then the single most

282
00:29:46,720 --> 00:29:55,040
important thing is you have to establish processes that your team has to follow. And so you need a

283
00:29:55,040 --> 00:30:03,200
rigorous hiring process. You need a rigorous onboarding and training process. You need daily

284
00:30:03,200 --> 00:30:08,880
check-ins, daily huddles. You need role play. You need recalibration. You know, what a lot of people

285
00:30:08,880 --> 00:30:18,000
in business don't seem to understand is all the time and effort that you have to put into training.

286
00:30:18,000 --> 00:30:22,640
Training is probably just the one easy word I could say, but training also never ends, right?

287
00:30:22,640 --> 00:30:28,880
Just because you hired somebody and you gave them, you know, the 120 page binder, it doesn't end.

288
00:30:28,880 --> 00:30:34,800
Right. I mean, look at some of the big fast food chains, you know, for example, I guess I won't say

289
00:30:34,800 --> 00:30:39,840
a name, but there's a chicken establishment out there where everybody you interact with there says,

290
00:30:39,840 --> 00:30:44,800
you know, my pleasure. Well, guess what? You don't say my pleasure a few times. You can't work there

291
00:30:44,800 --> 00:30:50,640
anymore. They have a process and it must be followed. And so you need data, you need tracking

292
00:30:50,640 --> 00:30:56,080
systems to follow that. So, I mean, I know that's not what the podcast is about, but yeah, a lot goes

293
00:30:56,080 --> 00:31:02,160
into when it comes to scaling. Yeah, absolutely. Systems are definitely necessary for scaling,

294
00:31:02,160 --> 00:31:08,720
for sure. Going back to you mentioned some of your students at Worcester state that are most

295
00:31:08,720 --> 00:31:14,880
successful are the ones who have the lived experience. How important is lived experience

296
00:31:14,880 --> 00:31:22,240
and understanding the needs of individuals with hearing loss? That's a tough one

297
00:31:24,240 --> 00:31:29,280
because I could easily throw myself under the bus as somebody who doesn't have hearing loss,

298
00:31:29,280 --> 00:31:37,600
doesn't suffer with tinnitus, right? Does that potentially disqualify me? I mean, I certainly

299
00:31:37,600 --> 00:31:43,600
don't think so because after my four years of undergrad college, I went on for an extra two

300
00:31:43,600 --> 00:31:49,760
for clinical degree and an extra six for doctoral work and another six for postdoctoral work. I mean,

301
00:31:49,760 --> 00:31:54,880
I did my best to learn everything I could and to bring that back to my patients. Now, with that said,

302
00:31:54,880 --> 00:32:02,960
I think one of the best things that I've done is I have surrounded myself, friends, colleagues,

303
00:32:03,760 --> 00:32:10,880
with people who are in this field who themselves suffer with the disability. And they're always

304
00:32:10,880 --> 00:32:17,680
very open to discuss it. And so while I don't have the firsthand account, I certainly learn from

305
00:32:17,680 --> 00:32:23,840
every single patient, but I also learn from people in the field who are in the field who are

306
00:32:23,840 --> 00:32:30,640
in the field with hearing loss, with tinnitus, with hearing aids, with cochlear implants. I mean,

307
00:32:30,640 --> 00:32:35,200
so many things that I've learned from these people. You know, here's an example, right?

308
00:32:35,200 --> 00:32:39,840
I'm sure people with cochlear implants listen to this. And I'll be the first to admit,

309
00:32:40,400 --> 00:32:46,960
I never thought of this. But if you have a cochlear implant, just the simple act of going into

310
00:32:47,840 --> 00:32:51,600
the dressing room, you go to a store to get some new clothes, going into the dressing room,

311
00:32:51,600 --> 00:32:56,560
you have to take off your ears, right? So that you don't like knock it off. So you go from,

312
00:32:57,120 --> 00:33:02,800
you're walking around shopping and you can hear, now you have to be deaf again for a few seconds.

313
00:33:02,800 --> 00:33:08,320
Then you go back to hearing, then you go back to no hearing. It's just these tiny little things,

314
00:33:08,320 --> 00:33:15,600
whether it be intimate moments, whether it be shopping, these little things that hearing

315
00:33:15,600 --> 00:33:23,680
loss tinnitus can really, it invades, maybe that's not the right word, but it invades every part of

316
00:33:23,680 --> 00:33:34,640
your life, everything social, right? Economic. So yeah, yeah, absolutely. Maybe on that topic of

317
00:33:34,640 --> 00:33:42,000
accommodations, our podcast is kind of fitness specific. We hope that people take away tips as

318
00:33:42,000 --> 00:33:49,680
to make gyms more accessible and inclusive. Do you have any ideas what a fitness facility could do

319
00:33:49,680 --> 00:33:55,440
to be more accommodating or accessible for those with hearing loss? Give me a second to answer that

320
00:33:56,000 --> 00:34:02,080
because this is fitness focused. And so I imagine people that are listening are, well,

321
00:34:02,080 --> 00:34:05,840
just put them in the category of fitness buffs, or at least people who are interested in fitness.

322
00:34:06,720 --> 00:34:11,920
There have been numerous studies that have found these two things, because I think everybody

323
00:34:11,920 --> 00:34:19,680
can relate to this. People with hearing loss and tinnitus do less socially and social interactions,

324
00:34:19,680 --> 00:34:25,520
our ability to communicate with others, be part of a community is really important for our brain

325
00:34:25,520 --> 00:34:31,840
health. Like social isolation and dementia, they've been tied together for 30, 40, 50 years.

326
00:34:32,960 --> 00:34:38,880
So people with hearing loss do less socially. Physical activity. There's been a number of

327
00:34:38,880 --> 00:34:45,840
studies that have shown people with hearing loss and tinnitus do less physically. And you can

328
00:34:45,840 --> 00:34:55,040
probably educate me on how devastating a lack of physical ability is to the body. And what I care

329
00:34:55,040 --> 00:35:01,680
more about is the brain. And so there are so many links. I mean, look on the list of modifiable

330
00:35:01,680 --> 00:35:08,800
factors for preventing dementia, physical activity is on that list because it's so important. And so

331
00:35:08,800 --> 00:35:16,000
you can't just think of hearing loss as a nuisance. It's something that happens when you get older.

332
00:35:18,000 --> 00:35:26,320
It significantly impacts social, physical, emotional, economic, and cognitive wellbeing.

333
00:35:27,040 --> 00:35:31,120
So I'm sorry, I know I didn't answer your question directly, but because you mentioned the physical

334
00:35:31,120 --> 00:35:36,960
fitness, I thought I just had to talk about that. Yeah, absolutely. Maybe also within the built

335
00:35:36,960 --> 00:35:44,000
environment. Are there any other practical recommendations? Obviously it can't be like,

336
00:35:44,560 --> 00:35:49,440
oh, turn off the music, make sure it's not too loud, like stuff like that. But maybe how could

337
00:35:49,440 --> 00:35:56,080
a fitness instructor be more accommodating for a member that has a hearing loss or hearing?

338
00:35:56,080 --> 00:36:05,200
So look, I hate to oversimplify things, but because we can't spend hours getting into the weeds here,

339
00:36:05,840 --> 00:36:13,840
the most important thing is access to important sounds. And so when I say that it's relatively

340
00:36:14,880 --> 00:36:22,800
easy technologically, it's relatively cheap economically to outfit a fitness facility.

341
00:36:22,800 --> 00:36:28,640
You can insert any facility there, but it's specifically a fitness facility with direct

342
00:36:28,640 --> 00:36:37,600
audio input. So yes, the background radio that's blasting is probably very annoying

343
00:36:38,320 --> 00:36:42,080
to somebody who's got a cochlear implant or a hearing aids, because it doesn't process the

344
00:36:42,080 --> 00:36:46,960
way we do. If you have normal hearing, your brain just tunes that out. I had to just think for a

345
00:36:46,960 --> 00:36:52,960
minute, is there music at my gym? Yeah, of course there is, but I can tune it out. You can't tune it

346
00:36:52,960 --> 00:37:01,200
out if you have hearing loss. And so with direct audio input, you can have it so basically hearing

347
00:37:01,200 --> 00:37:06,640
aids, cochlear implant become direct access to that music, if that's what they want to listen to.

348
00:37:06,640 --> 00:37:13,280
Right? So if they want to listen to the gym's music, but at their volume, without the distractions of

349
00:37:13,280 --> 00:37:19,760
all the machines and the background noise, that direct audio input would be huge for them by sort

350
00:37:19,760 --> 00:37:25,600
of cutting out the middle noise. And the same would go for a fitness class. So the instructor,

351
00:37:25,600 --> 00:37:31,200
I mean, this stuff is not expensive anymore, right? Could wear a little lapel microphone that gives

352
00:37:31,200 --> 00:37:37,920
direct audio input to the end user's cochlear implant or hearing aid. Again, getting rid of all

353
00:37:37,920 --> 00:37:45,280
the bicycle noises and giving them direct sound input to what the instructor is saying or yoga.

354
00:37:45,280 --> 00:37:51,120
I mean, there are a lot of things that can be done. And then there's, you could actually outfit the

355
00:37:51,120 --> 00:37:56,720
space. I would say one of the most important things is what does the ceiling look like?

356
00:37:56,720 --> 00:38:02,400
Right? Can you hang acoustic tiles? Those tiles you see in all the classrooms and elementary school,

357
00:38:02,400 --> 00:38:07,520
like schools didn't buy that because it was a discount. Schools bought that because they're

358
00:38:07,520 --> 00:38:13,280
mandated to control the acoustics of the room. And classroom acoustics are not great, but they're

359
00:38:13,280 --> 00:38:18,640
pretty good because of acoustic tiles. You can put acoustic tiles on the wall. So there's lots of

360
00:38:18,640 --> 00:38:24,800
easy things you could do to make going to the gym more accessible for somebody with hearing loss.

361
00:38:26,000 --> 00:38:30,240
Absolutely. Some of our members probably wish they could tune out my music throughout the

362
00:38:30,240 --> 00:38:34,720
sessions as well. I get a lot of complaints, but one more-

363
00:38:34,720 --> 00:38:39,280
I hope you learned, right, Brendan? I hope you learned. They can't tune it out. That's the

364
00:38:39,280 --> 00:38:43,200
problem, right? They can't. So that's why they're begging you for help.

365
00:38:44,320 --> 00:38:51,600
I apologize. You wrote about nutrition's relation to hearing loss in one of your books,

366
00:38:51,600 --> 00:38:58,080
any simple practical. I know, sorry, I'm asking you to consolidate 15 years of academics and

367
00:38:58,080 --> 00:39:03,680
20 years of work into a 45 minute discussion, but any practical nutritional recommendations?

368
00:39:04,720 --> 00:39:10,640
Look, I said in the beginning, I don't like cliches, but I'm going to give you another one.

369
00:39:10,640 --> 00:39:17,840
You are what you eat. It's really that simple, right? And your brain relies on two things.

370
00:39:17,840 --> 00:39:23,280
Your nervous system relies on two things, oxygen, which is the obvious, which is why we breathe

371
00:39:23,280 --> 00:39:30,000
nonstop 24, 7, 365 days a year, because our nervous system and every tissue and cell in

372
00:39:30,000 --> 00:39:39,520
our body needs oxygen, but we also need nutrients. We also need protein. We need sugars. We need

373
00:39:39,520 --> 00:39:47,680
greens. We need vitamins. And so your diet, and this shouldn't be a newsflash for anybody,

374
00:39:47,680 --> 00:39:53,680
your diet directly affects not just your body. See, everybody thinks, oh, diet, I'm just going

375
00:39:53,680 --> 00:39:57,840
to get fat if I eat crap. Sure, that might happen to you. You might gain some weight,

376
00:39:58,560 --> 00:40:04,800
but more importantly is the devastating effects of unhealthy food on the brain. Now look, I'm not a

377
00:40:04,800 --> 00:40:11,520
health nut. I don't even pretend to be one, but it's more about moderation, right? Do we eat out?

378
00:40:11,520 --> 00:40:17,760
Do I have fast food once every couple of months? Sure. But it's two, three times a week where it

379
00:40:17,760 --> 00:40:24,480
becomes concerning. Do I try to eat more greens? Absolutely. Am I great at it? No. You know,

380
00:40:25,840 --> 00:40:32,400
if I had to boil it down, the mind diet, which a lot of people know about, it's really easy to

381
00:40:32,400 --> 00:40:40,880
Google. That's probably the one true diet, which includes Mediterranean, the oils, the nuts,

382
00:40:40,880 --> 00:40:46,800
the green leaves. That's probably the one true diet that has evidence-based data,

383
00:40:47,520 --> 00:40:53,040
like scientifically proven data to show it can reduce the risk of cognitive decline and dementia.

384
00:40:54,480 --> 00:41:01,520
So a lot of, I guess if we could summarize some of the things that people could do to improve

385
00:41:01,520 --> 00:41:07,280
their hearing health, to translate to their overall physical health, I would be addressing

386
00:41:07,280 --> 00:41:18,000
symptoms as early as they onset, better diet, nutrition, physical activity, any other low

387
00:41:18,000 --> 00:41:23,760
hanging fruit. Well, so you know, here's the thing, because you said this very early when we first

388
00:41:23,760 --> 00:41:29,520
started this conversation. You talked about people with hearing loss. I think you said one of the

389
00:41:29,520 --> 00:41:34,800
three things I'm remembering now was they don't realize it. You don't even realize that you have

390
00:41:34,800 --> 00:41:40,560
hearing loss, right? Yes, there is such a thing as sudden onset, very rare, wake up one day and you

391
00:41:40,560 --> 00:41:50,320
can't hear. Most people, it's a progressive, gradual disorder that happens very slowly over time.

392
00:41:50,960 --> 00:41:57,920
And so if you wait until the symptoms are getting in the way of life, dare I say, I'm not going to

393
00:41:57,920 --> 00:42:04,560
say it's too late, but that's very late, right? That's like, you know, you waited until something

394
00:42:04,560 --> 00:42:11,680
like stage three, maybe even stage four cancer or cardiovascular disease. What I'm trying to push is

395
00:42:13,520 --> 00:42:20,160
not just at the earliest sign, but can we, and there's been a lot of consideration from this,

396
00:42:20,160 --> 00:42:26,080
from the American Academy of Audiology, the American Medical Association, can we set a date?

397
00:42:26,080 --> 00:42:33,120
Can we set a year that people should have their first complete hearing evaluation? My push is for

398
00:42:33,120 --> 00:42:39,440
50, right? And so my little catchphrase is ears and rears, the two things that you need to get

399
00:42:39,440 --> 00:42:46,080
checked when you turn 50. Everybody gets a colonoscopy when they turn 50. My push is to have

400
00:42:46,080 --> 00:42:53,360
your hearing tested first when you're 50 and then, and there's a debate about this and I'm open to it

401
00:42:53,360 --> 00:43:00,240
every two years thereafter. Look, we start checking our vision. We start doing cancer screenings,

402
00:43:00,240 --> 00:43:06,880
colonoscopies. I mean, we have to build this into the way we think about medicine.

403
00:43:08,000 --> 00:43:12,240
If someone's asymptomatic, could they still benefit from one of those cognitive screens?

404
00:43:12,240 --> 00:43:18,480
So for example, I'm 30, so should I really wait 20 more years until I get my first hearing assessment?

405
00:43:18,480 --> 00:43:24,000
Or so, so the great thing about the FDA clear technology we use, it's called cognitive view

406
00:43:24,000 --> 00:43:33,680
thrive is it's actually age based. So if you're 35, I put that in, it then compares you to age,

407
00:43:33,680 --> 00:43:38,320
you know, age norms. I'm not going to compare you to a bunch of 70 year olds that went through the

408
00:43:38,320 --> 00:43:43,760
cognitive screening. So yeah, I mean, look, it's never too early to screen. I mean, that's just a

409
00:43:43,760 --> 00:43:50,000
no brainer, right? But that requires a seismic shift in the way we think about healthcare.

410
00:43:50,000 --> 00:43:56,400
Our current healthcare model is break something, bruise something, hurt something, disorder,

411
00:43:56,400 --> 00:44:02,240
something, try to fix it after, try to treat the symptoms after. We need to shift to a preventative

412
00:44:02,240 --> 00:44:09,360
medicine model. And that would be, like you said, cognitive screenings, hearing evaluations,

413
00:44:09,360 --> 00:44:14,800
like all these things that just get built in so that we can treat them before they actually become

414
00:44:14,800 --> 00:44:20,160
a even worse. Yeah, the healthcare is very reactive instead of proactive. But I think

415
00:44:21,040 --> 00:44:25,920
thanks to like the Huberman podcast and Peter Tia's podcast, I think a lot of people

416
00:44:25,920 --> 00:44:32,080
are looking at longevity as a essential component of life. And it's on more people's radar now.

417
00:44:32,640 --> 00:44:38,720
And they do a great job of breaking down every subset of health into science backed actionable

418
00:44:38,720 --> 00:44:45,680
tips. So it's this definitely fits into that as well. I'd be interested to see if they've done

419
00:44:45,680 --> 00:44:50,800
any episodes on the association between hearing loss and longevity and mortality.

420
00:44:52,080 --> 00:44:56,720
Well, Keith, it was a pleasure to talk to you. I really appreciate you taking the time to share

421
00:44:56,720 --> 00:45:03,040
your expertise. If people want to learn more about what you do or access the resources you provide,

422
00:45:03,040 --> 00:45:09,040
is there a specific place we should send them? Yeah. I mean, look, if excellence and audiology.org

423
00:45:09,040 --> 00:45:16,400
is really your sort of catch base for all things hearing loss and tinnitus, we have

424
00:45:18,080 --> 00:45:25,360
a new line of preventing decline.com wherein there are healthy supplements, access to my different

425
00:45:25,360 --> 00:45:32,640
books. You can get the cookbook, you can get vitamin B. I mean, I think that's a great resource

426
00:45:32,640 --> 00:45:39,600
for any older adult who's looking to add life to their years. Absolutely. And if anyone is listening

427
00:45:39,600 --> 00:45:44,240
to this and wants access to Keith's books, I know he said some of them are free, but shoot me an

428
00:45:44,240 --> 00:45:49,520
email and I'll pay for the shipping to get it sent to you. We'll include the website in the

429
00:45:49,520 --> 00:45:56,640
show notes so you don't have to worry about spelling excellence and audiology. But Keith,

430
00:45:56,640 --> 00:46:02,240
thanks again. I really appreciate it. I've very much enjoyed learning about the association

431
00:46:02,240 --> 00:46:06,400
between hearing loss and disability and long-term health. So thank you. Brendan, thank you so much.

432
00:46:06,400 --> 00:46:12,080
And I'll keep an eye out for you around town. Thank you for listening to the AdaptX Podcast.

433
00:46:12,080 --> 00:46:16,080
Our effort to amplify the ideas of our guests and create more inclusive and accessible industries

434
00:46:16,080 --> 00:46:20,640
is futile unless these episodes reach a larger audience. If you enjoyed our discussion today,

435
00:46:20,640 --> 00:46:24,960
please leave us a rating or a review on whichever platform you use. And if you would like to learn

436
00:46:24,960 --> 00:46:28,720
more about AdaptX, the course that we teach to health and fitness professionals and the projects

437
00:46:28,720 --> 00:46:32,800
that our organization is working on, you can subscribe to our newsletter through our website,

438
00:46:32,800 --> 00:46:59,600
www.adaptx.org. Until next Monday.