Your health impacts your hearing

Many health conditions that are common in the United States such as diabetes, high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease, auto-immune disorders and stroke can impact your hearing. If you have been diagnosed with or have a history of one of the conditions listed, it would be recommended that you have your hearing evaluated annually.

Our ears are just as susceptible to these conditions as other parts of our body. In general, anything that is good for your body such as diet and exercise is good for your hearing as well. As a society, we place a lot of emphasis on getting our eyes, teeth and overall health checked, but we can't forget about our ears. The next time you are at your physician's office ask to be referred for a baseline hearing evaluation. Regular monitoring of hearing ability should be included in every physical examination.