HEALTH
SOUND OUT YOUR HEARING HEALTH Permanent hearing loss is permanent. The hearing you have now is the best you’ll ever have so it’s important to look after it. Here are 10 good reasons to prioritise hearing health: 1. Your health and quality of life is important. Experience everything life has to offer, including quality sounds. 2. Untreated hearing loss is correlated with an increased risk of dementia. Reduced sound signals reaching our brains and avoiding social situations can contribute to this increased risk. 3. Hearing and balance systems are entwined in the sophisticated organs of the inner ear. Have your balance tested. 4. It’s difficult to maintain social connections if you can’t hear. Avoiding noisy situations or someone you find difficult to understand can lead socially isolation. 5. Frequent ear infections that are not treated can cause permanent damage to hearing. 6. Family and friends want to able to communicate with you and make sure you are not missing out on conversations. 7. When the brain has been without sounds for a substantial amount of time, it “forgets” how to process sounds, leading to difficulty processing and understanding speech.
TEST PREDICTS HEART ATTACKS IN OVER 50S
8. Tinnitus (or ringing in your ears) is occasionally a sign of a serious medical issue and should be investigated, especially if it is one-sided or it is accompanied by dizziness and/or a feeling of blocked ears. The most common cause of tinnitus is a hearing loss or damage to the auditory system. 9. Hearing loss often creeps up as it is due to a lifetime of accumulated hearing damage. It can happen so slowly that you might not be aware of it until others point it out, or you realise you’ve misheard or not heard something really important. 10. The birds don’t sound as shrill, you’ve forgotten that the indicators in your car make a noise or what it’s like to hear the dry leaves crunching under your feet. Perhaps your children or grandchildren seem to mumble. Anita Burgess and Emryn Maclachlan at Sunshine Coast Audiology, a new independent audiology clinic, deliver honest and ethical services without sales pressure. Being independent, hearing aids and assistive devices from any manufacturer can be recommended and fitted. Free and subsidised services are available for eligible pensioners and veterans. Visit sunshinecoastaudiology.com. au or call 5378 2226.
THE CT calcium score is the international gold standard for predicting heart attacks in people over the age of 50. The quick, painless procedure is a measurement of the amount of calcium in the walls of the arteries that supply the heart muscle and is taken using a special CT scan of the heart. As you age, plaque can build up inside the arteries, which is often called hardening of the arteries. Unfortunately, the plaque itself cannot be seen on most external x-ray tests, but, over time, calcium is deposited into this plaque which is visible on a CT scan. Until now, patients wanting to have the CT calcium score test have had to travel to capital cities, but the Sunshine Coast first coronary CT clinic is now open. Based at Heart HQ’s new Sippy Downs headquarters, the EON Radiology coronary
clinic provides expert cardiac imaging and risk assessment. The CT calcium score is just one of the tests that experienced staff can carry out in the CT clinic. All coronary CT scans are co-reported by a Heart HQ cardiologist and EON Radiology. A Heart HQ cardiologist discusses the calcium score with you to decide whether you are at low, normal or high risk of a future heart attack and give guidance on how to reduce the risk. Establishment of the clinic recognises the incredible advancements made in CT imagery, coupled with the advantages it offers in terms of non-invasive coronary testing. To have a CT calcium score test, ask a GP or specialist for a referral, then call 5414 1100 to make an appointment. Visit hearthq.com.au
OVARIAN CANCER SURVIVORS FRONT CAMPAIGN FOUR ovarian cancer survivors have joined forces to front a new campaign to raise much-needed funds for ovarian cancer, Australia’s deadliest female cancer. It has a 48 per cent 5-year survival rate. This month’s campaign showcases the four women modelling Black Pepper clothing including a specially designed scarf, with a portion of sales going to Ovarian Cancer Australia.
The campaign aims to raise $100,000 to support women with ovarian cancer through diagnosis, treatment and beyond. Ovarian Cancer Australia CEO Jane Hill said it would help ease the ongoing toll that ovarian cancer has on women impacted by the disease. Shop online at blackpepper.com.au or in store this month. Visit ovariancancer. net.au
Sunshine Coast Heart Specialists is now
Heart HQ, Sunshine Coast’s specialist cardiology practice, has opened a Heart Murmur Clinic. This innovative service is headed by our new Nurse Practitioner Silvia Gres and helps to identify valvular heart disease as quickly as possible. Through the clinic, and supported by an integrated team of heart experts, patients can also access timely treatment and follow-up.
World-class cardiac care on the Sunshine Coast. 07 5414 1100 admin@hearthq.com.au www.hearthq.com.au
Sippy Downs Sunshine Coast
23.indd 3
Buderim
Birtinya
Tewantin
Gympie
Caboolture
Nambour
hearthq.com.au February 2022 / YOUR TIME MAGAZINE 23
3/02/2022 9:57:32 AM
