Judy Huch

I run two private practices in Tucson, Arizona. I have always had a fascination with how things (from toasters to wireless) and people work, and audiology has given me a place to study both. I have been dispensing hearing aids for 20 years. I obtained my first license before I finished graduate school, when I was VERY young, and have owned, leased, contracted, and administrated in the hearing field, and became a landlord, in the past 15 years. I have also had publications in text books and trade journals focusing on patient satisfaction and hearing aid fittings. I hope to learn more through this editorial and blogging experience as well as share some of my journey in private practice. I live in a suburb of Tucson with my patient and understanding husband, Rick (who I must say is a top notch architect who designed and built the best Hearing Centers!) and my two sons, who make my heart swell and give me other wonderful perspectives on life! As do the myriad pets we seem to keep collecting.

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Smoke Detectors & Alarm Clocks: Can Clients Hear Them?

When we are providing hearing health to our clients, do we consider their hearing loss and the smoke detectors in their homes? Did you know that the standard signal emitted by most commercially available residential smoke detectors falls between 3,000-4,000 Hz? Furthermore, the majority of residential fires occur between 11pm and 7am when most people are sleeping. According to Bruck

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Prevalence and Future Cost of Hearing Loss

Judy Huch, AuD and HHTM Staff: Some who stumble across this blog site may wonder how in the world a blog can survive when its only topic is hearing loss and so many people do not recognize how pervasive and insidious hearing loss is. We’ve compiled information on hearing loss for those folks, so they’ll know the score. Pass along

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Audiology and Skin Cancer

By HHTM Staff Writer Tucson is the world center for Melanoma and skin cancer, which is nothing to boast about. That dubious title gives those of us in health care in Tucson an extra burden of care when working with patients. Audiologists are not dermatologists or physicians of any type. We are hearing communication specialists and our diagnoses are

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The Monologue Strategy — If You Can’t Hear, Just Dominate the Conversation

by HHTM Staff Have you encountered people who speak loud and long, dominating conversations by turning a dialog into a monologue? Maybe the loud person was in another group, but so loud that s/he interfered with the conversation you were trying to have? If you’ve had these experiences, you likely wondered why the person was talking so loudly and why they weren’t interested

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Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT)

HHTM Staff The Plot An audiologist reported that a patient of long standing suddenly appeared for an appointment with pressure ventilation tubes (PE tubes) placed in both ear drums. He is over 90 years of age and has a 30+ year history of severe bilateral hearing loss, so the audiologist was surprised and concerned. The surprise came from the fact

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Lyme Disease and Hearing Loss

May is Lyme Disease Awareness Month. As we head into summer, the next three months or more will be spent pursuing the splendors of the great outdoors. We all know to wear sunscreen and hats to protect our skin. Some of us know to wear long sleeves and pants to ward off diseases from insect bites. A few know

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Concussion: A Condition for Audiology Awareness – Part 2

HHTM readers: The last post from Dr. Marincovich was the first of the concussion blogs. Today’s post is the second part of this awareness campaign. Dr. Peter Marincovich earned his graduate degree in communicative disorders from Louisiana State University, and his Ph.D. in Audiology from the University of Memphis. A Santa Rosa native, Dr. Marincovich has practiced in his hometown

Featured image for “Concussion: A Condition for Audiology Awareness”

Concussion: A Condition for Audiology Awareness

HHTM readers, we have a guest contributor this week who offers a very thorough and informative two-part blog on concussions. Dr. Peter Marincovich earned his graduate degree in communicative disorders from Louisiana State University, and his Ph.D., in Audiology from the University of Memphis. A Santa Rosa native, Dr. Marincovich has practiced in his home town since 1984, working with

Featured image for “Neural Auditory Effects of Hansen’s Disease (Part 11 and final)”

Neural Auditory Effects of Hansen’s Disease (Part 11 and final)

HHTM Staff: The leprosy series comes to an end today with a look at what is known of leprosy’s effects on the vestibulocochlear nerve (VIIIn) and into the brain. Sensorineural hearing loss without vestibular symptoms is associated with leprosy, independent of antibiotic treatment. Hearing loss is likely under-reported; likewise, leprosy itself likely goes undetected for years in many who have

Featured image for “Hansen’s Disease and Auditory Vestibular Disorders (Part 10)”

Hansen’s Disease and Auditory Vestibular Disorders (Part 10)

HHTM staff: This longer-than-expected series on leprosy nears an end with one more to follow after today’s post. Leprosy is a complicated disease, hard to identify, easy to treat, hard to pin down auditory effects prior to diagnosis and treatment. Even after the disease itself is diagnosed and hearing loss is reported, the audiologic diagnostic process is fraught. Past posts