Allergy season is among us, and many individuals will find themselves riddled with itchy, watery eyes and a runny nose. While almost 60 million Americans suffer from hay fever, there are a lot of misconceptions floating around about the condition.

Technology is continuing to advance in our quest for improved hearing. Hearing aids are better than ever with digital programming, Bluetooth connectivity (yes, it can connect with your phone!), and shrinking size for a more discreet appearance. However, there are some people who are not well-served by traditional hearing aids.

Do you have chronic issues with a full or clogged sensation in your ears? Do you have a difficult time flying in a plane or driving over mountains due to ear pressure issues? A new technology with recent FDA approval is here to solve your problems. The FDA has just approved a new Eustachian tube balloon to help people who have chronic issues with middle ear pressure.

Otolaryngology Associates of Tennessee (OAT), a prominent member of the Nashville medical community, has just released a new resource, “Custom Earplugs for Musicians.” The new eBook is targeted towards the diverse group of musicians and artists living in the Nashville area to help prevent hearing loss.

Our ears are incredibly complex and delicate organs responsible for collecting, processing, and sending sound signals to our brains and enabling us to hear. They also play a vital role in helping us maintain our equilibrium and balance. Without proper maintenance and care, we can cause unnecessary damage to our ears. Some of the most common ear problems are treatable or have preventative measures that protect your ears from hearing loss or damage.

As the winter weather starts to creep in, we begin to spend more time indoors attracting infections. The throat and its delicate tissue is highly susceptible to irritation and inflammation from viruses and bacteria. Below we have listed the three most common throat infections that cause issues and different preventative measures you can take to care for your throat.

Exposure to loud sounds causes damage to the ear’s sensory cells that can result in hearing loss or tinnitus. The rise of personal devices make it easy to access podcasts, music, and videos that at a high volume can cause lasting damage. However, for some these choices aren’t always recreational and are more occupational. Nashville is home to many singers and songwriters who are subjected to loud music as part of their job and don’t take care to prevent permanent damage. Fortunately, there are many ways to keep yourself safe from loud noises. Read on to learn more about noise-induced hearing loss.

If fall allergies are taking you by surprise, you’re not alone. For many, spring allergies are a bear but fall allergies are a beast. Here in Tennessee, ragweed allergies are at their peak and grass and mold allergens are creeping into the picture as well. If you’re looking for fast fall allergy relief, you’re in the right place.

Certainly, the crisp, clear fall days are a welcome respite from the lingering heat of the summer. If you hang your hat in Nashville, it probably seemed those days would never come. Alas, the sniffles and tickles that accompany peak color are a little less welcome! Don’t let sneezes and wheezes keep you out of the pumpkin patch. Here are 7 great tips for keeping your seasonal allergies in check.

You can’t always prevent hearing loss, but you can always try! Late-onset hearing loss can be the result of prolonged exposure to high levels of noise, medications, gene mutations, or even health issues such as high blood pressure, heart conditions, or diabetes. While you can’t control your genes, it’s never too late to protect your hearing.

Gesundheit! If you suffer from dust mite allergies, then you’re no stranger to sniffles and sneezes and blessings from passing strangers. Or runny noses and itchy, watery eyes, for that matter. While investing in Puffs facial tissues may still be in order, there are a number of strategies and treatments to help make your existence less about the mites and more about enjoying life.

Dust mites are the most common cause of indoor allergies. It’s disconcerting, to say the least, but these microscopic creatures (they’re close relatives of spiders and ticks, actually) live off the flakes of skin shed by humans and animals, they multiply among us, and they excrete allergen-rich droppings.

Read on to discover some great tips and treatment options to defend yourself against dust mites.

It’s an urban legend that the weight of your mattress will double over the course of 10 years from dust mites. Is this fact or embellishment? We’ll have to call Myth Busters to find out, but we can definitely be certain that dust mites are a major presence in the houses and beds of many Americans. However, before we dive into the effect these dust mites have and what you can do to mitigate them, we’d like to take a minute to help you get to know the creatures that you are sharing a bed with.

For many allergy sufferers, the term “seasonal” can be a bit misleading. While some bothersome allergens do, indeed, come and go as the seasons change, for some, there’s always a new crop standing by, ready to offend. For the unfortunate sniffling souls who are allergic to a wide variety of pollen, winter, spring, summer, and fall are all allergy seasons. Essentially, allergies are our immune system's overactive response to pollen or other allergens that release histamines and cause the sniffling, itching, sneezing, and congestion that we’re all so familiar with.

Whether you find yourself reaching for the tissues as March turns to April or as July turns to August, here’s a month-by-month breakdown of what’s triggering your histamines and what you can do to alleviate your allergy symptoms.

Are you experiencing chronic throat pain, sleep apnea, or trouble swallowing? Suffering from frequent illnesses and discomfort? Then it may be time for a tonsillectomy! Research shows that having your tonsils removed can help prevent chronic illness, recurring sore throats, and tonsillitis.

Should I have my sinuses removed? Can I take out my sinuses? Will sinus surgery help my allergies? If you suffer from chronic allergies, recurring sinus infections, sinusitis, or other sinus-related problems, the odds are pretty good that you’ve asked yourself some variation of these relatively unpleasant questions. And if you’re seriously considering sinus surgery, you’ve probably done everything you can to calm your allergies naturally and to appease your sinuses holistically.

We’ll go ahead and get it right out there: Q-tips are very, very bad for your ears. Under no circumstance should you insert a Q-tip or cotton swab into your ear canal. This may be a tough pill to swallow if, like many Americans, a Q-tip is the first or second thing you reach for after a shower.

Don’t feel bad: you’re not alone, the American Academy of Otolaryngology--Head and Neck Surgery (AAO-HNS) reported more than 12 million people each year seek medical treatment for impacted earwax.

So, while you’re not alone, you’re definitely doing yourself more harm than good.

Beating spring and early summer allergies may seem like a losing battle, but never fear, we’re here to help you fight another day! While avoidance may not be the solution to all of life’s dramas and conflicts, running for shelter can certainly help minimize your allergy symptoms. Read on for 10 smart ways to defeat pollen and enjoy the rest of this gorgeous spring season.

We’ve all been there: either complaining about how miserable our allergies are making us or desperately hoping that “it’s just allergies.” Regardless of which end of the spectrum you fall on, it’s good to know what’s what.

Naturally, the symptoms for each affliction -- cough, stuffy nose, runny nose, and headache -- are so similar, that it can be hard to tell if you’re suffering from sinusitis, a cold, or allergies. We’ll help you figure out which is which and help you determine when it’s time to schedule a trip to see the doctor.