• Star Valley graduate back home, helping us hear.

According to Dr. Zack Hale, a condition called tinnitus or a ringing in the ears started his journey to becoming an audiologist. Hale attended Utah State University for both his undergraduate and graduate degrees before attending Salus University in Pennsylvania for his doctorate degree.

He has been primarily practicing in the Idaho Falls area since 2002 but recently joined the team of Star Valley Health and moved back home.

“To become an audiologist you have to earn a Doctor of Audiology degree or AUD, it’s a clinical doctorate,” he said in a recent interview during the Weekday Wake-up radio program. “You do an undergrad program associated with speech and language and hearing disorders and then apply to either a Masters program or a Doctorate program.”

Hale is now seeing patients in the Star Valley area.

“Right now we are set up to perform comprehensive hearing evaluations,” he said. “I test children and adults and diagnose hearing loss and work with the primary health providers in treating hearing loss.”

According to Hale, hearing loss is “pretty common” with three of every 1,000 children born with hearing loss and among adults, tinnitus is the third most-chronic condition. Those suffering from the condition should see Hale for help.

“It becomes bothersome and begins to interfere with your daily life and impacts falling asleep or quiet activities,” he said. “Or it competes with other sounds. The process starts with a hearing evaluation and then trying to figure out the trigger causes to the tinnitus and possible solutions. Sound therapy and the use of hearing aids for amplification are the most common treatments.”

There are many different options for treatment

“There are many amplification treatments and surgical and medical treatments if there is a structural problem or a conductive hearing loss,” Hale added. “If it’s nerve hearing loss then assistive hearing devices are the most common treatment for it.”

Prevention to protect your hearing is an important element.

“Noise-induced hearing loss is the second-most common cause of hearing loss,” he continued. “So anytime you are around dangerously loud sound, precautions should be taken. Hearing protection, ear plugs, ear muffs to help mitigate that exposure on the auditory nerves.”

Hale also stated his pleasure with helping veterans.

“I love to work with the veterans,” he stated. “I’m a veteran myself and it’s been a joy to give back a little bit to the vets in the community with treatment and assistive listening devices. We work in conjunction with the VA through the Veterans Community Care Program.”

To set up an appointment with Hale, contact Star Valley Health or dial 307-885-5042 for the Audiology Department.

“A consultation will start with a case history and then move on to an evaluation of the peripheral auditory system,” he said. “[We check] hearing sensitivity with a full hearing evaluation and exam and then we go over the test results and possible solutions and treatment for any hearing impairments.”