Our very own Nat Lauzon balances a challenging hand of cards in her personal and professional life. A professional radio announcer and voice actress, she is also battling hearing loss, vertigo and tinnitus... But she won't let any of that stop her! Now, the Montreal Gazette has covered Nat's story for all to hear, and perhaps benefit from Nat's experience.
Despite her troubles, Nat is a trooper like few others. On weekends, she hosts Feel Good Weekends on The Beat 92.5, and on weekdays, Nat does voice-over work for her clients. This girl NEEDS her ears more than most people!
Perhaps most importantly, Nat has become an outspoken advocate for better hearing health. Anyone who speaks about this with her will find she's full of tips and tricks to fight back against the debilitating effects of vertigo, from exercises to nutrition and everything in between... She is very proud of being able to go weeks and months without having an attack!
Nat also uses a hearing aid to help cope with the early onset of hearing loss; she got her first one when she was just 37, but has been feeling the effects of hearing loss since she was just 15, she told the Gazette.
Tinnitus is yet another cure-less ailment Nat has learned to cope with. "Every now and then a normal hearing person might hear a high pitch in their ear and then it goes away. Well, I have that sound 24/7," she explains. She deals with the ever-present annoyance by sleeping with a fan or air purifyer that helps drown out the ringing with white noise.
Finding solutions to her problems hasn't been easy for Nat. "There’s not as much research or information for vestibular diseases as there are for other kinds of problems," she told the Gazette. That means seeing lots of different doctors and specialists, and lots of trial-and-error in finding effective treatments, especially for vertigo. But there is hope; "speak to a vestibular therapist," Nat says, if you have vertigo. And as far as hearing loss goes, Nat's take is that there is no shame in seeking help... Including the use if a hearing aid. There's a stigma around the use of hearing aids, Nat says, especially for young people working in radio or sound.
