Do you have a family member or friend who struggles to hear? Do they constantly ask you to repeat yourself? Have you told them their television or radio is too loud? Do you feel like you are their personal hearing aid? Do you have a family member or friend who struggles to hear? Do they constantly ask you to repeat yourself? Have you told them their television or radio is too loud? Do you feel like you are their personal hearing aid? Do you have a family member or friend who struggles to hear? Do they constantly ask you to...
More Information
Noise-Induced Hearing Loss
Sounds are all around us in our environments. Most sounds such as the television, phone ringing or household appliances may be at a safe level in terms of volume, however, sounds can be harmful when they are too loud. These sounds can damage sensitive structures in our inner ear, which can cause noise-induced hearing loss. This can be temporary or permanent damage of the inner ear, depending on the type of noise and length of time you were exposed to that loud sound. Sounds are all around us in our environments. Most sounds such as the television, phone ringing or...
Are Two Hearing Aids Better Than One?
Do you require one hearing aid or two? If your audiologist has recommended two hearing aids because you have hearing loss in both ears this is not surprising. Plenty of research indicates that two hearing aids are better than one when you have hearing loss in both ears. Let me share with you why two hearing aids are better than one. Better speech understanding Better speech understanding Better speech understanding It goes without saying that we were born with two ears for a reason. By having two hearing aids, speech signals are amplified that much more, therefore, selective listening can...
Care and Maintenance of Hearing Aids
HOW TO MAINTAIN YOUR HEARING AIDS HOW TO MAINTAIN YOUR HEARING AIDS Maintaining your hearing aid is important in order to maintain optimum hearing and proper hygiene. Daily cleaning and regular service of your hearing aid will help to extend its life. Couple of tips for maintaining your hearing aids: Couple of tips for maintaining your hearing aids: Store your hearing aid in a safe place, such as a hard or soft case. Keep your hearing aid away from pets and children. Open the battery door when you remove your hearing aid to avoid battery drainage. Clean battery contacts regularly by using a cotton swab. Dirty...
Noise-Induced Hearing Loss is Preventable
“Listen to Your Buds” Urges Consumer Electronics Show Attendees to Adopt Safe Listening Habits to Prevent Childhood Hearing Loss “Listen to Your Buds” Urges Consumer Electronics Show Attendees to Adopt Safe Listening Habits to Prevent Childhood Hearing Loss Listen to Your Buds” Urges Consumer Electronics Show Attendees to Adopt Safe Listening Habits to Prevent Childhood Hearing Loss Written on the American Speech-Language and Hearing Association website January 2014 Written on the American Speech-Language and Hearing Association website January 2014 (Rockville, MD – January, 2014) – Amid the fever-pitch buzz surrounding the newest, most innovative technologies on display at the 2014...
Can Hearing Loss Be Harmful for Your Brain?
Think you may have hearing loss? Get a hearing test now to avoid brain tissue damage later on. Article written by Kristen Fischer for Healthline/Published on January 29, 2014 Hearing loss isn’t just an inconvenience—it could be harmful for your brain, too. A new study from Johns Hopkins University and the National Institute on Aging show that people with hearing loss have accelerated brain tissue loss. This is in addition to a higher risk of poor physical and mental health, dementia, falls, and hospitalizations. Frank Lin, Ph.D., an assistant professor at Johns Hopkins, evaluated data from the ongoing Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging...
Hearing Aids: Are People Happy with Them?
Hearing Aids and Patient Satisfaction According to Stats Canada the number of seniors aged 65 and over increased 14.1% between 2006 and 2011 to nearly 5 million. This rate of growth was higher than that of children in Canada. With the population getting older the prevalence of hearing loss is predicted to rise. The National Institute of Deafness and other Communication Disorders reports that approximately one in three people between the ages of 65 and 74 has hearing loss and nearly half of those older than 75 have difficulty hearing. Although hearing loss is on the rise due to our aging population, many...
Infant Sleep Machines Have Dangerous Noise Levels
Noise levels of sleep machines may be too high according to research from Toronto’s Sick Kids Hospital CBC News article Posted March 3, 2014 White noise machines used to help infants sleep are often capable of producing industrial-scale levels of sound that could have harmful effects to children overexposed to them, suggests a new study. The study released Monday in Pediatrics found that the sound pressure generated by these sleep machines on regular daily use can damage infant hearing as well as lead to impairment in the development of speech and language. “These machines are capable of generating hazardous levels of noise. I’m...
Tinnitus: Constant Ringing in My Ears? Please Make It Stop!
What is Tinnitus? Many people have heard ringing in their ears at one time or another, however, 10-15% of the adult population suffers from tinnitus and 70-85% of the hearing-impaired population report tinnitus (Henry, Dennis, & Schechter, 2005). Tinnitus is the ringing, buzzing, or chirping sound in your ears or head that does not have an outside source. The sound sensation that people experience is not a disease, however it can be a symptom. What causes Tinnitus? Anything that causes hearing loss can also cause tinnitus. Ringing in the ears can be due to exposure to loud noise. Loud noise can damage the hair...
Noise-Induced Hearing Loss When It Comes to Your Teen’s Music
Study Examines Parental Perspectives on Adolescent Hearing Loss Risk Article found on Audiology Online published January 5, 2014. Despite the rising prevalence of acquired adolescent hearing loss, parents lack education on prevention strategies and few believe their adolescent is at risk, according to a study by Deepa L. Sekhar, M.D., M.Sc., of Penn State College of Medicine, Hershey, Pa., and colleagues. One in six adolescents have high-frequency hearing loss, which is typically noise related and preventable, according to the study background. Parental participation can help with behavioral interventions, though little is known about adult perspectives regarding adolescent noise-induced hearing loss. Researchers conducted...
Hearing Loss – By Toys????
List of Toys That May Cause Hearing Loss Article found on AudiologyOnline, published December 17, 2013. 7 out of 18 toys tested increase the risk of hearing loss in less than 15 minutes. Saint Paul, MN–“Push my buttons and you won’t want to stop”, pleads the packaging on a cute and cuddly child’s toy. While you may be compelled to push those buttons, the Sight & Hearing Association (SHA) encourages consumers to be aware that those buttons they are pushing may have the potential of causing enough noise that can result in hearing loss in less than 15 minutes. SHA’s...
Obesity Linked with Hearing Loss
Obesity is associated with a higher risk for hearing loss, according to a new study in the American Journal of Medicine. On the other hand, greater levels of physical activity are associated with a lower risk for hearing loss, found researchers from Brigham and Women’s Hospital. “We often think of hearing loss as an inevitable part of the aging process, but these findings provide evidence that potentially modifiable risk factors, such as maintaining a healthy weight and staying physically active, may help in the prevention of hearing loss or delay its progression,” study researcher Sharon Curhan, M.D., Sc.M., of the Channing...
Over 360 Million People with Hearing Loss Worldwide
The World Health Organization estimates that there are over 360 million people in the world living with disabling hearing loss. As people are living longer than they did in the past, the prevalence of hearing loss has also gone up. Close to a third of people above the age of 65 live with hearing loss. Even though there are devices that can restore a person’s ability to hear, they are commonly in short supply. According to Dr Shelly Chadha, of the WHO’s Department of Prevention of Blindness and Deafness: “Current production of hearing aids meets less than 10% of global need. In developing countries,...
Goal of Identifying Nearly All Genetic Causes of Deafness Is Within Reach
At least half of all cases of deafness that develop from birth through infancy in developed countries have a genetic basis, as do many cases of later onset progressive hearing loss. To date, at least 1,000 mutations occurring in 64 genes in the human genome have been linked to hearing loss. Next-generation DNA sequencing technologies are enabling the identification of these deafness-causing genetic variants, as described in a peer-reviewed journal from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers. In “Next-Generation Sequencing in Genetic Hearing Loss,” Denise Yan and Xue Zhong Liu, University of Miami (Florida), and Mustafa Tekin and Susan Blanton, University of Miami...
Researchers Believe Hearing Loss from Loud Blasts May Be Treatable
Long-term hearing loss from loud explosions, such as blasts from roadside bombs, may not be as irreversible as previously thought, according to a new study by researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine. Using a mouse model, the study found that loud blasts cause hair-cell and nerve-cell damage, rather than structural damage to the cochlea (the auditory portion of the inner ear). This could be good news for the millions of soldiers and civilians who, after surviving these devastating bombs, suffer long-term hearing damage. “It means we could potentially try to reduce this damage,” said John Oghalai, MD, associate...
Successful Restoration of Hearing and Balance in Mouse Model
The sounds of success are ringing at Kansas State University through a research project that has potential to treat human deafness and loss of balance. Philine Wangemann, a professor of anatomy and physiology in the College of Veterinary Medicine, and her international team have published the results of their study in the July issue of the journal PLOS Genetics: “SLC26A4 Targeted to the Endolymphatic Sac Rescues Hearing and Balance in SLC26A4 Mutant Mice.” “When the SLC26A4 gene is mutated, it leads to a loss of pendrin expression, which causes swelling of the inner ear and loss of hearing and balance,”...