Category — Hearing Loss Info

What can anyone do to prevent the loss of understanding words due to a hearing loss?  It is so important that you get your hearing routinely checked just like you do your eyes.  I tell everyone that early detection and early correction of a hearing loss will help minimize the effects of a hearing loss.  You know when you’re not getting everything; believe me those close to you will tell you if you’re not sure.  As I mentioned before, patients that lose their ability of understanding speech usually do so because of a progressive hearing loss over a long period of time.  Also we believe this is due to sound deprivation caused by the hearing loss.  Read more... (286 words, estimated 1:09 mins reading time)

The loss of one’s ability to understand words, I believe, is the biggest challenge for any patient to understand.  After all, they bought what they were told was the very best hearing aid for them.  Typically, the longer period of time the patient has had an uncorrected hearing loss, the worse their discrimination or speech understanding score is.  Read more... (301 words, estimated 1:12 mins reading time)

Everyone knows what a hearing loss is.  It’s when you just can’t hear at the level we consider normal.  The level for normal hearing was established by testing a lot of very young children at different frequencies that make up speech.  The average decibel level these children heard is what we call normal hearing.

Hearing aids are not usually recommended until a hearing loss is detected below the 30 to 35 db levels.   A person whose hearing is at this level usually is asking people to repeat or misunderstanding words in conversations.

So what is it that most people don’t know about hearing loss?  Read more... (332 words, estimated 1:20 mins reading time)

How does good cardiovascular health benefit hearing? The American Heart Association study concluded a healthy cardiovascular system can maintain the blood vessel health of the cochlea, thus protecting hearing. The typical recommendations apply to hearing health in conjunction with heart health. Maintaining a healthy weight, exercising, good cholesterol numbers and managing blood pressure are all standard and smart recommendations for maintaining cardiovascular health. These are a few simple steps that do not require expensive gym memberships or mystical diets. The American Heart Association recommends a minimum of 30 minutes of activity per day to begin making a difference in heart and overall body health.  Read more... (195 words, estimated 47 secs reading time)

It is a well known and often advertised fact that cardiovascular disease is the number one cause of death among Americans. Cardiovascular disease, according to the American Heart Association, accounts for more than one-third of all deaths in America annually. What is not quite as well know is the fact that healthy cardiovascular health can be of great benefit to healthy hearing in older Americans. A recent study published in the Journal of Audiology has determined there is a significant correlation between a healthy heart and healthy hearing during aging.  Read more... (270 words, estimated 1:05 mins reading time)

There is no significant difference between the types of music people choose to use while they exercise. From the soothing sounds of Celtic music to the heaviest of heavy metal, volume is often the great motivator to keep the whole body engaged in exercise and the mind distracted from a dull activity. People who walk to exercise often use different types of music to vary the rhythm of their walking for more beneficial cardiovascular exercise. Those exercising, who are bombarded by external and internal sounds that tend to distract, have been found to listen to their music at nearly 75% of top volume. That is well past the safe volume of hearing recommended by hearing professionals.  Read more... (277 words, 1 image, estimated 1:06 mins reading time)

Hundreds of thousands of Americans visit the gym for a workout on a weekly basis; some Americans make it a daily routine to stop at the gym. What all of those people may not realize is as they are fine tuning their body shape and cardiovascular health, they may be destroying their hearing. On any day, at any time of day, one can walk into a normal gym scene and see almost all of the exercisers wearing their iPods or other electronic music devices with the ear buds fixed securely in their ears. According to a study published in the December of 2009 issue of The International Journal of Audiology, those who use loud music to motivate during exercise may be doing serious damage to their hearing.  Read more... (257 words, estimated 1:02 mins reading time)

Because tinnitus can so often be a temporary condition that only makes an appearance under very particular circumstances, it is a difficult condition to diagnose and treat. Hearing professionals often have no indication of what has caused the tinnitus and cannot diagnose if the condition will correct itself or become permanent.  Read more... (232 words, estimated 56 secs reading time)

In a recent study by the American Tinnitus Association, or ATA, there are an estimated 50 million people in the United States living with the misery of tinnitus. There is a group of approximately two million people within that larger group who suffer from tinnitus so severe they cannot live a normal life. Tinnitus is a condition that affects the hearing of a patient in one or both ears. Tinnitus causes a number of odd sounds to occur in the affected ear including ringing, hissing, humming, buzzing or roaring. These errant noises can so affect the patient they are unable comfortably hear, work or sleep. There are commonly used treatments available for patients suffering from tinnitus including hearing aids, relaxation techniques and even more serious treatments such as cochlear implants. Unfortunately for all patients suffering from tinnitus, there is no known cure for the disorder. There is new research being conducted that indicates music therapy may be a viable option for treatment of patients with tinnitus.  Read more... (261 words, estimated 1:03 mins reading time)

It is not unusual for older people to experience some extent of hearing loss, which can be so gradual that it is not immediately apparent there is a problem. In fact, recent studies have concluded only one in four Americans who acknowledge they have hearing loss will actually go to a hearing professional for a diagnosis and treatment. There are some simple signs to indicate it is time to see a certified hearing health professional. If someone has asked you more than once if you have a hearing problem, if you are frequently exposed to loud noises, such as construction sites or loud music, or if you are beginning to experience difficulty distinguishing speech within a noisy environment, it is time to make an appointment for an exam.  Read more... (334 words, estimated 1:20 mins reading time)