A new study found a correlation between iron deficiency anemia and hearing loss. A study of over 300,000 people found that those with iron deficiency anemia were two and a half times more likely to have hearing loss.
The study offers no concrete reason why the two would be related, but suggests that it could be because of reduced bloodflow to the inner ear.
Science has known and accepted for decades that brain changes occur secondary to substantial hearing loss and deafness. When a person starts to loose sounds due to hearing loss, the human brain changes as a result of altered auditory stimulation? So when a previously known and learned auditory task (such as listening in noise) becomes more effortful and challenging, the brain may endeavor to accomplish the same goal by emphasizing a greater reliance on vision to supplement what was previously accomplished via audition alone. This is true even for mild hearing loss…The higher-order areas of the auditory cortex get recruited by vision and they show functional changes. Studies have concluded that frontal and the pre-frontal areas of the brain become more active as auditory input is attenuated due to hearing loss. So, as hearing loss increases, the brain has to work harder to listen. If we define hearing as perceiving sound, and listening as the ability to make sense of sound, it seems correct to state that, as hearing loss increases, the brain expends increased effort to successfully listen, and very likely, this would be most distressing in background noise?The good news is that early treatment for even mild degrees of hearing loss can prevent or reverse cross-modal recruitment, and relieve the increased brain load present with untreated hearing loss. ‘My Audiologist” clinic located at 15 Spurs Drive . Wellington Point. Queensland have the latest hearing aid and assistive listening technology to address the effects of mild to profound hearing losses. Call today to start your journey toward better hearing, and a better quality of life!
Phone : 07 3446 5845
web : www.myaud.com.au
Worlds largest consumer market survey (more than 120,000 people) on hearing aids and hearing loss was conducted in year 2016 with a focus on the ‘non-auditory benefits’ of hearing aids, including quality of life, relationships at home and work, sense of safety and independence, and mental health. Conclusion being there is a huge improvement in all aspects of hearing Auditory or non auditory. To read the whole journal click on the link http://www.hearingreview.com/2016/06/hearing-aids-improve-hearing-lot/
…the biggest mistakes when getting hearing aids
I have been helping patients find the best solutions for their hearing problem for more than 20 years. During this time, I have met with thousands of patients, some who love their hearing aids and get great results, and some who hate their hearing aids and feel like they have wasted their money. Here are the four biggest mistakes I have seen people make.
The truth is no one wants a hearing aid. What you want is for your communication problems to go away or be significantly reduced. Smart consumers start with a list of three to five big issues they want resolved, and they ask the hearing aid provider which hearing aid will give them the best results.
It’s not what the hearing aid looks like on the outside that dictates how much it will help you; it’s what’s inside that counts. With digital technology, some hearing aids are amazingly smart: They have multiple programs built into the hearing aids to keep you hearing well no matter where you go or what you do, and they will automatically switch from program to program, adjusting the volume for you. A different hearing aid that looks exactly the same on the outside can be amazingly stupid — a simple amplifier that makes everything louder.
In addition to the cost of the device itself, there are professional fees and expertise included in the price. This is the knowledge and expertise of the person fitting the hearing aid. As with everything in life, you get what you pay for. The better the technology and the more knowledgeable and capable the fitter, the more it is going to cost — but the better your results should be. Not everyone needs the fanciest technology, but, to be honest, everyone can benefit by having a knowledgeable and experienced person doing the fitting.
Your hearing loss did not happen overnight. Most likely, it has gradually been making your world quieter and quieter for 10+ years. Plus, your ears need to work with your brain to let you hear and understand what is being said.
Think of the hearing aids like a prosthetic hand. You need to practice with that artificial hand to learn how to use it. The more you practice, the better you get. At first you may just be able to open and close the hand. With practice you learn how to pick things up and really use it to improve your life. The same is true with the hearing aids. At first it seems like you are just hearing everything and it seems really loud. Over time you learn to listen and discriminate.Those who use their hearing aids on a regular basis become successful users; those who put them on only occasionally never really get the help they need.
If your dexterity ( numb fingers, big fingers, arthritic hands) or eye sight is a concern choose a device that is easy to manage and operate. Having a dialogue with the Audiologist and trialling some trail aids is a good idea.
Call ‘My Audiologist’ on 07 3446 5845 for more information
Wouldn’t you like to know if your hearing loss is medically or surgically correctable before you invest thousands of dollars on hearing aids. Don’t you want to know if your hearing loss is indicative of a more serious underlying disease?
Not created equal
Most people think that all hearing tests are created equal, but that is not the case. A complete diagnostic hearing evaluation is done by an Audiologist. It is designed to not only measure how much hearing loss you have but also what the cause is. This is important to ensure that you get the correct medical care or surgical care for your loss. It also can lead to further medical tests, such as CT scans, MRIs or blood tests, to check for underlying conditions not visible in your ears.
A comprehensive evaluation
A complete hearing test will include checking your ears for wax and insuring your eardrum in whole and healthy. This is followed by a tone test to see how sensitive your ear is to different frequencies of tones (low pitch to middle and high pitches).
Next your hearing is checked for speech awareness and clarity — how softly you can hear words and just barely make them out, and then how clear words are when they are loud enough to correct for any loss. The next test is bone conduction, which repeats the original tone test using a bone vibrator placed behind your ear instead of listening through the headphones. This checks to see if you have problems in the middle ear area causing a blockage. The final test is usually one to check for eardrum mobility, followed occasionally by a reflex tone test.
Once all test are done your audiologist will explain the results and any recommendations they are making for follow-up care.
A hearing aid dispenser can ONLY do tests for the purpose of fitting hearing aids and not to rule out medical problems. So don’t just go into the hearing aid store for that free hearing test you see advertised in the local paper. Call ‘My Audiologist’ on 07 3446 5845 for a comprehensive diagnostic hearing assessment.
If you have to shout over the noise to be heard by someone within arm’s length, the noise is probably in the dangerous range. Here are the warning signs:
We hear sound when delicate hair cells in our inner ear vibrate, creating nerve signals that the brain understands as sound. But just as we can overload an electrical circuit, we also can overload these vibrating hair cells. Loud noise damages these delicate hair cells, resulting in sensorineural hearing loss and often tinnitus (ringing in the ears). The cells that are the first to be damaged or die are those that vibrate most quickly—those that allow us to hear higher-frequency sounds clearly, like the sounds of birds singing and children speaking.
Studies have shown that concert lovers who wore earplugs were roughly five times less likely to have some temporary hearing loss than those who didn’t wear them. The earplug-users also were less likely to suffer from tinnitus afterwards. Prolonged exposure to lawn mowers, power tools, motorised recreational vehicles, target shooting, sporting events and fireworks can potentially damage hearing. But you can avoid or minimise hearing damage by wearing earplugs or other ear protection. Your local hearing care professionals at ‘ My Audiologist’ can provide custom ear protection that is crafted to fit each unique ear. Custom protection ensures a proper, optimal fitting each time, further reducing the risk of unwanted noise exposure. We can also provide a hearing test to determine your baseline hearing level and determine if you already have any hearing loss.
Please call ‘ My Audiologist” on 07 3446 5845…..
People are staying in the workforce longer. And research suggest that we’re seeing an increase in adult hearing loss at younger ages, particularly among those in their 20’s and 30’s. In fact, more than 10 percent of full-time employees have a diagnosed hearing problem, and another 30 percent suspect they have a problem but have not sought treatment.Employees who suspect they have a hearing problem but have not sought treatment say they believe their untreated hearing loss impacts them on the job. From asking people to repeat what they have said , to misunderstanding what is being said , to even pretending to hear when they can’t . The burden that comes with leaving hearing loss unaddressed weighs heavily on the worker. Today, many employers offer wellness promotion initiatives by including hearing tests and hearing health information in workplace wellness programs—as well as including hearing aids as an employee benefit—employers encourage workers to treat hearing loss rather than hide it. Not only does this help the worker, but it creates a work environment where employer and employee can team up to ensure that a worker’s hearing difficulty does not interfere with job performance, productivity, safety, quality of life, morale, opportunities, or success in the workplace. In today’s rapidly changing business landscape, where organisations are coming to rely more heavily on maturing workers who have valuable experience and expertise, and at a time when we seem to be seeing an increase in adult hearing loss at younger ages, this employer-employee partnership is critical for bottom-line success. By empowering workers with information on hearing health and options for addressing hearing loss, they can become more informed healthcare consumers and more productive, satisfied employees. People who currently wear hearing aids say it helps their overall ability to communicate effectively in most situations and has had a positive impact on their relationships at work. Brushing off hearing loss can limit our ability to communicate effectively and can negatively—and unnecessarily—affect productivity, job performance, and earnings; lead to fatigue and distress; restrict interpersonal interactions; make it difficult to receive and interpret auditory information from computers, machines, and individuals; pose a risk to our ability to hear sounds that signal hazards in the work environment; increase sick leave and disengagement from work; and diminish overall quality of life.Research shows that hearing loss is linked to depression, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, obesity, dementia, cognitive decline, moderate chronic kidney disease, sleep apnea, and the risk of falling and hospitalisation. Today’s hearing aids make it easier to hear sounds and people from all directions and filter out noise. Many sit discreetly and comfortably inside the ear canal and out of sight; and many are wireless, so they can interface easily with other high-tech devices like smartphones, conference-room speaker phones and hearing loops. Some are even waterproof, and others are rechargeable. The bottom line? As many as 91 percent of owners of the newest hearing aids—those purchased in the last year—are satisfied with their hearing aids, and 90 percent of people who purchased their hearing aid within the last four years say they’d recommend a hearing aid to a friend or family member, according to BHI research.
I have helped many people in my career at an Audiologist.. to hear better, by improving their quality of life ….As professionals we do our best to program the aid and give the individual the best hearing solution as possible…. Many years back a good friend of mine who happens to be an audiologist and a long term hearing aid user herself mentioned to me that after a long day of listening one thing that really relaxes her is the quietness… I don’t think I fully understood her then… But I guess this article sums it up…. Good read.. with or without a hearing loss….with or without a hearing aid….. Please read the complete blog from the face book page or twitter ac…
Single sided deafness can be caused by a number of things, from viral infections or thrombi to brain tumours and is currently incurable and difficult to treat. Symptoms include difficulty localising sound (direction of sound source) have significant difficulty hearing in noisy situations, especially when the noise is coming
from their hearing side. The noise becomes part of the speech and very difficult to separate. Technology has evolved as we now have sophisticated Contralateral Routing of Signals (CROS) and Bilateral Contralateral Routing of Signals (BICROS) .
Researchers have been studying brain plasticity in response to Single sided deafness. Brain plasticity is the ability of the brain to modify its own structure and function in response to changes, such as disease, within the body or external factors. It is at the base of normal brain function: it helps us to learn and change our behaviour as children, and as adults can help us to overcome brain injuries, use prosthetic limbs and of course, as well as many other things – including hearing devices.
Researchers found that the spread of cortical activation was symmetrical across the hemispheres of the brain in normal-hearing subjects, while in those with the single sided deafness the spread of neuron activation was extended in one hemisphere and reduced in the other. This discovery demonstrates plasticity in both hemispheres of the brain in SSD sufferers, and is an important step toward the possible development of biomarkers that will assist in the guidance of treatment choices. Ultimately, it may even be possible to use this plasticity to develop therapies to cure the condition: by using brain stimulation as a process to restore a normal interhemispheric relationship. Additionally, it may be that scientists may be able to restore normal auditory processing, returning SSD sufferers to a life less affected by their hearing and communication handicap.
Would you like to read the complete journal…. Please view ‘My Audiologist’ twitter page….. Alternatively you could call us on 07 3446 5845
