Did you know that 1 in 10 people in the US have diabetes? That’s 34.2 million Americans! Diabetes causes a partial or absolute deficiency of insulin. Insulin is responsible for creating enzymes that break down fat, starches, and sugar in the blood. An increase in blood sugar damages the inner lining of arteries. The body responds by creating plaque on the artery walls which restricts blood flow.
How does diabetes affect your hearing?
This thickening of artery walls affects an area of the inner ear called the stria vascularis, causing it to atrophy and prevent it from doing its job efficiently. The stria vascularis is responsible for controlling the chemical makeup of the inner ear, which allows the hair cells to change mechanical information into electrical information– a key part of how we hear! Some studies show that an abnormal stria vascularis can even cause hair cell death, permanently damaging your hearing.
A 2008 study by the National Institutes of Health showed that people with diabetes are twice as likely to have hearing problems. In fact, even the 88 million people in the US with prediabetes have a 30% higher likelihood of having hearing problems. That’s 1 in 3 Americans at an increased risk!
Get a baseline hearing test if you have diabetes
If you or a loved one have diabetes or prediabetes, it is important to have a baseline hearing test. Monitoring your hearing is vital to your overall health. Like diabetes, hearing problems can develop gradually, and early detection is critical. In honor of Diabetes Awareness, Hearing Health Center offers complimentary hearing check-ups at all five locations.
Click here to book an appointment
Whether you are a new patient that hasn’t had a hearing test since 3rd grade, or a patient who has been wearing hearing aids for years, you probably think you’re doing just fine.
Well maybe you are and maybe you’re not! The thing is, you probably don’t even know.
- Who knows you better than anyone? Most likely, it’s the person who is most important to you…the person whose voice you hear all the time. They may notice issues, difficulties and struggles you may not even be aware of. “The level of the TV has increased, he doesn’t want to go out to restaurants as often, he’s spending more time alone and seems depressed, he doesn’t remember what I say.” These are just some of the things the “familiar voice” often reports. We get a much better understanding of you when you bring someone who knows you.
- Testing and measuring your hearing is only a small part of your comprehensive evaluation. More important than the amount of hearing loss you might have, is assessing how well your brain processes speech. Even if the sound is loud enough, do you understand what is said? The results are most accurate when the voice you are trying to process is familiar, and important to you.
- Annual checkups and re-evaluations are critical to maintain your best hearing ability. Sometimes, the hearing levels remain the same, but behavior and processing ability change. A familiar voice often alerts and apprises us of these changes they’ve noticed in the past year.
In the past year, the phrase “staying in” has taken on a new meaning. The general public was encouraged to stay in their homes to reduce the spread of COVID-19, a recommendation that stayed in effect for months. For some, their duration of the “stay-at-home” orders were spent with immediate family. For others, it brought on months of isolation. But for many individuals who are hearing aid users, it left them wondering: what is the point of wearing my hearing aids if I am just sitting at home?
If you were to ask your hearing care professional how often you should wear your hearing aids, a common response would be in turn, “you should wear your hearing aids during all waking hours.” It is recommended that individuals with hearing aids wear their devices shortly after starting their day and take them out before going to sleep, a seemingly straightforward and simple concept. However, many hearing aid users found that they were not as inclined to consistently wear their hearing aids (to be consistent in terminology) throughout quarantine. Most rationalized that there was no reason to wear their hearing aids if they are just sitting at home, a considerable change from the hustle and bustle of their previous routines. Yet, research shows (or experts state) that there are multiple benefits to consistently wearing these devices, even in a mild environment like your home.
Audiologist Dr. Robert Martin from The Hearing Journal compares using hearing aids to exercising muscles. He explains that wearing hearing aids consistently not only allows you to hear better but allows you to listen more effectively. Hearing aids amplify sound based on an individual’s unique hearing loss. Initially, the hearing aid user may find that sound to be unnatural and strange, not what they are typically used to. With regular hearing aid use, that sound becomes more natural and starts to give the person more of that benefit they were looking for. When hearing aids are worn intermittently, you are not exercising the processing centers of your brain, and sound will continue to feel unnatural. Consistency is key in making those sounds more natural. According to Dr. Anu Sharma, research has found that sound is processed in unused parts of the brain, instead of the auditory cortex, after auditory deprivation. When sound is not processed in the auditory cortex, the listener may possibly find that it is far more taxing and exhausting to try to listen and understand the sound that they hear. When the listener begins to wear their hearing aids consistently, there is more auditory input, and the brain begins to change so sound is processed in the auditory cortex. Simply put, your brain needs sound.
Whether you live alone with mild background noise or have family that puts your ears to the test, the takeaway from today is that you should wear your hearing aids all the time. Give your brain the sound it needs, and make your hearing aids a part of your daily routine.
Sources:
Martin, Robert L. “‘Wear Your Hearing Aids or Your Brain Will Rust.’” The Hearing Journal,
vol. 57, no. 1, 2004, p. 46., doi:10.1097/01.hj.0000292405.09805.5a.
Beck DL. How might the brain change when we reintroduce sound? Interview with Anu Sharma,
PhD. Hearing Review. 2020;27(4)[April]. In press
Itchy, Itchy Ears: Common Causes and Solutions
By Dr. Hilary MacCrae, Au.D., CCC-A, F-AAA
When asking about ears, every audiologist has heard this: “My ears don’t hurt, but they itch a lot!” Whether or not a person uses hearing aids, itching in the ears is very common. But why?
A lot of things can cause itching all over the body, and the ear is no different. I’ve briefly listed some common causes and solutions, but saved an in-depth look for conditions related to hearing aid issues.
CAUSE: Dry Skin
Itchy, dry skin in the ear canal can be caused by your environment—cold winds and dry air in the winter and over-air conditioned air in the summer. It can also be caused by over-cleaning (especially with cotton swabs, which can absorb natural oils too quickly) and by natural aging.
SOLUTION: Moisturize
A drop or two of an oil like Miracell® in each ear at night will absorb while you sleep and often provides fast relief—but take care to never place oil in an ear that has history of holes in the eardrum. Lotion on a little finger or cotton swab can also be put inside the ear canal. Often a humidifier can be the answer to dry skin.
CAUSE: Medical Conditions
Medical conditions like allergies, outer ear infections like “swimmer’s ear” and eczema or psoriasis can cause or worsen itching inside the ear canal. Surprisingly, high levels of stress or anxiety can be felt as itching and discomfort all over, including inside the ears.
SOLUTION: Seek Medical Treatment
Ear, nose, and throat physicians: If allergies or ear infections are the issue, physicians specializing in the ears, nose, and throat (“ENTs” or “otolaryngologists”) can prescribe helpful treatments. Dermatologists: Skin-specialized doctors can help with diagnoses like eczema and psoriasis, for which there are many different treatments available. If you think stress might be the problem, talk it out with a licensed counselor, psychologist, or psychiatrist. You may relieve yourself of more than just an itch!
Hearing Aid Issues
Although hearing devices don’t usually cause allergic reactions, there are other ways they might contribute to itching.
- Ear wax: If there is a build-up of ear wax inside the ear, a hearing aid can make it worse, causing itching or irritation until the ear is cleaned.
- Loose fit: If a hearing aid is sitting too loosely inside the ear, it can “tickle” the canal and cause itching.
- Tight fit/moisture: If a hearing aid has a very tight fit in the ear, and is worn for a very long time each day, moisture can accumulate behind the hearing aid and cause a damp, itching feeling (kind of like when you sweat in the summertime).
- Sensitivity to cleaning solutions: While the hearing aids themselves are usually hypoallergenic, clients will rarely experience allergic reactions to cleaning solutions either in our clinic or over-the-counter versions used at home.
SOLUTIONS: See Your Hearing Care Provider
- Audiologists, and audiology assistants: The hearing care providers at HHC can work with you to look at the fit of your hearing devices (loose/tight) and make recommendations of how to proceed with other changes and treatments. We can also look deeply in your ears, a process called “otoscopy,” to see if dry skin, ear wax, or allergic reactions are the problem. When in doubt, contact your provider!
Scratch Them…Gently!
There’s nothing else like scratching an itch, but we have some recommendations for how to go about it, to avoid causing more problems. Here are some techniques:
- Push and wiggle: Placing a finger on the space in front of the ear and “wiggling” can help ease itching with or without a hearing aid in place. This is using the flat of your finger, not your fingernail!
- Readjust your hearing device: If possible, remove and re-place your hearing aid, or pull the ear bud in and out, to apply some pressure inside the ear and scratch that itch.
- “Referred” itching: This one is a bit weird…Often used by people with missing limbs, “referred” itching is when you scratch itch by not scratching it at all! Instead of trying to reach deep inside your ear canal, gently scratching another part of the body (like the back of your hand) while thinking about your itchy ear (“referring” the itch to the ear), can provide a surprising amount of relief. I’ve used this myself when I get an itch on the bottom of my foot in the car. Sometimes it works!
- What NOT to do: Don’t place foreign objects like Q-tips, bobby pins, long fingernails, pens or pencils, paperclips, or golf tees (yes, we’ve been told someone used a golf tee!) in your ears for itching or wax removal. These objects can push ear wax toward the ear drum, or cut the skin inside the ear and cause bleeding. When that cut begins to scab over and heal…it will itch even worse!
No one likes to be uncomfortable, but itching is part of daily life. Try some of the solutions listed above, and don’t hesitate to contact your hearing care provider if you’d like more guidance or advice on how your unique ear needs to be treated.
It’s been a difficult, trying year – but now the Holidays are here. Hopefully it will be a joyous time to share with your family, and it might be the only time all year you get together with your whole family.
Of course, you want to talk to everyone, get to know new additions (spouses, grandkids, and friends), share stories and memories, and laugh. When you have hearing loss, the holidays can be stressful and worrisome.
Large dining room tables make conversation difficult. Everyone is talking at once and the football game and music in the background makes it almost impossible for you to participate.
You can do several things so you don’t feel left out, and not enjoy yourself.
- Limit background noise. Ask the host to turn down the TV or music.
- Try to sit in the middle of the table.
- Take breaks. Listening and concentrating so intently is exhausting. Go outside, find a quiet spot, and give your ears and your brain a rest. Then you will be ready for more socializing.
- Bring your humor. Forget being embarrassed. So what if you say the wrong thing or answer incorrectly. Laugh at the mis-hearings. They can be hilarious.
- Wear your hearing aids and make the most of them. You have two computers in your ears. They are smart, really smart, with special settings for different situations and environments.
- Hearing aids have special gadgets and accessories to make hard situations easier – tiny microphones to put on the table to pick up voices and deliver them to your ears, chair loops that connect directly to your hearing aids. Don’t be afraid of technology. It’s easier than you think. Experiment.
- Cupping your hand to your ear is a signal for others to talk louder
- Have reasonable expectations. You are not going to hear everything everyone says. That’s ok. With visual cues (facial expressions, lip reading), and context, you can usually get the gist of, and participate in the conversation.
- Don’t fake it. Don’t just nod and pretend you hear or laugh just because everyone else is laughing. It can end up being embarrassing for you or insulting to someone else. Be honest. Be brave. Ask them to repeat. Tell them you have difficulty hearing/understanding.
Enjoy the holidays. Have fun with your family. Every moment is precious, don’t miss it!
The bad news: It’s worse than we previously thought
Early stage hearing loss was formerly considered “mild,” and depending on your lifestyle, would not trigger symptoms of difficulty communicating.
However, studies¹ now show significant changes in the brains of those with early stage hearing loss in comparison with those whose hearing is normal. Specifically, even with minimal auditory deprivation, the brain actually re-organizes itself, which results in poorer speech processing in noise and deterioration of cognitive functioning. This is a problem.
The good news: the decline is reversible.
Following clinical treatment with high-quality, expertly fitted hearing aids, the brain re-organized itself back to the original state.
Just six months after wearing hearing aids, both visual and working memory improved. In addition, processing speed as well as executive cognitive skill* performance were increased
Even better news: You can change the number one risk factor for dementia.
Research shows that about two thirds of the risk for dementia is hereditary or genetic. Therefore, one third of the risk of dementia is from causes that are modifiable. Hearing loss accounts for about 9% of dementia risk, a greater proportion than factors like hypertension, obesity, depression, diabetes and smoking. According to distinguished medical journal The Lancet, “among all of the modifiable risk factors, hearing loss is the most significant modifiable factor leading to dementia.”²
*Executive cognitive functions are the prerequisite to any purposeful and goal-directed action. They allow one to generate plans, solutions to problems, or organizing structures that guide future action. They rely on working memory, mental flexibility, and retrieval of relevant information from memory stores.
Click Here to read the full article >>>
¹Sharma A, Glick, H. Cortical neuroplasticity and cognitive function in early-stage, mild hearing loss: Evidence of neurocognitive benefit from hearing aid use. Front Neurosci. 2020:14(93):1-22 ² Livingston G, Sommerlad A, Ortega V. Dementia prevention, intervention, and care. The Lancet 2017;390(10113):2673-2734
Hearing Health Center recently introduced the option to lease hearing aids. It certainly makes sense. After all, we lease our cars, our smart phones, and office equipment. Why not lease our hearing aids?
Although cost isn’t the number one reason for the 80% of Americans who need hearing aids but don’t wear them,* it can certainly be a barrier to getting help.
Why Leasing?
Most people think of cars when they hearing the word leasing. Today, more people lease their cars than actually buy them. Why?
- Because they want to upgrade to the latest model every couple of years
- Because as the car gets older, it will need more maintenance and more repairs.
- Because they can drive a better, more expensive car, with affordable monthly payments.
Leasing quickly spread to other industries, including office equipment, medical and laboratory supplies, computers and IT equipment. The latest leasing trend is our smartphones. By the time we’re done paying for it, in low monthly installments, we are really to trade-in for the latest and greatest phone on the market.
Leasing Hearing Aids
The average life of hearing aids is between 3 and 5 years. Nationally, hearing aid users get new devices every 3.6 years. The reason is not necessarily because their hearing aids are bad. People get new hearing aids because:
- The prescription changed. Hearing never gets better. The hearing aids you got 3 years ago may no longer be appropriate for you.
- Ears change. The size and shape of the ear and the ear canals change with age, and wearing hearing aids often stretch the ear canal. Weight loss and weight gain also have an effect on the ears. Hearing aids may not fit correctly after a while.
- Technology advances and improves. New hearing aids increase clarity, especially in background noise, and enhance ability to communicate and participate in important conversations and activities.
If one of the things holding you back is the expense, leasing is a great solution. Most hearing aids leases are for three years. Monthly payments are as low as $99, for good hearing aid technology. Payments for the best, most advanced, premium hearing aids are approximately $200/month.
At the end of the three year lease, you can buy the hearing aids outright at a discounted price, or better yet, simply sign a new lease and get the newest developments in hearing aid technology. You’ll always have the best hearing and clearest quality of sound.
The Advantages of Leasing Hearing Aids
There are a lot of reasons why a lease may be the right option for your circumstances. Just a few of the benefits of leasing include:
- Affordability
- No large, out-of-pocket expenditure
- Buy-out options
- Flexible payment plans and financing
- No maintenance, repairs, or follow up costs**
Is a Hearing Aid Lease Right for Your Needs?
Only you will be able to answer this question. If you intend to wear your device until it is completely worn out and do not care about having the best possible technology, this may not be the best option. If you are interested in having a technologically advanced device, the ability to upgrade your device and want any potential issues taken care of properly, a lease is the ideal solution.
*The number one reason for not treating hearing problems is that most people don’t think their hearing is “bad enough.”
**Many leasing options include all maintenance, cover routine maintenance, clearings, reprogramming and adjustments, and manufacturer repairs.
Your Voice on a Tape Recorder (or through a Hearing Aid)
Did you ever hear your voice on a recording or through a hearing aid? Bet you didn’t like it. You most likely thought it didn’t sound anything like you. In fact, in a study of subjects listening to recordings of their own voice, along with recordings of 19 unfamiliar voice recordings, only 38% of subjects recognized their own voice.
Whether you liked or hated the sound of your voice on a recording that is the “real” sound of your voice. That is the voice others hear when you speak. It is not however, the voice you hear. The sound waves, created when we talk, create vibrations in our vocal cords, the vibrations of our vocal cords, soft tissue, and bones in our head. This makes us sound richer and deeper to ourselves.
WHAT’S NORMAL? How Your Voice Sounds With a Hearing Aid
Nearly everyone that puts on a hearing aid for the first time hates the sound of their voice. After putting on the hearing aids, every audiologist hears, “Ewww, I hate my own voice.” “I sound hollow and like an echo.” “I sound like I’m in a tunnel.” “I sound so raspy.”
The response of every audiologist is, “Don’t worry, you’ll get used to it.” That is true. The majority of hearing aid users do quickly get used to, and accept, the sound of their own voice.
“Normal” is what you’re used to. You’re used to hearing yourself with a hearing deficit at many of the pitches of speech. Your hearing changed gradually over 15 to 20 years. You didn’t notice that, little by little, your voice changed subtly along with it. Suddenly, in one minute, you’re hearing all of the pitches that took 20 years to lose.
It’s shocking. You don’t like it. No one likes it. But really, you do get used to the sound of your voice through hearing aids. Your “new” voice becomes your “new” normal. Unfortunately, it doesn’t happen overnight
THE GOOD NEWS. Hearing Aids Deliver
Faster Adaptation and more immediate relief are on their way. By understanding, and then manipulating, the intricacies and dynamics of sound, hearing aid manufacturers have gone to great lengths to reduce the shock of hearing a new you.
Technology really is amazing (when your computer works).
If we seem a little smarter about new hearing technologies next time you come in, here’s why.
Hearing Health Center audiologists learn about new hearing technologies through committed continuing education
Several times a year, we close all five offices and everyone gets together for an intense, idea-filled day of Continuing Education. Friday, August 23, was one of those days—with a full program of expert speakers, demonstrations and hands-on experience with the newest of the new in Audiology.
“We’re in an industry with technical and treatment advances happening continuously and our patients depend on us to be on the cutting-edge of progress at all times,” said Director of Operations Marsela Kole, who was the Event Chairperson.
The “next generation” hearing aids from the world’s leading manufacturers garnered profound interest. They provide benefits to wearers that go far beyond hearing quality and clarity that have exceeded all expectations. Patients who have worn hearing aids for years will discover processing power far beyond anything they’ve experienced, letting them understand speech effortlessly in noisy settings—with unwanted sounds suppressed.
Features of this new hearing technology include many vital functions for health, safety and information never before associated with hearing aids. The revolutionary devices include ones that monitor brain and body activity, can actually sense if the wearer has fallen and automatically send out alerts to three pre-selected contacts. Others can be serviced via an app, avoiding an office visit, and stream telephone, TV, music and messages directly into the patients’ ears.
Marsela Kole said “These days are always a good chance for the teams from each of the offices to get together, compare notes and participate together in group activities. There’s always some fun to be had.”
Over 100,000 people will descend on Chicago’s Grant Park for Lollapalooza this year. The annual festival is already wreaking havoc on traffic, and is sure to kill millions of tiny hair cells in the ears that respond to sound. Many attendees will go home with permanent hearing damage.
In previous years, the level of the music was measured anywhere from 115 to 135 decibels. “At that level,” said Dr.
Ronna Fisher, AuD audiologist, “permanent damage can occur in two minutes.”
“Once it’s gone…it’s gone,” says Fisher. “You will never hear the music, or anything else, clearly again.”
Do not be a martyr…or stupid.
The music is too loud if:
- You experience any buzzing/ringing/noises (tinnitus) in your ears
- Sounds, voices, hearing, is muffled when you leave
- If you have to yell to be heard, it is too loud.
Tips to Protect Whatever Hearing You Have Left
- Try to position yourself away from the speakers (where the sound is loudest)
- Wear earplugs. Almost any kind will protect your ears if you get them in correctly. For frequent concertgoers, get custom, high fidelity earplugs (available at any Audiology office). They will fit your ears perfectly and let you hear the music and the singer while decreasing harmful sounds.
- Take a break. Ears that get a break have time to recover and do not suffer as much damage.
- Drinking and smoking make you less sensitive to sound (ever get into your car in the morning and the radio is blasting from the night before?). Pay attention.
If you still have ringing/buzzing,etc, and voices still sound muffled and unclear, after 48 hours, you need professional help. Now. Call your local Doctor of Audiology, Primary Physician, or ENT specialist.