There are different types of hearing problems and many causes of hearing loss. Identifying the type, severity, and cause of the hearing problem is critical in determining the next steps as well as the treatment options available.
Doctors of Audiology spend four years of intensive study in the anatomy and physiology of the ear and brain to accurately diagnose and correctly treat hearing and cognitive impairments.
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
5 Summer Activities That Can Permanently Cause Damage and Alter Your Life
Fireworks
From Memorial Day to Labor Day, elaborate firework displays reign supreme. Most fireworks have sound upwards of 125 dB, (think diesel engines or the level of sound which actually causes pain), easily causing permanent hearing damage.
Outdoor Concerts
Summer festivals, outdoor concerts and music festivals are great summer activities for the entire family. However, since outdoor venues cause the sound to disperse, bands turn the music up even louder. In addition to permanent hearing damage, oftentimes, the results of listening for too long and too loud, is tinnitus (ringing in the ears). Sometimes it goes away…and sometimes it doesn’t. Always try to sit away from the speakers.
Parades
Marching bands, sirens, motorcycles, and revving engines are loud…louder than you think. Loud enough to cause hearing damage in just a few minutes.
Yard Work
Any noise measuring in excess of 80 dB (decibels)has the potential to be harmful to hearing. Heavy traffic, window air conditioner, noisy restaurants fall into this category. Most equipment used for yard work measures in excess of 95dB.
Air & Water Shows
The sights and sounds and aerial stunts of air and water shows are exciting and breathtaking. But the noise of the jet engines can be ear-splitting, especially when pilots venture close to the ground. A jet engine at takeoff is 140 decibels. At that level, and depending on how close you are, damage can happen within minutes.
PROTECT YOUR EARS AND YOUR HEARING
Wear ear plugs. Custom-made (made from an impression of your ears for an exact fit) are best. But over-the-counter, foam plugs will do the job. Children are especially prone to hearing damage from loud noise. Their ear canals are smaller, and it takes less noise to cause irreversible damage. Protect yourself and your kids by wearing earplugs. Baby Banz makes lightweight foam-filled ear cups for youngsters.
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!
What to do if you suddenly experience hearing loss
As a Patient Care Coordinator, nothing is more alarming then getting a frantic call from a patient in panic mode because they suddenly lost their hearing. Working at the front desk and handling calls from patients at the Chicago office for the last six years, I’ve noticed an increase in these cases of sudden idiopathic hearing loss, or “sudden deafness”. This phenomenon, known as Sudden Sensorineural Hearing Loss (SSHL) is often unexplained. Although the exact cause, in many cases, is unknown, some causes for SSHL are barotrauma, certain medications, a viral attack and autoimmune disorders. SSHL is characterized as a rapid loss, usually in one ear, either all at once or over the course of a few days.
It concerns me that patients often do not realize the severity of their sudden hearing loss. Permanent ramifications, such as irreversible hearing impairment and/or constant ringing in the ear, called tinnitus, can result if the loss is not treated immediately.
Working in one of the premier audiology offices in the world, I know what is at stake for these patients, and always find ways to fit them in to see one of our Doctors of Audiology.
The audiologist first determines that the sudden hearing loss is not due to allergies, sinus infection, earwax clogging the ear canal, or other common conditions. If the loss is indeed SSHL, we refer immediately to an ENT (Otolaryngologist), or the nearest ER. Oral steroids or steroid injections into the ear is the standard treatment for SSHL. Steroids can minimize and/or reverse the hearing loss.
Most importantly, know that you are not alone. If you experience sudden deafness, the hearing professionals at the Hearing Health Center will do everything they can to combat the hearing loss and return your hearing back to normal.
Resources:
NIDCD (National Institute on Deafness and other Communication Disorders) Fact Sheet
(1) Sudden Deafness
NIH Pub. No. 00-4757
March 2018
The NIDCD maintains a directory of organizations that provide information on the normal and disordered processes of hearing, balance, taste, smell, voice, speech and language. Visit the NIDCD website at https://nidcd.nih.gov/directory to search the directory.
NIDCD Information Clearinghouse
1 Communication Avenue
Bethesda, MD 20892-3456
Toll Free Voice: 800-241-1044
Toll Free TTY: 800-241-1055
Email: nidcdinfo@nidcd.nih.gov
Web: www.nidcd.nih.gov
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.
Most hearing aid users know that their hearing health, treatment, and their hearing aids are crucial. In fact, they probably see their doctor of Audiology more often than any other health care provider. They understand that their hearing capacity and their ability to understand and process speech is critical for effective communication and enjoyment.
First time hearing aid wearers do not realize that hearing aids can require multiple adjustments to obtain the best settings and the right sound for them. Custom hearing aids, especially the tiny, invisible ones, are often re-made several times for fit and comfort. Hearing aids require maintenance, regular cleaning and sometimes repairs. Hearing aids reside in a wax- filled, sweaty, oily and moist environment all day and expected to perform optimally all the time.
Hearing levels, processing ability, and prescriptions change. Yearly monitoring, reprogramming, and fine- tuning of your hearing aids are critical to your ability to communicate.
You are not “done” after you get your hearing aids. Just like with your internist, dentist, and ophthalmologist, your hearing care is ongoing and forever.
BENEFITS vs. DISCOUNTS
- Benefit (definition) – An advantage or profit gained. A payment or gift.
- Discount (definition) – A deduction from the usual cost of something.
“Benefits are far more reliable than perks or discounts and cover more basic needs. Perks are like bonuses that companies offer to make their offer seem better than the competition.”
Many insurance Companies and Medicare supplement policies lure new members by offering “hearing aid benefits.”
Are they really offering you a “benefit?” NO! The insurance Company is actually offering a perk that doesn’t cost them a penny. You, the member, get a discount on hearing aids if you call the 800-number to a 3rd party broker. The 3rd party broker rakes in a fortune from the referrals.
PROS AND CONS OF BUYING YOUR HEARING AIDS FROM A BROKER
PROS
- You get a discount on the purchase of your hearing aids.
- You can sometimes get them from your provider of choice.
- You can save money upfront on the purchase of your hearing aids.
CONS
- You are not purchasing your hearing aids or hearing treatment from your provider.
- The broker pays your provider a set fee for your initial consultation, delivery and fitting your hearing aids, and one or two follow up visits, even one year.
- Restrictions and limitations – Number of visits or specified time are included in your purchase. Thereafter, you pay the provider every time you walk in the door for an office visit. Every 6-month cleaning, annual monitoring, in-office repair, fed-ex shipping and handling to the manufacturer, adjustment, reprogramming, and fine-tuning.
- All of the restrictions and limitations are included with your hearing aid purchase from your provider. One or two re-programming charges alone may exceed your initial savings.
PROS AND CONS OF BUYING YOUR HEARING AIDS FROM A BROKER
Your insurance policy or supplement may have an agreement with any one of the numbers of 3rd party brokers of hearing aids. They all have different prices and limitations in the fine print.
We know them all. Before calling the 800 number and saying “yes,” call us and let us help you on your journey to better hearing.
Click here to schedule an appointment.