Desert Hearing Care – Hearing News

If you keep increasing the volume on your TV or catch yourself complaining about how everyone else keeps mumbling, listen up: A growing body of research shows that dwindling hearing could be an early tip-off of other conditions, from Alzheimer’s to cardiovascular disease. And here’s the scariest part: Many doctors don’t regularly check their patients’ hearing. A study from Virginia Commonwealth University shows that physicians skip nearly half of all regular evaluations at yearly checkups, and one of the most routinely missed tests is the hearing exam, it gets bypassed nearly 70 percent of the time. “It’s so important to regularly get a hearing test because all too often people don’t know that they have a problem,” says Ellen Finkelstein, M.D., an audiologist in New York City. (You should also be sure to avoid The Biggest Threat to Your Hearing.)

Here are four reasons why you should speak up and ask for a hearing test at your next appointment:

Hearing loss can mean a higher risk of Alzheimer’s. People who are hard of hearing are more likely to develop cognitive conditions like Alzheimer’s and dementia, according to a study from the National Institute of Aging. And the worse your hearing is, the higher your risk: For every 10 decibels of hearing loss, the chance of developing Alzheimer’s increases 20 percent. How come? Experts believe that hearing loss is a result of nerve damage in the body, and nerve damage in the ears can be a sign of damage in other places, like the brain. To protect yourself from the disease, check out the story, How to Ward Off Alzheimer’s.

It could be a red flag for cardiovascular disease. Having trouble hearing low-frequency sounds could be a sign that something’s not right with your heart. The inner ear is made up of tons of sensitive blood vessels that are so sensitive, in fact, that any changes with them, like hearing loss, could be an early sign of bigger blood vessel issues in the body, i.e., cardiovascular disease.

Problems with hearing can lead to depression. Italian researchers found that people ages 35 to 55 with mild to moderate symptoms of hearing loss were much more likely to experience psychological distress. And it doesn’t stop there: Another survey of 2,300 adults over the age of 50 found that those with untreated hearing loss were much more likely to feel depressed, anxious, and alone. “Not being able to hear correctly has a profound effect on your body and your emotional well-being,” says Dr. Finkelstein. When you can’t hear, you tend to isolate yourself from the people and things you enjoy.

An exam could spot cancer. A hearing test isn’t only important to catch issues with your hearing, but it can help spot tumors, too. “I can’t tell you how many times I’ve found a suspect mole or precursor to skin cancer on or around the ear,” says Dr. Finkelstein. It’s hard to really examine your own ear or notice a new mole there, she says.

By Molly Raisch, Men’s Health

If you suspect yourself or someone you love may be experiencing hearing loss, don’t wait, take the first step and call Desert Hearing Care today at (480) 985-2544, to schedule your FREE, no charge or obligation, patient-centered hearing evaluation to find out what is best for you. You can also schedule your free consultation online here

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Leading hearing solutions company – GN ReSound – is using the Nordic nRF24L01+ in its award-winning ReSound Alera hearing aid to stream audio direct from TVs and other consumer devices such as computers and home cinema systems

Ultra low power (ULP) RF specialist Nordic Semiconductor ASA recently announces that its proprietary 2.4GHz wireless technology is being employed by world-leading Danish hearing solutions company, GN ReSound, in its award-winning (2011 CES Innovations Award, Design & Engineering) ReSound Alera hearing aid product, which enables users to wirelessly stream audio from common consumer electronics (CE) devices such as TVs and smartphones (the latter via a chest-worn Bluetooth wireless technology microphone clip) direct to their hearing aid(s) over a range of up to 20 meters.

In operation, the end user simply connects their TV (e.g. via a SCART cable) or other CE device (e.g. desktop PCs, laptops, tablet computers, home cinema systems, radios) to a small audio streamer box equipped with a Nordic nRF24L01+ 2.4GHz transceiver. This then pairs with a second nRF24L01+ located in the ReSound Alera hearing aid.

When the user wishes to watch TV they simply push a button on the back of their hearing aid or use a (cost optional) remote control to select the device’s designated wireless channel (typically between 1 and 3) to immediately stream wireless audio in stereo direct from the TV to their hearing aid.

“It was extremely challenging to achieve this ease of end-user functionality, along with medical-grade [99.99%] field reliability and real-time audio performance in a hearing aid as small as [for the latest ReSound dot2 product] an adult finger nail weighing as much as a paper clip,” admits Thomas Olsgaard, VP of Hardware Platforms at GN ReSound.

The entire ReSound Alera product range is built around a uniquely miniature 2.0cm (length) x 1.5cm (height) x 0.6cm (thick) product form factor that has to embed an even smaller 1.4cm (length) x 0.6cm (height) x 0.4cm (thick) electronic module housing an antenna without groundplane (due to lack of space), Bluetooth wireless technology radio, a proprietary (Nordic nRF24L01+) 2.4GHz radio, plus an external microcontroller to perform the advanced audio signal processing (background noise cancellation and ‘surround’ sound processing) required in a hearing aid product marketed as being so sensitive it allows hearing-impaired users to hear, for example, snow being crushed under their footsteps, birds signing, and even the sound of falling rain.

Olsgaard continues: “But all of this functionality needed to run for several days from a replaceable ZincAir battery that is a fuel coin cell [that can store around 3x more energy than a standard coin cell]. This meant that the proprietary radio needed the lowest possible power consumption to enable the product to average 1.5mA in operation and peak at 4mA when streaming.

“In addition, the hearing aid needed to offer near 100% medical-grade operational reliability. For us this meant being able to work reliably and offer real-time audio streaming equating to 20ms maximum latency from the source CE device to the reception in the ear – even in the most hostile 2.4GHz operating environments such as 10 active 2.4GHz emitters all operating in the vicinity [e.g. smartphones, computer tablets, gaming devices, and Wi-Fi hubs]. And this demanded an extremely robust protocol design and an ultra linear radio performance from the Nordic chip that pushed this chip’s operational capabilities to the limit – down to the system architectural level – in a way we’re not sure any other manufacturer’s 2.4GHz chip could actually manage.”

“Learning that such a quality-of-life-enhancing hearing aid device that can stream audio from TVs and other popular CE devices with 99.99% reliability not being possible without the technical capabilities of 2.4GHz Nordic ultra-low power wireless solution makes you very proud indeed,” comments Geir Langeland, Nordic Semiconductor’s Director of Sales & Marketing. “We have long regarded ultra-low power wireless as an enabling technology that Nordic works extremely hard to make ever more relevant to an ever increasing range of products and applications such as this excellent hearing aid solution.”

SOURCE: Nordic Semiconductor ASA

If you suspect yourself or someone you love may be experiencing hearing loss, don’t wait, take the first step and call Desert Hearing Care today at (480) 985-2544, to schedule your FREE, no charge or obligation, patient-centered hearing evaluation to find out what is best for you. You can also schedule your free consultation online here

Not ready yet?

REQUEST DESERT HEARING CARE’S FREE SPECIAL REPORT “HOW TO CHOOSE THE RIGHT HEARING CARE PROFESSIONAL” BY CLICKING HERE!

MONDAY, Feb. 27, 2012 (HealthDay News) — Hearing loss is associated with an increased risk of falling, according to a new study.

Johns Hopkins researchers analyzed data from more than who took part in the U.S. National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey from 2001 to 2004. The participants had their hearing tested and answered questions about whether they had a fall in the past year.

The study found that people with a 25-decibel hearing loss (classified as mild) were nearly three times more likely to have a history of falling than those with no hearing loss. Every additional 10 decibels of hearing loss meant an increased 1.4-fold risk of falling.

The findings held after the researchers accounted for other factors linked with falling, such as age, sex, race, heart disease and balance.

People with impaired hearing don’t have good awareness of their overall environment, which makes them more likely to trip and fall, said study author Dr. Frank Lin, an assistant professor at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and the university’s Bloomberg School of Public Health.

It might also be that with hearing loss, the brain becomes overwhelmed by the demands on its limited resources, Lin suggested.

“Gait and balance are things most people take for granted, but they are actually very cognitively demanding,” Lin, an otologist and epidemiologist, said in a university news release. “If hearing loss imposes a cognitive load, there may be fewer cognitive resources to help with maintaining balance and gait.”

The study appeared Feb. 28 in the Archives of Internal Medicine.

If you suspect yourself or someone you love may be experiencing hearing loss, don’t wait, take the first step and call Desert Hearing Care today at (480) 985-2544, to schedule your FREE, no charge or obligation, patient-centered hearing evaluation to find out what is best for you. You can also schedule your free consultation online here

Not ready yet?

REQUEST DESERT HEARING CARE’S FREE SPECIAL REPORT “HOW TO CHOOSE THE RIGHT HEARING CARE PROFESSIONAL” BY CLICKING HERE!

Nearly one in five Americans has significant hearing loss, far more than previously estimated, a first-ever national analysis finds.

That means more than 48 million people across the United States have impairments so severe that it’s impossible for them to make out what a companion is saying over the din of a crowded restaurant, said Dr. Frank Lin, author of a new study published in the latest issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine.

“It’s pretty jaw-dropping how big it is,” said Lin, an assistant professor of otolaryngology and epidemiology at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine.

Previous estimates had pegged the number affected by hearing loss at between 21 million and 29 million.

Lin and other researchers were surprised at the magnitude of the problem, but the significance of the findings goes beyond the “wow” factor, he said.

That’s because other studies have shown that hearing decline is often accompanied by losses in cognition and memory. Further, Lin said, some studies have associated hearing loss with a greater risk of dementia.

Lin’s study is the first to look at the hearing loss in a national sample of Americans aged 12 and older who have actually had their hearing tested. Earlier studies were smaller or depended on people’s self-reports of hearing loss.

For the new study, Lin and his colleagues analyzed data collected as part of the National Health and Nutritional Examination Surveys (NHANES), a research program that has periodically gathered information from thousands of Americans since 1971.

Using the World Health Organization’s definition for hearing loss as not being able to hear sounds of 25 decibels or less in the frequencies for speaking, the researchers found that about 30 million Americans, or nearly 13 percent of the population, had hearing loss in both ears.

That number jumped to about 48 million, or more than 20 percent of the population, by adding people with loss in just one ear.

Many people begin to lose their hearing in their 50s, Lin said. And the process is so gradual that they barely notice. That’s one of the reasons earlier studies found lower numbers of people with hearing loss, Lin said.

“Young people will come in with hearing loss from an infection and they feel so impaired that they can’t do their jobs,” Lin said. “But a lot of times, their hearing loss isn’t as bad as what we see in someone in their 60s who has learned to live with it.”

Because of the association with memory problems, loss of cognition and dementia, Lin would like to see more middle-aged people and seniors getting tested — and treated — for hearing loss. Now, the problem is often ignored, he said.

“If a 10-year-old has mild-to-moderate hearing loss, universally clinicians, insurers, and society say we’ve got to treat it,” Lin said. “But if you have the same hearing loss in someone who is 60, universally you get a shrug. That person still has to go to board meetings and hear people over dinner. But we don’t think it’s important for him to get treated.”

Article by: Linda Carroll – msnbc.com

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Residents of the East Valley may soon be hearing a lot less of some familiar expressions at social gatherings, noisy restaurants or business meetings: “Pardon me?” “Can you repeat that?” “I’m sorry, I didn’t hear what you said.”
Mr. Gene Erickson of Desert Hearing Care recently attended a professional conference in Los Angeles that introduced a new hearing device that is specifically designed to address the needs and preferences of people new to hearing instruments. Results of a recently released international study conducted at two universities, Towson University in Maryland and The Hörzentrum in Oldenburg, Germany, show that new Oticon Intiga triggers immediate acceptance by people new to hearing instruments.
“This challenges the commonly held myth that it takes time to get used to hearing aids,” says Mr. Erickson. “With Intiga, I am finding people who were reluctant to try hearing aids not only accepting their new hearing solutions immediately but also seeing themselves as long term users of amplification.”
Mr. Erickson is one of the first hearing care practitioners in the US to offer Oticon Intiga. “Intiga delivers immediate and obvious benefits to first time users,” says Mr. Erickson. “Intiga’s advanced technology combined with its sleek ergonomic design and miniature size can motivate people with hearing loss to take action now to improve their quality of life.”
In addition to quality of life benefits, Intiga also appeals to the almost universal desire for a hearing instrument with discreet size and style. Intiga’s small, sleek ergonomic design hides easily behind the ear and is comfortable to wear throughout the day. The fully automatic technology also means there are no buttons to adjust.
Wireless connectivity allows Intiga to connect wirelessly to cell phones, becoming a virtual hands-free headset. With addition of the Oticon ConnectLine system, audio from televisions and landline phones can be streamed directly to the hearing instruments. The discreet ConnectLine clip-on microphone can be used with Intiga to enhance a user’s ability to engage in one-on-one conversations in difficult listening environments.
Intiga is available in 13 colors ranging from subtle shades that blend to complement natural skin and hair tones to more vibrant contemporary colors including terracotta, vivid lilac and natural henna.
“I always encourage people to consider a trial of new hearing instruments,” adds Mr. Erickson. “The international study provides an added incentive to make that trial with new Intiga.”
For more information about new Intiga and hearing health, contact Mr. Erickson at (480) 985-2544 or visit www.deserthearingcare.com.

New York — After attending the Starkey Hearing Foundation’s “So the World May Hear” awards gala on July 24, 2011, Whoopi Goldberg later revealed to the National Enquirer that she is another Baby Boomer celebrity who wears hearing aids.
Goldberg was at the event to present an award to Marlee Matlin for raising more than a million dollars for the Starkey Foundation through Matlin competing and placing second on The Celebrity Apprentice.
After the event, Goldberg told the Enquirer that she was not only a supporter of the Foundation’s charitable efforts, but also that she suffered from low frequency hearing loss and wears Starkey hearing aids, hidden by her trademark dreadlocks, in both ears.
In the exclusive interview, Goldberg said that she attributes her hearing loss to years of listening to music using headphones at high sound volume.
SOURCE: The National Enquirer

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FOR OUTSTANDING CONTRIBUTIONS IN PUBLIC SERVICE, BILL AUSTIN, FOUNDER, STARKEY HEARING FOUNDATION HONORED WITH 2011 JEFFERSON AWARDS

39th annual “Nobel Prize” for public service awards presented to public figures, companies, athletes, students and community volunteers at Washington, D.C., and New York City ceremonies

Washington, D.C., June 30, 2011 – Bill Austin, CEO of Starkey Laboratories and Founder of the Starkey Hearing Foundation was among 18 Americans recently honored for their extraordinary, selfless contributions to the community as recipients of the nation’s highest honor for public service – the 2011 Jefferson Awards.

Known as the “Nobel Prize” for public service, the 39th annual awards were be presented in ceremonies over two days – at a special gala ceremony in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday evening, June 21, followed the next day by a noon luncheon in New York City. Bill Austin was presented with the 2011 Jefferson Award for Outstanding Service by an Entrepreneur for his decades of work bringing the gift of hearing to those in need through the Starkey Hearing Foundation. (Pictured: Marlo Thomas and Bill Austin, Founder, the Starkey Hearing Foundation, recipients of the 2011 Jefferson Awards.) 

In addition to Austin, fellow honorees included actress Marlo Thomas; Chicago White Sox and Chicago Bulls owner Jerry M. Reinsdorf; U.S. Supreme Court Associate Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg; and former Atlanta Falcons running back Warrick, as well as unsung community-based volunteers, companies that represent the pinnacle in corporate citizenship and students that best reflect the Jeffersonian ideals of citizen involvement. “Our nation’s greatness is derived in large measure from its goodness – from the countless noble Americans whose commitment to helping others embodies the founding ideals of our democracy,” said Sam Beard, co-founder and president of the Jefferson Awards for Public Service. “The Jefferson Awards serve to celebrate those among us – some famous, though most anonymous – whose selflessness, altruism and generosity of spirit represent the best of America. Their tireless work not only improves lives within their communities, but serves to dignify our nation as a whole. We owe them our thanks and offer these congratulations.”

“With Albert Schweitzer as my boyhood role model, it has always been my mission to help improve the lives of others in a truly meaningful way,” said Bill Austin. “The Starkey Hearing Foundation’s mission is to bring the gift of hearing to those in need that they may be able to realize their full potential. To that end, we do all that we can to help make a difference in a person’s quality of life by opening them up to a new world of sound that allows them to feel more connected to their family, their community and to the world at large.”

After building a successful hearing aid business with Starkey Laboratories, which has since become the largest provider of in-the-ear hearing aids in the world, Austin decided in 1977 to expand the work of his existing foundation to reach more disadvantaged children and adults both within the US and abroad. Today he dedicates his time along with the Starkey Hearing Foundation team to traveling around the country and the world most of the year on hearing missions distributing state-of-the-art hearing aids to those in need. Since 2000, the Foundation has fitted more than 500,000 hearings aids, and has set a new goal of distributing 1,000,000 hearing devices by the end of this decade.

According to the Starkey Hearing Foundation, hearing loss is pervasive – affecting 34 million Americans – or one in 10. Yet, with the help of a hearing device, hearing loss can often be corrected in a majority cases, giving an individual the opportunity to better connect with their family, the community and the world around them.

About The Starkey Hearing Foundation

The Starkey Hearing Foundation is striving to change the social consciousness of hearing and hearing loss prevention. Hearing loss affects one in 10 Americans, and 70 million children worldwide, yet many do not have access to the hearing devices that can help correct that disability. The Foundation now delivers approximately 100,000 hearing aids annually through hearing missions in countries stretching from the U.S. to Vietnam. Since 2000, the Foundation has supplied more than 500,000 hearing aids to people in need and is striving to achieve its goal of distributing over one million free hearing aids in this decade. In addition to giving the gift of hearing, the Foundation also works diligently to promote ‘safe hearing’ through two unique programs – the recently launched Listen Carefully campaign, aimed at preventing hearing loss among teens and young people; and the Sound Matters™ program, which with the help of partners such as Best Buy, the GRAMMY Foundation and others within the music and entertainment industry, seeks to raise social awareness of healthy hearing, prevention of hearing damage, and regular hearing check-ups. For more information on the Starkey Hearing Foundation, visit www.starkeyhearingfoundation.org.

About the Jefferson Awards for Public Service

The Jefferson Awards was co-founded in 1972 by Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, U.S. Senator Robert Taft, Jr. and Sam Beard, as the ‘Nobel Prize’ for public service. Named for one of America’s most influential Founding Fathers, and the principal author of the Declaration of Independence, the Jefferson Awards’ central tenet is that each and every citizen shares a responsibility to work towards the betterment of their communities through economic participation, public service, volunteerism, and other such efforts to improve life for all. Today, the mission of the Jefferson Awards is to recognize, inspire and activate volunteerism and public service in communities, workplaces and schools across America. As President J.F. Kennedy once said, “One person can make a difference and every person should try” and to date, over fifty thousand individuals of all ages have been recognized by the Jefferson Awards for their efforts to make the world around them a better place. For more information on The Jefferson Awards, visit www.JeffersonAwards.org

If you suspect yourself or someone you know is experiencing hearing loss, call Desert Hearing Care at (480) 985-2544 or schedule your free consultation online here

Not ready yet?

REQUEST DESERT HEARING CARE’S FREE SPECIAL REPORT “HOW TO CHOOSE THE RIGHT HEARING CARE PROFESSIONAL” BY CLICKING HERE!

Washington, DC, June 24, 2011 — The Better Hearing Institute (BHI) is urging people to pack earplugs when heading out to this year’s 4th of July celebrations and is urging them to exercise safety whenever around fireworks. The single bang of a firecracker at close range can permanently damage hearing in an instant. But by following some simple precautions, people can enjoy the 4th of July festivities and still protect their hearing.

“The best advice I can offer is to leave the fireworks to the professionals and sit at a comfortable distance from the display, where you can enjoy the colors and lights, but not expose yourself and your family to loud noises,” says Sergei Kochkin, PhD, BHI’s executive director. “To protect your hearing, make sure you’re wearing ear plugs and that they’re securely in place before the show begins. And be sure to keep them in for the entire show.”

Disposable ear plugs, made of foam or silicone, are typically available at local pharmacies. They’re practical because you still can hear music and the conversation of those around you when you have them in your ears. But when they fit snuggly, they’re effective in adequately blocking out dangerously loud sounds.

Noise is one of the most common causes of hearing loss. Ten million Americans have already suffered irreversible hearing damage from noise; and 30 million are exposed to dangerous noise levels each day.

According to the American Pyrotechnics Association, consumption of fireworks in the United States has risen dramatically over the past decade, from 152.2 million pounds in 2000 to 213.9 million pounds in 2009. As more and more Americans come into contact with fireworks, it becomes increasingly important that people follow sound safety measures, including the use of ear protection.

The Dangers and Signs of Loud Noise

Loudness is measured in decibels, with silence measuring at 0 dB. Any noise above 85 dB is considered unsafe. Most firecrackers produce sounds starting at 125 dB–presenting the risk of irreversible ear damage. Repeated exposure to loud noise, over an extended period of time, presents serious risks to hearing health as well. 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 other warning signs:
• You have pain in your ears after leaving a noisy area.
• You hear ringing or buzzing (tinnitus) in your ears immediately after exposure to noise.
• You suddenly have difficulty understanding speech after exposure to noise; you can hear people talking but can’t understand them.

Anyone can take the first step to addressing hearing loss by taking a simple, interactive screening test in the privacy of their own home by going to www.hearingcheck.org.

“Prevention is so critical to preserving our hearing, especially for children who are at highest risk for noise-induced hearing loss,” adds Kochkin. “So make sure your family and friends fully enjoy the holiday festivities and celebrate smart. Leave the fireworks to the professionals. Stay a safe distance away. And pack the earplugs. Remember: close to 40 percent of hearing loss is preventable with proper protection.”

Protecting Our Hearing

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 of 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.

The best way to protect hearing is to avoid excessively loud noise. When you know you’ll be exposed to loud noises, like fireworks, wear ear protection. Every day you can protect your hearing by keeping down the volume on earbuds, stereos, and televisions. And you can teach children to quickly plug their ears with their fingers when they’re suddenly and unexpectedly bombarded by loud sirens, jack hammers, and other loud sounds.

Kochkin warns that people should not personally use firecrackers to celebrate the 4th of July, since one explosion in close proximity could cause permanent hearing loss, not to mention bodily harm. There is a reason why fireworks are illegal in many states, and that is because of their inherent danger.

If you suspect yourself or someone you know is experiencing hearing loss,

Call Desert Hearing Care at (480) 985-2544 or schedule your free consultation online here

Not ready yet?

REQUEST DESERT HEARING CARE’S FREE SPECIAL REPORT “HOW TO CHOOSE THE RIGHT HEARING CARE PROFESSIONAL” BY CLICKING HERE!