School Band Performances Causing Hearing Loss

 Did you know that children and teens can incur noise induced hearing loss just from being in their school band or orchestra?  Loudness levels measured during practices and performances well exceed safe measures.  Concert band performances can average 93 dB and can cause hearing loss within 1 hour and 15 minutes of constant exposure.  Marching band performances register an average of 100 dB, and damage can be caused within 15 minutes!  Hearing loss is a function of exposure time, the average sound level, and the peak level of very loud sounds.  According to Etymotic Research Inc., exposure to a player's own instrument or nearby instruments can cause permanent hearing loss depending on the intensity and duration of the sound.  Some people are more susceptible than others to hearing loss from high-level sound.  The human ear overloads at high sound levels, making it difficult to impossible to distinguish the blend with other instruments.  Ringing in the ears and temporary hearing loss can occur from a single concert, sporting event or sudden loud noise like a firecracker.  Just as sunburn heals but leaves permanent skin damage, temporary hearing loss recovers but there can be irreversible inner ear damage that is not seen until later in life.  We need to protect our young musicians' hearing, so they may continue their passion for music without jeopardizing their futures.    Etymotic Research Inc. has developed a program called "Adopt-A-Band".  This program allows businesses and individuals to "adopt" a local school band by providing hearing protection to the band members.  This program educates our young musicians about the danger of excessive noise exposure.  For more information on adopting a band in your area, go to www.etymotic.com/adoptaband.  Let's give our students the opportunity to play loudly and proudly!

Two Ears Are Better Than One

According to Sergei Kochkin, Ph.D. of the Better Hearing Institute, there is an advantage to wearing two hearing aids. If you have hearing loss in both ears, then you are most likely a candidate for two hearing aids. While a hearing healthcare professional can best determine if you are a candidate for two hearing aids (a binaural fitting), the ultimate decision-maker concerning binaural instruments is the person who will wear them. It is important that the person with the hearing loss be given the chance to experience binaural amplification, before a decision on one or two hearing aids is made. Similar to the way refractory problems in both eyes are treated with a pair of glasses, it makes sense that bilateral hearing loss should be treated with binaural hearing aids. Let me share with you why two hearing aids are better than one.

Better understanding of speech. By wearing two hearing aids rather than one, selective listening is more easily achieved. This means your brain can focus on the conversation you want to hear. Research shows that people wearing two hearing aids routinely understand speech and conversation significantly better than people wearing one hearing aid.

Better understanding in groups and noisy situations. Speech understanding is improved in difficult listening situations when wearing two hearing aids.

Better ability to tell where sounds are coming from. This is called localization. In a social gathering, for example, localization allows you to hear from which direction someone is speaking to you. Also, localization helps you determine from which direction traffic is coming or where your children or grandchildren are playing. Simply put, with binaural hearing, you will better detect where sounds are coming from in every situation.

Better sound quality. When you listen to a stereo, you use both speakers to get the smoothest, sharpest, most natural sound quality. Plus, wearing two hearing aids generally requires less volume than one. The need for less volume results in less distortion and better reproduction of amplified sounds.

Keeps both ears active resulting in potentially less hearing loss deterioration. Research has shown that when only one hearing aid is worn, the unaided ear tends to lose its ability to hear and understand. This is clinically called the auditory deprivation effect. Wearing two hearing aids keeps both ears active.

Hearing is less tiring and listening more pleasant. More binaural hearing aid wearers report that listening and participating in conversation is more enjoyable with two instruments, instead of just one. This is because they do not have to strain to hear with the better ear. Thus, binaural hearing can help make life more relaxing.

Feeling of balanced hearing. Two-eared hearing results in a feeling of balanced reception of sound, also known as the stereo effect, whereas monaural hearing creates an unusual feeling on sound being heard in one ear.

Greater comfort when loud noises occur. A lower volume control setting is required with two hearing aids than is required with one hearing aid. The result is a better tolerance of loud sounds.

Reduced feedback and whistling. With a lower volume control setting, the chances of hearing aid feedback (whistling) is reduced.

Tinnitus masking. About 50% of people with ringing in their ears report improvement when wearing hearing aids. If a person with tinnitus wears a hearing aid in only one ear, there will still be ringing in the ear that does not have a hearing aid.

Consumer preference. An overwhelming majority of consumers who have hearing loss in both ears, choose two hearing aids over one, when given the choice to hear binaurally.

Customer satisfaction. Research with more than 5,000 consumers with hearing loss in both ears demonstrated that binaurally fit subjects are more satisfied than people fit with just one hearing aid.

Logically, just as you use both eyes to see clearly, you need two healthy ears to hear as clearly as possible. Before you decide on just one hearing aid, try two. Your hearing healthcare professional can demonstrate to you the binaural advantage during your trial period. Decide for yourself.

Thirty or Older? The Link Between Cardiovascular and Hearing Health Could Pertain to You, BHI Advises, Urging Hearing Checks

Thirty or Older? The Link Between Cardiovascular and Hearing Health Could Pertain to You, BHI Advises, Urging Hearing Checks

Washington, DC, January 21, 2013—In recognition of American Heart Month and National Wear Red Day®, the Better Hearing Institute (BHI) is alerting Gen Xers and baby boomers of the connection between cardiovascular and hearing health. A growing body of research indicates that a person’s hearing and cardiovascular health frequently correspond. In response, BHI is urging people with cardiovascular disease to get their hearing checked. Likewise, BHI is urging people with hearing loss to pay close attention to their cardiovascular health.

The Heart-Hearing Connection
The inner ear is extremely sensitive to blood flow. Studies have shown that a healthy cardiovascular system—a person’s heart, arteries, and veins—has a positive effect on hearing. Conversely, inadequate blood flow and trauma to the blood vessels of the inner ear can contribute to hearing loss.

The authors of a study published in the American Journal of Audiology concluded that the negative influence of impaired cardiovascular health on both the peripheral and central auditory system—and the potential positive influence of improved cardiovascular health on these same systems—have been found through a sizable body of research that has been conducted over more than six decades.

David R. Friedland, MD, PhD, Professor and Vice-Chair of Otolaryngology and Communication Sciences at the Medical College of Wisconsin in Milwaukee, has been studying the relationship between cardiovascular and hearing health for years. According to Friedland: “The inner ear is so sensitive to blood flow that it is possible that any abnormalities in the cardiovascular system could be noted here earlier than in other less sensitive parts of the body.”

In their study, published in The Laryngoscope, Dr. Friedland and fellow researchers found that audiogram pattern correlates strongly with cerebrovascular and peripheral arterial disease and may represent a screening test for those at risk. They even concluded that patients with low-frequency hearing loss should be regarded as at risk for cardiovascular events, and appropriate referrals should be considered.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in the United States. For more information about cardiovascular health and how people can reduce their risk of heart disease and stroke, visit www.heart.org.www.GoRedForWomen.org, and www.hearttruth.gov.

Hearing Loss Twice as Common in Diabetics

According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), hearing loss is about twice as common in people with diabetes compared to those without the disease.  Yet unlike eye exams, hearing health examinations are often overlooked in the routine regimen of care for people with diabetes.  Unfortunately, the ramifications for leaving hearing loss unaddressed can be significant.  According to the Better Hearing Institute (BHI), numerous studies link unmanaged hearing loss to a wide range of physical and emotional conditions, including depression, impaired memory and ability to learn new tasks, increased risk to personal safety, reduced job performance and earning power, and diminished psychological and overall health.  Kathleen L. Yaremchuk, M.D., senior study author at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit, stated, "A certain degree of hearing loss is common with aging, but it is often accelerated in patients with diabetes, especially if blood-glucose levels are not being controlled.  Our study really points to the importance of patients controlling their diabetes and paying attention to their hearing health.   According to BHI, the vast majority of people with hearing loss, including those with diabetes, can benefit from hearing aids.  In fact, studies show that when people with mild-to-profound hearing loss use hearing aids, they experience decreased depressive symptoms, anxiety and emotional instability; significant improvements in quality of life and functional health status; and have significantly higher self-concepts compared to individuals with hearing loss who do not wear hearing aids. 

Relationship Found Between Hearing Loss and Dementia

Recent studies are suggesting a connection between hearing loss and dementia.  The relationship is being studied by Johns Hopkins University as well as other institutions.  Research which was published in the "Archives of Neurology", found that seniors with hearing loss are significantly more likely to develop dementia over time than those who retain their hearing.  The study also found that the greater the hearing loss, the higher their likelihood of developing dementia.  The Johns Hopkins press release on the study stated that the reason for the link between the two conditions is unknown, but investigators suggest that a common pathology may underlie both or that the strain of decoding sounds over the years may overwhelm the brains of people with hearing loss, leaving them more vulnerable to dementia.  They also speculate that hearing loss could lead to dementia by making individuals more socially isolated, a known risk factor for dementia and other cognitive disorders.  These findings have prompted the Better Hearing Institute (BHI), to recommend that all people take hearing loss seriously.  BHI encourages all people ages 50 and older to get their hearing tested by an audiologist.  Proper hearing aid use for those with hearing loss will reduce the amount of strain needed to hear and decode speech, which may reduce the likelihood of dementia.