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Hello Everyone,
Here we are, about half-way through the year already! I'm still getting
used to writing 2005 on everything!
We hope you all had a very memorable Memorial Day. It was good to take
some time off with our families to remember loved ones and those who served
our country.
This month, Jim plans to attend the annual Oregon Hearing Society meeting,
taking advantage of the opportunity they provide for continuing education.
So, Friday, June 17th, Jim will be out of the office. We will remain open
should you need cleanings or batteries, however.
As promised, Unitron has come out with their newest technology---the Moda.
It's an advanced digital, very small open-air product that provides intelligent
noise reduction and speech enhancement across 16 channels to differentiate
speech from noise; it has a realtime feedback canceller and an adaptive beamformer
which tracks moving noise sources to keep the hearing aid focused on speech
in a wider range of hearing environments, including the most challenging ones!
The Moda also comes equipped with a built-in TCoil. As we've explained before,
these open-air products are tremendously helpful to those with high frequency
hearing loss, providing enough amplification without the occlusion effect.
A real technological achievement! In addition to all of this, the Moda
is inconspicuous, using very fine tubing like other open-air products on
the market today. However, for those who need more amplification in the low
frequencies, the Moda will also accomodate the use of a conventional earmold.
We're looking forward to providing this very flexible, high performance instrument
to many of our customers. Unitron has proven to be a very versatile company,
providing quality products that perform well.
***************
Did you know that there is a "gender gap" when it comes to hearing? A very
interesting article on this subject appeared in the June 2002 Reader's Digest,
entitled, "The New Gender Gap", by Dorothy Foltz-Gray. The author commented,
"It's why men tune out and women miss the point." Much of the following information
must be credited to her article.
Researchers have finally found a huge clue to the battle of the sexes! You
aren't going to believe it. It's all in our heads!! As I've stated before
in previous Newsletters, you really do hear with your brain---and no kidding---it's
a right brain/left brain kind of thing!
Various researchers across the country have come up with some interesting
findings pertaining to aging, hearing loss and the brain. And surprise, surprise---there
is, indeed, a difference between men and women in this regard.
In the first place, we all have genes that predispose us to hearing loss---at
what age and to what extent and type of loss varies from one individual to
another. Other factors enter into the picture: exposure to noise, wax build-up,
head trauma, infections, even medications can adversely affect one's hearing.
The major culprit appears to be noise pollution. We live in a very noisy
world. I even have to wear ear protection just to use the office vacuum cleaner--a
louder vacuum doesn't exist anywhere else, I'm convinced! Our office is
seeing younger people (usually men) in their 30's and 40's coming to us for
hearing help these days. Rock concerts and loud music are largely to blame.
Truck engines, road noise, boom boxes, etc.---all contribute to the fact
that hearing problems have risen dramatically between the ages of 45-64.
Residing in the cochlea---the shell-like structure in the inner ear---are
hair cells which are arranged from low to high frequencies. These hair cells
vibrate when the sound pressure gets too high. When these sensory cells vibrate
too much, they fall apart. This shearing of these hair cells starts with
the higher frequencies first, and they don't grow back (although there is
ongoing research at this time to find a way to regrow these hair cells). The
more hair cells you lose, the less you hear. Alongside these hair cells is
a membrane that generates the electrical current which delivers the auditory
information to the brain. This membrane acts as a type of battery, and as
we get older, this battery weakens.
The higher frequencies help us to hear women's and children's voices, birds
singing, the higher musical notes, the "f", "s", "t" speech sounds. People
with a high frequency hearing loss---usually men---often complain that their
wives mumble, and kids these days---they talk mush!
While it's true that after age 50 women hear better than men in the high
frequencies, that doesn't hold true for the low ones. Researchers theorize
that menopausal changes affect the blood flow to the various structures in
the ear that provide the power to the battery cells, thus resulting in low
frequency hearing loss.
Now, for some of us, these various changes may be imperceptable; for others,
more dramatic. What to do? Protect our hearing and exercise our brains.
We can start with lowering that volume! Oh yes, those surround-sound home
theatre systems are pretty cool, delivering that increased decibel level like
a real theatre---but is it worth a few hair cells? Turning the stereo down
and avoiding loud concerts isn't a bad idea, either. Wearing hearing protection
while you use power tools, farm equipment, or even the lawn mower helps.
We can even fit custom earplugs that are filtered to reduce these loud sounds
but still enable you to hear.
Get periodic hearing check-ups. If you have a hearing loss it's best to
detect it early. It's easier to adapt to hearing amplification and to prevent
the loss from getting worse when you address a loss early on. If you wait
until the hearing loss is too severe, rehabilitation is very difficult.
Keep your brain active. Your brain can help you augment your ability to
communicate with a hearing loss. It's important to remember that hearing
aids are aids to hearing, improving but not restoring 100% hearing. So, some
people with hearing aids may still need to read lips and watch for other cues
to provide more complete information in communication. Reading facial expressions
and gestures can provide hints to words that seem unclear. Attending lectures,
taking courses, reading, playing board games---even Scrabble (my personal
favorite)---whatever you enjoy to stay intellectually stimulated, will help
with brain acuity. Our diet and the amount of exercise we get also play
a role in brain health. Since we hear with our brain, we need to care for
it in conjunction with our ears in order to help preserve our hearing.
Aside from the physical differences, there's a "Men are from Mars, Women
are from Venus" dynamic going on here.
As everything else seems at its peak during our 20's, so is men's hearing.
By the time men hit their mid-30's, the communication between the right and
left brain hemispheres is beginning to diminish, causing men to have greater
difficulty hearing more than one sound at a time. Now, that does explain
why a man with a remote in hand doesn't hear us, gals!
During this time, women continue to hear quite well. But then comes menopause.
As if hot flashes and heart palpitations aren't enough, now we gals begin
having trouble perceiving voice cues--something we've always done quite well
in our right minds---I mean with our right brain. Before a lack of estrogen
caused frazzled nerves and panic attacks, we had no problem detecting humor
or sarcasm. Good thing when rearing teenagers! Now, we may be finding it
harder to tell what people mean.....we now hear our husbands retort more often
than before, "But Honey, I really was just kidding!" Another mystery solved.....now
you guys know why you just can't say anything right! Ah---but ladies, there
is life after menopause! Once women reach their 70's they recover---see,
it's always been a hormone thing!
Boy, I can't wait to share all this with my husband when I get home----that
is if he'll hit mute on the remote and get out the Scrabble!
*******************
Reminders:
If you last had your hearing aids cleaned in February, it's time to get
them cleaned this month.
Please don't forget to check out our online Assistive Listening Devices
store at www.advancedhearingplus.com . If you are in need of TV Ears (these
are wonderful---they really clarify speech), an amplified phone (we have
a large selection of models and styles), a personal FM system, or any of
a number of other assistive listening devices, we have a wonderful selection
at very good prices. You can order online and have these products shipped
directly to your door. Satisfaction guaranteed.
Do you have a question or comment? Please email me at beth@advancedhearingplus.com
.
Website address: www.advancedhearingplus.com
How to contact us:
You can always call us at 746-7671 or toll-free at 1-800-230-1953.
Our hours are from 9am to 5pm, Monday through Friday. Before or after
hours, you are welcome to call and leave a message on our machine.
Feel free to email us with any questions or concerns. Jim’s email:
james@advancedhearingplus.com . Beth’s email: beth@advancedhearingplus.com
Copyright ©2005
