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NewsletterOctober 2007 |
Hello, everyone! |
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I was talking with someone here in the office the other day about how we always bemoan how summer goes by so fast, but we never seem to say, "Wow, winter sure flew by!" or "Man, why is it that spring is always gone before you know it?!" No, it's always summer that elicits that comment.
While I, too, am one of those folks who wonder why summer is always the most fleeting of seasons, I love autumn, too. |
It's great to have autumn here with all the fall colors, the brisk air, the abundance of ripening fruits and veggies. We hope each of you get to enjoy this time of year as well.
Special 2-day event: Oticon's Delta, Phonak's Audeo and other open-air products
This month we are having a special two-day event featuring the Delta hearing instrument from Oticon. The Delta is a very versatile, discreet open-air product. It comes in a variety of designer colors and three different circuits with various features. We also will be featuring the new Phonak Audeo open-air designer instrument as well as other open-air products. We believe in giving our customers a variety of choices to meet their individual needs |
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Tinnitus News
The following article was printed in the Hearing Review, Insider Edition.
Neuromonics Launches First US Clinical Study to Assess Long-Term Tinnitus Treatment
BETHLEHEM, Pa—Neuromonics announced the initiation of the first post-market US study to evaluate long-term outcomes for the Neuromonics Tinnitus Treatment. This is an FDA-cleared therapy proven to interact, interrupt, and desensitize tinnitus disturbance for long-term benefit. Unlike traditional therapies, the Neuromonics Tinnitus Treatment comprehensively addresses the neurological, psychological, and audiological basis of tinnitus. Patient enrollment is now underway, and the first patient has started treatment at Silverstein Institute.
Neuromonics' non-invasive, FDA-cleared device is customized to the patient's unique hearing and tinnitus profile. It delivers a customized neural stimulus that promotes neural plastic changes, allowing the brain to filter and process the tinnitus. The delivery system, to carry the neural stimulus, consists of spectrally modified customized music, which engages the brain's emotional response center, the limbic system. Research published in the April 2007 issue of Ear & Hearing demonstrates the Neuromonics Tinnitus Treatment offers clinically significant reduction in tinnitus disturbance in 91% of treated patients. The Neuromonics Tinnitus Treatment is reportedly the most comprehensive, long-term therapy that targets the neurological, audiological, and psychological basis of tinnitus. (For a report on the system, see the article by Sinopoli, Davis, and Hanley in the August 2007 edition of HR or click here.)
Clinically administered and monitored, the Neuromonics Tinnitus Treatment is a proven treatment that offers significant long-term reduction of tinnitus disturbance. The therapy is delivered via a compact, lightweight and uniquely designed medical device. Treatment typically occurs over a 6-month period, with daily use recommended for 2 or more hours per day when the tinnitus is most disturbing. The treatment can take place during regular activities such as reading, relaxing or computer work.
Primary endpoints for the Customized Acoustic Stimulation for Long-Term Medical Benefit (CALM) Study include clinically significant reductions in tinnitus disturbance and quality-of-life improvements, with patients evaluated after six months and up to 36 months post-treatment. This national study will include up to 10 clinical sites with a planned enrollment of 100 moderate-to-severe tinnitus patients collectively. The study's lead investigator, Jack Wazen, MD, of the Silverstein Institute, will manage and oversee the trial. The two primary sites for the study are the Silverstein Institute in Sarasota, Fla, and the Cleveland Clinic in Cleveland, Ohio.
Tinnitus affects as many as 50 million people in the US. Within this patient population, 10 to 15 million seek medical treatment and 2 million have severe, highly disturbing tinnitus. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report 1 million new cases of tinnitus are identified each year and 200,000 per year are severe cases. Tinnitus symptoms can be so extreme that they negatively impact normal daily activities and could lead to additional medical conditions, such as anxiety, depression, sleep deprivation and elevated stress.
"The millions of patients affected by tinnitus have traditionally had limited therapeutic options," says Wazen. "Neuromonics Tinnitus Treatment represents the first tinnitus treatment with long-term benefit, as demonstrated by previous studies. By leading the CALM Study, I hope to further our understanding of how Neuromonics Tinnitus Treatment improves quality of life and tinnitus disturbance, so that physicians and audiologists nationwide can continue making informed decisions about its clinical use."
"Neuromonics looks forward to expanding upon the positive outcomes that have been seen in previous studies," says Jack Springer, director and CEO of Neuromonics USA. ""Neuromonics is committed to sponsoring long-term outcomes-based trials evaluating the therapy's lasting efficacy in this difficult-to-treat patient population. Our goal is to prove that by addressing the underlying neurological and psychological causes of tinnitus, patients may experience long-term, quality-of-life improvements."
To inquire about participating in the study, contact infoatneuromonicsdotcom (ed. note: this email address has been altered to help avoid spamming) or call (866) 606-3876.
SOURCE: Neuromonics
Tone Deafness: do people cringe when you sing?
Amusia is the technical term used for tone-deafness. Actually, only 1 in 20 people truly have this condition. There are just a lot of folks who can't hold a tune in a bucket…even though they can hear music just fine! Those who truly are tone-deaf, known as "amusics," cannot perceive changes in pitch.
Some scientists believe that there is much overlap between how the brain processes music and how it processes speech because speech also has pitch and rhythm. Other scientists hold to the view that certain brain functions are separate from others. They believe that musical perception and thinking occur separately; that our brains develop centers and networks exclusively devoted to music apart from anything else.
Researchers are studying the brains of amusics and those who have normal musical ability to see if there is a difference in brain structure. Brain scans have not revealed such, but more sophisticated tests have shown there to be differences in the density of the white matter (which is made up of nerve fibers) between the right frontal lobe (where higher thinking takes place) and the right temporal lobes (where basic sound processing occurs). In amusics, the white matter is thinner, indicating a weaker connection. The study has shown that the worse the tone-deafness, the thinner the white matter.
I think this "brain stuff" is so interesting. It's amazing how intricate our brains are and how sophisticated and specific the communication between the various area of the brain.
Try humming to detect hearing loss!
Ever hear of the Weber tuning fork test? Well, you hit this tuning fork which causes it to vibrate. While it's vibrating, you place it on the midline of the forehead. A person with normal hearing will perceive sound in the midline, but an individual with hearing loss will perceive sound to be more in one ear or the other. Pretty nifty, huh?
A new study, presented at the American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery annual meeting, proposes that humming will produce similar results.
A patient simply hums to himself, then determines whether he can hear himself hum in one ear or the other or if he hears the humming in the middle. The study tested 100 patients in this manner over a four-month period. These patients were given the Weber test, the humming test, and a standard audiogram. According to the test, "The hum and Weber test had a 95 percent correlation to one another in diagnosing conductive hearing loss and a 70 percent correlation in diagnosing sensorineural hearing loss."
Authors of this test: Nora Perkins, MD; David Foyt, MD; Sharon Rende, AuD. |
We welcome comments and suggestions
If you would like to comment or offer suggestions for topics to be covered in our Newsletter, please feel free to contact me. I'd love to hear from you! Also, if our Newsletter has been helpful to you, please forward your friends and loved ones to our web site address: www.advancedhearingplus.com .
Beth Bell |
Quote of the Month
"Forbidden fruits create many jams."
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Reminders |
| If you last had your hearing instruments cleaned in April, it is time to get them cleaned this month! |
Assisted Listening Devices |
| For Assisted Listening Devices, please visit our online store. We offer many products, including TV Ears, at competitive prices and shipped directly to your door. Satisfaction guaranteed. |
Referrals |
If you know someone who has been thinking about getting some new hearing aids and benefiting from newer technology, please send them our way. If they purchase a set of premium digital instruments, we will gladly supply you with 2 free boxes of batteries. If they purchase a set of basic or advanced digital hearing instruments, we will supply you with 1 free box of batteries.
We appreciate your referrals! As you know, we do not use telemarketing to acquire new customers. We rely upon word-of-mouth and media advertising. Not only will they receive the best care, but we can save them money, too! |
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