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NewsletterSeptember 2007 |
Hello, everyone! |
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Hope you all had a safe and enjoyable Labor Day weekend! Ready or not, fall is upon us. The summer season always seems to be the fleetingest (is that a word?).
Jim is taking a much-needed and long-overdue vacation with his family the first week of this month. They're going to Crater Lake. He grew up here and has never been to Crater Lake! About time, huh! The office will be open while he's gone. | |
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Old Ears on Young Bodies
Baby Boomers and Hearing Loss
According to the Better Hearing Institute, one in six baby boomers has hearing loss. The AARP reports that there are more people between the ages of 45 and 64 with hearing loss (10 million) than there are people over 65 with hearing loss (9 million). According to the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders, more people are losing their hearing earlier in life.
On July 12, 2007, the New York Times published an article entitled, The Day the Music Died, written by Stephanie Rosenbloom wherein was sited the above information. She further described the hearing loss baby boomers suffer from as a result of listening to or performing loud music over extended periods of time.
Loud music, not-so-loud music, and permanent hearing loss
But, there is hope. According to a Purdue University audiologist, musicians who protect their hearing can preserve it. Lata Krishnan, a clinical associate professor, sited one study which found that three out of every four rock and jazz musicians have some kind of hearing disorder. In addition, this study revealed that 15 percent of American teens have some permanent hearing loss. Permanent hearing loss results from repeated exposure to loud noise, including loud music. Temporary loss can result from exposure to loud music for as little as 15 minutes!
Most of us don't realize that music can damage hearing even without being so loud that it hurts our ears. We all tend to think of a trumpet or trombone as being loud instruments. But did you know that a piccolo can generate sound that's equivalent to a jackhammer thirty feet away?!! Amazing, the power of sound, huh!
Symptoms of hearing damage
Common symptoms to watch out for after exposure to loud music are muffled hearing, ear discomfort, ringing or buzzing in the ears, plugged feeling in the ears, hypersensitivity to sounds, intolerance to loud sounds, and difficulty hearing in a noisy room.
Hearing loss and the Y Generation
Teens usually are not concerned with hearing damage. And, the effects of exposure may not be evident right away. With the use of iPods and other listening devices, and teens propensity for loud music, hearing damage is something that the "Ygeners" will be dealing with in the near future. Teens who perform musically need to be aware of hearing damage as well.
Preventing hearing loss for musicians
In order to protect and preserve their hearing, musicians of all ages should wear protective plugs. Stuffing cotton in your ear just won't do. The cheap foam plugs help, but are not suitable for musicians due to distortion of sound. Custom made musician's ear plugs are the best and most reliable kind of ear plugs for the musician to use during practices and performances, and can be obtained from most audiologists and hearing aid specialists.
It's the Brain, It's the Brain!!
How does the brain hear and interpret sounds?
These days, we are discovering more exciting and interesting facts about how we hear. Scientists in London have revealed how the brain hears in noisy environments. Their research shows that various regions of the brain work synergistically. However, even the brain will give up trying if the speech is completely incomprehensible.
While in a quiet setting, with limited background noise, and where a person speaks distinctly, the left and right temporal lobes mainly do the job of speech interpretation. However, these scientists were able to identify the importance of a specific region of the brain used when hearing is impaired by background noise. This particular region, the angular gyrus, appears to be crucial in decoding distorted sentences---but only when the sentence is predictable.
Scientists hope that by understanding how the brain interprets distorted speech, that they will be able to further help those with cochlear implants who often have trouble in difficult hearing situations. |
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
"Some minds are like concrete—thoroughly mixed up and permanently set."
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Reminders |
| If you last had your hearing instruments cleaned in March, 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! |
Questions? Comments? |
| Do you have a question, comment, or concern? Do you have a testimonial that you would like us to include in a future newsletter? Please don't hesitate to contact Jim or contact me. |
How to receive our newsletter |
| If you have friends or loved ones who would like to receive our newsletter via email, we will be happy to add them to our email list. All you need to do is have them contact me to provide me with their name and email address. We also have copies of the newsletter in our office if you would like to pick them up here. |
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How to contact us
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Office Hours
Monday thru Friday 9-5
Saturday by appointment only
Address and Phone
816 Beltline Rd
Springfield, OR 97477
Telephone: 541-746-7671
Toll Free: 800-230-1953
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