Help Protect Your Child’s Hearing
The National Hearing Test
by NHT Staff
1y ago
The weather is beautiful, and it’s time for a family trip. But be aware: if your children use earbuds or earphones during  travel, the sound may be loud enough to damage their hearing. It’s up to you to monitor the level of sound to which they are exposed. Q: Aren’t children’s electronic devices regulated on the maximum volume they can produce? A: Unfortunately, no. According to a New York Times article, no required standard “restricts the maximum sound output for listening devices or headphones” sold in the U.S. The Times cites a study that examined 30 headphones marketed to children and ..read more
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Vets: See the Veterans Administration for Hearing-Related Problems
The National Hearing Test
by NHT Staff
1y ago
Many Americans who could benefit from using hearing aids hesitate because of the high cost. Government-sponsored Medicare does not cover hearing aids, and Medicaid recipients may be assisted– under certain conditions–in only about half of the states. Even private health insurance rarely covers hearing aids. 1 That’s why you should know about this important exception: Veterans with service-related hearing damage can receive hearing assessment and assistance (including hearing aids) at reduced or no cost at VA facilities. In fact, hearing problems including tinnitus (a ringing or other noise t ..read more
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Hearing Aids and PSAPs: Making the Choice
The National Hearing Test
by NHT Staff
1y ago
Today’s aging population is fueling a growing demand for affordable hearing aids and alternative hearing devices. As the types of these devices multiply, consumers are faced with a confusing array of choices. Millions are wondering, “If I have mild-to-moderate hearing loss, what is my best choice?” By now you have probably heard about one kind of wearable hearing product: a personal sound amplification device or PSAP (occasionally referred to as an assistive listening device or ALD).  PSAPs have a limited function compared to modern programmable hearing aids. They are not subject to ..read more
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Hearing Loss, Tinnitus and Imbalance/Vertigo
The National Hearing Test
by NHT Staff
1y ago
A reader of this blog has asked us to discuss how hearing loss relates to tinnitus and balance problems. What follows represents a very brief review. There seems little doubt that hearing loss, tinnitus and imbalance are related to inner ear (vestibular) problems. Unfortunately, little definitive research has revealed the exact nature of these relations, nor how these conditions may interact. According to the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NICDC), a division of NIH (National Institutes of Health), hearing loss is the most common of the three conditions: Abo ..read more
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Out for a Good Time? Don’t Forget Your Earplugs
The National Hearing Test
by NHT Staff
1y ago
Recent research has provided further evidence to support what most clinicians and scientists have believed for some time now: Using earplugs may help prevent hearing damage from concerts.1   A warning from the World Health Organization WHO in February 2015 issued a warning and recommendations to preserve the hearing of young people exposed to personal audio devices like smartphones and to damaging sound levels at concerts, nightclubs and bars. Their recommendations: Lower the volume on personal audio devices Use those devices less than an hour a day Take short breaks from listening ..read more
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Can Hearing Loss Be Cured?
The National Hearing Test
by NHT Staff
1y ago
Deep inside your temporal bone is the inner ear, or cochlea, meaning “snail” in Greek. The cochlea’s coils contain many hair-like sensory cells that are put into motion by the sounds you hear and communicate those signals via the eighth cranial nerve to your brain. At least, that’s how hair cells work in a healthy ear. But the overworked hair cells of humans exposed to extreme noise may become ragged and worn out, like the bristles of an old toothbrush. Unfortunately, once they are damaged, those cells are irreplaceable. Some animals can regrow hair cellsFor nearly 30 years now, researchers ha ..read more
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Fly’s Ear Design May Someday Improve Hearing Aids
The National Hearing Test
by NHT Staff
1y ago
Humans normally locate the origin of a sound by sensing small differences in distance and sound level between our two ears as they receive that sound. This ability to locate and focus on sound in space helps us hear a particular voice in a place full of noise. Many people with hearing loss find this challenge frustrating and exhausting. However, a series of advances in hearing aid design based on studying the ears of a tiny parasitic fly, Ormia ochracea, may improve the ability of hearing aids to help us to detect and locate exactly the sounds we want to hear. Ormia ochracea Ormia ochracea d ..read more
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Have Trouble Hearing in Noise? News About “Hidden Hearing Loss”
The National Hearing Test
by NHT Staff
1y ago
Recent research by hearing scientists may begin to explain why so many of us have difficulty hearing in background noise, including places like meeting rooms and restaurants. An exciting topic among audiologists and doctors specializing in hearing is cochlear neuropathy or cochlear synaptopathy, sometimes called “hidden hearing loss.”  Much of the interest in this topic was generated by a paper by S.G. Kujawa and M.C. Liberman (2009), who studied mice who had been exposed to noise. Subsequent testing of the mice appeared to show that even though they soon regained normal hearing thre ..read more
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What Are You Risking?
The National Hearing Test
by NHT Staff
1y ago
Last time we discussed your possible odds of experiencing hearing loss. These vary depending on your age, sex, and degree of exposure to loud sounds, among other factors. The next question to answer is what you could be risking by not taking steps to improve your hearing health. Here are some of the serious risks of untreated hearing loss that have been identified by recent research: Isolation and Mental Decline Several studies have suggested that untreated hearing loss may increase mental decline in older people. A study conducted by hearing specialists at Johns Hopkins reported tha ..read more
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What Are YOUR Odds of Having Hearing Loss?
The National Hearing Test
by NHT Staff
1y ago
    Did you know that people who suspect they have hearing loss often wait years before they take steps to address their hearing health?  What they may not realize is that waiting so long may make treatment more difficult. That’s why it’s important to know and act on YOUR odds of having hearing loss. 1. Age According to the NIDCD (National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders): About 2 percent of adults aged 45 to 54 have disabling hearing loss. The rate increases to 8.5 percent for adults aged 55 to 64. Nearly 25 percent of those aged 65 to 7 ..read more
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