The entire scope of sensorineural hearing remains somewhat mysterious. New information in the struggle against loss of hearing is highly prized, especially when a genetic connection can be established.
Such is the case with this new information from the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders.
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Hearing isn’t just about your ears. In order for you to be able to function, many different parts of your body have to be in harmony. At the heart of it all is – you guessed it – the heart. If your ticker isn’t working correctly, it can negatively impact your lungs, kidneys, liver, AND hearing.
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As all of the blind readers of this blog know, hearing is about more than just your ears. Posture and facial expression also play a huge role in one’s ability to interpret auditory clues and properly register sound. For those with hearing loss, body language can gain even more importance, as the sensorineural pathways lose their effectiveness.
According to statistics recently published in Healthy People 2010, a scant 17% of the adults aged 20-69 who suffer from hearing loss use aids. For those 70+, the number is better but still below 30%.
For many of those, finding an affordable hearing aid is the problem.
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Effective communication is more than good hearing, and good hearing is more than amplified noise. Despite all of the dedicated research, the exact mechanisms behind hearing loss remain mysterious; but a New York hearing loss study might have peeled back the veil a tiny bit.
The study used a species of mouse, the CBA, that gradually lost its ability to hear higher frequencies over time – like humans. While these mice were good for studying similar effects, they weren’t the best mice for breeding. To increase the yield, researcher Robert Frisina cross-bred them with a more virile sort of mouse, C57 Black 6 – known for their poor hearing.
The results were startling.
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The Better Hearing Institute estimates that 30% of Americans over the age of 60 suffer from some form of hearing loss.
Much of this hearing loss is sensorineural hearing loss than can’t be cured; however, hearing aids can greatly increase the quality of life for those afflicted with hearing loss. By hearing better, these people can be more active, more social, and generally more engaged in their lives. Unfortunately, hearing aids are expensive, sometimes prohibitively so, and are not covered under insurance plans.
So why is Congress taking so long to help?
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Hearing aids are a big part of the fight against hearing loss, but are only one part of the solution. Audiologists not only diagnose hearing loss and fit their patients with proper hearing aids, they also suggest lifestyle changes that can engender better communication – not just an ability to hear quieter sounds.
Common tips include focusing on one person at a time, choosing areas where background noise is minimized, and focusing on face of the person to whom you’re talking. The last tip is especially important for those skilled in reading lips.
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Wal-mart has long been synonymous with variety. You can buy clothes, shoes, games, food…if you can think it, there’s probably already a huge aisle dedicated to it.
But hearing aids??
Like many things that affect our bodies, hearing loss has myriad and diverse causes. Much of our lifestyle can affect whether we suffer from hearing loss, from the jobs we choose to the cars we drive. It’s no surprise, then, that what we eat can also help stave off hearing loss.
Specifically, men eating foods higher in folate.
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From November 16-18, 2009, Phonak hearing aids hosted the Hearing Care for Adults 2009 conference. One of the primary focuses of the conference was how to reconcile the constantly shifting technology of hearing aids, with an older consumer base that might not be used to using highly intricate devices. Phonak stressed ease of use and functionality in its presentations, stressing intuitive, fluid design.
