Such is the case with this new information from the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders.

An international team of researchers has found a gene linked with a rare form of progressive deafness in males. The particular form of deafness is known as DFN2, which manifests itself in boys from ages 5-15. Throughout their lives, they will experience hearing loss that can range all the way to profound. Mothers, who carry the defective gene, may experience mild hearing loss much later in life.

The ability to analyze this gene yields exciting benefits, and not only for boys with hearing loss, it is also a step forward in the fight against all hearing loss–audiologists hope to learn more about the exact mechanisms of acquired hearing loss and how to treat it.

Acquired hearing loss is an unfortunate side effect to many powerful drugs: chemotherapy, HIV and AIDS medication all carry this as a potential collateral malady. With this research, an important step was taken in not only diagnosing and treating hearing loss, but also preventing it.

Cardiovascular disease is a well-known factor in hearing loss: an Epidemiology of Hearing Loss Study (EHLS) found that sufferers of cardiovascular disease were 54 percent more likely to also suffer from hearing loss. There are other connections between heart health and healthy hearing: cardiovascular disease is highly impacted by your lifestyle.

Lifestyles likely to result in CVD also put one at a greater risk for high blood pressure and diabetes: two more bodily anomalies linked to hearing loss. Luckily, there are preventative measures you can take.

Regular exercise and proper diet have been proven effective in combating heart disease. Regular visits to your cardiologist and audiologist can also make sure you’re functioning in top condition.

It seems like there might be yet a third sense involved in hearing – touch.

Professor Bryan Gick of UBC’s Department of Linguistics, along with PhD student Donald Derrick, completed a study that suggested that our sense of hearing might be tactically influenced. Brief percussive bursts of air directed at skin with certain syllables serve as clues to the words being spoken.

The actual mechanism might not be as straightforward as feeling the puff of air; Gick suggests that the eyes note the shape of the lips and the expulsion of air, which then registers them in the brain which in turn intuits the response. If the conclusion suggested by this study is true, our notions of hearing and hearing loss may have to be updated.

Sensory interaction is important for those with hearing loss. There is no reason that failing ears should automatically mean failed hearing; the ability of our bodies to adapt and compensate is nothing short of miraculous.

Participants at the workshop discussed different emerging technologies and trends in hearing aids. These included self-adjusted hearing aids, which would cut down on audiologist visits; over the counter and convenient care clinics, which would make hearing aids accessible in retail stores; and telehealth, which would allow for people to receive advice and guidance about hearing aids remotely.

It’s encouraging to see that consumers aren’t the only ones worried about affordable hearing aids.

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.

Researchers at the University of Rochester Hearing Center in New York were surprised when the hybrid offspring not only bred better than the CBA mice, but retained their hearing better as they got older.

Win-win.

Frisina and his New York hearing loss team had set out to study the effects of hearing loss in the ear, but instead hit on a potential neurological cause. Five percent of people over the age of 50 can hear the full range of frequencies – known colloquially as having a “golden ear.” This study essentially replicated this feat in the mice.

The hybrid mouse outperformed the CBA mice from birth, the researchers found (using essentially the same test as in humans). The difference was significant as the mice aged – good news for older sufferers of hearing loss.

There is still much research to be done, but these mice might be the “golden key” to unlock the connection between genetics and 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?

There are actually  two bills currently in talks: The version in the House (H.R. 1646) would call for a provision for a tax credit of up to $500 for each aid, every five years. It would be available for those over 55 or purchasing an aid for a dependent. The Senate version is similar but is without age restriction.

Despite more bi-partisan support than the many similar bills have ever had (66 Democrats and 34 Republicans for the House bill), progress is still excruciatingly slow. You, however, can help: for more information about this important bill, visit the website. You can also write or email your Congressperson detailing why this bill is so important to you. The more people talk about it, the harder it is to ignore.

Be heard. Hear.

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.

The number of skilled lip-readers might soon be growing, thanks to research out of the eighth International Conference on Auditory-Visual Speech Processing. A study presented at the conference found that for the first time ever, computers are able to read lips better than their human counterparts. The computers were able to do so well by exploiting small but simple differences in images lip shapes, rather than the more complex full-video required by human lip-readers.

This technology has been used in a new series of videos to that were able to teach humans to read lips for one-syllable words: no easy task.

The study’s lead author, Sarah Hilder said, “With just four hours of training it helped them improve their lip-reading skills markedly. We hope this research will represent a real technological advance for the deaf community.”

Hopefully, this new lip-reading technology can seamlessly combine with the ever-changing hearing-aid technology to foster better, easier communication for the 36 million Americans suffering from hearing loss.

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??

Yup, now you can even buy hearing aids at your local Walmart.You heard that right hearing aids!

Nestled within certain Walmart supercenters are Amplifon Hearing Aid Centers. Not only do they offer the low prices Walmart has become nearly synonomous with, they offer a variety of services, including:

• Full service coverage

• Full damage coverage

• Full warranty

I’m not sure this is such a good idea as hearing aids should be customized to every patient and even though they are low-cost, in this industry you get what you pay for. They don’t offer diversity and choices between different manufacturers. The only positive out of it is that they are providing hearing aids for the 36 million individuals that have some sort of hearing loss.

Be forewarned with this piece of news.

Specifically, men eating foods higher in folate.

That’s the conclusion come to by American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery Foundation (AAO-HNSF) according to research presented at their annual San Diego expo. They found that men over 60 with diets high in folate intake were 20 percent less likely to suffer from hearing loss, the most common sensory disorder in the United States.

High folate foods include leafy vegetables, asparagus, dried beans and peas, sunflower seeds, baker’s yeast and fortified cereal products. These foods are all high in folic acid, otherwise known as B-9. Deficiencies in folic acid have been linked to heart disease, stroke, and cancer.

Hearing isn’t all about what goes into your ears. Sometimes, it’s about what goes into your mouth.

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.

To this end, Andi Vonlanthen, Vice President, Group Product Development and Dr. Stefan Launer, Vice President Advanced Concepts and Technologies at Phonak AG stressed the importance of ergonomics, wireless options, and signal processing: functions that make the technology less, not more complicated.

Another focus of the conference was a more holistic view of communication: it’s more than just hearing. Hearing aids are important, but they are just one tool in a wide array that can be used to enhance communication. Listening skills, communication skills, and cognitive-based interpretive strategies all play a role in interpersonal understanding. By combining strategy and technology, Phonak hopes to engender comprehension.

The participants at the conference noted that they highly appreciated the excellent speakers and comprehensive content. Hearing loss isn’t only an elderly problem, but senior citizens are at a higher risk for hearing loss, and helping them overcome it in an organic way is crucial.