Millions of Americans suffering from hearing loss are hesitant to correct it. One of the primary reasons is the prohibitive cost — even inexpensive custom hearing aids can run in the thousands of dollars, and are rarely if ever covered by insurance. While people of all ages suffer from hearing loss, older people — who are often on fixed incomes — are affected in much higher percentages. Because of this, mass-produced sound amplifiers from retailers like Radio Shack are gaining in popularity.

These inexpensive hearing aid-like devices retail for less than $50. However, while pricier hearing aids come equipped with nifty features and can be programmed to fit your level and type of hearing loss, these inexpensive sound amplifiers do that and just that: make sounds louder. They won’t mask tinnitus or help you hear high frequency sounds. Despite this, they still have some usefulness: if you are watching television at home, and don’t wish to wake anyone else up, this devices can help augment the sound.

In the end, however, using the most inexpensive hearing aids as an everyday device can be dangerous. While sound amplification is better than nothing at all for those suffering from hearing loss, there are still safety and lifestyle issues they are unequipped to properly combat. Reviews suggest that they fare poorly in crowded or noisy environments, where being able to focus on certain sounds is of more importance than just the level of the volume. If you live in a big city, relying strictly on one of these devices while walking around could be dangerous.
Custom hearing aids are pricey, but the technology can help improve or even save your life. But, if you need a quick stopgap for personal home use, inexpensive mass-produced hearing aids could be of help.

One attempt to standardize the diagnosis and treatment is the implementation of degrees of hearing loss. Audiologists break hearing loss into five degrees: mild, moderate, moderately severe, severe and profound. Patients are categorized into a degree by the softest sound they are able to hear.

If the softest sound a patient can hear is above 71 decibels but below 90 decibels, he is categorized as having severe hearing loss. While this diagnosis might be helpful in fitting a hearing aid and combating the affects of hearing loss, the boundaries are clearly somewhat arbitrary. Rather than iron-clad prescriptions, these designations should be looked at more as guidelines. A sufferer of severe hearing loss might have hearing closer to a sufferer of “moderately severe hearing loss” than another person with severe hearing loss.

Other than in legal contexts, where severe hearing loss is converted into a percentage to ensure equal treatment in the eyes of the law, the degree to which hearing loss occurs is more of a suggestion than a fact. If you feel like you might be suffering from hearing loss, visit a hearing center to determine the best course of treatment.

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.

Protecting your child’s hearing is as important as protecting the rest of her well-being. With Christmas right around the corner, here are some toys to avoid if you want to ensure that your child’s auditory health.

1. Fisher Price Learning Letters Mailbox

2. Sesame Street Help Along Sing a Song

3. Black & Decker Junior Chainsaw

4. LeapFrog Fridge Farm

5. Transformers PowerBots Megatron Action Figure

6. Road Rippers Turbo Wheelie Corvette

7. First Act Discovery Rockin’ Rhythm Guitar

8. Learn & Groove Counting Maracas

9. VTech Learn and Discover Driver

10. Road Rippers Rush & Rescue Ambulance

All of these toys produce sounds about 90Db, a level which has been linked to hearing loss. Because hearing loss is culmulative and the direct causes are difficult to pinpoint, these toys are all freely available.
If you do purchase these toys, know that they carry an increased risk of hearing loss for your children. To minimize this risk, try taking out the batteries, putting tape over the speakers, or making your child wear ear muffs while playing with them.

But how do you know if you need a hearing aid?

The best way is to get a hearing test.

Hearing tests measure your sensitivity to a variety of sounds. These results are plotted on a graph called an audiogram. From left to right, the frequencies increase. From bottom to top, the volume of the sound decreases:

Your ability to hear is then plotted using a series of “x’s” and “o’s” which demarcate the left and right ears respectively. Hearing is measured on a logarithmic system known as “decibels.” For every 10 decibel increase, the volume you perceive doubles.

If the plotted “x’s and o’s” begin to dip below the 20 Db level as you move to the right on the graph (towards higher frequencies), you may have conditional hearing loss. Normal hearing for these frequencies is sensitive to sounds 20Db and below. If after taking the hearing aid test, you realize you have hearing loss, consult and audiologist as soon as possible.

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.