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Maintenance is the key to keeping your hearing aids working at their very best for you. Why is it so important? You have decided to invest in hearing implements to help elevate the quality of your life. Your decision to educate yourself and go through what can be a complicated process to nourish your hearing experiences lends itself to maintaining the equipment you have purchased. You have and are working with your hearing heath professional through comprehensive testing and communication so that your needs are met consistently. Now, ongoing maintenance and care are needed to protect your investment so that you gain maximum benefit!

Hearing Aid Components

Most hearing aids at this point are quite sophisticated and many have microchips and electronic features akin to a mini-computer. Let’s first take a look at which type of components within the hearing devices need the most diligence and why.Along with the latest technology and demand for the best it has to offer in the field of hearing wellness and audiology, we now have access to a wide array of choices. The common denominator is that there is a higher use of electronics giving use a greater number of options and controls suited to our individualized hearing requirements. Electronics and daily exposure to moisture as we all know do not make good partners. Within water and condensation there are ions that can interfere with the complex circuitry of the electronics veering off electrical points necessary to complete their functions.Another aspect of our hearing devices is that many parts are made from metal, and though they are manufactured with protective sleeving, constant exposure to the elements can cause them to become corroded. This is why we keep our laptops and tablets in water-resistant sleeves, our cameras in camera bags and our mobile phones in cases!

What can you do to keep your hearing aids work at maximum efficiency and comfort?

Consultation and fittings:

• Make a list of your activities to share with your audiologist.

This will help you both to get a better understanding and make an informed decision about the type of hearing devices best tailored to your needs.

• Custom molds for your hearing aids is best procured from your audiologist and will diminish feedback and enhance the quality of sound.
• Ask your hearing health professional for proper instructions on the use of the testing tube and any other queries you might have to keep your device at optimum levels.

Necessary items:

• Soft cleaning cloth
• Extra batteries
• Battery tester
• Charger
• Electronic storage device
• Listening tube for testing
• Air blower

Your practice:

• Clean your hearing aids daily.
• Use a soft cloth and mild soap as required.
• Store them in a proper overnight container.
• Charge them overnight for use the next day.
• Check battery levels.
• Make sure your ear molds sit correctly within your ears.
• Carry or use a protective pouch for outdoor activities.
• Test your device on a regular schedule using the testing tube.
• Follow up with your audiologist for regular checkups.

Issues that often pop-up:

Feedback:

• Check for wax build up
• Clean any vents and the microphone on your device
• Make sure that the device is fitted properly
• Check to see if any tubing is twisted or loose.

Traveling:

• Keep a water-resistant pouch on hand for any outdoor activities planned or unexpected.
• Purchase moisture absorption pellets or linings at the local pharmacy in cases of emergency.
• Extra working batteries.
• Limited exposure to rain or excessive moisture.

https://www.asha.org/uploadedFiles/AIS-Hearing-Aids-Troubleshooting.pdf

Do your research!

A good storage unit for your hearing aids is imperative. The market is filled with many kinds and at many price points. Find what is best for you! Do you need one that dries and sanitizes as well? Do you need a storage unit that charges fast? Do you want or need all three functions?Don’t hesitate to communicate with your audiologist and they can help steer you in the right direction!At Atlanta Hearing Doctor, we are well versed in the myriad of requirements that accompany the program to a better life of hearing. You or those close to you are welcome to give us a call regarding any and all questions regarding the betterment of your hearing health. We look forward to hearing from you and to becoming an integral part of a richer hearing experience.

We can talk ourselves into pretty much anything! The challenge is to use that ability to better ourselves and our health. Hearing aids used to carry a stigma, cumbersome in design and worn by only the elderly.Today, however, with a combination of technology, design, demand and hearing health becoming a national public health priority, things have changed substantially. Many past excuses no longer apply and better one is educated to the advancements of hearing aids and their increased user-friendly technology and applications the better armed we are to make decisions that enhance our hearing life and all the joys it brings us.There are many myths surrounding hearing aids and we are going to dispel some of the most popular ones one by one.

Age

The demographics for hearing loss have changed considerable in the past decade. With the advent of tablets and smart phones and the ease with which we can now be mobile and listen or watch our favorite shows and music and increased noise pollution the result is a negative impact on the health of our hearing. According to the World Health Organization (WHO): “1.1 billion young people (aged between 12–35 years) are at risk of hearing loss due to exposure to noise in recreational settings.”The upside to this problematic trend is that there is a burgeoning supply of hearing devices that can be worn and used daily without being glaringly obvious or for the more adventurous type, wearing designs that enhance their acceptance of wearing hearing aids. Acceptance and education about hearing loss has also changed the younger generations outlook on wearing hearing aids and the negative stereo types of the past no longer apply.On the other end of the spectrum are those that view themselves as too far past their prime to care about their hearing loss and accept it as a normal part of the aging process. This myth too no longer applies. Because many types of hearing loss can now be ameliorated with use of hearing aids, the elderly have many more options across the board to stay empowered and engaged in a fuller hearing experience.https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/deafness-and-hearing-loss

Denial

The loss of hearing can be gradual and degenerative. The person experiencing symptoms might at first be unaware that they are compensating by turning up the volume on their listening devices, TV’s or drifting away from their usual group activities. The danger lies in the lack of action or acknowledgement of their condition. When our hearing is affected the most important thing to do is to have our hearing tested by a hearing health professional and have a plan of action.Common excuses for not attending to our hearing health needs actually impairs our ability to regain and keep our natural hearing process sometimes to the point of no return.Often the people closest to us will recognize the effects of hearing loss before we do, so it only will be a benefit to pay attention, be proactive and maintain independence.Whether one can hear “well enough” or not, getting to the audiologist, having regular checkups, and getting an objective well-informed diagnosis will serve one the ability to maintain or enhance our hearing health.

Inconvenience

Once again, the reputation of hearing aids needs to be updated. The latest technology allows us superior control and many user-friendly applications that allows us to incorporate the use of hearing aids with much less hassle than ever before. From controls that adapt to changing environments programmed to our specific hearing needs to designs that are barely noticeable to the lay person.In the past users of hearing aids had to battle little knobs and manually set controls for different hearing situations. Nowadays, comfort and control, ergonomic design, minimization or elimination of feedback are all common features of the modern hearing aid.

Cost

Along with the myriad options in the market we are also lucky to have more choices. Cost is without a doubt one of the most prohibitive factors but there are viable options which can be explored and discussed with your audiologist. Private insurance plans and supplemental ones for Medicare are available to offset the cost of hearing aids.The most cost-effective way to deal with hearing loss or the possibility of it occurring is to get regular checkups, once every five years for those under 50 and every 3 years for those above.

Atlanta Hearing Doctor

Your hearing health is important to us at Atlanta Hearing Doctor, and we welcome any questions you or a loved one might have. We look forward to hearing from you and being a part of your hearing wellness program!

While hearing loss is a common issue, some people feel ashamed that it has happened to them. There is no reason to feel this way, as treatment methods are available to help improve the quality of your life. A trained audiologist can help point you in the right direction.

Types of Hearing Loss

Hearing loss is a common issue. Issues with hearing can typically be detected through professional hearing evaluations. These evaluations will determine which type of hearing loss is present and what treatment solutions will be available to that individual. There are three different types of hearing loss, all of which can be treated. However, hearing loss is a permanent condition. Hearing loss treatment options can provide those experiencing hearing impairment to regain a positive quality of life back.

Conductive Hearing Loss

Conductive hearing loss happens when there is an obstruction in the ear, causing sound not to be able to reach the inner ear properly. This could be due to something as simple as too much ear wax to something more severe like a ruptured eardrum. A hearing specialist will be able to determine what is causing the obstruction and provide you with treatment solutions. Most of these treatment solutions involve procedures or medications to alleviate the problem.

Sensorineural Hearing Loss

This type of hearing loss happens when the cochlea is not able to properly send signals to the brain. The cochlea is the organ inside your ear that allows you to hear. This type of hearing loss is the most common and is typically due to the natural aging process. However, certain diseases and exposure to extremely loud noises can cause this type of hearing loss as well. Hearing aids are usually the most preferred solution for this type of hearing loss.

Mixed Hearing Loss

Mixed hearing loss is exactly what it sounds like. Mixed hearing loss refers to when both conductive hearing loss and sensorineural hearing loss is present.

Challenges Those with Hearing Loss Face

There are several challenges that those with hearing loss will face. This is why it is pertinent that those suffering from hearing loss seek out the help that they need. Hearing loss is nothing to be ashamed of and is a common issue. A professional audiologist can help provide you with treatment options for your needs.

Loss of Independence

Suffering from a hearing impairment can mean that you are also experiencing a loss of independence. Often, those with hearing loss will have to rely on others in order to be able to know what is going on around them. They may want key aspects of their favorite tv show relayed to them or something someone said over the one repeated several times. While this not only is a loss of independence, it can also put a strain on personal relationships. As time goes on, friends and family may become frustrated or overwhelmed.

Depression

Those who cannot hear properly often suffer from depression. This is typically because of the major life changes that result from not being able to hear, such as a loss of independence and increased emotional strain. Suffering from hearing loss can take a toll on a person emotionally, causing them to distance themselves from friends and family. Communication is the basis of almost all relationships. Without a means to communicate, withholding relationships may prove to be more challenging.

Social Isolation

Not being able to hear properly can cause someone to socially isolate themselves. This could be due to a few different reasons. Straining to hear certain voices or noises can cause someone to feel overworked and tired, causing them to leave social situations early. They may also not like relying on others in order to hear.

Hearing Aids with Artificial Intelligence

Artificial intelligence completely redefines a hearing aid’s capabilities, making them more user friendly and adaptable. Hearing aids built with AI have the ability to adapt and make changes, almost as if they were learning. These changes can be programmed into settings that a user would be able to choose at a later date. These settings help the user adjust to the environment and noise levels with ease.

How Can Hearing Aids Help Those with Hearing Loss?

Hearing aids provide a multitude of benefits for those suffering from hearing loss. Hearing aids provide users with a means to form connections and communicate with those around them, as well as listen to the happenings that surround them. This improves their quality of life by decreasing their need to rely on others and limited their emotional strain. A professional audiologist can help to match them to a preferred solution.

Acupuncture is a method of helping to improve the body in various ways. It includes some methods of helping with problems like hearing loss and Tinnitus. Some people have found that acupuncture helps them with their maladies, but others have a different experience. In the end, it's going to come down to whether you think that it works for you. At the least, most people find that there's not much downside to trying the ancient Chinese practice out, just to see if they will like it or not, but again, your mileage may vary.

Understanding Hearing Loss

Hearing loss can happen in at least two major ways. It can either affect the little hairs that exist in your ear canal that are responsible for being affected by sounds on the outside and then relating this information further on into your brain, or it can affect the auditory nerve which actually brings the data to the brain for processing. In the case of a problem with the little hairs, they can get old and not work right anymore, or even stop growing in sufficient numbers. They can become damaged in a hundred different ways.The other issue is with the auditory nerve, which can be damaged from loud noises from a head injury, and from many other things besides.

Understanding Tinnitus

Tinnitus refers to a ringing in the ears. It doesn't have to be a ringing though; it can be any repetitive sound that's happening to a problem with your auditory nerve and not because of any sounds that are happening in the outside world. It can be a repetitive clicking, a buzzing sound, or any number of other annoying noises. This usually happens because of an auditory nerve issue. It can happen just for an hour or two, or it can be a nonstop sound that goes on and on for days or even longer. The problem can just be ever-present, distracting and ruining your experience of life including your ability to sleep or to concentrate on just about anything.

Acupuncture

Acupuncture is a technique in Traditional Chinese Medicine that involves putting very thin needles into various parts of your body in order to solve different problems. According to Chinese Medicine, problems in the body occur due to imbalances. You could have too much of one kind of energy, and too little of another, essentially. The energy in the body is called Qi in this version of the world. By putting needles at the right points in the body, the idea is to eliminate these imbalances and put the body back into balance. This practice has been done for conditions like tinnitus and hearing loss as well.

Does Acupuncture Relieve Tinnitus and Improve Hearing?

This is certainly a controversial issue. Some studies indicate that the practice of acupuncture can have a positive effect on reducing hearing loss and the sounds associated with Tinnitus. Many other studies have mixed results for this, however. The jury is still out on whether acupuncture has any real effects on conditions like Tinnitus or hearing loss. There are specific procedures within acupuncture for treating the issues, which generally involve putting the famous thin needles into various parts of the ear, but there isn't a lot of conclusive evidence that this will have any strong effect on the problem for the majority of people who try to get it done this way.

Seeking Treatment for Hearing Loss and Tinnitus

The only sure proof approach to getting help for these conditions is to go to a traditional doctor near you. Once you get there, you should be able to get a hearing test so that the doctor can determine the best course of action to aid you in your quest to feel better and to be free of problems that are bringing down our quality of life. At this point, what will happen most likely, is that your doctor will fit you with a hearing aid to make sure that you can hear normally again. The quicker you do this the quicker you can be back to normal.

The ability to remain alert is the best way to avoid potentially harmful or fatal accidents and injuries. Several things in our everyday lives can inhibit our alertness – but a foundational risk factor for harm due to a lack of alertness is the efficacy and functionality of our basic senses. While total sensory loss in any area can present an obvious threat, a partial deficiency can have negative outcomes as well. In this article we will be focusing specifically on how hearing loss and auditory impairments can affect safety and accidental injuries.

Studies Linking Hearing Loss & Injury

A multivariate analysis adjusting for age, sex, and other factors was conducted on a survey of 232.2 million adults in the United States. Participants were asked to rate their hearing ability. Just over half (50.1%) rated their hearing as “less than excellent”. Just under 3% (2.8%) of survey members overall experienced an accidental injury. The injury rate steadily increases with each reported degree of hearing loss with “a lot of trouble hearing” reaching nearly one in twenty people experiencing a work or leisure related accidental injury during the same time period.Injuries incur additional costs beyond the effects of the injury itself that people often overlook. In 2013, a study carried out by the CDC on similar injury data concluded that the lifetime costs for medical treatments for accidental injuries exceeded 253 billion US dollars. The average cost across individuals included in this figure is more than 14 thousand US dollars. This includes all injuries, and not just injuries that can be traced directly to hearing loss – but the strong co-morbidity between hearing loss and accidental injuries resulting in harm to an individual remain clear in the data.Why hearing loss is so closely associated with accidental injuries cannot be fully scientifically verified – but we can make some educated assumptions. Many sources of danger are accompanied by an auditory queue that can warn an individual to take action to avoid injury. In many cases – this reaction is reflexive in response to the auditory queue. Humans are social animals as well. A great deal of the harm we avoid can be attributed to the alertness or knowledge of another rather than our selves. A friendly person yelling “watch out” or “duck” can help someone (who was otherwise unaware) avoid danger. We also can avoid harm by receiving explanations on how to avoid harm – and a hearing impairment could cause someone to miss an important article of information.Most of societies warning systems are auditory in nature. The sirens of emergency vehicles, weather alarms in cities or accompanying weather alert broadcasts are some well-known examples, but the most common alert we are all familiar with is a standard household smoke alarm. In 2009, a publication known as “Ear and Hearing” addressed the specific relationship between smoke alarms and hearing impairment. They found that strobe lights were ineffective at waking hearing impaired sleepers. Some other warning methods were tried, but the most effective methods for the hearing impaired still involved an auditory queue. A low frequency (520 hz square wave) alarm sound worked for many, but a hearing aid increases the effectiveness of an alarm like this. Hearing aides also have the added benefit of making other auditory warnings more effective and improving the overall quality of life for the hearing impaired.

Seeking Treatment for Hearing Loss

Most medical experts universally recommend getting a hearing evaluation done by a professional to assess your level of hearing impairment. A very common treatment for individuals who have some level of hearing impairment is to obtain and use a hearing aid.Using a hearing aid not only lets you have more agency in your own safety, but it lets you bring your wisdom to bear for the safety of others. It lets you participate better in the social safety dynamic by having the opportunity to warn others who may not be able to hear danger due to noise pollution, being asleep, or being farther away from an auditory queue for danger.Of course, having a hearing aid also allows you to participate better in social dynamics because most people’s primary form of communication is audio-verbal in nature. Getting a hearing evaluation, and then a hearing aid if necessary, is universally good on all fronts.

Hearing loss has been around for as long as we can remember. Unfortunately, technology was not as good back then as it is today. Doctors have tried several tactics and remedies to try and cure that problem, but many of them have failed. One of the most common cures today is a hearing aid, but they didn't have them back then.Way back in the 19th century, doctors would use unusual tools to try and cure hearing loss. Their goal was to stimulate the nerve in the ears. They would use a large tool to try and vibrate the ear, but it didn't work.Another remedy they tried was quite disturbing. They used to try blistering as a way to cure hearing loss. They would do so by giving patients blisters throughout the caustic plaster. They thought that pus was evidence of toxins leaving the body.In the early 1800's they tried to create artificial eardrums. They made tiny devices that were supposed to help sound come through their ears, but it was ineffective as well, and the process was very painful.Unfortunately, the weird tricks and remedies didn't cure hearing loss back in the day, but as technology has continues to expand, they are finding more and more crazy ways to help cure hearing loss.

Weird Hearing Loss Remedies

David Quigley claims that his hearing loss was cured from hypnosis. The person who claimed to have healed his ears put his/her fingers through David's ears and within weeks he could hear again. It wasn't proven to have worked, and it is definitely not the best way to cure hearing loss!Another remedy discovered is the Hearing Loss Pill. This pill is supposed to cure your hearing loss within 60 days of using it. If it doesn't cure it, you get your money back guaranteed. You are supposed to take the pills as directed or the product might not work. It doesn't sound too promising, but some have tried it.Personal Sound Amplification Devices is another thing people are using to cure hearing loss. The device looks a lot like a hearing aid, what's inside the device is very different. Hearing aids help you hear very clearly, while these devices amplify noise and do not put out high quality sounds. For many, this device is a quick fix, but the quality doesn't compare to a hearing aid.One of the most bizarre cures is cheese. Studies believe that the D-methionine that comes in cheese is a way to reverse hearing loss. It was tested on 500 soldiers. But the downfall is that you have to eat at least five pounds of cheese for it to even work.

Even more unusual hearing loss strategies

While there are dozens of weird tricks and remedies to cure hearing loss. Here are some of the even more unusual ones. While they used to believe these would work, the best way to fix hearing loss is by seeing a specialist. Here is a list of wacky past cures for hearing loss.

1. Put a stick in your ear and leave it in until your hearing is cured.
2. Catheterize the ear and wash it with gas or water and you can hear.
3. Heat your urine using two pans, use the water from the one pan in the ear.
4. Mix hog lard and peach kernels and fry them together. Drop them in the ear.
5. Climb onto something very high and fall back down.
6. Opium drugs help cure hearing loss.
7. Cut the body and let a little blood drain to cure deafness.
8. Get hypnotized, and when you come out, you'll hear again.
9. Snuff. Various brands of snuff can help you hear again.
10. Drugs and herbs.
11. Oils.
12. Cell salts along with minerals.
13. Soap and water can cure deafness.

Treating Hearing Loss with Hearing aids

While these tricks and techniques obviously do not work, they are fun to look back at and get a good laugh. It's also interesting to look back and see how far technology has come. People with hearing loss used to feel hopeless, but now we have hearing aids that enable people with hearing loss to access sound once again.