Best Picks for 2013′s Most Life-enhancing Consumer Electronics

We Love Our Technology

(BPT) – Americans love their electronics: smartphones, tablet computers, digital cameras, HDTVs, e-book readers, MP3 players, and hearing aids.
That’s right – new, sleek, state-of-the-art, life-altering hearing aids. As contoured and futuristic as the most highly styled electronic device – or  so discreet that they’re virtually invisible – today’s hearing aids are the high-tech “anti-aging” tool that can help keep life-loving Gen-Xers and baby boomers socially, cognitively and physically active.

Technology Offers Solutions that Enriches Life

At its best, technology offers solutions, enriches life, and makes us more efficient. Today’s modern hearing aids do all three.
For more than 34 million Americans, hearing loss is part of life. Most frequently, it results from repeat exposure to loud noises – like at concerts, nightclubs, sporting events, crowded restaurants, loud workplaces and so on.
In many ways, hearing loss is the unintended by-product of life fully lived—that is, before we knew better about how to protect our hearing in such noisy environments. But when ignored and left unaddressed, hearing loss robs from life. It isolates. It debilitates. And it diminishes quality of life. It even takes a toll on fiscal well being by cutting into earnings potential. And perhaps most notable, unaddressed hearing loss creates barriers and unnecessarily strains even the best of relationships.
But listen up: It doesn’t have to. And it shouldn’t.

Majority of those Suffering from Hearing Loss Can Benefit from New Hearing Technology

The overwhelming majority of people with hearing loss can benefit from hearing aids. And eight out of 10 hearing aid users say they are satisfied with the changes that have occurred in their lives specifically due to their hearing aids – from how they feel about themselves to the positive effects hearing aids have on their social and work lives.
High-performance technology and style have merged with durability and ease-of-use when it comes to today’s hearing aids. The options are so varied, in fact, that there is an attractive solution for just about anyone.
Today’s high-tech hearing aids can be as discreet or as visible as you like. Designers offer styles that appeal to the fashion conscious, the trendsetter, the party-goer, the intellectual, the active sports enthusiast, the cautious grandmother, the romantic, the weekend warrior, and even the guy just tired of arguing with his wife and kids about the volume on the TV.

Simply, today’s hearing aids transcend old-world notions about hiding a condition as common as hearing loss. Whether they sit discreetly inside your ear canal, or wrap aesthetically around the contour of your outer ear like the latest fashion accessory, today’s high-performance hearing aids amplify life. They unabashedly send the message: “I’m too young and full of life to stop doing the things I love best.”

Is Someone You Care About Struggling with Hearing Loss

If you think you or someone you care about is struggling with unaddressed hearing loss, ask yourself these questions:
* Do you seem to have trouble hearing on the telephone?
* Is it more difficult for you to follow conversations when two or more people are talking at the same time?
* Do you keep turning up the TV or radio?
* Do you sometimes miss a telephone ring or doorbell?
* Do you seem more irritated or tired at big family or social gatherings?

If the answer to some or all of these questions is yes, it’s time to take that first step toward regaining the reins on life. Make an appointment with a hearing health professional, and take charge of your hearing loss.
So go ahead. Be an innovator. Disrupt your life for the better. And get that one consumer electronic that’s sure to amplify your life. Buy a hearing aid. Then hear how dynamic technology – and the world around you – can be.
For more information on hearing loss, visit the Better Hearing Institute at www.betterhearing.org.

Better Hearing Center of Palo Alto

480 Lytton Avenue, Suite 1
Palo Alto, CA 94301
Phone: (650) 322-0384
Fax: (650) 322-2302

Better Hearing Center of Palo Alto Urges Use of Ear Protection during 4th of July

Better Hearing Center of Palo Alto Warns Against Hearing Injuries, Urges Use of Ear Protection during 4^th of July Celebrations and Loud Summer Activities

Palo Alto, July 3, 2012 —Better Hearing Center of Palo Alto is joining the Better Hearing Institute (BHI) in urging people to use sound judgment and ear plugs in celebrating the 4th of July, America’s noisiest day of the year. The single bang of a firecracker at close range can permanently damage hearing in an instant. Better Hearing Center of Palo Alto and BHI also are encouraging people to protect their hearing when participating in other loud, summertime activities, including concerts, stock car races, the use of lawn mowers and power equipment, shooting practice, power boating, and when listening to MP3 players and other electronic devices with earbuds and headphones.

Noise is one of the most common causes of hearing loss. Ten million Americans have already suffered irreversible hearing damage from noise; and 30 million are exposed to dangerous noise levels each day.  Children are most vulnerable.

“Noise-induced hearing loss can be life-changing, but it also is highly preventable,” says Mark Sanford, Audiologist of Better Hearing Center of Palo Alto. “That’s why this 4^th of July Better Hearing Center of Palo Alto is raising awareness within the Palo Alto community of the risk that fireworks pose to hearing. And we are encouraging people to both leave the fireworks to the professionals and to use earplugs when attending fireworks celebrations.”

Disposable ear plugs, made of foam or silicone, are typically available at local pharmacies. They’re practical because you still can hear music and the conversation of those around you when you have them in your ears. But when they fit snuggly, they’re effective in adequately blocking out dangerously loud sounds. 

 

Better Hearing Center of Palo Alto also reminds the Palo Alto community that regular hearing checks are critically important for detecting hearing loss early and for getting appropriate help in order to minimize the negative impact that unaddressed hearing loss can have on quality-of-life. BHI offers a free and confidential online hearing check (http://www.hearingcheck.org/) where people can quickly assess if they need a more comprehensive hearing test by a hearing professional.

Numerous studies have linked untreated hearing loss to a wide range of physical and emotional conditions, including impaired memory and ability to learn new tasks, reduced alertness, increased risk of personal safety, irritability, negativism, anger, fatigue, tension, stress, depression, reduced income, and diminished psychological and overall health.
“Prevention is so critical to preserving our hearing, especially for children who are at highest risk for noise-induced hearing loss,” says Sergei Kochkin, PhD, BHI’s Executive Director. “So make sure your family and friends fully enjoy the summer and 4^th of July festivities by celebrating smart. Leave the fireworks to the professionals. Stay a safe distance away. And pack the earplugs. Remember: close to 40 percent of hearing loss is preventable with proper protection.”

The Dangers and Signs of Loud Noise

Loudness is measured in decibels, with silence measuring at 0 dB. Any noise above 85 dB is considered unsafe. Most firecrackers produce sounds starting at 125 dB–presenting the risk of irreversible ear damage. Repeated exposure to loud noise, over an extended period of time, presents serious risks to hearing health as well. If you have to shout over the noise to be heard by someone within arm’s length, the noise is probably in the dangerous range. Here are other warning signs:

• You have pain in your ears after leaving a noisy area.
• You hear ringing or buzzing (tinnitus) in your ears immediately after exposure to noise.
• You suddenly have difficulty understanding speech after exposure to noise; you can hear people talking but can’t understand them.

Anyone can take the first step to addressing hearing loss by taking a simple, interactive screening test in the privacy of their own home by going to www.hearingcheck.org.

Protecting Our Hearing

We hear sound when delicate hair cells in our inner ear vibrate, creating nerve signals that the brain understands as sound. But just as we can overload an electrical circuit, we also can overload these vibrating hair cells. Loud noise damages these delicate hair cells, resulting in sensorineural hearing loss and often tinnitus (ringing of the ears). The cells that are the first to be damaged or die are those that vibrate most quickly–those that allow us to hear higher-frequency sounds clearly, like the sounds of birds singing and children speaking.

The best way to protect hearing is to avoid excessively loud noise. When you know you’ll be exposed to loud noises, like fireworks, wear ear protection. Every day you can protect your hearing by keeping down the volume on earbuds, stereos, and televisions. And you can teach children to quickly plug their ears with their fingers when they’re suddenly and unexpectedly bombarded by loud sirens, jack hammers, and other loud sounds.

More About Hearing Loss and Hearing Aids
Three out of four hearing aid users report improvements in their quality of life due to wearing hearing aids. And studies show that when people with even mild hearing loss use hearing aids, they improve their job performance, increase their earning potential, enhance their communication skills, improve their professional and interpersonal relationships, and stave off depression.

Advances in digital technology have dramatically improved hearing aids in recent years, making them smaller with better sound quality. Designs are modern, sleek, and discreet. Clarity, greater directionality, better speech audibility in a variety of environments, better cell phone compatibility, less whistling and feedback than hearing aids of the past, and greater ruggedness for active lifestyles are common features.

Better Hearing Center of Palo Alto believes in a team-oriented approach to ensure all your hearing healthcare needs are met. We work with you, your family, and your physician to encourage better hearing and an improved quality of life.

As an audiological clinic, we provide comprehensive hearing evaluations by licensed audiologists, Tinnitus Testing and Treatments, including Neuromonics, FM systems and assistive listening devices, Cochlear Implant/BAHA programming and follow up, custom earmolds and noise protection, hearing testing for children, and in-house hearing aid services, repairs, batteries and miscellaneous supplies.

Call to schedule your appointment today:
(650) 322-0384
We always accept new patients!

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Teeth & Bones to treat hearing loss? Find out about this alternative hearing treatment

For single sided hearing loss, this is an excellent alternative treatment that does not require surgery and is easy to use.  We are pleased to be one of the few offices in the country selected to use this device.

- Mark J. Sanford, M.S., CCC-A, Audiologist

How Teeth and Bones Can Treat Hearing Loss by LAUREN UZDIENSKI, MAY 15, 2012

Though a bit outside our typical musculoskeletal focus, this morning’s funding announcement from Sonitus Medical has highlighted the role of hard tissue in providing solutions for hearing loss. Hearing loss is traditionally aided by a process known as air conduction – hearing aids work this way, with the device amplifying sounds that pass into the ear canal, making the three small bones in the middle ear (ossicles) vibrate. However, there is an alternative for patients with particular types of hearing loss or who cannot use traditional hearing aids. Bone conduction can transmit sound directly through bone to the inner ear, bypassing the external auditory canal and middle ear.

Sonitus Medical has evolved the bone-conduction principle to create a 510(k)-cleared device, worn in the mouth and with a separate microphone behind the ear, to transmit sound through the teeth. Today Sonitus announced that the company has raised $25 million in venture funding led by Abingworth. Bone-conduction devices have been in use since 1977 and usually require a permanent abutment to be implanted in the bone behind the ear, which has led to efforts toward a less invasive solution (like Sonitus’, which is not permanent).

http://www.healthpointcapital.com/research/2012/05/15/how_teeth_and_bones_can_treat_hearing_loss/

Free Hearing Screenings for National Kidney Month in Palo Alto!

March is National Kidney Month and March 8 is World Kidney Day.  We bring this to your attention because hearing loss commonly coexists with chronic kidney disease (CKD), chronic renal failure, and other kidney diseases. People with CKD and other diseases of the kidney are encouraged to make hearing checks a routine part of their medical care.

As published in the American Journal of Kidney Diseases, and highlighted on the National Kidney Foundation web site, a team of Australian researchers found that older adults with moderate chronic kidney disease have a higher prevalence of hearing loss than those of the same age without CKD.

These research findings, along with other documented studies, underscore the importance of making hearing checks a routine part of the medical care of people with kidney disease.

We hope you’ll celebrate National Kidney Month with us by calling for your free hearing consultation: (650) 322-0384

Better Hearing Center of Palo Alto

480 Lytton Avenue, Suite 1
Palo Alto, CA 94301 (map)

Hearing loss and how it relates to mental problems…

A definitive relationship between a person with hearing loss and their risk of developing mental problems is shown in this

Mark Sanford, President of CSG Better Hearing, Inc.

research/article.  This has been evident to me in my 26 year audiology and hearing aid dispensing career.  The longer a person with hearing loss waits to get help, the more their quality of life will suffer both mentally as well as in relationships with family and friends.  The chances of developing dementia, Alzheimer’s disease, or some other mental problem are also increased.

Read the article at BetterHearingPaloAlto.com or as it originally appeared on the NY Times blog.

BetterHearingPaloAlto.com

Phone: (650) 322-0384

480 Lytton Avenue, Suite 1
Palo Alto, CA 94301 (map)

Deter Dementia with Musical Training!

Here is another study showing the importance of hearing in adulthood.  Exercising our muscles is important to keep them functioning well.  Think of hearing as a muscle that needs to be exercised to maintain function.  Musicians are exercising their hearing muscles on a regular basis which trains them to have ears that are in better shape than someone who is not a musician.

Responding to hearing loss is essential.  If an adult doesn’t do anything about hearing loss, the hearing system will deteriorate, which is proving to increase the likelihood of diseases like Alzheimer’s, depression, mental incapacity, senility, and withdrawal. -Mark Sanford, President of CSG Better Hearing

Read the full article in the Monterey Herald reported by Lee Bowman of Scripps Howard News Service on October 9, 2011.

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Better Hearing Center of Palo Alto

480 Lytton Avenue, Suite 1
Palo Alto, CA 94301
Phone: (650) 322-0384
Fax: (650) 322-2302

Hearing Loss Associated With Development of Dementia

"This latest research confirms mental ability and hearing loss are closely linked. People with hearing loss need to receive help when it is diagnosed. If people wait before they get a hearing device, they risk decreased mental capacity over time. This is the "Use It or Lose It" phenomenon of auditory deprivation. The longer someone with a hearing loss waits to get help, the harder it is to adapt to a hearing device." -Mark Sanford, President of CSG Better Hearing

 

CHICAGO—Older adults with hearing loss appear more likely to develop dementia, and their risk increases as hearing loss becomes more severe, according to a report in the February issue of Archives of Neurology, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

By the year 2050, an estimated 100 million people or nearly one in 85 individuals worldwide will be affected by dementia, according to background information in the article. Interventions that could delay the onset of dementia by even one year could lead to a more than 10 percent decrease in the prevalence of dementia in 2050, the authors note. “Unfortunately, there are no known interventions that currently have such effectiveness,” they write. “Epidemiologic approaches have focused on the identification of putative risk factors that could be targeted for prevention based on the assumption that dementia is easier to prevent than to reverse. Candidate factors include low involvement in leisure activities and social interactions, sedentary state, diabetes mellitus and hypertension.”

To assess another potential risk factor, hearing loss, Frank R. Lin, M.D., Ph.D., of Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions, Baltimore, and colleagues studied 639 individuals age 36 to 90 without dementia. Participants initially underwent cognitive and hearing testing between 1990 and 1994 and were followed for the development of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease through May 31, 2008.

Of the participants, 125 had mild hearing loss (25 to 40 decibels), 53 had moderate hearing loss (41 to 70 decibels) and six had severe hearing loss (more than 70 decibels). During a median (midpoint) follow-up of 11.9 years, 58 individuals were diagnosed with dementia, including 37 who had Alzheimer’s disease.

The risk of dementia was increased among those with hearing loss of greater than 25 decibels, with further increases in risk observed among those with moderate or severe hearing loss as compared with mild hearing loss. For participants age 60 and older, more than one-third (36.4 percent) of the risk of dementia was associated with hearing loss.

The risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease specifically also increased with hearing loss, such that for every 10 decibels of hearing loss, the extra risk increased by 20 percent. There was no association between self-reported use of hearing aids and a reduction in dementia or Alzheimer’s disease risk.

Get answers to Frequently Asked Questions about hearing!

“A number of mechanisms may be theoretically implicated in the observed association between hearing loss and incident dementia,” the authors write. Dementia may be overdiagnosed in individuals with hearing loss, or those with cognitive impairment may be overdiagnosed with hearing loss. The two conditions may share an underlying neuropathologic process. “Finally, hearing loss may be causually related to dementia, possibly through exhaustion of cognitive reserve, social isolation, environmental deafferentation [elimination of sensory nerve fibers] or a combination of these pathways.”

“If confirmed in other independent cohorts, the findings of our study could have substantial implications for individuals and public health. Hearing loss in older adults may be preventable and can be practically addressed with current technology (e.g., digital hearing aids and cochlear implants) and with other rehabilitative interventions focusing on optimizing social and environmental conditions for hearing. With the increasing number of people with hearing loss, research into the mechanistic pathways linking hearing loss with dementia and the potential of rehabilitative strategies to moderate this association are critically needed.”
(Arch Neurol. 2011;68[2]:214-220). Available to the media pre-embargo at www.jamamedia.org).

Editor’s Note: This work was supported by the Intramural Research Program of the National Institute on Aging and a grant from the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders. Please see the article for additional information, including other authors, author contributions and affiliations, financial disclosures, funding and support, etc.

For more information, contact JAMA/Archives media relations at 312/464-JAMA (5262) or e-mail mediarelations@jama-archives.org .

 

BETTER HEARING PALO ALTO 480 Lytton Avenue, Suite 1
Palo Alto, CA 94301
Phone: (650) 322-0384
BetterHearingPaloAlto.com