Hearing Care Blog | Thigpen Hearing Center
I’m Ready For New Hearing Aids
Question: What should I look for when I’m ready for new hearing aids?
Answer: Fitting hearing aids is based on the skill and technique of your doctor of audiology. There is not one individual setting on a hearing aid that is right for everyone. The aids must be programmed and modified for your ear canal, type of hearing loss, communication needs, and comfort. Computer programming is critical to success with hearing aids. Fine-tuning the amplification and frequencies is a science which must ...
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Making Moves — and Protecting Your Hearing, Too
Planning to bust some moves at the gym as part of your 2019 goals? You’re not alone. As a tried-and-true strategy for losing weight, feeling more fit, or simply stepping up physical activity for overall wellness, working out is a perennially popular New Year’s resolution, and exercise classes can be a fun way to fit the bill.
The catch? Whether it’s cycling, kickboxing, step aerobics, dance, or another high-energy track, these classes often crank up the music to harmful levels — well ...
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Self-Fitting Hearing Aids: Key Reasons to Consult a Hearing Care Professional Instead
Have you heard of self-fitting hearing aids (SFHAs)? Can they help if you have a hearing loss? What exactly are they, and how do they differ from traditional hearing devices fitted by a hearing care expert? What’s the best action to take if you need hearing help?
With hearing loss posing a serious public-health challenge worldwide — it’s a chronic problem affecting millions of women, men, and children — technology continues evolving to improve sound clarity, expand compatibility with other smart ...
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Single Sided Deafness
Question: I have hearing loss in one ear that cannot be helped with a hearing aid and normal hearing in the other ear. I frequently have trouble hearing those at the office on the side of my poor ear. Any suggestions?
Answer: You have described a type of hearing loss that usually CAN be helped with hearing aids. Single sided deafness is called unilateral hearing loss and can be helped by using a contralateral routing of signals (CROS).
In other words, there is ...
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No Bones About It: Osteoporosis May Nearly Double Risk of Sudden Hearing Loss
What does osteoporosis, a potentially debilitating disease affecting some 10 million Americans and 2 million Canadians, have in common with conditions such as heart disease, diabetes, chronic kidney disease, dementia, and other selected conditions? It can go hand in hand with hearing loss.
More specifically, at least one study links osteoporosis to a nearly doubled risk of sudden sensorineural hearing loss, a disease that can touch people of all ages around the globe but primarily affects those in their 50s and 60s. ...
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Improving Hearing Ability
Question: Why do you think some people receive better benefit from their hearing aids than others do?
Answer: So many things contribute to this. We believe that auditory rehabilitation techniques should be taught when receiving the hearing aids as a standard treatment protocol.
This approach begins with the testing of not just the hearing ability but the test of communication needs in the patient’s lifestyle. We address the specific areas where the patient is struggling to hear and develop a written program to ...
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Turn the Music Up, Dude — But Not Past 85 Decibels
You probably use your tablet or smartphone often to stream music, TV shows, or movies. In fact, many websites these days auto-play videos regardless of whether you want them to.
Smartphones, tablets, and other types of portable music players (PMPs) are now commonplace, as are earbuds and headphones. But if your PMP is turned up too loud while wearing earbuds or headphones, you can damage your hearing quickly. Let’s look at why.
NIHL
This isn’t some new sports league — NIHL stands for noise-induced ...
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Personal Sound Amplifiers
Question: I’ve seen devices advertised on TV and in magazines called “personal sound amplifiers” and they are a lot less expensive. Are they the same thing as hearing aids?
Answer: No, they are not. Personal sound amplifiers are quite different from hearing aids and shouldn’t be used in place of expertly programmed hearing aids fitted by a Doctor of Audiology.
The PSA was created to amplify sounds during recreational activities and not to assist with hearing loss. They are not programmed to specific ...
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Is Weight Connected to Hearing Loss?
Studies about weight often concern its relation to overall health. Common connections include weight and the risk for or prevalence of heart disease, diabetes, and sleep apnea, to name a few. One topic that doesn’t get as much attention is the connection between weight and risk for hearing loss. But is there a connection?
To understand how weight affects hearing, you need to know about something tiny but important in your inner ear: the hair cell.
The Hair Cell
Your brain doesn’t ...
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