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Who is Buying Enhancers? By Nobuko Ito, Au.D. Audiologist What is an Enhancer?...Continue reading

Who is Buying Enhancers? By Nobuko Ito, Au.D. Audiologist What is an Enhancer?...Continue reading

Made for iPhone Hearing Aids - A Game Changer for One Man By Nobuko Ito, Au.D. Love Story When I met my husband in 1999, I was really astounded. Well aside from... his rugged good looks and his hearty laugh, I was really surprised that he did not even own a cell phone. He had a beeper. You know, one of those little square things that people used to clip on to their belt? It would go off with a buzz and when you looked at it, it would have a little digital message on its display. The sender would put in a phone number for you to call, or some short message. That was high tech during the early 1990’s, but by 1999 everyone had a cell phone. Nope, he declared proudly when I asked him if he owned one. In response to my surprised look, he said don't need one. As I was to discover over the years, he had a stubborn streak of independence and refusal to follow trends. But trends have a way of becoming everyday life, especially when we find out how convenient they are. Little conveniences like sending a short I'm on my way text or finding each other inside of a store became indispensable tools to make life easier. Once he started using it, he took off! A Modern Man Today, my husband is never without his iPhone, and he keeps the iPad by him at home. His new hearing aids are paired to both the iPhone and iPad, and these are his favorite activities: Listening to rock music streaming to his hearing aids from his iPhone. He comments that music sounds really good, the way it used to sound for him. Watching replays on his iPad of his favorite team, the UCLA Bruins. Since the sound is streaming from the iPad to his hearing aids, he can do this while our sons are doing homework without disturbing them at all. While driving, he streams the GPS directions directly to his hearing aids from his iPhone. This way he has no interference from car noise or wind noise and he can understand the voice at a low volume. Getting phone calls from his iPhone streaming into his hearing aids. The incoming call is in stereo and is calibrated to his hearing loss, so it is super clear for him. He can carry on a conversation on the phone without ever saying what? and the conversation is private (he didn't know that everyone could overhear every word from the caller before, when he used to turn up the volume in order to understand them). Watching movies on his iPad at the airport. Instead of killing time waiting for departures, he actually looks forward to sitting at the gate and watching movies streaming to his hearing aids. Really clear! he proclaimed the first time he did it. My husband continues to surprise me. Who would have thought? Instead of living with the strain of hearing loss, he has chosen to embrace and enjoy new technology. So proud of him, my modern man! To find out more, visit Bluetooth hearing aids.

Your spouse has a high frequency hearing loss: how to speak so you don't have to repeat yourself so much 1. Lower the pitch of your voice. Although it will seem... unnatural at first, try talking in a lower tone. This will increase the chance of your words falling into the better hearing portion of the thresholds. 2. Talk at a slower pace. This will allow the listener to take a moment to "fill in" that gap in hearing. 3. Tap the listener on the arm before you talk. The listener can be ready to focus on your face when you speak. 4. Choose more words. This may seem counterintuitive, but with more words, there's more context. For example, "Where shall we eat?" is harder to understand than "Which restaurant do you want to go to?" 5. Use gestures whenever you can. 6. Don't accept "Huh?" or "What?" The listener must make an effort to help, just like you are. Instead, the listener should repeat back the portion that he or she did hear, and ask about the part not heard, like "I heard the first part of what you said, but what was the other thing you want me to buy?" 7. If you buy hearing aids, purchase the type that is designed for high frequency hearing loss. See http://www.hearbright.com/hearing-aid-styles and see the receiver-in-the-canal style as one example of the right design. See more

Suddenly feeling plugged in one ear: What To Do The ear is very sensitive, and rightly so! It's designed so that even small changes can be felt. The sensitivity is there for a reason; there are delicate and important structures in the ear. Before you do anything, determine the following: 1. Do you use a Q-Tip to clean your ear? If so, you may have packed wax into the ear canal. Have your Audiologist perform a quick otoscopic check. He or she might perform tympanometry to dete...rmine if the wax has created a complete plug or not. 2. Were you at a loud concert, sporting event, or party within the past 24 hours? Was your ear near the source of the blast of sound? If so, you might have TTS, or "temporary threshold shift." The danger with TTS is that your ear may recover, but not completely. You may have some permanent damage from the sound blast. Make an appointment for a hearing evaluation so your thresholds can be documented. 3. Do you feel vertigo or imbalance in addition to the plugged sensation? If so, make an appointment right away for a hearing evaluation with an Audiologist. The hearing evaluation should be followed immediately by an appointment with an Ear, Nose, and Throat (ENT) specialist who will need to look at the audiogram and perform an exam. If there is a long wait for an appointment, tell them about your symptoms and expect to be seen sooner. See http://www.hearbright.com/adult-diagnostic-audiologic-evalu for a description of what to expect. 4. Do you feel pain along with the plugged sensation? Follow the instructions on number 2 above. 5. Do you have tinnitus (ringing, buzzing, humming, roaring) in your ear along with the plugged sensation? The tinnitus can indicate many possible conditions. Make appointments with your Audiologist and an ENT per number 2 above as soon as possible, but remember that the tinnitus can also be present if you have a wax plug. 6. Does the plugged sensation "come and go?" This may indicate a wax plug, which can expand with moisture or shrink with dryness, or it can indicate other medical conditions. Make an appointment with your Audiologist to determine if you have a wax plug. 7. Remember, you can have more than one condition at a time. For example, you can have a wax plug but you can also have a medical condition that your ENT will need to treat. See more

Did you put "exercise more" on your 2017 resolutions list? Did you realize that beyond losing weight and improving cardiac function, exercising could be beneficial for hearing health too? http://shout.lt/bNBMf

If you have a high frequency hearing loss: how to adjust your car radio http://www.hearbright.com//if-you-have-a-high-frequency-he

Need a quick feel-good story for your Friday!? How about this one from the UK about the inspiring effects of the Toy Like Me campaign? http://shout.lt/bNzpd

What are the most common causes of hearing loss? This handy graphic shows the top six!

What can today's hearing aids do? They can stream calls, music and movies. They can help you hear in noisy restaurants and quiet libraries. They can help you better focus on speech while still enjoying the sounds of nature. See what else they can do here: http://www.hearbright.com/hearing-aids

Muse hearing aids come with a unique Music Memory that can be personalized just for you. Hear from this Muse wearer on how his hearing aids have helped him enjoy music again. http://shout.lt/bNsGs

Looking for help with your Halo or Halo 2 hearing aids and TruLink? Visit the TruLink Instructional Guide video playlist here for step-by-step guides! http://shout.lt/bNq69

Make music sound great again with our Muse hearing aids. Come on in so we can show you how a dedicated Music Memory can get you jamming to your favorite tunes again! http://www.hearbright.com/hearing-center-san-jose-ca