December 20, 2007 Issue
HEARING
LOSS HELP E-zine
"The premier e-zine for people with hearing loss"
Volume 2, Number 10 December
20, 2007
Publisher: Neil Bauman
neil@hearinglosshelp.com
http://www.hearinglosshelp.com
Copyright Center for Hearing Loss Help 2007
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"Hearing loss may change your life,
but your life need not be any less
rewarding and fulfilling
because you have a hearing loss."
— Neil Bauman, Ph.D.
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================================================== In this issue ==================================================
1. News Items
2. Beware of (Ototoxic) Drugs That Can Damage Your Ears
3. Answers to Your Questions
4. Coping Strategies
5. Information on Hearing Aids, Cochlear Implants and/or Assistive Devices
==================================================
1. News Items
==================================================
What Can You Reasonably Expect from a Cochlear Implant
by Neil Bauman, Ph.D.
Several people have asked me to address the issue of cochlear
implants (CI). Although I don't have a cochlear implant, I know
hundreds and hundreds of people that do have cochlear implants.
My friend Denise Portis is one of them. She also has a way with
words. Here is her witty assessment of what a cochlear implant is
not, and then what it is. (Used by permission.)
_________
Many people think a cochlear implant "fixes" your hearing. They
may think that now that you have a cochlear implant, you have
perfect hearing and are "normal". I realize that most people talk
about how things are different by discussing things "alike"
first, followed by how things are "different". However, since I believe there are many misconceptions about CI's, I'll start with
what they are not.
What a Cochlear Implant is Not
1. A cochlear implant does not make you Jamie Sommers. You are
not the Bionic Woman (or man) and can hear things 4.2 miles away!
2. A cochlear implant does not make you a lightning rod. Someone
with a cochlear implant is not more likely to be struck by
lightning than someone else. Sure, if you are playing outside in
a lightning storm on a hill without cover, holding a golf club in
your hands, then yes, you might be hit by lightning. But it's not
because you have a cochlear implant in your head!
3. A cochlear implant does not provide crystal clear hearing so
the recipient never has to say "huh?" again.
4. A cochlear implant's magnetic coil is not a "plug". I realized
my sister must have thought this when she winced when I took it
off to show her. There is not an opening to your brain. It
doesn't "plug in" like a cord in an electrical socket. There are
no gruesome wires or frankensteinish types of protruding pieces
of metal.
5. A cochlear implant does not make someone begin to have balance
problems—at least not usually—although I have heard it can
happen. That is why good surgeons always run a battery of tests
which include ways to detect if you already have vertigo
problems. I have always been "dizzy" (though never blond) and I
almost failed the tests at Johns Hopkins on vertigo. I have a
mild version of Meniere's disease, and looking back, I think it
began when I was around 18 years old. I did not begin losing my
hearing until I was 25.
I have a history of accidents a mile long. Every emergency room
doctor knows me by name. I break bones, fall a great deal, and
run into things. I actually have no memory of not being this way.
Growing up, I was told I was "clumsy". My CI didn't make me
dizzy. I was already dizzy. I realize that some people begin
having balance problems after receiving a CI, but as I understand
it, this is the exception to the rule, and not common for CI
recipients.
6. A cochlear implant does not allow you to hear every kind of
environmental sound. There are still things I don't hear at all,
or don't hear well.
What a Cochlear Implant Is
1. A cochlear implant is a bionic type of device surgically
implanted into the cochlea of your inner ear. Some consider it a
prosthesis. The recipient is "mapped" frequently in the beginning
(sort of like being programmed) and then usually once a year for
life after receiving one. Each mapping allows adjustments to
enable you to hear things more clearly. At the same time the
electrodes are tested and checked.
2. A cochlear implant can be worn anywhere except in the water.
One cannot scuba dive after receiving a CI (due to increased
pressure). Some, like my own Nucleus Freedom, are "splash
resistant". I can get caught in a rain-storm without an umbrella,
or hop into the shower accidentally without removing it and not
destroy it. Certainly, should those things happen, I would
promptly put it in my Dry 'n Store (an electronic drying device),
nor would I ever do those things on purpose. I mean I do shower
on purpose, but I don't jump into the shower with my CI on with
the intent of destroying it. (In hindsight, I thought I should
assure you that I do shower, and do so on purpose!)
One can swim with a CI, but not with the outside components
attached. Water tends to ruin them. As long as you are not scuba
diving, you can still enjoy swimming, snorkeling, and rain
showers. You just "play smart" and take off the external speech
processor.
3. A cochlear implant allows you to hear again—when you have
reached the point that you no longer can. "Hearing again" and
"hearing perfectly" are two different things. One doesn't grouch
that they aren't "normal" when they can hear after they could
not. I can talk on the phone now (in a quiet room with my own
phone), I can hear in church, talk to people face-to-face and in
small groups. I do not do well in restaurants, large groups,
concerts, etc. without special assistance from infra-red or FM
assistive listening devices. Loop systems are my favorite way to
hear in these "tough" environments. You walk into the room,
switch your CI to t-coil mode, and you "hear" without the
background noise.
4. The magnetic coil of my implant connects to another magnet
securely embedded in my skull. The magnets connect very well
through my skin. Nothing shows, and I try very hard not to appear
"gory". I'm rather proud of the fact, that I'm probably one
of the few people I know who can lean into the refrigerator and
"lose" their ears.
The weirdest place I ever lost my CI was at the grocery store in
the pickle aisle. I was leaning down to try and find the specific
type of pickles my family likes when "whoosh" off my CI flew to
stick to the metal lid of a pickle jar. As I was desperately
looking for my CI, a lady came by, smiled and said, "Are you
pregnant honey? Looking for pickles?"
I was so astonished that I replied, "No! I'm looking for my ear!"
Needless to say she shrieked and ran.
5. A cochlear implant can sometimes mask tinnitus, a common
symptom and side effect of a progressive hearing loss. Tinnitus
may be a humming or ringing sound in your ears. The CI can mask
this "sound" and keep you from hearing it. However, I have also
met some people that now have tinnitus (when they remove their
CI) whereas they did not have it before.
I'm used to the ringing. When I take my CI off at night, the
ringing begins, but it doesn't bother me, and I go right to
sleep. When hearing the ringing sound, I no longer shout, "Hello?
Who's there?"
6. My experience with my cochlear implant is not like anyone
else's. I still hear new sounds every day. But my experience—
what I can hear and what I don't hear—is as unique as my "map".
No two recipients have exactly the same map or the same
experience with their cochlear implants.
________
You can
read the original of this article on Denise's blog
here.
—o—o—o—o—o—o—o—o—o—o—o—
Which is the Best Cochlear Implant?
by Neil Bauman, Ph.D.
A man wrote: "I had sudden hearing loss and need your help. If
you had to have a cochlear implant today, which implant would you
have, and where would you have it done?"
Fortunately for me, I live close to one of the best cochlear
implant surgeons, Dr. John Naparko at Johns Hopkins in Baltimore.
(It's only about 50 miles away.) Therefore, that would be my
first choice. Don't get me wrong. There are good CI centers
scattered around the country, but Dr. John is one of the top
rated CI surgeons anywhere.
As for which brand to select, you have three choices—Cochlear
Americas, Advanced Bionics or MedEl. All three are about equal—that is, you will hear about the same with any of them.
Be sure to check out the reliability and track record of each of
the CI manufacturers. They are all different. Decide which seems
best for you.
Also, since the CI manufacturers are always coming out with new
features, and leapfrogging over each other, the CI I'd choose
today may not be the same make or model I'd choose tomorrow.
Therefore, when the time comes that you need to make your
decision, look carefully at the features that are available for
each make. Then consider which features are important to you for
your own specific lifestyle and situation.
For example, if you will need MRIs in the future, you may want to
choose the CI with the highest Tesla rating without having to
have the internal magnet temporarily surgically removed before
you can have an MRI.
Some CIs have much longer battery life than others, so this may
be a consideration.
Also, if music is important to you, then you may want to choose
the CI with the most electrodes (currently 120 electrodes) and
the best music strategies (maps).
Perhaps the appearance of the external parts is important to you,
or the specific controls, or the accessories available, or the
kind of maps provided. There are so many features—and only you
know which of them are important to you.
You also want to check to see if the model you choose can be
upgraded when new technology becomes available without having to
have the implanted part taken out and replaced.
The above are some of the "physical" things to look for. However,
these are relatively minor when compared to two major things you
want to check out.
First, of course, is getting an experienced CI surgeon. Get one
that has done MANY cochlear implants and has an excellent track
record.
Besides having a good CI surgeon, the next most important thing
is to have an audiologist that is experienced in the brand of CI
you are getting. You want someone that can program the best maps
for you, because this is what ultimately gives you your hearing
back. At the same time, you want your CI audiologist to be
located reasonably close to you since you will be going back for
a good number of mappings in the coming months and years. You
don't want to have to fly across the country every time you need
your map changed.
Sometimes some of the above decisions will already have been made
for you. For example, certain doctors and implant centers only
implant certain makes—so if you want a given doctor, you have to
go with the makes he implants. Likewise, your CI audiologist may
have expertise in just certain makes—so choose a make that they
are expert at mapping.
This is just a sampling of some of the things I'd consider. As
you can see, there are a lot of factors to consider. All things
being equal, go with the CI that comes out on top in your rating
of each of the above factors as you see it.
—o—o—o—o—o—o—o—o—o—o—o—
Give Yourself the "Gift of Life"—Alerting Systems That Really Work!
by Neil Bauman, Ph.D.
Here in the United States a house catches fire every 74 seconds!
That's scary. Even more scary for those of us who have hearing
losses is the fact that most fires occur at night when we are
sleeping, and our hearing aids and cochlear implants are also
peacefully "sleeping" on our bed tables beside us. Thus we often
cannot hear the smoke detector blaring its warning to us from our
bedroom ceilings.
This happened to Harold Waterer and his girlfriend Heather a few
months ago. Because they were deaf, neither heard the smoke
detector warning them their trailer had caught fire. Tragically
both died in the fire because they failed to provide for
themselves the "gift of life".
Fire is not the only danger to which we are exposed. Carbon
monoxide is an insidious killer that can silently sneak up on us
and snuff out our lives while we sleep because again our hearing
aids and cochlear implants are reposing on the bed table. Thus,
we do not hear our CO detector's shrill warning of impending
doom.
This happened to the Mazins just two years ago. Blair and Anita
Mazin both had severe hearing losses. They had come home one
evening and somehow forgot to turn the ignition off when they
parked their car in the garage under their townhouse.
The carbon monoxide from the car's exhaust eventually seeped into
their bedroom and snuffed out their lives while they slept. They
were totally oblivious to their CO detector futilely screaming
its warning to them. Tragically, they too failed to give
themselves the "gift of life".
If you live in "Tornado Alley" a tornado may sweep through your
neighborhood, but you may never know it because you can't hear
the weather warning blaring from your NOAA weather radio. Instead
of immediately taking shelter in your basement, you may become
another tragic statistic on the next newscast if you fail to give
yourself the "gift of life".
What Is the "Gift of Life"?
Just what is this "gift of life"? The "gift of life" I am referring to are alerting systems that are designed specifically
to truly meet the needs of hard of hearing and deaf people. Too
many alerting systems just give "token alerts" that are often
missed—for example, the ineffective flashing lights I've seen on
many door knockers and smoke detectors.
In contrast, "gift of life" alerting systems are designed to
waken you—not only by sounding a loud alarm, but also by
flashing a bright light and shaking your bed. It is almost
impossible to sleep through this triple whammy assaulting three
of your senses (hearing, seeing and feeling) at the same time.
When working properly, these wonderful alerting systems can give
you the "gift of life"—alerting you in time to escape with your
life.
Not only do these alerting systems alert you to life-threatening
situations, they also make your life as a hard of hearing person
easier—alerting you when your phone rings, when someone is at
the door, when the baby is crying in the back bedroom, if grandpa
just fell out of bed and needs help, or even if a burglar is
breaking into your house.
Intriqued? Want to know a good "gift of life" system? If so, read
the rest of this article (it's too long for this eZine). Among
other things you'll learn the four key features you should look
for in a "gift of life" system.
Click
here and
give yourself the "gift of life"!
—o—o—o—o—o—o—o—o—o—o—o—
Personal Communication Assistant—A Rose by Another Name
by Neil Bauman, Ph.D.
If the chief executive at Phonak, Valentin Chapero, has his way,
hearing aids as such will soon be a thing of the past. "Phonak's
new Audeo device comes in 15 fashionable colors, looks more like
a sleek ear phone than an old-fashioned hearing aid and is being
marketed as a 'personal communication assistant'".
According to Chapero, "We'll only get close to baby boomers if we
take away the stigma and show them a product that is high-tech
and hip and easily improves the quality of their lives."
Just be aware that in spite of the hype, and no matter what you
call them, these devices are still aids to hearing—what we've
always called "hearing aids".
If the big hearing aid manufacturers have their way, it appears
we'll soon all have a PDA (personal digital assistant) in our
pockets, PCAs (personal communication assistants) in our ears,
and a big hole in our wallets! Let's hope the improvement in our
hearing is worth it!
—o—o—o—o—o—o—o—o—o—o—o—
Hearing Aids Down Through the Years—The New Hugh Hetherington
On-line Hearing Aid Museum
by Neil Bauman, Ph.D.
Are you intrigued by old hearing aids and hearing devices? Have
you ever seen a "pen" hearing aid that you wore in your shirt
pocket? Or a barrette hearing aid you wore in your hair? Aren't
you glad you don't have to lug around a heavy table top hearing
aid that took so much power it had to be plugged into a wall
receptacle?
Would you be embarrassed to use a giant ear trumpet over two feet
long? Or would you insist, like many people today, that you
wanted a much smaller and more invisible "hearing aid" like the
tiny ear horns and auricles that are only a "minuscule" 3 inches
long.
These are just a few of the many interesting and different
hearing aids to be found in the
Hugh Hetherington On-line Hearing
Aid Museum, now the largest on-line hearing aid museum in the world.
This museum is owned by Neil Bauman, the director of the Center
for Hearing Loss Help (http://www.hearinglosshelp.com) and his
friend Hugh Hetherington, probably the foremost authority on old
hearing aids alive today.
Although it currently contains well over 200 hearing devices, the
on-line museum is far from complete. At present, only about 30%
of the hearing devices in Hugh's personal collection are actually
illustrated on-line. However, more are being added every week so
the museum is a fun place to come back to from time to time.
If you have any questions on old hearing aids, feel free to email
Dr. Neil.
**************************************************
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**************************************************
==================================================
2. Beware of (Ototoxic) Drugs That Can Damage Your Ears
==================================================
Ototoxic Foods?
by Neil Bauman, Ph.D.
A lady asked, "I wondered if you knew about the ototoxicity of
food products such as decaffeinated tea. I read that tea is high
in Salicylates, as are also a lot of fruits. Does this mean that
drinking/eating these things can make my existing tinnitus
worse?"
Interesting question. It is true that Salicylates occur naturally
in a good number of foods, and in some in some spices, in quite
high concentrations. So the question is whether you can ingest
enough Salicylates in your food to cause the typical ototoxic
side effects of too much Salicylates in your system such as
tinnitus, reversible hearing loss, dizziness and vertigo.
Some people are allergic or sensitive to Aspirin (acetylsalicylic
acid) and foods high in Salicylates. These people may indeed
suffer the above side effects. However, for the majority of
people that ingest foods higher in Salicylates, I'd be surprised
if they notice any change in their tinnitus.
For example, the average "Western diet" has an estimated
Salicylate intake ranging from 10 to 200 mg. a day. In
comparison, the average dose of (adult) aspirin contains 650 mg.
of Salicylic acid, while a baby aspirin contains 81 mg. of
Salicylic acid.
Conventional wisdom says that a person has to take 5 or 6 adult
Aspirin tablets a day before they notice a change in their
tinnitus.
Foods high in Salicylates include fruits, vegetables, dried
spices, tea and food flavorings. In addition, Salicylates are
used in a wide range of cosmetic products.
Let's compare 4 foods high in Salicylates to a person taking a
single baby aspirin (81 mg.) a day. Here's how it stacks up.
Curry powder has the highest Salicylate content of any food—218
mg. per 100 g. To get 81 mg. of Salicylate, you would have to
ingest 1.31 oz. of Curry powder at a sitting if you could stand
it!
Or how about Worcestershire sauce, at 64.3 mg. per 100 g. You
would have to dump almost half a bottle (4.5 oz.) of this stuff
on your food to equal the Salicylic acid in just one baby
aspirin.
As far as fruits go, raisins are high in Salicylates (6.62 mg.
per 100 g.). To even get just one baby's aspirin worth of
Salicylic acid, you'd have to eat about 3 pounds of raisins—at
one sitting mind you.
Almonds are also considered high in Salicylates at 3 mg. per 100
g. To get one baby's aspirin worth of Salicylic acid, you'd have
to chomp your way through 6 pounds of almonds at one sitting!
That's just not going to happen!
Thus, even though you eat foods high in Salicylates, unless you
are particularly sensitive to Salicylates, typically you would
not ingest enough Salicylates each day to either cause tinnitus
or affect your existing tinnitus.
However, if you are sensitive to Salicylates, you need to watch
your intake. You would do well to read the article "Salicylates", and "Salicylate Content in Foods".
—o—o—o—o—o—o—o—o—o—o—o—
Is Augmentin Ototoxic?
by Neil Bauman, Ph.D.
A lady explained, "I have an ear infection, tinnitus, and a
history of hearing loss in my family. My MD has prescribed a
medication that I can not find any information about, 'Augmomyn'.
He says it is a "type of Amoxicillin". Do you have any
information about that? I could not find it in 'Ototoxic Drugs
Exposed', or in searching the Internet."
I'm not surprised you can't find a reference to "Augmomyn" since
the name of this drug is actually Augmentin. Trying to interpret
the doctor's hieroglyphics is a bit of a challenge, isn't it?
Augmentin is actually a combination of two drugs—Amoxicillin and
Clavulanate potassium.
The reason Augmentin is not listed in my drug book is that it is
not known to be ototoxic. It is actually one of the very few
antibiotics of which I know that is not reported to be ototoxic.
—o—o—o—o—o—o—o—o—o—o—o—
Can Beta-Blockers Cause Tinnitus?
by Neil Bauman, Ph.D.
A lady wrote, "While I was on beta-blockers for inappropriate
sinus tachycardia I developed tinnitus. Initially it seemed
intermittent, but as I had to increase my dose the ringing became
constant. The ENT doctor tells me that he has never heard of
beta-blockers causing tinnitus, but upon his evaluation found
that I have a high frequency hearing loss in both ears, and that
can cause tinnitus. Funny that it happened only 3 months after I
started the beta-blockers. Is it possible that the beta-blockers
caused the hearing loss and this caused the tinnitus?"
I'm always amazed at the apparent ignorance of doctors regarding
ototoxic drugs. For example, 15 out of the 18 ototoxic beta-blockers I have listed in my book "Ototoxic Drugs Exposed" have
tinnitus listed as a side effect. In addition, 6 of the 18 have
hearing loss listed as a side effect.
Your doctor could have easily checked this out for himself in his
Physicians' Desk Reference (PDR) if he had wanted to know the
truth.
In answer to your question, there are two possibilities. First,
yes, beta-blockers can cause tinnitus. I suspect this is what
happened in your case since the tinnitus began after you began
taking beta-blockers, and then got worse when you increased the
dose. That is strong circumstantial evidence that the beta-blocker was the culprit.
On the other hand, the beta-blocker could have caused the high
frequency hearing loss—and that in turn could have resulted in
the tinnitus. Either scenario is possible, but I tend to favor
the first one in your case.
Be aware that you are not alone in having ototoxic effects from
taking beta-blockers. I've had other people tell me of their ear
problems from taking beta-blockers, so it really does happen.
If you want to check out the ototoxic side effects of the beta-
blockers (or any other ototoxic drug for that matter) look them
up in "Ototoxic Drugs Exposed".
This book contains information on the ototoxicity of 763 drugs known to damage
ears (and a number of chemicals too).
**************************************************
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Click here to learn more.
**************************************************
==================================================
3. Answers to Your Questions
==================================================
If you have a question, or if something has been puzzling you
concerning your ears, email it to
mailto:neil@hearinglosshelp.com
and put "e-zine question" as the subject. Suitable questions will
be answered here.
Sudden Hearing Loss from a Virus—Is It Catching?
by Neil Bauman, Ph.D.
Recently a man phoned me and explained, "My boss suddenly lost
the hearing in one ear due to a virus. My question to you is—is
he contagious? In other words, can I lose my hearing from being
near him?"
I've answered thousands of questions related to ears, but this is
the first time this particular question has ever come up. Even
though no one has asked it before, it is an excellent question.
There's good news and bad news. First the bad news. Yes, he is
contagious—in exactly the same way as if he had a cold or flu.
If your immune system isn't up to par, you could catch his cold
or flu from being around him—because that is likely the kind of
"bug" he has.
Now for the good news. The chances of your having the same
reaction to his virus if you get it is minuscule. For example,
I've heard of family members having sudden hearing loss from a
virus, but I've never heard of another family member also getting
the virus and having a sudden hearing loss. I'm sure it is
possible, but it must be extremely rare if it does occur.
The virus that causes sudden deafness is not some strange,
esoteric virus, but just the regular viruses that are around us
like cold viruses, flu viruses, Chicken Pox (Varicella) viruses,
etc. Normally they cause all the symptoms you know well, but
sometimes, for whatever reason, they get into the inner ear and
wreak havoc there resulting in sudden hearing loss and/or balance
problems.
Personally, I wouldn't be at all worried about "catching" sudden
hearing loss from your boss.
—o—o—o—o—o—o—o—o—o—o—o—
Tinnitus from Ear Syringing and Middle Ear Infections—What's the
Score?
by Neil Bauman, Ph.D.
An audiologist wrote, "I am a newly qualified Audiologist who
frequently sees patients that suffer from tinnitus. Most of the
patients I see have had tinnitus for quite some time (more than 6
months). We have a very long waiting list at the hospital at
which I work, and sadly patients suffering from tinnitus, as I'm
sure you know, are missed, referred inappropriately or put off
seeking treatment all together.
Many of my patients report that their tinnitus started after
their ears were syringed, or after a middle ear infection. I am
aware that the two are commonly linked, but I am not sure how to
answer the patients' questions about how and if there is some
explainable physiological reason for the tinnitus beginning at
this time. I have not been able to get any satisfactory
information from the net, and my colleagues are also interested
in finding out about this. I would appreciate it if you could
enlighten me on this subject."
These are two good questions and I'll certainly try to help you
understand why tinnitus is associated with these two events.
Let's look at them separately.
First, why is tinnitus sometimes associated with syringing out a
person's ears?
Many people may be surprised to learn that having their ears
syringed to remove wax can CAUSE tinnitus. The same is true if
you shower and aim the shower-head directly into your ear canals.
John Currie at T-Gone in South Africa mentions
that syringing out ears with too strong a stream of water can
indeed cause tinnitus (and hyperacusis too).
I have not experienced any long-term tinnitus from doctors
syringing my ears, although I've had doctors use so much force
that the water hitting my eardrum temporarily wrecked my balance.
Since then, and for a couple of decades now, I let the water from
a reduced-flow shower head spray into my ear canals each time I
shower. This has not caused me any tinnitus or balance problems.
My existing tinnitus never changes.
The trick in avoiding tinnitus is to use a gentle spray, not a
high pressure jet of water, whether syringing or showering.
She then asked, "What I'm still not entirely clear on is what is
happening in the ear as a result of this syringing which would
result in tinnitus. Does it have something to do with the tensor
tympani going into spasm?"
I doubt it is any of the tiny ear muscles going into spasm as the
tinnitus lasts for weeks or months and I'd think a spasm would be
of short duration. Rather, what I think happens is that the
sudden "wham" of the water hitting the eardrum gives a similar
reaction as a loud noise like a gunshot would—and that often
results in tinnitus.
Actually, anything that violently moves the eardrum whether water
pressure or air pressure (from a loud noise) can result in
tinnitus, hearing loss, hyperacusis and temporary balance
problems.
That is why, for some people, syringing or showering is the root
of their tinnitus. John Currie recommends taking out wax using
other means—not water and not suction—so you don't push (or
pull) the eardrum too much, and thus cause tinnitus.
Now to answer the second part of your question, "Why do middle
ear infections often leave people with tinnitus, even after the
infection clears up?"
You further explained, "What I found interesting is that even
once the ear infection had cleared up and PTA [pure tone
averages] revealed hearing within normal limits they were left
with tinnitus. Could it be that the temporary threshold shift
had made them aware of the tinnitus and even once their hearing
returned they had formed a negative association with the sound
and became fixated on it, or could there actually be some
physiological damage to the middle ear during the infection which
would cause this."
I think there are two different factors. First, since ear
infections cause some hearing loss, and since tinnitus often
accompanies hearing loss (about 70% of the time), it should be no
surprise that tinnitus can be associated with ear infections as a
secondary cause.
Although your conventional testing revealed that hearing had
returned to normal, this may not be entirely true because you
typically only test hearing to 8,000 Hz., and not up to the upper
limit of hearing around 20,000 Hz. Thus you don't know how much
hearing was lost and not recovered in the very high frequencies.
Hearing loss in those high frequencies can also cause tinnitus.
Since tinnitus supposedly is often at the same pitch as the
person's greatest hearing loss, if a person has high-pitched
tinnitus, I'd check their very high-frequency hearing to see if
that might be the cause. (When you only test to 8 K, you could
give a person a clean bill of health hearing-wise—and yet they
could have severe hearing loss above 8,000 Hz—resulting in
tinnitus.)
Second, and I think you hit the nail on the head when you
mentioned a person fixating on their tinnitus, is that when a
person fixates on their tinnitus, their limbic (emotional) system
flags the sound. As a result, the tinnitus sound seems to become
louder and even more intrusive, and consequently harder to
ignore. At the same time, as I understand it, the brain grows
"connections" that "lock in" the tinnitus.
Thus, whatever caused tinnitus in the first place starts the ball
rolling—but the ball continues to roll on, even if the original
cause is taken away. That is why it is so important for people
that get tinnitus not to form any negative emotional attachments
to their tinnitus. This only makes the "connections" stronger and
much harder to break. It is ever so much better to nip this in
the bud before these connections form.
—o—o—o—o—o—o—o—o—o—o—o—
Tinnitus and Sugar—You Mean There's A Connection?
by Neil Bauman, Ph.D.
I received this interesting email, "I've had tinnitus for about
two years caused by a combination of noise exposure and an over-zealous nurse giving an ear lavage. It can be a real problem at
times, especially when I don't watch the sugar intake in my diet.
The only thing that I've found that provides relief within a
short period of time when it gets going are dietary enzymes like Bromelain and Papain. My theory is that these enzymes help break
down sugars and eliminate them efficiently from my system? If my
system is overloaded with sugars, it leads to louder and more
intense tinnitus."
You are perceptive in realizing that too much sugar is related to
your increased tinnitus. Few people realize that sugar and
tinnitus can go hand in hand. As you now know, your tinnitus is
indeed sensitive to too much sugar in your system. The more sugar
you have in your system, the louder your tinnitus. This happens
to other people too.
As the
American Tinnitus Association reports:
"Some people find that foods with a high sugar content make their
tinnitus louder. Monitor how you respond, and find a healthy
balance where you do not eliminate all the foods that you love,
but also where you do not unnecessarily exacerbate your
tinnitus."
Too much sugar is bad for your body as a whole (think diabetes),
not just your ears, so you should watch your sugar intake anyway.
However, in your case, you are fortunate to have a built-in alarm
system that alerts you when you ingest too much sugar. Now all
you have to do is heed it.
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==================================================
4. Coping Strategies
==================================================
Finding Real Time Captioning (CART) Providers
by Neil Bauman, Ph.D.
Real-time captioning (CART) at meetings and events is a blessing
for those of us who can't hear/understand everything the speaker
is saying. Sometimes we just glance up at the screen to catch the
odd word we miss. Other times, we rely almost exclusively on the
words magically appearing on the screen in order to get the
speaker's message.
The question is, "Where can you find the people that provide the
real-time captioning services?"
Here is the link to the
National Court Reporter's Association. They list the
CART providers for each state in the USA (and in Canada too).
Just click on your state and see all the CART providers in your
area.
Can't find a CART provider in your area? Not a problem. Use
remote CART instead. In this case, just click on the "Remote CART
Providers" link.
With remote CART, the CART provider can be anywhere in the
country as long as they, and you, have a computer hooked to an
Internet connection. For example, your CART provider could be on
a terrace in southern Florida overlooking the Caribbean Sea,
while you are in a remote oil camp in northern Alaska. Whatever
anyone says will appear on your screen just as though the CART
reporter was there captioning in person. Even better, your CART
provider could be in Alaska (Hi Sandy!) and you could be the one
in the meeting on the terrace overlooking the Caribbean.
I have used both CART and remote CART many times and the quality
is the same either way.
==================================================
5. Information on Hearing Aids, Cochlear Implants
and/or Assistive Devices
==================================================
Hearing "Stereo" with One Ear
by Neil Bauman, Ph.D.
A lady wrote, "I am almost deaf in one ear. I have trouble
hearing music via headphones that play different parts in each
ear piece—specifically when I am listening to my iPod with the
earbud headphones. Is there a product out there for people who
can only hear out of one ear that will play both stereo channels
out of just one ear piece? I've searched the Internet and
couldn't find anything. Surely I'm not the only one with this
issue."
Excellent question. You definitely are not alone. Fortunately, I
have the answer you need.
What you want to do is feed both stereo channels into a single
earbud that goes to your good ear. (You won't be hearing true
stereo—as that takes 2 ears—but you will hear everything on
both stereo channels combined together into the one earbud).
Here's how you do this. There are two options.
The neatest would be if you could find a single earbud wired to a
stereo plug. I'm not aware of any so it may not be possible to
find any. (However, if you were hard of hearing and wore a
hearing aid in your better ear, you could switch to t-coil mode
and use a single Music Link (which is wired to fit a stereo jack).
The other way is to get two things—a single mono earbud (with a
mono plug), and a stereo to mono adapter from Radio Shack (Part
No. 274-374, $2.99). Then plug the adapter into your iPod and the
earbud into the adapter. Now you'll hear both channels in the one
ear.
The earphone you need is a
single mono earbud (EAR 013). Scroll
down to the 6th picture from the top. Note that there are two
versions—the EAR 013 and EAR 013T. The EAR 013T has an extension
tip that better fits into your ear canal. However, any single
earbud with a mono plug will work if you happen to have one
kicking around.
—o—o—o—o—o—o—o—o—o—o—o—
Room Loops and Spillover
by Neil Bauman, Ph.D.
A lady explained, "Our Senior Center has two rooms looped: the
computer room where people learn computer skills, and the
"lipreading room" where a lipreading class is held. These rooms
are next to each other. Each has a separate loop that was
installed a few years ago.
My friend that is taking a computer class said she can hear the
jokes they are telling in the lipreading class next door when she
is in the computer room and has her t-coil turned on. It could be
distracting. Maybe she should just enjoy hearing jokes the other
computer students are missing.
Is this normal and to be expected or is something wrong with the
loop setup? I was under the impression that one must be inside
the loop to hear what is being said using the loop."
It is a misconception that you must be inside the loop in order
to hear its signal. You can hear outside loops—typically just
not as loud.
Some t-coils are just better than others at picking up loop
signals—so some hear outside loops quite well and others don't.
Although sound rapidly diminishes the farther outside the loop
you are. I've been in looped areas where I could still hear very
well when I was 12 to 15 feet outside the loop.
Therefore, there is nothing wrong with the above-mentioned loop
systems themselves. It is just that the people installing them
need to realize that spillover happens (unless you use very
specialized and expensive loop mats), and thus not set them up in
adjacent rooms, or the people sitting near the common wall will
be able to hear both systems at once.
(If this ever happens to you, change your seat to as far away
from the common wall as possible and likely you won't hear the
other system.)
Another point that many don't realize is that you mustn't loop
rooms directly above or below each other either. In your example,
if the two looped rooms were on different floors located directly
above/below each other, both loop systems would blanket both
rooms. Therefore, when installing loop systems, you need to
adequately separate room loops both horizontally and vertically
if you want to avoid spillover.
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HEARING LOSS HELP E-zine
Neil Bauman, Publisher
Center for Hearing Loss Help
49 Piston Court
Stewartstown, PA 17363 USA
Phone: (717) 993-8555
Fax (717) 993-6661
http://www.hearinglosshelp.com
neil@hearinglosshelp.com
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