May 16, 2006 Issue

             HEARING LOSS HELP E-zine
"The premier e-zine for people with hearing loss"


Volume 1, Number 3                          May 16, 2006
Publisher: Neil Bauman      neil@hearinglosshelp.com
            http://www.hearinglosshelp.com
    Copyright Center for Hearing Loss Help 2006

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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
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1. Tinnitus

2. Subscriber-only Special

3. Tips for Successfully Coping with Hearing Loss

4. Beware of (Ototoxic) Drugs that Can Damage Your Ears

5. Answers to Your Questions

6. Information on Hearing Aids, Cochlear Implants and/or
    Assistive Devices



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1. Tinnitus
==================================================

"Tinnitus Cure? Or Snake Oil?"


A woman asked: "I saw this in a catalog. Anybody hear of it?" The
ad reads:

"Bio-Ear $16.95. Stop the ringing in your ears. End that constant
hum that's driving you up a wall. Bio-Ear nourishes nerve endings
in the ear, providing natural relief for symptoms caused by
tinnitus. Regular use stimulates blood flow and helps relieve
annoying ringing or buzzing. Safe, all natural herbal remedy used
by thousands for continual relief. It's fast, easy and effective.
Buy a bottle and feel better fast!"

The problem with ads like this is that they are both TRUE and
FALSE at the same time.

Yes, it is true that such formulations MAY reduce or eliminate
tinnitus in those people whose tinnitus is caused by a lack of
adequate blood flow to their ears. (These people are definitely
not the majority of tinnitus sufferers.)

No, it is NOT true that this kind of formula will help all people
with tinnitus. The lie of this ad is making you believe that
there is only one "kind" of tinnitus, and that this formula fixes
it.

The truth is that there are a number of "kinds" of tinnitus--
about 12 or so--depending how you define them. Each "kind"
requires a different cure. So this formula may cure one of the 12
kinds--but not the other 11.

For example, this formula will not help the kind of tinnitus
caused by wax touching your eardrum. Nor will it help the kind of
tinnitus caused by your heartbeat (pulsatile tinnitus). Nor will
it help people who have the kind of tinnitus caused by moving
their eyes (gaze-evoked tinnitus). Nor will it help the people
who have tinnitus, but have their auditory nerves cut--so all the
"nourishing the nerve endings in the ear" until the cows come
home won't make a bit of difference. In addition, I seriously
doubt it helps people like myself that have tinnitus as a result
of severe hearing loss.

To find out if such formulations can produce desirable results, I
decided to be a guinea pig. I've just begun testing a tinnitus
formula that combines both herbals with homeopathic formulations.
I want to see whether this formulation can "cure" or reduce my
longstanding tinnitus which I've had for 35 plus years. I don't
really believe it will help at all--so there'll be no "placebo
effect." However, I wouldn't mind being pleasantly surprised.
This testing will take 6 weeks to 2 months as such formulations
are not harsh on the body, and consequently do not produce
results overnight.

Anyway, before responding to ads such as the above one, you need
to become an educated consumer and know what kind of tinnitus you
have, then seek the appropriate treatment for that particular
"kind" of tinnitus.

To learn more about the various kinds of tinnitus and the many
different treatments that are available, I recommend you read the
book "When Your Ears Ring" Cope with Your Tinnitus--Here's How."
This book will put you far down the road towards becoming a truly
educated person on the various kinds of tinnitus and what you can
expect from various tinnitus treatments. You can order this book
at http://www.hearinglosshelp.com/products/books.htm#tinnitus.
However, before you do, if you'd like a special deal on this
book, see below.



==================================================
2. Subscriber-only Special
==================================================

Revised and Expanded - 4th Edition
"When Your Ears Ring! Cope With Your Tinnitus--Here’s How"

If your ears ring, buzz, chirp, hiss or roar, you know just how
annoying tinnitus can be. You do not have to put up with this
racket for the rest of your life. Recent studies show that a lot
of what we thought we knew about tinnitus is not true at all.
Exciting new research reveals what you can do to eliminate or
greatly reduce the severity of your tinnitus. In this book you
will learn what causes tinnitus in the first place, and the steps
you can take to bring it under control.

As a loyal subscriber of HearingLossHelp eZine, here is a special
offer you won't want to pass up if you have tinnitus.

The printed edition of "When Your Ears Ring! Cope With Your
Tinnitus--Here’s How." is $18.95 + $3.50 P&H for a total of
$22.45. However, until June 6th, 2006 you can save an incredible
56% off this price when you purchase the full-text 113-page eBook
version for only $9.95. Just think, you can be reading this eBook
a mere 5 minutes after you complete your order--even if it's 3
AM!

In order to take advantage of this special offer, you MUST click
on the following link. Do NOT order from the regular links on the
web site or you will be charged the regular price. For the
special price, click on this link now.



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3. Tips for Successfully Coping with Hearing Loss
==================================================

"Finding Captioned Movies Near You"


If you want to find if any captioned movies are showing in movie
theatres near you, you just need to ask Fomdi, a cute little guy
that lives at http://www.fomdi.com.

Fomdi is a handy new on-line tool. All you need to do is enter
your state, city or zip, the maximum distance from your location
you want to travel (5 to 40 miles) and the day you want to go,
click "find"--and in a few seconds Fomdi will produce a list of
the captioned movies near you. Cool!

The results may not be perfect, but they are far better than
nothing. The Fomdi web site further explains:

"Most sites do not yet add captioned films beyond 7 days.

Fomdi finds captioned films at sites that advertise captioned
films, and tells you about it. However, Fomdi is not responsible
if the films are not captioned, as the sites advertise them to
be.

If too few or no show times are found in your area, increase the
search radius around your zip code. Also, try different dates.
Some theaters are known to show captioned films, for example, on
Tuesdays and Thursdays only."

Try it out. I think you'll like it if you are a moviegoer.



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4. Beware of (Ototoxic) Drugs that Can Damage Your Ears
==================================================

"Beware of Benzodiazepines--
Nasty Time Bomb Ambushes the Unwary"


A lady wrote: "About 15 years ago I started having panic attacks
and began taking Xanax (Alprazolam) at 1.5 mg/day and have been
on it ever since. Two years ago I had some really bad panic
attacks so my doctor doubled my Xanax medication to 3 mg/day.

Now everything is out of control for some reason. In the past
year or two, in spite of the increased dose, things have been
getting much worse to the point I don't feel normal any more.

My hearing is a lot worse, I have vertigo and balance problems. I
feel unsteady on my feet. My ears are ringing. They are also
supersensitive to sounds. As a result, I can't wear a hearing aid
in one ear any more.

I feel like I am only 50% here--kind of like a bad head cold
feeling, or living in a dream state. I feel shaky and out of
sorts and panicky. I feel weird and feel like I am going to pass
out. I can be fine one minute, then BAM--all of a sudden I feel
this odd feeling coming on as if my hearing gets very quiet. I
feel as if I am chilled. I get a tingly feeling in my head, and
then I feel a sort of darkness and closed-in feeling about to
happen. I start to shake and sweat, and I just feel as if I am
drifting away.

I have always thought that my medications could be hurting me
more than helping me. Why did the doctor do this to me? My
neurologist feels I won't be able to stop taking the Xanax as my
body is now dependent on it. If I would go off this drug, he
feels I would spin out of control--but I’m already out of
control!

For some time I have wanted to try to taper down or get off the
Xanax, but I am scared I will feel worse. How am I going to live
my life without the Xanax? I want to be able to get through the
day, but not like this! I would love to be free and be me again!
What should I do?"

Unfortunately, you are not alone. From time to time, I hear
similar stories from people who have been taking drugs of the
Benzodiazepine (pronounced ben-zoe-die-AZ-eh-peen) class for a
number of months or years. Eventually, like you, they realize the
drugs are not really helping them, yet when they try to go off
them, the nasty time bomb hidden in these drugs not only ambushes
their ears, but also flips their lives upside down and leaves
them worried about their ability to function in the future.

Benzodiazepines are a class of drugs commonly known as
tranquilizers and sleeping pills. They are predominantly
prescribed for anything associated with anxiety or sleeping
problems.

In case you don't know which drugs belong to the Benzodiazepine
class, some of the more common Benzodiazepines include Xanax
(Alprazolam), Valium (Diazepam), Ativan (Lorazepam), Rivotril
(Clonazepam) and Halcion (Triazolam).

Benzodiazepines are only meant to be taken for short periods of
time. They are TEMPORARY solutions to problems such as anxiety
and sleeplessness. In fact, safe and appropriate use of
Benzodiazepines is for no longer that 2 to 3 weeks if taken
daily. They were NEVER meant to be the long-term solution to
these problems. Unfortunately, doctors allow multitudes of people
to stay on these drugs for months, and in many cases, years.

Used responsibly, and taken in the short term to tide you over a
rough spot, Benzodiazepines can do some good. However, so often
these drugs are abused. For example, according to one estimate, 1
person in every 50 people has been taking a Benzodiazepine for
LONGER THAN 6 MONTHS!

Getting on Benzodiazepines is easy, but getting off them once you
have built up a dependence to them is very hard, and for some
people almost impossible. You see, dependence to the
Benzodiazepines is insidious and sneaks up on you without your
even being aware of it--often you don't realize this until it is
too late.

Therefore, your first line of defense is knowledge. You now know
that Benzodiazepines are only supposed to be used for short
periods of time--2 to 3 weeks at the most! Any doctor that
prescribes these drugs for longer periods than that is doing you
a disservice, and may be harming you. Thus, refuse to take any
Benzodiazepine for longer than 3 weeks. By doing so, you will
avoid all these withdrawal problems.

Once you finally decide to stop taking a Benzodiazepine, the
range and severity of the withdrawal symptoms will likely take
you by surprise. For many people, the intensity of Benzodiazepine
withdrawal is overwhelming. Unfortunately, there are no
predictors for who will likely suffer severe withdrawal, and who
will likely have a mild withdrawal experience.

In order to go off any Benzodiazepine, you will have to taper off
very gradually--under your doctor’s guidance, of course. Reducing
the dose of the drug slowly minimizes the severity of the
withdrawal symptoms.

However, overcoming the withdrawal side effects of
Benzodiazepines can take many weeks or months, or, for some
people, even years. Usually the length of time someone has been
taking a Benzodiazepine and the amount they have been taking will
have the most impact on how long it takes for their withdrawal
symptoms to pass.

The good news is that if you persist through the agonies of the
withdrawal stage--no matter how long it takes--in the end, as the
lady in the above story expressed it, you will be free and be
"me" again!

(The above article is a very abbreviated version of our latest
article on the HearingLossHelp web site. You can read the full
version of the above article at
http://www.hearinglosshelp.com/articles/benzodiazepines.htm

For more information on ototoxic drugs in general read our
various articles on ototoxic drugs at
http://www.hearinglosshelp.com/articles.htm#ototoxic_drugs

For complete information and individual listings on the known
ototoxic drugs and chemicals, go to
http://www.hearinglosshelp.com/products/ototoxicdrugbook.htm



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5. 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.
______________

"How Loud Should I Talk to a Hard of Hearing Person?"

A mother wrote: "My son has the typical ski-slope hearing loss
associated with LVAS. His loss at 250-500 Hz is 30-40 dB, then
it jumps back up to 10 dB at 1000 Hz. At 1500 Hz it drops down
to 60 and it continues dropping from there. Not to sound stupid,
but when his hearing aids aren't in, is it necessary for us to
speak a lot louder to him so that he can hear us? I get so
confused and can't quite get it through my head what he is
hearing. Help!"

I'm not surprised that you are confused. It is difficult to know
what a hard of hearing person actually hears and understands.

There are two main factors at play. One is hearing. The other is
understanding what you hear.

Since your son has the typical ski-slope loss, he hears low-
frequency sounds at near-normal levels. This means that unless a
person is talking very softly, he will hear people talking just
fine since most of the VOLUME of speech is in the (loud) low-
frequency vowel sounds. Thus, you don't need to speak loudly or
shout at him for him to hear you. Just speak up in a clear normal
voice.

This solves the hearing aspect. However, what you really want to
know is how well he UNDERSTANDS what he hears. This is a whole
different ball game.

Since most of the INTELLIGENCE of speech is carried in the (soft)
high-frequency consonants which he doesn't hear, if you speak in
a normal voice, or worse yet, mumble, he may not understand a
thing you say.

If you speak up and talk louder, he will hear the high-frequency
sounds better, but then the low-frequency sounds will be too loud
for him (and you too). Thus, the best strategy is to speak up
just a bit. At the same time, speak slowly and clearly--with
emphasis on good articulation. By doing this, he will be more
able to speechread many of the sounds his ears miss. It will also
give his brain time to put all this together and decipher what
you are saying.

One more thing--and this is important--few people realize that
high frequency sounds rapidly "fall out of the air" with
increasing distance, Thus, if you talk to him from any distance
at all, he won't hear the high frequency sounds. As a result,
speech will sound like so much gibberish. However, if you get
close, and talk to him from 1 or 2 feet away, he will catch much
more of these high frequency sounds--and thus his understanding
will greatly increase.

A good rule of thumb is you can call to him to get his attention
from a distance--but you need to get right up to him-- nose to
nose so to speak--so he has the best chance to understand what
you are saying.



==================================================
6. Information on Hearing Aids, Cochlear Implants and/or
    Assistive Devices
==================================================

"Learning How to Wear New Hearing Aids"


A mother asked: "My teen-aged son got fitted for a hearing aid,
but he keeps turning it off, and not wearing it. I am so
frustrated. How do I get him to get used to the hearing aid?"

First, realize that you are not alone. This is a VERY common
problem among new hearing aid users.

One of the biggest problems with wearing new hearing aids, is
that people typically go about it all wrong. Unlike glasses, you
DON'T just put them on and wear them. If you do that, I almost
guarantee that you will NOT keep on wearing them.

There is a very specific process your son needs to work through
as he learns to wear his new hearing aids. Has anyone ever
explained to your son HOW to begin wearing new hearing aids?

To this, the mother replied, "No. She just put the hearing aid on
him, and said, 'VOILA! you're ready!'"

To learn the right way to begin wearing hearing aids, study the
article entitled, "Becoming Friends with Your New Hearing Aids".
By putting these principles into practice, you will likely soon find
that you and your hearing aids have became very close friends
indeed!



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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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