Hearing Aids - Blog Posts

How Does a Hearing Aids Dryer Work?Hearing Aids Dryer units are low-power, electrical appliances, recommended for in-home use every night. All models include digital circuitry for precise timing and temperature control. Place your hearing aids in the drying compartment, press the ON button, and Hearing Aids Dryer does the rest. For the first few minutes, an ultraviolet lamp sanitizes the hearing aids by killing resident bacteria. Then for the next eight hours, Hearing Aids Dryer gently circulates warm, dry air. Throughout the cycle, the desiccant captures the moisture molecules as they are released from the hearing aids and also eliminates...

There is a fly that can locate a cricket from the sound it makes, despite other noises in the background. Yet the hearing mechanism that helps the fly do this spans only 1.5 mm, which is 50 times smaller than the wavelength of the cricket's chirp. Now, engineers have found a way to mimic the fly's super-hearing in a tiny device that does not require a bulky battery.A paper describing the work is published in the journal Applied Physics Letters.The engineers, from the Cockrell School of Engineering at the University of Texas at Austin, say the new device could be...

Mary Nichols , Design & Trend Contributor Jul, 23, 2014, 10:56 AM (Photo : Wikimedia Commons) The parasitic fly is known for its cruel and parasitic breeding process. Researchers are taking note of the sensitive hearing of parasitic flies to develop the next generation of hearing aids.The remarkably sensitive hearing of parasitic flies helps them find their prey even in poorly lit environments, writes Nature World News.Now researchers think this same super-hearing could one day help deaf humans hear.The study, which is described in the journal Applied Physics Letters, describes how researchers at the University of Texas Austin have developed...

FRANKLIN – Justin Ely was born with single-sided deafness. For 44 years he has grown accustomed to hearing only through his right ear, never hearing so much as a peep in his left — until this past spring.He's now living life is stereo, and it's all thanks to Dr. Elizabeth Welch — and his teeth.Welch, an audiologist with Hearing Services of Franklin, fit Ely in March with a unique apparatus that is composed of two devices — one that fits over his ear and the other that is tucked into his mouth."It was amazing," said Ely, a Nashville resident. "There...

For many professional musicians in Nashville, hearing loss is an accepted side effect that comes with making a living surrounded by electric guitars, amps and ear monitors.But once a musician’s hearing starts to go, treatment can be complicated. Professional musicians often conceal their hearing loss for fear it will negatively impact their careers.And many who do seek help say that the typical hearing aid is inadequate.“Most hearing aids are designed to pick up sound in a narrow range so that people can hear their family members and loved ones talking,” said Dr. Todd Ricketts, a well-published hearing aid researcher and...

COPENHAGEN (Reuters) - The U.S. hearing aid market grew 6 percent year-on-year in June, driven by an increase in sales to Veterans Affairs (VA), a government program for military veterans, data from Bernstein Research showed on Friday.U.S. sales can make a significant contribution to the results of several European companies. Military veterans account for about 20 percent of all hearing aid units dispensed in the United States.Hearing aid sales to the VA rose 12 percent in June from June 2013, up from a year-on-year increase of 4 percent in May, the data showed.Switzerland's Sonova and Danish companies William Demant and...

Energy harvesting from jaw movement to power hearing aids On a weekly basis, hundreds of millions of users worldwide must replace the button cell batteries in their hearing aids. Unfortunately, batteries are a source of environmental waste, a financial burden and somewhat time-consuming and requiring good dexterity to change. What if hearing-aids could be self-powered? Researchers at École de Technologie Supérieure are investigating energy harvesting to power hearing aids. As alternatives to batteries, energy harvesting technologies are increasingly gaining interest. Energy harvesters, which are able to recover small amounts of energy from external sources such as solar power, thermal energy,...

• Unaddressed hearing loss negatively affects quality of life. Research shows that hearing loss is frequently associated with other physical, mental, and emotional health conditions. But men who address their hearing loss often experience better quality of life.• Hearing loss is tied to depression. Studies show that hearing loss is associated with an increased risk of depression in adults of all ages, but is most pronounced in 18 to 69 year olds. Research also shows that the use of hearing aids reduces depressive symptoms.• A person’s hearing may say something about their heart. Cardiovascular and hearing health are linked. Some...

The ability to discern pitch – to hear the difference between “cat,” “bat” and “hat,” for example – hinges on remarkable gradations in specialized cells within the inner ear. New research from the University of Virginia School of Medicine and the National Institute on Deafness and Communication Disorders has explained, for the first time, what controls these cells’ development and patterning – findings crucial to efforts to reverse hearing loss caused by age, loud sounds or other factors.The researchers have been studying the development of these cells in chickens, which, like many creatures, have a remarkable capacity humans lack: the...

New Devices Cost Much Less, but Often Come Without Professional Guidance ByNorm Crampton June 22, 2014 4:54 p.m. ET Do you need a hearing aid, or a PSAP?That's short for "personal sound amplification product," a device that's challenging traditional hearing aids and changing how people navigate the marketplace for hearing help.For decades, that process has involved a bundle of services from an audiologist or a licensed technician—getting a hearing test, selecting a hearing aid, going back for adjustments, buying and replacing batteries—and paying as much as $3,000 for each device. Now, PSAPs, which are available online, compete at a fraction...

Published: May 25, 2014 | Updated: May 27, 2014 By Jennifer Fink RN , Contributing Writer, MedPage Today At least 1.5 million veterans suffer from military-related hearing impairment. Tinnitus and hearing loss, in fact, are the two most common service-related disabilities. Auditory injuries are so prevalent among veterans that they have been called "the No. 1 war wound."Military-grade weapons are "often louder and more damaging to the ears than standard sportsman-type weapons," said Col. Mark Packer, MD, director of the Department of Defense's Hearing Center of Excellence. "The transport systems we use to move troops and equipment are much louder...

POMONA, Calif., May 8, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Confirming the growing issue of untreated hearing loss in the workforce, a new research survey by EPIC Hearing Healthcare (EPIC) finds that 30 percent of U.S. employees suspect they have hearing loss, but have not sought treatment. Of those, almost all (95 percent) say it impacts them on the job.The survey uncovers a wide range of ways employees believe their untreated hearing loss is affecting them, from having to ask people to repeat what they said (61 percent) to misunderstanding what is being said (42 percent) to even pretending to hear when they...