In March,, Representative Debbie Dingell of Michigan introduced the Medicare Hearing Aid Coverage Act of 2015. Representative Dingell spoke of the need for change. Continue reading →

Untreated hearing loss may be an underlying symptom for a larger health problem, such as cardiovascular disease or diabetes. Those with untreated hearing loss are at a greater risk for developing dementia and Alzheimer’s. Continue reading →

A vitamin supplement slows hearing loss after antibiotics. A dietary supplement has been discovered to offer protection against the side effects of gentamicin treatment. Gentamicin is a drug used to treat people with bacterial infections that are resistant to other antibiotics, including penicillin. The drug is often used in developing countries, because it is cheap and easily accessible. Unfortunately, gentamicin has a serious side effect – it can lead to hearing loss. A vitamin enriched diet, however, can help prevent drug-induced hearing loss.

Previous research has shown that up to 25% of patients treated with gentamicin or other types of aminoglycoside antibiotics experience hearing loss. The current study investigates how to prevent drug induced hearing loss. Researchers from the U.S. tested the use of dietary supplements containing the antioxidants beta carotene and vitamins C and E, as well as the mineral magnesium, for protecting against gentamicin-induced hearing loss.

The antioxidant vitamins prevent hearing damage by destroying the free radicals, which cause hearing loss, and protecting against their effect.

“The best protection was obtained at lower test frequencies and that’s important because the lower frequencies are essential for speech,” states Colleen Le Prell, lead researcher of the study. The researchers hope to use the results to develop a successful vitamin formulation that can prevent drug-induced hearing loss.

Finding published: the Journal of Association for Research in Otolaryngology. The study was carried out in collaboration between researchers from University of Florida and University of Michigan Source:news.ufl.edu

You may feel like your hearing is fine, but you cannot understand what people are saying to you. This is typically a sign of one of the most common types of hearing loss
called high-frequency hearing loss. Continue reading →

We’re excited to announce that our in partnership with Theater League, we will be offering open captioning via supertitles from the stage on the opening night of each of their remaining Broadway performances this season:

• Memphis: Monday, February 23 at 7:30 p.m.
• Camelot: Tuesday, March 24 at 7:30 p.m. Continue reading →

Tinnitus is not a disease itself; it is a symptom that something is wrong in the auditory system, including the ear, the auditory nerve, and the areas of the brain that process sound. Continue reading →

I’ll have some minor surgery like my friend did, and then my hearing will
be okay. Many people know someone whose hearing improved after medical or surgical treatment. It’s true that some types of hearing loss can be success-fully treated. With adults unfortunately, this only applies to 5-10% of cases. Continue reading →

A commonly asked question about hearing aids is whether they can be reused by someone else. There two main things to consider about used hearing aids: the physical fit and the technology available with the device. Continue reading →

Hearing loss is associated with depression, especially among women and people under the age of 70, a study has found.

When the ability to hear decreases, it may also lead to depression. Particularly women and people under the age of 70 are at higher risk of falling into a depression, caused by loss of hearing, a study from the U.S. suggests. Continue reading →

A telecoil (sometimes coiled a t-coil or t-switch) is a very small coil of wire within the hearing aid that essentially functions as an antenna when it is activated. This antenna specifically picks up sound that is being broadcast as a magnetic signal, usually coming from a hearing loop or a hearing-aid compatible phone. Continue reading →