Tuesday, September 28, 2010

Hear Better Invisibly!

Introducing the World’s First Invisible-In-The-Canal Aid

100% Invisible

100% Amazing

Many patients have asked us why we don’t fit the Lyric© hearing system that has been so heavily advertised in this area. The answer is simple: first, we feel like that product is not a good value for our patients. Secondly, we knew that something better was coming down the line.

Introducing AGX9—the world’s first 100% digital, 100% invisible hearing technology. Whereas other deep insertion products (like Lyric) used out-dated analog technology, AGX9 offers all of the functionality of the best hearing aids in the world, in the tiniest package that we’ve ever seen.
The red hearing aid in the above picture shows where a normal in the canal aid would fit in the ear-- slightly visible to someone looking straight into your ear. The black aid is the new AGX9 technology-- completely hidden in the ear.


We could tell you all about the engineering and programming that make it possible, but what you really need to know is simple:

You will hear better and no one will be able to see how.

AGX9 features include:

  • Invisible-in-the-Canal The only 100% custom, invisible, digital and fully programmable hearing aid
  • PureWave Feedback Eliminator Virtually eliminates buzzing and whistling
  • Voice iQ Designed to maintain speech understanding in noise and reduce listening effort*
  • T2 Remote Lets you adjust memory or volume settings using any touch-tone phone

    If you are interested in more information about this revolutionary hearing product, please give us a call to schedule an appointment with one of our AudigyCertified™ audiologists.

    “I’ve never heard sound quality like this from a hearing aid.”
    Larry, AGX9 wearer

“It’s like I got my ears back. I don’t even notice I’m wearing them—I just hear again.”
Dave, AGX9 wearer


AGX9 technology is only available in Utah County at Timpanogos Audiology. Call us at 801-770-0801 to schedule a free consulation to see if AGX9 is right for you.

Monday, September 27, 2010

The Effect of Not Wearing Hearing Aids

The Effect of Not Wearing Your Hearing Aids - A Case Study of Paul
by Rick Kirkham

Paul came into Ohana Hearing Care as a 50 year old male who had been wearing hearing aids for nine years. Paul had a moderate-severe hearing loss in both ears. The hearing loss was equal in both ears. Paul walked into the office wearing just the right hearing aid. He told me his left hearing aid had stopped working four years ago and he never replaced it.

Testing was done to find out how correctable Paul's hearing loss was. The results were as follows:

Paul's right ear, the ear which wore the hearing aid on a regular basis, showed a correctable hearing loss of 80% of what the average person would understand when Paul wore a hearing aid in the right ear.

Paul's left ear, the ear which went without a hearing aid for four years and had the same hearing loss as the right ear, showed a correctable hearing loss of only 40% of what the average person would understand when Paul wore a hearing aid in the left ear.

The ONLY difference between Paul's left ear and his right ear was he supported his hearing and level of correctable understanding with a hearing aid in the right ear and did not wear a hearing aid in the left ear.

The moral is use it or lose it.

Accept your level of hearing loss.

Accept that you may have limitations due to your hearing loss even with hearing correction.

Accept the help that you have available due to your hearing loss

Wear your hearing aids regularly each day to keep from losing more of your ability to understand speech.

Find out more at:
http://GlobalHearingServices.com

Friday, September 24, 2010

Painkillers may cause hearing loss

Over-the-counter painkillers such as aspirin and paracetamol can lead to hearing loss if they are taken often. It is especially young men who risk hearing loss.

A study performed by researchers at among others Harvard University indicates that easily available painkillers can have a negative effect in the form of hearing loss. It is especially young men who need to be aware of this. The study also shows, that the younger the men, the greater the risk of hearing loss.

The younger, the greater the risk

The study suspects that by taking painkillers at least twice a week, you could double the risk of mild to severe hearing loss by the age of 50. Regular aspirin users under the age of 59 years of age had a 33% higher risk of suffering from hearing loss compared to the non-regular aspirin users. They noticed that men over the age of 60 did not have any association with hearing loss and regular aspirin intake.

Paracetamol/acetaminophen are especially under the spotlight. The study shows, that those under the age of 50 who use paracetamol/acetaminophen on a regular basis are 99% more likely to have hearing loss. In other words, the risk of hearing loss is doubled. Those between 50-59 years of age were 38% more likely to have hearing impairments, while those over 60 had a 16% higher risk of developing hearing loss compared to non-users.


The Study

The researchers studied data collected from the Health Professionals Follow-up Study of 26,000 men over an 18 year time frame together with a questionnaire about pain medications. Regular use of the drugs was defined as two or more times per week. In the analysis, the results were adjusted for other factors that may affect hearing. These included age, race, body mass index, alcohol intake, folate intake, physical activity, smoking, hypertension, diabetes, cardiovascular disease or elevated cholesterol.

Source: www.heraldsun.com.au

Friday, September 3, 2010

Not Your Grandma's Hearing Aids!

The following article is copied in part from www.hear-it.org.

Hearing aid technology is constantly evolving and becoming increasingly advanced. Modern hearing aids are small high-tech computers, constantly being refined and developed to provide better reproduction of natural human hearing.

The progress allows for increasing numbers of sophisticated features to be built into the hearing aids and providing improved sound reproduction. The ability to adapt the devices to individual demands with respect to your daily environment and type of hearing loss is constantly improving.

More programming

The most advanced modern digital hearing aids are constantly analysing the sounds of your environment and changing between built-in programs, automatically selecting the appropriate programming mode for the specific situation.

The entire sound reproduction is constantly adapted by the hearing aid to provide you with the best possible hearing.

Intrusive background noise cut out

Many hearing aids have two microphones, making it possible to focus on specific sound sources while reducing irritating background noise.

At a reception the voice of the person you are looking at can be accentuated while the voices of others around you are softened.

Behind-the-ear hearing aids used to make it difficult for the user to determine the direction of the sounds. This is no longer the case. Complicated calculations in the hearing aids now make it possible for the brain to determine where the sound is coming from. This type of hearing aid has also become sleeker and less obtrusive than earlier models.

Advancements


The technical advancements open up new possibilities, such as:

  • Irritating echoes and hollow sounds can be reduced.
  • Dedicated telephone software is activated when you put the receiver to your ear.
  • Automated adaptation to loop or FM systems makes the hearing aid receive signals from the appropriate transmitters.
  • Remote control, allowing you to change selections made by the hearing aid.
  • Adaptation of extremely small ear molds in order to eliminate annoying feedback (occlusion).
  • Bluetooth technology is being incorporated into hearing aids. It allows for wireless connection of your mobile phone to your hearing aid.

More effective adjustments

Hearing aids must be continuously adjusted to get the best possible results.

A built-in digital hearing aid log makes it easier for the audiologist to fine-tune the hearing aids to suit your daily environment. The adjustments can be based on your comments as well as technical data recorded in the hearing aids.

Personal style

While the technology is advancing, styling and design is deemed to be of great importance, as well. The hearing aids must look attractive and be as small and unobtrusive or stylish as possible. Color choices and different shapes are now available to suit your personal style. Some hearing aids are designed to be worn in combination with jewelry for your ears.

Bottom line: These are not your grandmother's hearing aids! Modern technology has made it more effective, more convenient, and more attractive to hear better!

Wednesday, September 1, 2010

Quick Fixes When Your Hearing Aid Isn't Working

Just like every other electronic device, every once in a while, hearing aids can stop working. Here are a couple of things to check before you bring your aid in for service:

* Try putting in a new battery.
* Check that the battery is in the correct way
* If your hearing aid has a volume control, check that it is not turned down completely.
* Check that you have not switched it to the “T” setting (for loop listening) by accident.
* If your hearing aid has a programme button/switch, it may be on the wrong programme, or be muted.
* Take your hearing aid out and check that the ear mould or ear tip is not blocked with wax
* Check that the tubing is not twisted, squashed or spilt

If none of these quick fixes seems to solve the problem, please bring it into our office so that we can get your technology working for you as quickly as possible!