Good Hearing = Good Mood

Reposted from Marketwatch.com

Investing in your hearing health is worth every penny and has self-esteem benefits. As many as 72 percent of U.S.-based respondents agree that getting a hearing aid was definitely worth it, and that their hearing aids are worth every cent. An overwhelming majority - 83 percent - of all hearing aid users surveyed agreed that their quality of life changed for the better once their hearing improved. Among all U.S.-based respondents, 76 percent with hearing aids said their devices have a positive influence on their general mood, and 68 percent report an improvement in their mental fitness, evidenced by heightened receptiveness and improved concentration.

People with untreated hearing loss also reveal the importance of good hearing for good mental health. Globally, respondents affected by moderate to severe hearing loss who did not wear a hearing aid reported feeling sad or depressed more frequently than hearing aid owners (22 percent without a hearing aid versus 15 percent with a hearing aid). Additionally, these individuals were more likely to feel insecure and anxious (21 percent without a hearing aid versus 13 percent with a hearing aid) and suffer from insomnia more often (31 percent without a hearing aid versus 24 percent with a hearing aid). These symptoms are often regarded as possible first indicators of depressive disorders.

"People with hearing loss lack some important opportunities for human contact," said Gail B. Brenner, AuD., Hearing Technology Associates LLC, Philadelphia, PA. "The consequences of this isolation can be the development of depression and increased anxiety, but also increasing mistrust of others. While the tendency for depression among people with untreated hearing loss is significantly higher, differences between people who use hearing aids and people who have no hearing loss are marginal. This shows that a hearing aid can support the prevention of depression for people who experience hearing difficulties."

Better Hearing = Better Love Life

Of all U.S.-based respondents who have hearing aids, 68 percent confirmed that their personal relationships improved since they started wearing hearing aids. Furthermore, almost half (44 percent) of U.S.-based respondents surveyed said that their love life had changed for the better since wearing a hearing aid.

You can take an online hearing quiz and read more about hearing loss here, or call 801-770-0801 for a free hearing consultation.

Hearing loss — a great disease burden, but very little research carried out.

Hearing loss affects more and more people.  The World Health Organization says that hearing loss will be one of the top 10 disease burdens in many countries and will have a great social and economic impact. Despite this, 40 times less money is used on research into hearing loss than on cardiovascular conditions per person affected.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) predicts that by 2030 adult onset hearing loss will be in the top 10 disease burdens in high or middle income countries, above cataracts and diabetes.

According to Action on Hearing Loss, hearing loss is therefore a potential health crisis that we cannot ignore. It is therefore worth noting that a lot less money is used on research into hearing loss than for example cardiovascular conditions and diabetes.

Significant costs

Innumerable studies from around the world have documented, that hearing loss has significant personal consequences and social and economic costs and impacts both employment and education.

Research by Action on Hearing Loss has shown that even at times of low unemployment, people with severe and profound levels of hearing loss were more than four times more likely to be unemployed than the general population. Hearing loss also more than doubles the risk of depression in older people and children with hearing loss have an increased risk of mental health problems.

Source: Hearing Matters, Action on Hearing Loss, 2011

New Study: 1 in 5 Over the Age of 12 Have a Hearing Loss

Reposted from http://news.yahoo.com/hearing-loss-far-more-common-expected-210408085.html

MONDAY, Nov. 14 (HealthDay News) -- Hearing loss affects
about one-fifth of Americans aged 12 and older, a far higher number than previously believed, researchers report.

They examined data from people whose hearing was tested during National Health and Nutritional Examination Surveys (NHANES) from 2001 to 2008. Based on the World Health Organization's definition of hearing loss (unable to hear sounds of 25 decibels or less in the speech frequencies), the NHANES data showed that 12.7 percent (30 million people) of the U.S. population aged 12 and older had hearing loss in both ears and 20.3 percent (48 million
people) had hearing loss in at least one ear.

Previous estimates put the numbers at 21 million to 29 million.

This new study also found that rates of hearing loss nearly doubled with every decade of age, and that women and blacks were significantly less likely to have hearing loss at any age.
It's not clear why women and blacks are less likely to experience hearing loss, study leader Dr. Frank Lin said in a university news release.

Lin is an assistant professor with dual appointments in both the department of otolaryngology-head & neck surgery at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine and in the department of epidemiology at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

It may be that the female hormone estrogen and the melanin pigment in darker skin could have a protective effect on the inner ear, which Lin and colleagues plan to investigate in future studies.

Lin said the findings of this study, published Nov. 14 in the journal Archives of Internal Medicine, will help research into hearing loss and its potential consequences such as cognitive decline, dementia and poor physical functioning.

"This gives us the real scope of the problem for the first time and shows us how big of a problem hearing loss really is," Lin said.

If you would like to learn more about hearing loss, go to www.utahhearingaids.com. To schedule a free hearing exam and consultation with a board certified audiologist, call 801-770-0801.

"Blindness Separates Us From Things, But Deafness Separates Us From People"

Helen Keller was born on June 27, 1880. Contrary to popular belief, she was not born blind and deaf, but was left with those disabilities after a serious illness at the age of 19 months. In spite of her obvious physical limitations, Helen worked very hard to become and educated, contributing member of society and a hero to anyone who has a disability.

She had the following to say about her perceptions on being blind and deaf:

"I am just as deaf as I am blind. The problems of deafness are deeper and more complex, if not more important than those of blindness. Deafness is a much worse misfortune. For it means the loss of the most vital stimulus-- the sound of the voice that brings language, sets thoughts astir, and keeps us in the intellectual company of man. "

"Blindness separates us from things but deafness separates us from people."

"Children who hear acquire language without any particular effort; the words that fall from others’ lips they catch on the wing, as it were, delightedly, while the little deaf child must trap them by a slow and often painful process. But whatever the process, the result is wonderful. Gradually from naming an object we advance step by step until we have traversed the vast distance between our first stammered syllable and the sweep of thought in a line of Shakespeare."

Those who live with hearing loss in any degree are missing part of that "most vital stimulus" talked about by Helen Keller. The good news is that of the 34 million people who have hearing loss in the United States, 95% of them can be helped.

If you or someone you love experiences the lonely effects of hearing loss, contact a hearing professional such as Timpanogos Hearing & Balance (801-770-0801) to begin the journey back to hearing today!

Queen drummer Taylor reliant on hearing aids

A long life as a musician in the rock band Queen has left its mark on drummer Roger Taylor’s hearing, but the rocker is still active

Years of playing loud music has made Roger Taylor hard of hearing and reliant on hearing aids. "I guess it was inevitable and hardly surprising given what I have been doing for the past 40 years,” the Queen star says.

My standard reply

There is a running joke in Taylor’s house, that no matter which question you ask the Queen drummer, the response is always the same. “Half-past seven is my standard reply,” Taylor says with a smile. “It doesn’t matter whether they’ve asked me what I want to drink, watch on TV or where I want to go on holiday.” Behind this private joke lies the uncomfortable truth that one of the greatest drummers in the history of rock music has suffered dramatic hearing loss. Found By His Wife

My wife was the one who kept pointing out that the TV volume was up too loud, though I could only just hear it. Then I kept missing out on dialogue in films and at dinner parties and social gatherings I couldn’t understand what people were saying. It felt strange and frustrating to a point where I was starting to lip-read. I realised my hearing wasn’t what it should be,” the drummer explains.

Hearing aids help

Taylor is now wearing hearing aids in both ears. Luckily, the hearing loss has not affected Taylor’s vocal range, but his hearing aids are a great help. “I can still pitch perfectly but without the hearing aids I don’t hear the intricate high parts of the actual spectrum. It goes all ‘wooferly’.”

Good company

Taylor is not the only rock musician struggling with serious hearing loss e.g. The Who's Pete Townshend is also suffering from hearing loss, so the Queen star feels he is in "good company".