People With Untreated Hearing Loss Lose As Much As $30,000 Annually

Hearing loss can mean a lower income and higher prevalence of unemployment in people who do not use hearing aids. Unemployment is, however, not higher among hearing aid users than among those with normal hearing. Hearing aid users’ income is also almost as high as among people without hearing loss. This is shown in a study from the USA. The study also estimates that the loss of income for people with untreated hearing loss in the US is $176 billion.


In the US the MarkeTrak VIII study of more than 40,000 households has demonstrated that hearing loss has a deleterious impact on earnings and unemployment rates.

The study shows that there is a $14,100 income differential between subjects with mild and severe hearing loss. People with untreated hearing loss lose as much as $30,000 annually, depending on their degree of hearing loss.

Hearing aids were shown to mitigate the impact of income loss by 90%–100% for those with milder hearing losses and from 65%–77% for those with severe to moderate hearing loss.

The loss in income for people with untreated hearing loss due to underemployment is estimated at $176 billion, and the cost to society is estimated to be as high as $26 billion in unrealized federal taxes.

There was a strong relationship between degree of hearing loss and unemployment for unaided subjects. Those with severe hearing loss had unemployment rates of 15.6%, double that of the normal-hearing population (7.8%) and nearly double that of their aided peers (8.3%). Thus, one would expect that the cost to society of unemployment benefit payments is double that for normal-hearing households, depending on degree of hearing loss.

Unemployment rates for aided subjects were not significantly related to degree of hearing loss.

Source: The Hearing Journal, October 2010, Volume 63, Issue 10

New Studies Show that Alcohol Consumption Leads to Hearing Loss

We've heard for a long time that certain drugs can cause a decrease in hearing, including pain killers and some forms of chemotherapy.  A recent German study has now linked alcohol consumption over time to hearing loss. 

Studies have long shown that alcohol consumption shrinks the brain and does damage to the central auditory cortex.  Researchers from the University of Ulm in Germany recently tested both heavy and social drinkers BAEP levels (Brainstem Auditory Evoked Potentials) by testing the level of damage in the part of the brain that enables you to hear. The results indicate that drinking affects the ability to hear.

The alcohol researchers believe that drinking can result in brain damage, while the quantity of alcohol and the length of time needed to accomplish this remain unknown. So even though the ears may still be functioning perfectly, the brain is longer able to process the sounds.

People who suffer from alcoholism may also have damage within their ears. The high levels of alcohol in the bloodstream can create a toxic environment which can damage the delicate hair cells in the cochlea. This condition is known as ototoxicity.

According to a British study, alcohol and noise can cause temporary hearing loss in combination or separately. All of the participants in a study were found to have temporary hearing loss. The researchers also believe that a regular ingestion of alcohol may lead to permanent hearing loss in the long term.  

The researchers showed that the more alcohol ingested the worse the hearing was, at least temporarily. In particular, the hearing of low frequency sounds like the ones in speech were most affected.

The British study also indicated that older subjects and those with a previous history of heavy drinking were more affected.

Did You Know That Hearing Aids Are Tax Exempt?

Did you know that, unlike many medical devices that are sold retail, hearing aids are exempt from the medical device tax? This saves the typical patient from $100 to $350 when they purchase hearing technology.

Here is an excerpt from that 2400 page law which was passed in March:


Subchapter E - Medical Devices
SEC. 4191. MEDICAL DEVICES.

IN GENERAL. - There is hereby imposed on the sale of any taxable medical device by the manufacturer, producer, or importer a tax equal to 2.9 percent of the price for which so sold.

TAXABLE MEDICAL DEVICE. - For purposes of this section - IN GENERAL. - The term 'taxable medical device' means any device (as defined in section 201(h) of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act) intended for humans.

(2) EXEMPTIONS. - Such term shall not include - (A) devices classified in class I under section 513 of such Act, eyeglasses, contact lenses, hearing aids, and any other medical device determined by the Secretary to be of a type which is generally purchased by the general public at retail for "individual use." and by inserting after the item relating to subchapter D in the table of subchapters for such chapter the following new item...

From Ear Trumpets To Space Age Technology

Fun Stuff From www.healthyhearing.com

The evolution of hearing aids has gone from rudimentary and downright-unsightly earpieces to almost-unseen and ultra-sensitive hearing devices. While it may seem that this evolution from the bulky and larger hearing aids to streamlined and virtually invisible hearing aids was a normal course of events for individuals with hearing loss, it really shows that the marriage of high-technology and modern-medicine is a wondrous event to behold.

Big and Ugly no More - Hearing Aids Now Sleek and Stylish

The myths are still out there concerning hearing aids and we will look at some of the most dynamic and untruthful right here and right now. For starters hearing aids are no longer big and ugly units that seem to extend the individual wearers ears out 6 to 12 inches. Currently there are hearing aids that fit inside the individual wearer's ear and cannot be seen at all by the suspecting or unsuspecting individual. Another myth is that the hearing aids are virtually ineffective along with the myth that they really are quite unsightly to gaze upon and wear as well. With improved technology, especially digital technology, hearing aids have been taken to a whole new level and this is in large part to a laser-focused mindset from the designers who are now making hearing aids as cool as dark sunglasses.

From big trumpets to.... cool hearing aids
How Did Hearing Aids Become Cool?

The very first hearing aids were referred to as ear trumpets and were the pioneers, so to speak, of the entire field of hearing aids. The problem with ear trumpets was of course that they were too bulky to be portable and the invention of transistors signaled the end of the too-heavy and inefficient hearing aids. The digital age, specifically one of the latest innovations which is referred to as ADRO (adaptive dynamic range optimization) technology, came in the nick of time and has benefited literally millions of individuals with hearing loss issues almost instantaneously. Hearing aid technology has certainly come a long way since this time. With new designs that fit behind the ear or even in the ear with every color imaginable to fit personality, skin tone, hair color and design specifics these hearing aids are now part of the fashion instead of a detractor to the overall wearer's look.

Bluetooth Excitement

One exciting new development in the world of hearing aids is that they can now be seen as personal Bluetooth headset devices thanks in part to the wireless capabilities and high technology breakthroughs that the digital age has presented to everyone. When tied in directly to hearing aids individuals can now watch TV or listen to music with the wireless signals being piped right into the hearing aid device! Talk about your high-tech hearing aid situation! There are even hearing aids that now adapt over time to your personal preferences so that there is no resetting of preferences or any type of manipulation of the device as the hearing aids are quite intuitive to say the very least.

Lost in Translation?

While this is all fine and good and high technology does have its benefits the importance of hearing aids cannot be lost in translation. Hearing aids exist to aid the individual person with regaining some or perhaps all of their previously lost hearing capacity. The ability to hear again is the number one reason and benefit to those that adorn these apparatuses of hearing aid benefit.

iPod Jamming

It is great that individuals can now hear their favorite music streamed in and piped in from their iPod or even watch 60 Minutes and have the audio streamed right into their ears! In the hearing aid industry the bottom line is that the wearers have improved hearing and the hearing aid device can be either stylish and seen and adored or unseen and hidden, the choice is now theirs!

Leap into Digital Age

If you were to ask 10 individual hearing aid wearers what their number one priority and goal would be most if not all will tell you the same thing, improved hearing. The beauty of high technology and our leap into the digital age has made everything smaller and better and this is why hearing aids are cool in today's high-tech age.

Better and Smaller

Just how far will the hearing aid industry go is anyone's guess but we can inform you that hearing aid manufacturers, researchers and scientists in labs and college universities across the nation and world for that matter are diligently working on better and smaller hearing aid devices. One of the obvious goals is to have the hearing aid physically become part of the human anatomy much like inter-ocular optical surgery now can do. By implanting the hearing aid into the ear canal of the individual wearer the industry could then say that they have done what started out with an ear trumpet, complete the cycle of restored hearing, invisibly.

Space-Age Technology

Although this sounds like space-age technology this is what was probably said when the people heard that one day we would be able to lose the ear trumpet for a smaller more advanced hearing aid and that the earth is flat not round! If you have a hearing issue or feel that you are not hearing as well as you used to then please have a hearing professional check your hearing and maybe you will be the one with the cool, sky-blue hearing aid listening and listening clearly to the Grateful Dead?

10 FUN FACTS ABOUT HEARING

1. Fish do not have ears, but they can hear pressure changes through ridges on their body.
2. The ear’s malleus, incus and stapes (otherwise known as the hammer, anvil and stirrup) are the smallest bones in the human body. All three together could fit together on a penny.
3. The ear continues to hear sounds, even while you sleep.
4. Sound travels at the speed of 1,130 feet per second, or 770 miles per hour.
5. Dogs can hear much higher frequencies than humans.
6. Ears not only help you hear, but also aid in balance.
7. Snakes hear through the jaw bone and through a traditional inner ear. In essence, snakes have two distinct hearing mechanisms, which helps them hear and catch prey.
8. Sitting in front of the speakers at a rock concert can expose you to 120 decibels, which will begin to damage hearing in only 7 1/2 minutes.
9. Thirty-seven percent of children with only minimal hearing loss fail at least one grade.
10. Male mosquitoes hear with thousands of tiny hairs growing on their antennae.

Why Choose An Audiologist?

Your hearing care is a big deal. When surveyed, a majority of people would prefer to lose their sight than their hearing. However, the reality is that as we get older (and as life gets noiser), most of us will suffer some form of hearing loss.

95% of hearing losses are able to be corrected or aided with proper amplification. However, the success of the patient depends largely on the expertise of their health care provider in making the correct diagnosis, prescribing the most effective treatment plan, and setting reasonable expectations.

There are two groups of people who can prescribe hearing aids: audiologists and hearing instrument specialists. While both are licensed by the state, they are very different.

Here is a side-by-side comparison of audiologists and hearing instrument specialists. Audiologist (AuD or MS) Hearing Instrument Specialist (BC-HIS) Education Doctorate or Masters degree in Audiology, plus a fellowship or internship High school diploma or equivalent, passing a test, plus 1 year of supervision Specialties Trained in testing and treating hearing loss, balance disorders, tinnitus and other medical issues Only able to test hearing for the purposes of selling a hearing aid Insurance Can bill insurance for testing done Not able to bill insurance Quite simply put, when you are choosing a hearing care professional, you can choose between a highly educated professional or a trained salesman. You decide!

Cookies and Cleanings In October

As part of our anniversary celebration, please join us for

October Cookies & Cleanings

When: Every Wednesday on October

Time: 1:00 to 5:00 pm

Address: 321 E 300 N American Fork, UT

Who: Anyone who wears hearing technology and would like to have

them cleaned for FREE!

Just our way of saying thank you to our wonderful patients and friends. Call us at 801-770-0801 if you have any questions.