Get Your Hearing Checked During American Heart Month!

What do those two things, hearing and heart health, have to do with each other?  Research shows plenty.  For example:

In one study, published in The Laryngoscope, researchers hypothesized that low-frequency hearing loss is associated with underlying cardiovascular disease; and a mathematical formula using audiometric pattern and medical history to predict the probability of cardiovascular diseases and events was developed and tested. The researchers concluded that the audiogram pattern correlates strongly with cerebrovascular and peripheral arterial disease, and that it may represent a screening test for those at risk. The researchers also concluded that patients with low-frequency hearing loss should be regarded as at risk for cardiovascular events, and that appropriate referrals should be considered.

In another study, published in the June 2011 issue of the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, researchers looked at hearing sensitivity in older adults and its association with cardiovascular risk factors. They concluded that modifiable risk factors for cardiovascular disease may play a role in the development of age-related hearing loss. Risk factors associated with poorer hearing sensitivity in men included high triglyceride levels, high resting heart rate, and a history of smoking. In women, poor hearing sensitivity was associated with high body mass index, high resting heart rate, fast aortic pulse-wave velocity (PWV), and low ankle–arm index (AAI).

In still another study, published in the June 2010 issue of the American Journal of Audiology, the authors reviewed research that had been conducted over the past 60 plus years. They found that the negative influence of impaired cardiovascular health on both the peripheral and central auditory system, and the potential positive influence of improved cardiovascular health on these same systems, was found through a sizable body of research.

To schedule a free consultation with one of our Doctors of Audiology, call us at 801-770-0801 or go to www.utahhearingaids.com for more information.

New Study Links Hearing Loss With Increase Risk of Dementia

A recent study by researchers at Johns Hopkins and the National Institute on Aging has found that adults with hearing loss are significantly more likely than adults with normal hearing to develop dementia.  The study also concluded that the greater the hearing loss, the higher the risk.

The study followed 639 people ages 36 to 90 who initially did not have dementia.  The volunteers were tested for hearing loss and dementia every two years for nearly two decades.

Researchers found that those with hearing loss at the beginning of the study were much more likely to develop dementia by the end.  The risk of dementia only began to rise once hearing loss began to interfere with the ability to communicate-- for example in a noisy environment such as a restaurant.

Interestingly enough, the study also found a link between hearing loss and Alzheimer's risk, but the link was not as strong as between hearing loss and dementia.

The author of the study, Frank Lin, M.D. says that whatever causes dementia also causes hearing loss, but they don't have clear evidence.  He states that it is more likely that the stress caused by the effects of untreated hearing loss contributes to dementia and Alzheimer's.

Previous studies have proven that those with untreated hearing loss experience fatigue, stress and frustration after spending extra energy trying to decipher what those around them are saying.  This also contributes to social isolation, which has also been proven to contribute even more to dementia.  Dr. Lin says that it could be a combination of those two-- neurological stress and social isolation, that is the cause.

Unfortunately, people don't tend to give hearing loss the same kind of attention they give other conditions such as high blood pressure.  However, this research tells us that we may want to take a more serious look at treating hearing loss-- not just as a matter of improving quality of life, but also as a matter of increasing over-all health.

Hopefully, this will be the beginning of a greater emphasis on hearing loss research and on finding the link between hearing loss and other aging related conditions.

If you would like a free hearing consultation with a Doctor of Audiology, please call our office at 801-770-0801.

You can read the full study from the Archives of Neurology here.

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

Researchers believe that there is a direct link between tinnitus and stress.

Do you suffer from tinnitus (ringing in your ears)?  Did you know that recent studies have proved that tinnitus is 2.5 times more prevalent in those under stress?   This is shown by a study from The Karolinska Institute in Sweden.

In the study, the test persons were exposed to stressful situations, for example answering questions while at the same time being interrupted. After the test, blood tests were taken as were new hearing tests. The blood tests tested for levels of cortisol. Cortisol is a hormone which is activated in stressful situations and animal tests have shown that cortisol affects hearing.

“We found that tinnitus is 2.5 times more prevalent in people who are under long-term stress,” says Professor Barbera Canlon, who was one of the people leading the research.

Perceiving sound poorly

There was also a clear tendency showing that sound recognition and the ability to perceive spoken numbers in noise was worse in the group of stressed subjects than in other people, says Barbera Canlon.

According to Barbera Canlon, this is the first time that it can be proven that long-term stress has an effect on hearing.

“It is important to consider long-term stress and the risk of burnout when treating tinnitus and over-sensitivity to sound,” says Barbera Canlon.

The researchers surmise, that tinnitus and stress react together in that stress can lead to tinnitus and tinnitus can lead to stress.

Thorough investigations

The researchers looked at 348 people, who were divided into three groups depending on their stress levels. The subjects underwent a thorough health examination and hearing tests. 31% of the participants in the study said, that they had tinnitus and a third of these had severe tinnitus.

Reprinted from www.hear-it.org

Getting An iPod For Christmas? Watch The Volume!

Reprinted from The Atlantic

Portable music players may be contributing to permanent hearing loss among many casual listeners, gradually leading to the inability to discern speech. An iPod's maximum volume is more than 10 times as loud as the recommended listening setting, audiologists say, and the sensory damage caused by prolonged listening is irreversible.

Since the iPod was introduced in 2001, hearing loss has been an obvious problem among young patients of Brian Fligor, an audiologist at the Boston Children's Hospital.

"It depends on what you call major hearing loss, but there are a couple of cases (among children and teenagers) where using headphones contributed to a person's hearing loss that was enough that they needed to use hearing aids," Fligor said. These cases generally involved other factors contributing to the problem but were mainly music-related.

Hearing damage from loud music is not always permanent, but prolonged exposure to loud noise can lead to health problems such as hypertension and tinnitus, or ringing in the ears.

The biggest concern is that as hearing worsens over time, people may lose some ability to distinguish consonants and understand speech.

MUSIC-INDUCED HEARING LOSS
Noise-induced hearing loss occurs, simply, when sensitive cells in the inner ear are exposed to loud noises. These "hair cells," which convert sound energy into electrical impulses that are sent to the brain, can't grow back once they are damaged.

According to the National Institutes of Health, "long or repeated exposure to sounds at or above 85 decibels can cause hearing loss" -- noise louder than city traffic but not as loud as a lawnmower. The louder the sound, the shorter the time it takes to damage hair cells.

At maximum volume, an iPod reaches about 103 decibels, which can cause permanent hearing loss in a matter of minutes while listening through ear buds. In-ear headphones, like the earbuds that come with an iPod, send loud music straight into your ear and directly toward sensitive cells.

Noise-amplifying headphones, such as the kind DJs might use in clubs to hear over background club music, can produce louder sounds and take less time to cause irreversible damage. Just 15 minutes of listening at 100 dB can be harmful, according to the NIH.



PORTABLE MUSIC PLAYERS
For regular iPod users, the negative effects of loud listening might not be immediately noticeable.
"Noise-induced hearing loss or music-induced hearing loss happens very slowly over time," said audiologist Cory Portnuff. "I think in a few years we'll be able to see some effects of music players on hearing, but we're still easily five to 10 years away from seeing larger scale effects."

Portnuff has been studying the effect of portable music players on hearing loss as part of his doctoral dissertation at the University of Colorado. Studies on the hearing effects of portable music players have been around for decades, first looking at cassette and CD players. Portnuff's research is the first to use a monitoring device attached to participants' iPods to take away the unpredictability of self-reporting.

Consistent with previous research, his study found that people will increase their listening levels in proportion to background noise. But he said the most interesting or, rather, concerning result of the study was finding that 17 percent of the people monitored were putting themselves at risk for music-induced hearing loss from daily activities, exceeding the maximum allowable dosage for the day.
"It's a small but substantial group, about one in six people that are putting themselves at risk for hearing loss," Portnuff said. "That on its own is not a huge number, but when you think about the number of iPods in the world, we start to get a little concerned."

The biggest concern is that as hearing worsens over time, people may lose some ability to distinguish consonants and understand speech.

Most people are exposed to the problem throughout their lives, though the change is gradual. Some jobs require prolonged exposure to loud noises, such as those in factories or on construction sites. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration recognizes the risk, limiting workers to 40 hours per week while exposed to noise at 85 to 90 dBA. Even then, it's acknowledged that this doesn't necessarily protect against hearing damage.

As Beltran recognized a little too late, it's an occupational hazard for musicians. But going home and listening too loudly to a portable music player increases the risk.

"The best cure is prevention," Peck said. "We only have one set of ears -- there are no spare parts."
Portnuff recommended casual music listeners follow the "80-90 rule": listen at 80 percent volume (about 90 dBA) for 90 minutes, then let your ears rest. Sensitive cells are like batteries that need to recharge after a while.

"My car is capable of driving 120 miles an hour down the streets, but as a society we set speed limits because those are safer," he said. "We need to set some sort of speed limit for music listening."

If you want more information on hearing loss or protecting your hearing, visit www.utahhearingaids.com or call 801-770-0801.

TIme's Almost Out for Christmas Hearing Aid Nominations!

We are so excited for our second annual Hear For Christmas giveaway.  Last year, we were able to give away 4 sets of digital hearing aids to those in need.  We look forward to this all year.  Here's the response from one of the candidates we chose:

Dear Dr. Garrett & Staff,

Words cannot convey how your kind generosity has changed my life for the better.  Hearing is indeed a blessing.  I can continue to play my violin in the symphony, work in the operating room, and live my life to the fullest now.  I even can hear my two year old grandson say "I love you, Grandma!"  and I can hear the cries of my new born grandson!  Thank you, thank you, thank you!
S.J. from American Fork

We are accepting nomination still until Monday December 12, 2011.  You can submit an application online at http://www.utahhearingaids.com/christmas_form.php for yourself or a loved one. 

Why Not To Buy Hearing Aids Online

Emmett, Idaho -- A hearing aid exploded near an Emmett man while it was being charged.

He wasn't' seriously injured but, now he wants to make sure it doesn't happen to anyone else.

He was trying to help someone by buying the hearing aid online. It turned out his good intentions to help someone literally blew up in his face. He says he wants everyone else to know that buying a hearing aid online is not a good idea.

Kevin Airrington just wanted to help an elderly neighbor who has a hearing problem.

"He asked me about getting a hearing aid because he went to the ear doctor and it's about $3,000 and his insurance wouldn't cover it," said Airrington.

So he looked online and found one on eBay.

"It was like $22 bucks, really cheap," said Airrington.

The product was made in China.

"We knew it wouldn't work like a three thousand dollar hearing aid, but we thought it might help him enough to where he wasn't going 'huh' all the time," said Airrington.

It arrived by mail on Monday.

"I open it up; I'm kind of excited that it's here for him. I'm going to charge it up so it's all charged up ready to go as soon as he comes over," said Airrington.

He plugged it in and went back to what he was doing.

"Less than five minutes later, there was this big loud kaboom," said Airrington.

"I hear, this bang and I look around and my dad he looks confused himself and he's holding his face," said Nicholas James, Airrington's son.

"My face was burning and my ear was ringing. There was quite a bit of pain," said Airrington.

He couldn't' figure out what had happened.

"I see pieces of plastic all over and, you know, after looking around I realized this is what happened," said Airrington.

The hearing aid had been blown to bits.

"The hearing aid exploded like a bomb, just kaboom!" said Airrington.

"Just think what would happened if it had exploded in somebody's ear," said James.

Airrington was slightly injured in the face, but what's worse is his hearing was affected. He got a refund for the product and he also called eBay and they said they were sorry, but there was nothing they could do.

"And they said 'yes, if somebody sent you a bomb through eBay all you do is leave negative feedback,'" said Airrington.

An expert from the Idaho Elks rehab hospital says it's not only a bad idea but, also illegal to sell hearing aids online directly to customers.

He says it's best to go to a trained doctor to get a prescription in the first place.

"One thing you get is their professional expertise and training how to adjust and fit that hearing instrument and how to do the follow up care. The real success of most hearing aid patients is in the relationship with the audio expert they are working with," said Michael Sturmak, chief operating officer of Elks Hearing and Balance Center.

A professional will make sure it's fitted properly and that the hearing aid works correctly.

"Plus, you don't have any real understanding of what you're getting. You may be getting something someone made in somebody's garage," said Sturmak.

To find out more about investing in better hearing with a certified Audiologist, go to www.utahhearingaids.com.