If you haven't come into our office for a while, come in and say Hello and see the big improvements we've made in the last few months. You'll be surprised!
Monday, May 9, 2011
Best of State!
If you haven't come into our office for a while, come in and say Hello and see the big improvements we've made in the last few months. You'll be surprised!
Thursday, April 28, 2011
New Hearing Loss Survey Results
Sergei Kochkin, an American hearing expert, has carried out various studies, the MarkeTrak Surveys, of hearing impaired Americans and their use of hearing aids. In his 2008 survey, MarkeTrak VIII, he found that:
Many hearing impaired people live with their untreated hearing loss for years, according to a new survey conducted by the non-commercial hear-it organization. Three in four people, who suspect that their hearing is impaired, said they believe that they have suffered from their hearing loss for more than a year. 37.5 percent said that they have lived with their untreated hearing loss for more than five years.
'My hearing loss got worse' is the main reason, given by 55.4 percent in an American survey, when hearing impaired people decide to get their first hearing aid. Many of them experience an improvement in their quality of life as they adapt to their hearing aids.
The finding was among the results of the extensive MarkeTrak VIII survey on hearing impairment in the US, conducted in 2009 by the American hearing expert, Sergei Kochkin. The MarkeTrak surveys are published every four years.
51 percent of the respondents indicated that they agreed to accept their first hearing aid partly because their family kept telling them that they had to do something about their bad hearing. 26 percent said that the hearing health care professional had influenced their decision.
Hearing aid specialists, family doctors and free hearing aid programs also were credited with some degree of influence.
The survey found that the average time from individuals become aware of their hearing loss until they are treated with hearing aids is 6.7 years. Non owners with hearing loss have been aware of their hearing loss for 12 years on average without seeking treatment.
- More than 35 million Americans, 11.3 percent of the population, were hearing impaired.
- More than 25 million of them did not have a hearing aid.
- Only about 28.5 percent of hearing impaired Americans actually use hearing aids.
Many hearing impaired people live with their untreated hearing loss for years, according to a new survey conducted by the non-commercial hear-it organization. Three in four people, who suspect that their hearing is impaired, said they believe that they have suffered from their hearing loss for more than a year. 37.5 percent said that they have lived with their untreated hearing loss for more than five years.
'My hearing loss got worse' is the main reason, given by 55.4 percent in an American survey, when hearing impaired people decide to get their first hearing aid. Many of them experience an improvement in their quality of life as they adapt to their hearing aids.
The finding was among the results of the extensive MarkeTrak VIII survey on hearing impairment in the US, conducted in 2009 by the American hearing expert, Sergei Kochkin. The MarkeTrak surveys are published every four years.
51 percent of the respondents indicated that they agreed to accept their first hearing aid partly because their family kept telling them that they had to do something about their bad hearing. 26 percent said that the hearing health care professional had influenced their decision.
Hearing aid specialists, family doctors and free hearing aid programs also were credited with some degree of influence.
The survey found that the average time from individuals become aware of their hearing loss until they are treated with hearing aids is 6.7 years. Non owners with hearing loss have been aware of their hearing loss for 12 years on average without seeking treatment.
Other studies have shown that hearing aids contribute to improvements in the wearers' quality of life as well as their hearing. 70 percent of the respondents in a German study found that their enjoyment of everyday life improved after they were fitted with digital hearing aids. Hearing impaired people with no hearing aid often have difficulty communicating with relatives, friends and colleagues and often feel isolated as a result.
Thursday, April 7, 2011
Friday, April 1, 2011
Battery Tips
Hearing aids will not work without batteries. In its magazine, Auris, the Swedish hearing association HRF gives some tips as to how get the most out of your batteries.
Zinc-air batteries should also be given a little time to “charge up” before they can be used. These batteries need air to work and it takes about a minute before the air has reacted to the zinc in the battery
- Leave the batteries in their packaging until you need to use them
- Store them at room temperature, not in the refrigerator
- Only remove the coloured strip when you need to use them. This will protect the battery from oxidisation.
- Do not put the coloured strip back on, as this can damage the battery.
- If you do not use your hearing aid at night, turn it off and open the battery compartment. This reduces the risk of condensation and preserves the battery’s power.
- Do not store batteries in your pocket.
- Do not let batteries come into contact with metal objects.
Friday, March 4, 2011
Introducing Lyric!
Timpanogos Hearing and Balance is pleased to announce they have become one of the first providers in the country to offer the new, revolutionary Lyric hearing device. Lyric is the world's first and only 100% invisible extended wear hearing device and has recently been featured on CNN, Fox News, and in the New York Times.Lyric was recently featured on Good Morning America. The story highlighted Lyric's small size, the fact that you can exercise with Lyric and wear headphones comfortably, and that once placed it is completely invisible.
Click Here or on the image to the right to View the Full Good Morning America Feature
What To Expect
Getting started on the path toward better hearing is easy. With Lyric® Hearing, you get your own customized Lyric devices in one simple office visit to your Lyric trained hearing professional's office. Lyric is a non-surgically placed device, and no anesthesia is required. Sizing and fitting you for new Lyric devices should take less than one hour.
To begin your experience, schedule an initial appointment with your local Lyric trained hearing professional.
Initial Patient Visit
Your initial visit will begin with an evaluation of your specific hearing loss condition. Based on this evaluation, your trained Lyric hearing professional will determine if Lyric is the best option for your hearing and lifestyle needs.
Evaluation Steps
•Perform hearing exam to assess your hearing loss
•Conduct ear exam to check size/shape of your canal and ear health
•Evaluate your lifestyle/hearing needs
Once you and your hearing professional have determined that Lyric is the right solution for you, you will be sized and fit with Lyric. This process has three simple steps that enable you to leave the office with your Lyric hearing devices.
Sizing and Fitting Steps
•Size and place Lyric
•Program Lyric
•Discuss how to use Lyric, Q&A, and follow-up visits
After completing the steps above, you will start to experience the benefits of Lyric Hearing.
Follow-up Visits to Receive Your New Lyric Devices
Lyric devices may be used until they cease to function or for a maximum of 120 days. Individual replacement needs may vary. Patients should expect to return to their hearing professional's office for 10-minute replacement visits.
Benefits
100% INVISIBLE
No one will know why you're hearing better except you.
Unlike traditional hearing devices, Lyric®'s small size and placement in the ear canal make it totally invisible. Lyric allows you to enjoy the benefits of better hearing without anyone ever knowing you're using a hearing device.
EFFORTLESS HEARING, 24/7
With Lyric, you can forget the hassles of traditional hearing aids.
Lyric allows you to hear 24 hours a day, seven days a week, for months at a time.* You can use Lyric during your activities ? such as sleeping, showering, exercising, using external headphones, and talking on the phone. There are no batteries to change, no maintenance is needed, and no daily insertion is required. Lyric is a hearing solution that lets you lead your life day to day without constantly being reminded of your hearing loss.
*Lyric is not waterproof.
NATURAL PLACEMENT, NATURAL SOUND
Lyric is designed to take advantage of your ear's anatomy. Lyric's unique design and placement work with your ear's anatomy to deliver exceptional sound quality. Lyric uses your outer ear to naturally direct sound into the ear canal without the need for multiple settings or complicated programs.
The exterior of Lyric is made of a soft material specifically designed to contour to your ear canal. Lyric is comfortably placed in your ear canal during a routine visit to your Lyric trained hearing professional. Your ENT physician and audiologist will work together to make sure your Lyric system is fitted and adjusted specifically for your individual hearing needs. Once you are wearing Lyric, you can still adjust the volume if needed, as well as turn the device on and off.
How Lyric Works
Lyric® is comfortably placed in the ear canal by a Lyric trained hearing professional during a routine office visit. No surgery or anesthesia is required.
Once placed, Lyric is 100% invisible, allowing you to enjoy all the benefits of better hearing without anyone knowing you're using a hearing device. You can use Lyric for months at a time*, there are no batteries to replace and no repairs to make. Just visit your hearing professional's office as needed* to receive new devices with the latest Lyric technology.
Lyric is sold on a subscription basis, meaning you will purchase a year's worth of Lyric devices at a time. You will be guaranteed to have the most advanced Lyric hearing technology currently available, since you will be receiving new devices at each follow-up office visit.
Uniquely designed and placed, Lyric works with your ear's anatomy to deliver exceptional sound quality. Lyric uses your outer ear to naturally direct sound into your ear canal without the need for multiple settings or complicated programs.
Lyric will be programmed for your specific hearing needs. You will be able to adjust the settings and volume on your device as needed, as well as turn the device on and off.
Developed by ENT physicians and audiologists, Lyric was built around three key concepts that hearing professionals have known for years:
•Sound quality improves with proximity to the ear drum.
•Many people with hearing loss are dissatisfied with their hearing aid options.
•Consumers desire a hassle-free, invisible solution.
Lyric Technology features:
•Biocompatible soft foam seals engineered to contour to the ear canal; safe to wear 24/7, months at a time*
•Proprietary mechanical and coating technology developed to protect the device from moisture and ear wax
•A proprietary battery designed to last up to 120 days
•A programmable sound processing system designed to work millimeters from the ear drum and allow for both microphone and receiver placement in the ear canal and out-of-sight
What some of our patients are saying:
"It is a little bit of a miracle."
- Alfred, Lyric User
"I was fishing on the lake and I heard a conversation from someone who I could not even see. I golf, hunt and fish and I hear better than I have in years."
- JD, Lyric User
"My dog was ill and I needed to hear her in the night. I can sleep with these on and hear just fine. I feel so much safer at night."
- Pat, Lyric User
Call our office at 801-770-0801 to set up your free evaluation!
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
How We Hear Part II
The cochlea is by far the most complex part of the ear. Its job is to take the physical vibrations caused by the sound wave and translate them into electrical information the brain can recognize as distinct sound.
The cochlea structure consists of three adjacent tubes separated from each other by sensitive membranes. In reality, these tubes are coiled in the shape of a snail shell, but it's easier to understand what's going on if you imagine them stretched out. It's also clearer if we treat two of the tubes, the scala vestibuli and the scala media, as one chamber. The membrane between these tubes is so thin that sound waves travel as if the tubes weren't separated at all.
The piston action of the stapes moves the fluid in the cochlea. This causes a vibration wave to travel down the basilar membrane.
The stapes moves back and forth, creating pressure waves in the entire cochlea. The round window membrane separating the cochlea from the middle ear gives the fluid somewhere to go. It moves out when the stapes pushes in and moves in when the stapes pulls out.
This gives the fibers different resonant frequencies. A specific wave frequency will resonate perfectly with the fibers at a certain point, causing them to vibrate rapidly. This is the same principle that makes tuning forks and kazoos work -- a specific pitch will start a tuning fork ringing, and humming in a certain way will cause a kazoo reed to vibrate.
As the wave moves along most of the membrane, it can't release much energy -- the membrane is too tense. But when the wave reaches the fibers with the same resonant frequency, the wave's energy is suddenly released. Because of the increasing length and decreasing rigidity of the fibers, higher-frequency waves vibrate the fibers closer to the oval window, and lower frequency waves vibrate the fibers at the other end of the membrane.
Higher pitches vibrate the basilar membrane most intensely near the oval window, and lower pitches vibrate the basilar membrane most intensely at a point farther down the cochlea. But how does the brain know where these vibrations occur?
This is the organ of corti's job. The organ of corti is a structure containing thousands of tiny hair cells. It lies on the surface of the basilar membrane and extends across the length of the cochlea.
Until a wave reaches the fibers with a resonant frequency, it doesn't move the basilar membrane a whole lot. But when the wave finally does reach the resonant point, the membrane suddenly releases a burst of energy in that area. This energy is strong enough to move the organ of corti hair cells at that point.
When these hair cells are moved, they send an electrical impulse through the cochlear nerve. The cochlear nerve sends these impulses on to the cerebral cortex, where the brain interprets them. The brain determines the pitch of the sound based on the position of the cells sending electrical impulses. Louder sounds release more energy at the resonant point along the membrane and so move a greater number of hair cells in that area. The brain knows a sound is louder because more hair cells are activated in an area.
The cochlea only sends raw data -- complex patterns of electrical impulses. The brain is like a central computer, taking this input and making some sense of it all. This is an extraordinarily complex operation, and scientists are still a long way from understanding everything about it.
In fact, hearing in general is still very mysterious to us. The basic concepts at work in human and animal ears are fairly simple, but the specific structures are extremely complex. Scientists are making rapid advancements, however, and they discover new hearing elements every year. It's astonishing how much is involved in the hearing process, and it's even more amazing that all these processes take place in such a small area of the body.
The cochlea structure consists of three adjacent tubes separated from each other by sensitive membranes. In reality, these tubes are coiled in the shape of a snail shell, but it's easier to understand what's going on if you imagine them stretched out. It's also clearer if we treat two of the tubes, the scala vestibuli and the scala media, as one chamber. The membrane between these tubes is so thin that sound waves travel as if the tubes weren't separated at all.
The piston action of the stapes moves the fluid in the cochlea. This causes a vibration wave to travel down the basilar membrane.
The stapes moves back and forth, creating pressure waves in the entire cochlea. The round window membrane separating the cochlea from the middle ear gives the fluid somewhere to go. It moves out when the stapes pushes in and moves in when the stapes pulls out.
The middle membrane, the basilar membrane, is a rigid surface that extends across the length of the cochlea. When the stapes moves in and out, it pushes and pulls on the part of the basilar membrane just below the oval window. This force starts a wave moving along the surface of the membrane. The wave travels something like ripples along the surface of a pond, moving from the oval window down to the other end of the cochlea.
The basilar membrane has a peculiar structure. It's made of 20,000 to 30,000 reed-like fibers that extend across the width of the cochlea. Near the oval window, the fibers are short and stiff. As you move toward the other end of the tubes, the fibers get longer and more limber.
This gives the fibers different resonant frequencies. A specific wave frequency will resonate perfectly with the fibers at a certain point, causing them to vibrate rapidly. This is the same principle that makes tuning forks and kazoos work -- a specific pitch will start a tuning fork ringing, and humming in a certain way will cause a kazoo reed to vibrate.
As the wave moves along most of the membrane, it can't release much energy -- the membrane is too tense. But when the wave reaches the fibers with the same resonant frequency, the wave's energy is suddenly released. Because of the increasing length and decreasing rigidity of the fibers, higher-frequency waves vibrate the fibers closer to the oval window, and lower frequency waves vibrate the fibers at the other end of the membrane.
Higher pitches vibrate the basilar membrane most intensely near the oval window, and lower pitches vibrate the basilar membrane most intensely at a point farther down the cochlea. But how does the brain know where these vibrations occur?
This is the organ of corti's job. The organ of corti is a structure containing thousands of tiny hair cells. It lies on the surface of the basilar membrane and extends across the length of the cochlea.
Until a wave reaches the fibers with a resonant frequency, it doesn't move the basilar membrane a whole lot. But when the wave finally does reach the resonant point, the membrane suddenly releases a burst of energy in that area. This energy is strong enough to move the organ of corti hair cells at that point.
When these hair cells are moved, they send an electrical impulse through the cochlear nerve. The cochlear nerve sends these impulses on to the cerebral cortex, where the brain interprets them. The brain determines the pitch of the sound based on the position of the cells sending electrical impulses. Louder sounds release more energy at the resonant point along the membrane and so move a greater number of hair cells in that area. The brain knows a sound is louder because more hair cells are activated in an area.
The cochlea only sends raw data -- complex patterns of electrical impulses. The brain is like a central computer, taking this input and making some sense of it all. This is an extraordinarily complex operation, and scientists are still a long way from understanding everything about it.
In fact, hearing in general is still very mysterious to us. The basic concepts at work in human and animal ears are fairly simple, but the specific structures are extremely complex. Scientists are making rapid advancements, however, and they discover new hearing elements every year. It's astonishing how much is involved in the hearing process, and it's even more amazing that all these processes take place in such a small area of the body.
Thursday, January 20, 2011
How We Hear... Part 1
Have you ever stopped to think about how incredible your ears are? The fact that we can hear at all and with such amazing clarity is really a miracle of design and function. Let's talk a little about how our marvelous ears work.
To hear sound, your ear has to do three basic things:
•Direct the sound waves into the hearing part of the ear
•Sense the fluctuations in air pressure
•Translate these fluctuations into an electrical signal that your brain can understand
The pinna, the outer part of the ear, serves to "catch" the sound waves. Your outer ear is pointed forward and it has a number of curves. This structure helps you determine the direction of a sound. If a sound is coming from behind you or above you, it will bounce off the pinna in a different way than if it is coming from in front of you or below you. This sound reflection alters the pattern of the sound wave. Your brain recognizes distinctive patterns and determines whether the sound is in front of you, behind you, above you or below you.
Your brain determines the horizontal position of a sound by comparing the information coming from your two ears. If the sound is to your left, it will arrive at your left ear a little bit sooner than it arrives at your right ear. It will also be a little bit louder in your left ear than your right ear.
Once the sound waves travel into the ear canal, they vibrate the tympanic membrane, commonly called the eardrum. The eardrum is a thin, cone-shaped piece of skin, about 10 millimeters (0.4 inches) wide. It is positioned between the ear canal and the middle ear. The middle ear is connected to the throat via the eustachian tube. Since air from the atmosphere flows in from your outer ear as well as your mouth, the air pressure on both sides of the eardrum remains equal. This pressure balance lets your eardrum move freely back and forth
The eardrum is rigid, and very sensitive. Even the slightest air-pressure fluctuations will move it back and forth. It is attached to the tensor tympani muscle, which constantly pulls it inward. This keeps the entire membrane taut so it will vibrate no matter which part of it is hit by a sound wave.
The compressions and rarefactions in sound waves move your eardrum back and forth. For the most part, these changes in air pressure are extremely small. They don't apply much force on the eardrum, but the eardrum is so sensitive that this minimal force moves it a good distance.
The cochlea in the inner ear conducts sound through a fluid, instead of through air. This fluid has a much higher inertia than air -- that is, it is harder to move (think of pushing air versus pushing water). The small force felt at the eardrum is not strong enough to move this fluid. Before the sound passes on to the inner ear, the total pressure (force per unit of area) must be amplified.
This is the job of the ossicles, a group of tiny bones in the middle ear. The ossicles are actually the smallest bones in your body. They include:
•The malleus, commonly called the hammer
•The incus, commonly called the anvil
•The stapes, commonly called the stirrup
When air-pressure compression pushes in on the eardrum, the ossicles move so that the faceplate of the stapes pushes in on the cochlear fluid. When air-pressure rarefaction pulls out on the eardrum, the ossicles move so that the faceplate of the stapes pulls in on the fluid. Essentially, the stapes acts as a piston, creating waves in the inner-ear fluid to represent the air-pressure fluctuations of the sound wave.
This amplification system is extremely effective. The pressure applied to the cochlear fluid is about 22 times the pressure felt at the eardrum. This pressure amplification is enough to pass the sound information on to the inner ear, where it is translated into nerve impulses the brain can understand.
The cochlea is by far the most complex part of the ear. Its job is to take the physical vibrations caused by the sound wave and translate them into electrical information the brain can recognize as distinct sound.
Next time, we'll learn about how the cochlea translates that physical energy into electrical information...
•Direct the sound waves into the hearing part of the ear
•Sense the fluctuations in air pressure
•Translate these fluctuations into an electrical signal that your brain can understand
The pinna, the outer part of the ear, serves to "catch" the sound waves. Your outer ear is pointed forward and it has a number of curves. This structure helps you determine the direction of a sound. If a sound is coming from behind you or above you, it will bounce off the pinna in a different way than if it is coming from in front of you or below you. This sound reflection alters the pattern of the sound wave. Your brain recognizes distinctive patterns and determines whether the sound is in front of you, behind you, above you or below you.
Your brain determines the horizontal position of a sound by comparing the information coming from your two ears. If the sound is to your left, it will arrive at your left ear a little bit sooner than it arrives at your right ear. It will also be a little bit louder in your left ear than your right ear.
Once the sound waves travel into the ear canal, they vibrate the tympanic membrane, commonly called the eardrum. The eardrum is a thin, cone-shaped piece of skin, about 10 millimeters (0.4 inches) wide. It is positioned between the ear canal and the middle ear. The middle ear is connected to the throat via the eustachian tube. Since air from the atmosphere flows in from your outer ear as well as your mouth, the air pressure on both sides of the eardrum remains equal. This pressure balance lets your eardrum move freely back and forth
The eardrum is rigid, and very sensitive. Even the slightest air-pressure fluctuations will move it back and forth. It is attached to the tensor tympani muscle, which constantly pulls it inward. This keeps the entire membrane taut so it will vibrate no matter which part of it is hit by a sound wave.
The compressions and rarefactions in sound waves move your eardrum back and forth. For the most part, these changes in air pressure are extremely small. They don't apply much force on the eardrum, but the eardrum is so sensitive that this minimal force moves it a good distance.
The cochlea in the inner ear conducts sound through a fluid, instead of through air. This fluid has a much higher inertia than air -- that is, it is harder to move (think of pushing air versus pushing water). The small force felt at the eardrum is not strong enough to move this fluid. Before the sound passes on to the inner ear, the total pressure (force per unit of area) must be amplified.
This is the job of the ossicles, a group of tiny bones in the middle ear. The ossicles are actually the smallest bones in your body. They include:
•The malleus, commonly called the hammer
•The incus, commonly called the anvil
•The stapes, commonly called the stirrup
When air-pressure compression pushes in on the eardrum, the ossicles move so that the faceplate of the stapes pushes in on the cochlear fluid. When air-pressure rarefaction pulls out on the eardrum, the ossicles move so that the faceplate of the stapes pulls in on the fluid. Essentially, the stapes acts as a piston, creating waves in the inner-ear fluid to represent the air-pressure fluctuations of the sound wave.
This amplification system is extremely effective. The pressure applied to the cochlear fluid is about 22 times the pressure felt at the eardrum. This pressure amplification is enough to pass the sound information on to the inner ear, where it is translated into nerve impulses the brain can understand.
The cochlea is by far the most complex part of the ear. Its job is to take the physical vibrations caused by the sound wave and translate them into electrical information the brain can recognize as distinct sound.
Next time, we'll learn about how the cochlea translates that physical energy into electrical information...
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