Family Hearing Center 2011 April Newsletter

We’re Audigy Certified

We are proud to be Audigy Certified, which identifies us as one among the
country’s most experienced hearing care professionals. Being Audigy
Certified is great for you and yours because our expertise is measured by
our commitment to patient satisfaction, continuing education, and the
application of current technology.

Therefore, when you choose the Family Hearing Center to help you in your path to better hearing, you can be confident you will receive an experienced professional who will offer
excellent service and advice.

Find out more by visiting the Family Hearing Center website, under the About Us section.

Hearing Loss and Chronic Kidney Disease

by the Better Hearing Institute

“Research shows that hearing loss is common in people with moderate chronic
kidney disease. As published in the American Journal of Kidney
Diseases …a team of Australian researchers found that older adults with
moderate chronic kidney disease (CKD) have a higher prevalence of hearing
loss than those of the same age without CKD…

“Unaddressed hearing loss can have very significant consequences on a
person’s life and greatly undermine quality of life,” said Sergei Kochkin,
PhD, BHI’s executive director. “We need to alert people with chronic kidney
disease of their potential for hearing loss as a result of their disease and
encourage hearing screenings as part of their routine medical care to help
optimize their quality of life.”

Referencing the Australian study, Dr. Kerry Willis, Senior Vice President of
Scientific Activities at the National Kidney Foundation stated: “These
findings could lead to a modification of the usual care of people with CKD.
Earlier clinical hearing assessments and fitting of hearing aids in CKD
patients can improve quality of life and lead to better management of
underlying conditions which could, in turn, potentially preserve hearing
function.”

Hearing Aid Tips for the Summer

• Try to keep your hearing aids dry during the hot summer days ahead.
  Consider wiping dry your ears and/or hearing aids if you perspire
  heavily.
• If you have serious moisture problems from local humidity or
  perspiration, consider purchasing a dehumidifier specifically for your
  hearing aids.
• If you need to take your hearing aids off for a summer cool down, be
  conscientiousness where you leave them. Try to avoid direct
  sunlight. Also, pocket holes and pets are likely suspects when hearing
  aids go missing.

And don’t forget to “like” us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.

from HealthNewsDigest.com
Apr 28, 2011 – 3:47:55 PM

DETROIT – A study by Henry Ford Hospital shows a direct association between cotton swab use and ruptured eardrum. The study also shows that in most cases the rupture heals on its own and surgery is only necessary for the most severe cases.

“In the past, many otolaryngologists have wondered if surgery is really necessary to treat a ruptured eardrum. The results of this study show that 97 percent of cases healed on their own within two months, proving that most cases do not require surgery,” says Ilaaf Darrat, M.D., an otolaryngologist at Henry Ford Hospital and co-author of the study.

The study is being presented April 29 at the Combined Otolaryngology Spring Meeting in Chicago.

More than half of patients seen in otolaryngology (ear, nose and throat) clinics, regardless of their primary complaint, admit to using cotton swabs to clean their ears. But if the cotton swab is pushed too far in the ear canal, it can cause serious damage, including ruptured eardrum, also known as tympanic membrane perforations (TMP).

Severe TMP can cause facial paralysis and vertigo.

“If a patient is experiencing symptoms such as hearing loss, drainage, dizziness or abnormality in their facial movements they should see a doctor immediately to assess the possible ear damage,” says Dr. Darrat.

Study co-author Michael Seidman, M.D., FACS, director of the division of otologic and neurotologic surgery at Henry Ford Hospital, recommends instead of cotton swabs, using these alternatives to clean the inner ear.

• Take cool peroxide, hot tap water and mix equally. Be sure it is body temperature and gently irrigate the ear one or two times per month.
• Take plain vinegar and water and use four or five drops in the ear once a week.
• See a doctor, who can remove ear wax for you.
• Try an over-the-counter treatment such as Debrox.

The Henry Ford study included 1,540 patients with a diagnosis of TMP from 2001-2010. Patients with a cotton swab injury were subdivided into two groups: observation and surgery. Successful outcomes were defined as healed TMP, resolution or improvement of vertigo, tinnitus or facial nerve paralysis, and/or closure of the air-bone gap.

A ruptured eardrum can be treated in one of two ways, depending on the severity of the symptoms. The most common method of treatment is observation of the perforation by an otolaryngologist because often times the eardrum will heal on its own within two months. More severe cases are treated with surgery.

While the study found that most cases or ruptured eardrum heal on their own, neurological deficits, such as facial nerve paralysis, require surgical intervention to repair the eardrum.

Surgical intervention proved very successful, with only one patient suffering mild, but improved vertigo.

Dr. Darrat and her colleagues concluded that proper follow-up with a doctor to test hearing after a case of ruptured eardrum is healed is essential to ensure that no hearing loss was caused from the injury.

The study was funded by Henry Ford Hospital.

Hearing Loss May Be an Early Sign of Dementia

Posted on CNN Health and By Lynne Peeples, Health.com

February 15, 2011 6:17 a.m. EST

(Health.com) — Gradual hearing loss is a common symptom of aging, but in some people it may also be an early sign of Alzheimer’s disease or other types of dementia, a new study suggests.
The risk of dementia appears to rise as hearing declines. Older people with mild hearing impairment — those who have difficulty following a conversation in a crowded restaurant, say — were nearly twice as likely as those with normal hearing to develop dementia, the study found. Severe hearing loss nearly quintupled the risk of dementia.
Health.com: 25 signs and symptoms of Alzheimer’s Disease
It’s unclear why the loss of hearing and mental function might go hand in hand. Brain abnormalities may contribute independently to both conditions, but it’s also possible that hearing problems can help bring on dementia, the researchers say. Hearing loss may lead to social isolation (which itself has been linked to dementia), for instance, or it may interfere with the brain’s division of labor.
“The brain might have to reallocate resources to help with hearing at the expense of cognition,” says the lead researcher, Frank R. Lin, M.D., an ear surgeon at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore. That may explain in part why straining to hear conversations over background noise in a loud restaurant can be mentally exhausting for anyone, hard of hearing or not, he adds.
The findings suggest that poor hearing is a “harbinger of impending dementia,” says George Gates, M.D., a hearing expert at the University of Washington in Seattle, who was not involved in the new study but whose own research has demonstrated a link between the two conditions.
“We listen with our ears but hear with our brains,” Gates says. “It is simply not possible to separate audition and cognition.”
Health.com: 9 foods that may help save your memory
In the study, which appears in the Archives of Neurology, Lin and his colleagues followed more than 600 dementia-free adults between the ages of 36 and 90 for an average of 12 years. A little less than 30 percent of the study participants had some hearing loss at the start of the study.
Overall, 9 percent of the participants went on to develop Alzheimer’s disease or another form of dementia. Mild, moderate, and severe hearing loss were associated with a two-fold, three-fold, and five-fold higher risk of later dementia, respectively, in comparison to normal hearing.
People with moderate hearing loss generally struggle to communicate even in quiet settings, and those with severe hearing loss are near deaf.
Lin says that hearing loss has an enormous impact on the lives of his patients and their family members. “Yet because it is such a slow and insidious process, it is often left ignored and untreated.”
Whether hearing aids or other treatments (such as cochlear implants) can help stave off dementia is the “50 billion dollar question,” Lin adds. Thirty million Americans currently have impaired hearing and 1 in 30 are predicted to suffer from dementia by 2050, so if those treatments prove to be helpful, their impact would be felt widely.
Health.com: Aging workforce means dementia on the job could rise
There is no cure for dementia, and there are no surefire ways of preventing it. Gates isn’t optimistic that restoring hearing can affect the course of dementia. However, if treatments and prevention strategies for dementia do become available in the future, he says, hearing loss could play an important role in early detection.
Lin and his colleagues have begun researching the effect of hearing aids on the risk of dementia. “Whether or not it can help dementia, we don’t know yet,” he says. “But in the meantime, there’s no reason not to take your hearing loss seriously and pursue some type of treatment.”
Copyright Health Magazine 2010

We’re on Flickr! Check out a gallery of photos from the Family Hearing Center by visiting our Flickr Page.

It’s Better Hearing and Speech Month, and we give you and yours a challenge to take a free and simple, online hearing test provided by the Better Hearing Institute. Visit the Hearing Test.

What Lifestyle Do You Want?

“Doc, There’s something wrong with my hearing. I can’t hear ‘em laugh.” Bob Hope said. The doctor replied: “Your ears are okay, Bob. Work on your act” (taken from Bob Hope). Bob Hope, a well-known comedian, lived an Active Lifestyle despite his hearing loss. Do you attend family gatherings, drive frequently, go to movie theaters, or perform volunteer activities? If so, then you too may lead an Active Lifestyle.

At the Family Hearing Center, we can determine what level of hearing aid you may need based on your desired lifestyle. Do you want to lead an active, casual, quiet, or very quiet lifestyle?

Find out more about each lifestyle now.

A Tip to Clean Your Ears

A great way to safely clean your ears is to use ProEar by Miracell. This product helps soften earwax, allowing it to come out safely and easily. We recommend and sell ProEar in our office because it also does the following:

• Helps stop itching of the ear
• Moisturizes flaky or dry ears
• Helps sores in the ears
• Improves ear drum health

Easter ASL Video

Check out this simple video to learn sign language for common Easter words. Happy Easter!

YouTube Easter ASL Video

And don’t forget to “like” us on Facebook to get regular updates from the Family Hearing Center.

Copyright (C) 2011 Family Hearing and Sensory Neural Center All rights reserved.

Become a Fan of the Family Hearing Center on Facebook

In our first newsletter, we mentioned that our goal is to treat every patient like family and a great way to do that these days is by keeping in contact through email. Well, we’ve thought of even another way to keep in contact – Facebook! Check out our Facebook page with pictures of the office, a link to past newsletters, and a link to our YouTube page with hearing-related videos.

Become a fan today by visiting the Family Hearing Center Facebook Page and press the “Like” button at the top of the page. You’ll get updates about the Family Hearing Center, great tips, news about hearing, and more.

Come Out and See the Family Hearing Center staff at the Fair Grounds Tomorrow!

We’ll be at the trade show tomorrow (March 3rd) from 4-8 p.m. We’re celebrating 30 years and introducing a new hearing aid for those new to hearing aids. Bring a friend, and we’ll see you at booth 101!

Tickets to the fair are available in the Family Hearing Center office 1911 22nd Street in Huntsville or at most businesses around Huntsville. Feel free to call us with any questions 936-291-2414.

Going Deaf in Style

a video by WhatYouOughttoKnow.com

Watch a short, to-the-point video that talks about today’s generation and hearing loss. In fact, did you know that CD’s today are louder than those 10 years ago? Watch the interesting video on the Family Hearing Center YouTube Page by following the link and clicking play on the Generation Deaf video.

Hearing Aid Joke of the Month

taken from jokesprank.com

What’s the most common cause of hearing loss amongst men?
His wife saying she wants to talk to him.

Copyright (C) 2011 Family Hearing and Sensory Neural Center All rights reserved.

Are you considering a different type or style of hearing aids? OR do you know someone who may be struggling with hearing loss? Check out our St. Patrick’s Day flyer (PDF) and our St. Patrick’s Day Specials flyer, which includes a free ear cleaning, $500 off, and more!