Why should we buy Hearing Aids from professional Audiologist/Hearing Instrument Specialist?

This is a very interesting and complex topic, which I thought must be published for the sake of hearing aid buyers and users. We should also know the importance of buying the hearing aids as it is going to be a long time using device. Purchasing hearing aids from a professional audiologist or hearing instrument specialist offers various benefits compared to buying them through other channels or online. Here are several reasons why seeking professional guidance when buying hearing aids is highly beneficial: Comprehensive Evaluation: Audiologists and hearing instrument specialists are trained to conduct thorough hearing assessments. They can diagnose the type and degree of your hearing loss accurately, ensuring that you receive the most appropriate hearing aids for your specific needs. Customized Solutions: Professionals tailor the selection of hearing aids to match your hearing loss, lifestyle, and preferences. They consider factors like your communication needs, daily activities, and budget to recommend the most suitable devices. Proper and professional Fitting: Achieving a comfortable and secure fit is crucial for hearing aid effectiveness and comfort. Professionals use precise measurements and molding techniques to ensure your hearing aids fit perfectly, reducing the risk of discomfort or feedback issues. Programming and Adjustments: Hearing aids require precise programming to meet your unique hearing requirements. Audiologists and hearing instrument specialists are skilled in programming and fine-tuning hearing aids to optimize their performance and comfort. They can make necessary adjustments over time as your hearing needs change. Education and Counseling: Professionals provide comprehensive education on how to use and care for your hearing aids. They offer guidance on communication strategies and realistic expectations, helping you adapt to your new devices more successfully. Trial Periods: Many hearing healthcare professionals offer trial periods during which you can test different hearing aids to find the most suitable option. This minimizes the risk of investing in a device that doesn't meet your expectations. Follow-Up Care: Hearing aid providers offer ongoing support and maintenance. Regular follow-up appointments are essential for adjustments, cleanings, and addressing any issues that may arise. Verification and Validation: Professionals use validated methods to verify that your hearing aids are functioning correctly and meeting your hearing needs. This ensures that you are receiving the full benefit of your investment. Access to the Latest Technology: Professionals stay up-to-date with the latest advancements in hearing aid technology. They can recommend cutting-edge features and models that may improve your hearing experience. Community and Resources: Audiologists and hearing instrument specialists often have access to a network of other healthcare providers, support groups, and resources that can enhance your overall hearing health and well-being. Insurance and Warranty Assistance: They can assist you in navigating insurance coverage and help with warranty claims, making the process smoother and less stressful. Ethical Practices: Reputable professionals adhere to a code of ethics and prioritize your best interests. They are less likely to engage in high-pressure sales tactics or recommend unnecessary products or services. While purchasing hearing aids from a professional may initially seem more expensive than online or over-the-counter options, the personalized care, expertise, and long-term benefits they provide make it a wise investment in your hearing health. Consult with an audiologist or hearing instrument specialist to start your journey toward improved hearing and a better quality of life.

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Most Likely symptoms detected in Babies and Children having hearing loss.

Hearing loss can affect people of all ages, from newborns to the elderly. In older children and adults, hearing loss is often easier to identify. But in infants and young children, it may be more difficult to recognize.

Below are some of the common signs associated with hearing loss in both babies and toddlers/young children.

Babies:

• ​Did not pass newborn hearing screening
• Does not startle or react to loud sounds
• Does not babble, or starts babbling at a young age and then stops
• Does not respond to familiar voices
• Does not say any words by 12 months of age (even “mama” or “papa”)
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Toddlers/Young Children:

• Has delayed or unclear speech
• Does not respond to voices or sounds when they cannot see you
• Asks for repetitions or says “huh” a lot
• Does not follow directions
• Needs the television turned up louder than normal
• Misses soft sounds or distant sounds

If you suspect your child may have hearing loss, contact the child’s pediatrician or a pediatric audiologist (hearing specialist) immediately for a hearing evaluation.

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New Ear Cleaning "How-To" Rules

(Source: HealthyHearing.com) Regular readers of Healthy Hearing know we've covered the problem of cerumen - commonly called ear wax - in previous editions. Why? Well, we all have it and ear wax can cause temporary hearing problems. Also, for persons with hearing aids, cerumen can be more common and wreak havoc on your hearing aids.
So despite the inherent "ewww factor" associated with ear wax, let's take a look down your ear canal and provide the latest on ear care.

It's Natural

Cerumen builds up in our ear canals

Cerumen isn't a sign of poor hygiene or an oversight. The production of cerumen is natural and it serves a beneficial purpose.
Cerumen is produced by glands that line the outer third of the ear canal and it isn't wax at all. It's water-soluble (it dissolves in water) and it's there to collect dust, debris, dead skin cells, hair spray and all the other gunk that would, otherwise, work its way down the ear canal to the tympanic membrane or ear drum.
So, by capturing this gunk before it collects deeper in the ear, the delicate workings of the inner ear are protected. By reaming out ear wax with a cotton swab, toothpick or some other "entrenching tool," you're actually hurting yourself. Stop cleaning your ears - at least stop reaming out your ear canal with whatever's close at hand.

The American Academy of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery Foundation

The AAO-HNSF (yes it's a mouthful) has issued new cerumen removal guidelines for hearing care professionals; however, the guidelines contain information that is useful for all to take home and stick inside their medicine cabinet.
"Approximately 12 million people a year in the U.S. seek medical care for impacted or excessive cerumen," said Richard Rosenfeld, MD, MPH, Chair of the AAO-HNSF Guideline Development Task Force. "This leads to nearly 8 million cerumen removal procedures by health care professionals. Developing practical clinical guidelines for physicians to understand the harm vs. benefit profile of the intervention was essential."
You bet. And it's just as important that we all understand these new guidelines. It's a universal bodily function, but one that can cause problems, especially among special groups of people:

• 10% of children have problems with cerumen that require medical attention.
• 5% of adults have a problem serious enough for a visit to the doctor.
• 33% of the elderly have hearing issues associated with cerumen
• 33% of cognitively impaired men and women have problems.

What is so sticky about wax?

Well, the one most of us think about is cosmetic. No one wants to walk around with wax sitting in the outer ear. But a simple wash with warm water and soap will remove visible cerumen. Cosmetic problem solved, as long as the wash cloth stays outside the ear canal. If you use a wash cloth and stick to the pina - the outer ear - you'll look spiffy. And well groomed.
Serious problems occur when cerumen builds up within the ear canal and becomes impacted or compressed. This can lead to a variety of problems: • ear pain • sound distortion (your own voice sounds different)

• a feeling of stuffiness or fullness in the ear canal
• persistent itching • an unpleasant odor
• ringing in the ears (tinnitus)
• discharge (an oozing substance that keeps appearing)
• persistent cough
• hearing loss

If you experience these symptoms in combination with an excess amount of cerumen production, it's time to make an appointment with a qualified hearing care professional to see what's up (or down) in there. These professionals can quickly diagnose ear wax impaction and have the tools and techniques to remove the impacted ear wax safely.
Let's put this in bold type because it's that important: if you experience any of the symptoms listed above and you know that you have ear wax build up, do NOT try to fix the problem yourself. REPEAT: Do not try to fix the problem yourself.
To put it simple, don't stick anything down your ear canal. The chances of pushing deeper the impacted cerumen are simply too great and worse, puncturing your eardrum (ouch!). And besides, you can't even see what you're doing in there so see a professional who can handle the problem safely.

The AAO-HNSF Cerumen Guidelines

So, what do the medical practitioners recommend for handling ear wax. Well, here are the new guidelines published by the AAO-HNSF:

1. Cerumen is beneficial. It is self-cleaning, protects the inner ear, moisturizes the ear canal and has anti-biotic properties, i.e. germs don't get through.
2. People who wear hearing aids should be examined regularly for impaction that can cause feedback, limit hearing and cause further damage to the ear.
3. Ear wax can cause reversible hearing loss even when 80% of the ear canal's diameter is blocked. (That's good news, so make an appointment today.)
4. Removal techniques include:

At home:

• wax-dissolving agents (some o-t-c products are available for home maintenance)

Water irrigation is one cerumen removal option

By a hearing care professional:

• irrigation - removing the impacted ear wax with water under mild pressure
• manual removal with special instruments
• suction, carefully controlled and monitored by the hearing professional

Home care should NOT include: cleaning the ear with a cotton swab, oral jet irrigators or ear candling. These practices invariably do more harm than good.
Take the advice of your physician or audiologist who may recommend regular visits for a safe ear cleaning.
Bottom line?
Cleaning your ears is not a do-it-yourself project like brushing your teeth. Your ears will take care of themselves under normal circumstances - no maintenance needed.
However, if you experience symptoms associated with ear wax impaction, or if you wear a hearing aid, the AAO-HNSF recommends seeing your hearing care professional every 6 - 12 months.
Dr. Peter Roland, MD, who led the team that developed these new hearing health guidelines put it this way. "The complications from cerumen impaction can be painful and ongoing, including infections and hearing loss. It is hoped that these guidelines will give clinicians the tools they need to spot an issue early and avoid serious outcomes."
Dr. Roland's point should be taken to heart, not only by hearing professionals but by individuals with cerumen problems. You know first when there's a problem with your hearing.
You're the best, strongest advocate for good hearing health. So, if ear wax is anything more unusual than "icky," make an appointment so see a hearing care professional today.

Iodine Cures Cancers

We are about to upset the $50 Billion Cancer Industry.

Author Lynne Farrow asked me to post my research on how Iodine cures cancer.

First the real life stories from little Westport, Tn. I have been heavily promoting iodine to my friends & neighbors by handing out free books that I bought from Amazon to get the ball rolling. I am even shocked at the amazing results I have seen in such short times.

1) Kay was suffering terminal cancer & was sent to home hospice to die when doctors gave up on her rapidly spreading cancer. She was given a 3 month death sustenance. Cancer had taken over her uterus & vagina, and spread out from there. Kay's best friend had cured her own fibrocystic breast disease in less than a month with iodine (her doctor wanted to do mastectomy), and was enthusiastic when I showed her my research on iodine curing cancer. Kay started the Dr. Brownstein iodine protocol, and was totally cured within 9 months. X-Rays proved all cancer was gone. She called us this week to tell us how well she is doing.

2) Our neighbor Glenda was suffering from Breast Cancer that was getting larger each month. Her sister, our mail lady, had also cured her own fibrocystic breast disease with iodine in less than 1 month, and so started Glenda on the Dr. Brownstein Iodine Protocol, and now just one month later, Glenda stopped over for a visit to tell us that her breast cancer had shrunk by 90% -

So just in our little community, we have cured 2 cases of fibrocystic breast disease, 1 terminal cancer & a 90% reduction in a breast cancer. The word is spreading like wildfire and over 30 people in this little community have jumped on the iodine bandwagon. Lynne Farrow's book is being passed around from one neighbor to the next, and my own file, "Iodine References" has become very popular.
http://tinyurl.com/Iodine-Handout.
I've heard these people want their own book and have been ordering it.

Now this was to be expected because of reports from leading doctors that iodine cures cancers. Too bad that mainstream medicine is ignoring them.

Dr. Derry says,”One drop (6.5 mg per drop) of Lugol's daily in water, orange juice or milk will gradually eliminate the first phase of the cancer development called fibrocystic disease of the breast so no new cancers can start.”
http://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fthyroid.about.com%2Flibrary%2Fderry%...


Dr, Derry - How Iodine kills Cancer Cells
http://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fiodine4health.com%2Fbody%2Fbreast%2F...


Dr. Dach, photos of tumors shrinking with 50mg Iodine
http://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fjeffreydach.com%2F2009%2F11%2F13%2Fi...


Iodine & Breast Cancer, Dr. Dach
http://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.drdach.com%2FIodine_and_Breast_C...


There is much more in our "Iodine Recommended Reading," chapter Cancer.
http://goo.gl/G4dLP


Iodine is clearly a Miracle From God !

Grizz

How To Prevent Hearing Loss?

Causes of Hearing Loss

There are many causes of hearing loss that are beyond our control, such as those caused by heredity. We can’t pick our parents and our genetic make-up - though with continuing advances in gene research , clinical applications, this may be changing. But for now, we have to deal with the hand that heredity has dealt us.

In Some Cases, Hearing Loss Can be Prevented

Ototoxic Drugs

These are medications that are toxic to the ears and can cause hearing loss, sometimes accompanied by tinnitus. We may have some options; however, about the medications we take. It is always a good idea to ask a physician if a hearing loss is one of the possible side-effects. If it is, and there is a substitute medication that would work just as well, then that would be the one to take.

Examples of Otoxic Drugs

·                 some over-the-counter drugs such as aspirin in high doses

·                 some antibiotics

·                 some chemotherapy drugs

·                 loop diuretics

·                 some anti-inflammatory drugs

Signs of Ototoxicity (in order of frequency)

·                 Development of tinnitus in one or both ears

·                 Intensification of existing tinnitus or the appearance of a new sound

·                 Fullness or pressure in the ears other than being caused by infection

·                 Hearing loss in an unaffected ear or the progression o an existing loss.

·                 Development of vertigo or a spinning sensation usually aggravated by motion which may or may not be     accompanied by nausea

Noise-Induced Hearing Loss – Completely Preventable

·                 A major cause of hearing loss in our society is noise exposure. Tiny hair cells in the ear are damaged when     assaulted by loud noise. Once those hair cells are destroyed they cannot be replaced.

·                 A noise-induced hearing loss is the most common cause for its occurrence in our society and it’s              completely preventable.

·                 Repeated and lengthy exposure to loud sound – whether is it music or a jackhammer - will eventually    produce a sensorineural hearing loss.

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Damage Risk Criterion

As the sound level increases, the time span one can be exposed to it is reduced. Each day we create more hearing losses in our society with our tolerance of the ear-shattering cacophony that surrounds us.

One in Five Adolescents Has Hearing Loss: Ear Buds May Be to Blame

·                 According to a study in the Journal of the American Medical Association, August 17, 2010, “Listening to loud music though ear buds – the tiny electronic speakers that fit into ears – is probably the main reason that more adolescents are losing some of their hearing.”

·                 “Once you have a hearing loss, there’s a greater risk of that hearing loss progressing as you get older.” (Dr. Slattery, USC, Los Angeles)

·                 “Hearing loss may affect teens’ social development and education.” (Gary Curhan, M.D., associate professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School)

·                 Parents can begin monitoring use of personal listening devices by their children. A good rule of thumb is that if the child is wearing ear buds and the parent is able to hear the sound while standing next to them, then the music is too loud.

Musicians

Musicians are particularly at risk. It is their job to listen to the sounds that they and their group are producing, and these may be as high as 135 dB. They have no choice to do this as often as daily; this is their career and their livelihood.

Musicians earplugs are available that can help. The newest and best version reduce the sound equally all across the spectrum, from low to high frequencies. Everything sounds just as good as it did before, only softer.

How to Reduce the Damage to Hearing from Noise

Your ears can be your warning system for potentially dangerous noises. The noise is too loud when:

·                 You have to raise your voice to be understood by someone standing nearby

·                 The noise hurts your ears

·                 You develop a buzzing or ringing sound in your ears, even temporarily (indicates some hair cells have died)

·                 You don't hear as well as you normally do until several hours after you get away from the noise.

How to Protect Yourself When Around Loud Noise

·                 Block the noise (wear earplugs or earmuffs)

·                 Avoid the noise (put hands over ears if you can’t walk away)

·                 Turn down the volume

Decibel Loudness Comparison Chart

Painful

·                 150 dB = fireworks at 3 feet

·                 140 dB = firearms, jet engine

·                 130 dB = jackhammer

·                 120 dB = jet plane takeoff, siren

Extremely Loud

·                 110 dB = maximum output of some MP3 players, model airplane, chain saw

·                 106 dB = gas lawn mower, snow blower

·                 100 dB = hand drill, pneumatic drill

·                 90 dB = subway, passing motorcycle

Very Loud

·                 80–90 dB = blow-dryer, kitchen blender, food processor

·                 70 dB = busy traffic, vacuum cleaner, alarm clock

Moderate

·                 60 dB = typical conversation, dishwasher, clothes dryer

·                 50 dB = moderate rainfall

·                 40 dB = quiet room

Faint

·                 30 dB = whisper, quiet library