Hearing Loss Help  

by Neil Bauman, Ph.D.

From time to time people ask me where they can send their old hearing aids so that needy hard of hearing people can benefit from them.

There are a number of organizations that collect and refurbish used hearing aids and then distribute them to needy hard of hearing people. Below are three of them.

Send your old hearing aids to the organization of your choice and they will use them to provide hearing aids for people that could not otherwise afford them.

1. Hear Now (The Starkey Hearing Foundation)
To learn more about the mission of Hear Now and how they help thousands of hard of hearing people around the world, point your browser to: http://www.sotheworldmayhear.org/forms/hearnow.php

Send used hearing aids to them at:

Hear Now
6700 Washington Avenue South
Eden Prairie, MN 55344
1-800-648-4327

2. The Hearing Aid Bank (Iowa Lions Clubs)

Many Lion’s Clubs collect used hearing aids for needy people in their areas. To learn how the Iowa Lion’s Clubs use their Hearing Aid Bank to help needy hard of hearing people in Iowa, point your browser to: http://www.ioweb.com/marshalltown/rhoda_bender.htm

Current contact information is at:
http://www.ioweb.com/marshalltown/hearing_aid_bank.htm

Send used hearing aids to them at:

Iowa Lions Hearing Aid Bank
Rhoda Bender, Coordinator
310 N. 4th St.
Marshalltown, IA 50158

Phone: 641-752-4337
E-Mail: rhodabender@iowalions.org

3. Hope of Hearing (The United Methodist Church)

Hope of Hearing sends used hearing aids to Starkey to be reconditioned. Starkey then supplies them with reconditioned hearing aids that Hope for Hearing takes to Haiti and gives to needy hard of hearing children and adults living there.

To learn more about this project, point your browser to:
http://www.gcumm.org/Resources%202001/hope_of_hearing.htm

Send used hearing aids to them at:

Gil Hanke
803 Wildwood
Nacogdoches, Texas 75961
phone: (936) 560-6746
email: ghanke@sfasu.edu

by Neil Bauman, Ph.D.

A man that was laid off and is now seeking a new job asked:

In a job interview how does one bring up, explain or otherwise relate one’s hearing loss to a possible job, especially when hearing is critical to the job?

In spite of whatever the law might say regarding asking about disabilities, employers still want to know whether your hearing loss will affect your ability to do the job you are applying for.

To put the odds in your favor, you have to demonstrate that you have already figured out how you will effectively cope with your hearing loss on the job. When you do this, your hearing loss basically becomes a non-issue. Now your prospective employer can focus on your knowledge, skills and experience in trying to select the best qualified candidate for the job.

When you show that you know how to successfully cope with your hearing loss, and that you have work-arounds for those difficult hearing situations, the interviewers may think “This guy knows what he needs and knows how to overcome in spite of his hearing loss. Bet he will do the same in other areas of his work too. This is the kind of guy we want!”

So, in my opinion, it is best if you be up-front and tell them you have a hearing loss. Then emphasize it is really a non-issue because here is how you cope with it, and all you will need is…. (e.g. special phone that only costs $x.xx, etc.)

Prospective employers like to know ahead of time how much they will be on the hook for in order to meet your special needs. If you show them that it is really a trivial amount compared to your worth to the company, they will be much more likely to hire you.

by Neil Bauman, Ph.D.

Hearing aids produce feedback, which can sound like your hearing aids are squealing or whistling. This happens for one reason only–the sound output from your hearing aid amplifier is feeding back into the microphone (hence the name “feedback”).

There are a number of causes of feedback.

1. Your hearing aids are not properly adjusted and consequently are pumping too much power into the higher frequencies that you can’t hear (which are more prone to feedback). (I mentioned this one in my article of January 8, 2006.)

2. You have too much wax in your ear canal. This prevents the earmold going in far enough and sealing properly. Hence the amplified sound leaks out (which gets back to the mic and produces feedback).

3. Your earmold is too small. As a result, it doesn’t fit tightly enough. Some earmold material shrinks over time making them become loose. Other times your ear canal expands. For example, it could expand if you are a new hearing aid wearer, or if you have lost weight.

4. You didn’t insert the earmold/hearing aid properly. If it doesn’t seat properly and get a good seal, it can cause feedback.

5. If you have a Behind the Ear (BTE) hearing aid, you may have a cracked tube or earmold that lets the sound leak out.

6. Your vent is too big. Depending on your hearing loss, you may be able to get away with a large vent, or you may not be able to have any vent at all. Typically you want the largest vent you can get away with as this lets your ear canal breathe and reduces the occulsion effect (like you were hearing in a barrel). One nice solution is to have earmolds with big vents and then plugs of varying sizes that you can insert to reduce the vent size to one that works for you. This is what I have. My earmolds came with a very large vent built in, and a series of 6 plugs I can insert ranging from big bore to small bore to no vent at all.

by Neil Bauman, Ph.D.

A lady asked:

Why would I want a double wire loop for my induction system? I don’t understand. What is the benefit?

You don’t need to make a double wire loop if you don’t want to. A single wire loop works just fine if that is the wire you already have. The advantages of a double wire loop are:

1. It makes a stronger signal. This may not be all that important for a small loop, but if you are running the maximum sized loop for the power output of your loop amplifier, the extra signal strength certainly helps give a better signal.
2. Because the electrical path in a double wire loop is twice as long as in a single wire loop, it has twice the resistance in the wire. This is a good thing because it helps the loop amplifier to run cooler since the signal is dissipated in the wire–not in the amplifier.
3. I typically buy standard “lamp cord” for my loops. Since lamp cord has two parallel wires, it is a waste not to use both wires when you can do so very easily. (Note–Never use both wires by twisting the wires at each end together. This creates a parallel circuit and reduces the resistance. This is a bad thing.) Click here to learn how to hook up a double wire loop properly.
4. It is very important to have the proper resistance in your wire loop if you are using a standard PA amplifier (voltage amplier). These amplifiers require adequate resistance (technically impedence) or the current will increase and burn out your amplifier. This is not a problem with proper loop amplifiers (current amplifiers) such as the Univox2A. You can read about these wonderful devices in my article, “Loop Systems–The Best Kept Secret In Town!“

by Neil Bauman, Ph.D.

A person recently wrote me:

Thank you for your website. I have had tinnitus since childhood. I’ve very recently been diagnosed depressive and awoke this morning to auditory hallucinations that were quite alarming. Thank you once again for your clarification and explanation. I indeed was stricken with fear. Five years ago, I was stricken with my first seizure and have been treated successfully since with dilantin.

I’m glad my article on Musical Ear Syndrome (MES) helped reduce your anxiety and fear over hearing these strange phantom sounds. As you say, they can indeed be scary, or at the least very unsettling, when they occur right out of the blue.

Three of the known triggers of MES are tinnitus, depression and certain drugs such as Dilantin (Phenytoin).

It seems likely that your recent depression on top of the tinnitus and Dilantin resulted in your unwanted auditory hallucinations.

In addition to the above article, the book “Phantom Voices, Ethereal Music & Other Spooky Sounds” contains much more information about MES, what causes it, and how you can get relief from these at times scary sounds.

by Neil Bauman, Ph.D.

A man asked:

I’m currently taking Amoxicillin long-term as a part of my acne treatment. Can Amoxicillin be ototoxic or affect my hearing in any way?

The good news is that of all the antibiotics, Amoxicillin is one of the very few that is not ototoxic as far as I can tell. Therefore, as far as is known today, it should not damage your hearing at all or affect your ears in any way.

by Neil Bauman, Ph.D.

A concerned mother wrote:

Our son failed the newborn hearing test, and failed two repeat ABR tests. He has reverse slope hearing loss in both ears ranging from about 30 dB at 4000 Hz to 70 dB at 500 Hz. Our audiologist stated that reverse slope hearing loss is rare, and that he could have progressive hearing loss? Could you please explain a this to me? I read that you have reverse slope hearing loss as well.

Your audiologist is right. Reverse slope hearing losses (where you hear better in the higher frequencies than in the lower frequencies) are rare–particularly the extreme kind of reverse slope loss that I have. You son has a range of 40 dB between his best hearing frequency and his worst. My wife has a reverse slope loss, but her range is only about 20 dB. In extreme cases such as mine, this range is in the neighborhood of 100 dB.

Just as with the common high frequency hearing loss (typically called a “ski slope loss,” the impact of a 20 dB range versus a 100 dB range is very different.

My concern is that your son was tested in the lower frequencies, probably only up to 8,000 Hz. With a reverse slope loss, you really want to know how good his hearing is in the very high frequencies. Some reverse slope losses can result in incredible hearing in the very high frequencies. For example, my hearing didn’t cross the 0 dB threshold until 10,000 Hz and topped out at about -30 dB close to 20,000 Hz. This is incredible hearing! (-30 dB is 30 dB above the 0 dB line. 0 dB is considered the softest sound a perfect normal human ear can hear. This means that my hearing in the very high frequencies was far more acute than people with perfect hearing.)

In practical terms, having this extreme reverse slope hearing loss meant that I could hear people whispering from across a big school classroom because of my incredible high-frequency hearing, yet couldn’t hear the teacher talking just 4 feet in front of my face because my worst loss whas right at 1,000 Hz where a lot of speech occurs.

As far as reverse slope losses being progressive, I don’t think they are any more progressive than many other kinds of losses, but yes, reverse slope losses can indeed be progressive. For example, reverse slope hearing losses run in my family. For those affected family members, our hearing dropped rapidly from birth to about 5 years of age. After that, our hearing remains constant until we lose hearing from old age or from other causes.

In my family, reverse slope hearing loss is a dominant genetic condition. As such, each child has a 50% of being born with this loss. As a result, more or less half of us in each generation have this hearing loss. Also, reverse slope losses tend to be non-syndromic. This just means that there are no other “defects” associated with this kind of hearing loss.

This mother then asked:

Could you also tell me what if anything I could do to help him develop normally. Were you able to attend normal public schools?

Yes, way back then I attended normal public schools without hearing aids and without any accommodations apart from sitting at the front of the room. Not the ideal situation to be sure. Nowadays, with good hearing aids and FM systems and suchlike, it should be much easier. I depended a lot on my speechreading skills. In fact, I had to see a person’s mouth in order to know what they were saying. I still do for that matter, unless they are talking directly into one of my ears.

As for what he needs, treat him with love just like any other child, but make accommodations for his unique hearing needs. Be aware that if he has incredible hearing in the very high frequencies, sounds that you don’t even hear can be so loud they will hurt his ears–and you won’t have a clue these sounds exist.

Also, sounds that you would expect him to hear, he won’t hear. For example, I can’t hear cars and trucks approaching until they are almost on top of me, but I can hear certain insects chirping from several blocks away. I can’t hear the roar of a train bearing down on me, yet the screech of their wheels on the tracks as they go around a curve gives me an instant headache it is so loud. To most people, this is not even a loud sound, yet I can hear it from a considerable distance.

I can’t hear the hum of the furnace, fridge, washer, etc., so in order to know if they are running, I have to put my hand on them. What I am saying is that your son won’t hear low frequency sounds well if at all. Don’t expect him to.

On the other hand, higher frequency backgound sounds will mask speech and prevent him from hearing and understanding you. For example, I can’t hear a person talking over the sound of water running in the sink.

The big difference between people with reverse slope losses and people with the typical ski slope losses is that we need more amplification in the lower frequencies, whereas, they need the amplification in the highs. People with ski slope losses don’t want people to speak up, but speak slower and more clearly. In contrast, we need people to speak up! Therefore getting close to your son before speaking to him is very important, especially if he is not wearing hearing aids. Always let him get as close to the person speaking as he wants to be.

And on the plus side, people with extreme reverse slope losses all have perfect speech. They do not need any speech therapy. In fact, people will refuse to believe you have a hearing loss at all because of your perfect speech. That is one of the blessings of this rare kind of loss.

If you want to learn more about the rare reverse-slope hearing loss, read my articles (long or abridged) entitled “The Bizarre World of Extreme Reverse-Slope Hearing Loss.”

by Neil Bauman, Ph.D.

Do your hearing aids squeal or whistle (produce feedback) without your being aware of this annoying sound? If so you are not alone.

Multitudes of hard of hearing people can’t hear their hearing aids squealing or whistling because they have a high frequency hearing loss. This means they don’t hear higher-pitched sounds including the annoying feedback sounds their hearing aids sometimes produce. The result is that they needlessly annoy hearing people around them, overwork their hearing aids, and greatly reduce battery life.

In case you are interested, this feedback (squealing) is the result of the output of your hearing aids feeding back into the microphone–thus producing an endless oscillation.

No matter what kind of hearing aid you have, it should not be pumping out power to those frequencies you cannot hear, no matter how much they are amplified. It’s not helping you hear better and can end up causing annoying feedback.

Fortunately, this this kind of feedback is easy to fix. The solution, if you have digital hearing aids, is to have your audiologist/hearing aid dispenser selectively shut down those higher-frequency bands you can’t hear. If you have analog hearing aids, they can reduce the high-frequency output to try to eliminate this feedback.

The result will be that if your hearing aids ever do produce feedback in the future, you will also hear it. That way you can immediately take steps to stop it.

by Neil Bauman, Ph.D.

You have a cold and now you notice you can’t hear well out of one or both ears. It/they feel plugged up and you can’t hear well. Now comes the million dollar question. Is this hearing loss just because you have a cold (resulting in fluid in your middle ear) and will resolve itself in a week or two as your cold goes away? Or is this sudden hearing loss caused by a virus attacking your inner ear–in which case this is a medical emergency and needs to be treated now?

For years, most primary care physicians have assumed that it was the former case and told their patients to come back in a couple of weeks if their hearing had not returned. As a result, those people that actually had a viral attack wasted their precious golden hours when treatment could be successful and now are tragically left with a permanent hearing loss.

Fortunately for us, Dr. Jeffery Harris, chief of otolaryngology/head and neck surgery at the University of California, San Diego Medical Center has recently come up with a quick test to separate the two conditions.

Here is all you need to do, assuming that only one ear is “blocked.” Hum out loud. If you hear your voice louder in the blocked ear, the problem is congestion (fluid in the middle ear) and is probably temporary until your cold goes away and your ear clears.

However, if you hear your voice louder in your good ear, this probably indicates a viral attack causing permanent hearing loss if left untreated. If this is your case, seek treatment immediately. This is a true medical emergency and needs to be treated now if you want a chance of getting your hearing back. According to Dr. Harris, your chances of getting your hearing back with immediate treatment are greater than 50%.

If both ears are blocked equally, this little test isn’t going to work (unless you can remember how loud humming sounded before you got the cold–and then apply the above rules). Thus, it is better to err on the side of caution if you have reduced hearing in both ears and seek competent medical help now.

Read my articles “Sudden Hearing Loss Is a Medical Emergency” and “Finding the Right Doctor for Sudden Hearing Loss and Other Ear Problems.” These articles will help you make informed decisions on what you should do next.

by Neil Bauman, Ph.D.

A man asked:

When you have Musical Ear syndrome (MES) and it is bothering you quite bad and you are desperate for relief would you reccomend the use of Lipoflavonoid? It is a nutritional supplement sometimes prescribed for people with Meniere’s Disease.

Good question. It certainly would not be my first choice. Not because it is bad for your ears–on the contrary–but because it does not address the real problem.

The basic purpose of the lipoflavonoid formulation is to increase blood flow to your inner ears. If the ear problems you have are related to lack of adequate blood flow, then such a formulation will help–as it does in some cases of tinnitus. However, there are many cases of tinnitus that do not respond to such formulations for the simple reason that the majority of cases of tinnitus are not caused by a lack of blood flow in the inner ear.

In the case of Musical Ear Syndrome, I am not aware of inner ear blood flow being the underlying problem. Hence, I would not expect the lipoflavonoid formulation to be of any help. At the same time, feel free to try it as it is not going to hurt your ears at all and may do some good things. If it reduces your MES, then you have discovered something new and I’d like to know about it.

For about the same amount of money, you could get my book “Phantom Voices, Ethereal Music & Other Spooky Sounds” which explains in detail what is known about the causes of MES and the 8 steps to take in working to get it to go away.