Hearing Loss Help  

by Neil Bauman, Ph.D., with Susan Stoner

Susan Stoner, a lawyer wrote:

I am writing to you because I have discovered a way to reverse the symptoms of progressive Autoimmune Inner Ear Disease (AIED). After many tests I was diagnosed with bilateral AIED. The tests showed I had the classic heat shock protein in my blood. No treatments worked. Eventually, with the assistance of my oto-neurologist, I underwent plasmapheresis at a local hospital. [Ed. note: plasmapheresis is a procedure, similar to dialysis, that removes antibodies from the bloodstream, thereby preventing them from attacking their targets—in this lady's case, the inner ear.] I experienced significant temporary improvement but limited long term improvement.

By June of 2006, both ears were involved. Tests showed that, in order for my right ear to hear, the sound needed to be at 66 decibels. My ability to distinguish words was at 8%. My left ear was following suit. We’d began discussing the probability of my needing cochlear implants.

Because I had noticed a marked reduction of the “fullness” aspect of the disease after plasmapheresis, I decided to try lymphatic drainage. [Ed. note: lymphatic drainage is a special type of massage therapy used to stimulate lymph flow in the body and to clear/reduce blockages in the lymphatic system.] I underwent the drainage procedure on a weekly basis. Initially I was very sick after each treatment as my liver tried to process toxins. Each week, however, I experienced improvement in my symptoms.

(Incidentally, prior to the plasmapheresis, I had plantar fasciitis in both feet that wouldn’t get better. One reason I decided to explore the lymphatic drainage approach is that the plantar fasciitis was immediately cured by the plasmapheresis. My problems seemed to stem from undiagnosed/treated Lyme disease in 1992. So, I have systemic autoimmune problems affecting my joints, thyroid, digestive tract and I’ve been diagnosed with Sjogren’s syndrome which is autoimmune and affects eyes, mouth etc. The lymphatic drainage therapy positively affected all of these to a lesser degree.)

After one year, I returned for a hearing test. My left ear was completely normal. I could hear in my right ear at 25 decibels and could distinguish words at 98%. I continue to have mild tinnitus in the right ear.

At two years, I have maintained the improvement. The downside is that I find I must continue the lymphatic drainage therapy to maintain the improvement—although on a greatly reduced schedule. And, insurance won’t pay for it.

My understanding of why lymphatic drainage works is that autoimmune diseases causes swelling which, in turn, causes the lymph system to malfunction. Then the toxins sit in the lymph system instead of getting flushed away through the blood and liver at a normal rate. When the lymphatic massage releases that blockage, those old toxins flood the blood and liver.

I am an attorney. I was facing the end of my career and the likelihood of cochlear implants. This was a terrifying experience and I had to fight very hard to find a solution. It took me seven ear doctors just to get a definitive diagnosis of AIED.

The reason I am writing this is that there are other people who are in the same situation. I believe they should have the choice of exploring the option of lymphatic drainage to reverse their AIED symptoms. Perhaps they will have the same good results I have had.

If you have AIED or other immune system conditions, you might want to investigate for yourself whether lymphatic drainage might help you. Read an excellent article on the lymphatic system here. In fact, you should snoop around the entire lymphnotes website. It contains a wealth of information on lymphatic drainage, and where you can find the professionals that provide lymphatic drainage therapy. For example, this page that lists lymphatic drainage treatment facilities by state.

 by Neil Bauman, Ph.D.

A man wrote:

I have an appointment this Thursday to get new hearing aids with T-coils. I am truly excited about all the new better hearing avenues this will add to my “not too good hearing” life. I’m an accountant and, as you can imagine, I have to dress up every day for work (shirt & tie). I really like the features of the MaxIT Bluetooth Neckloop, but have one quick question:

Does the bluetooth apparatus have to remain on the loop necklace or is the necklace something I can remove and just keep the bluetooth piece in my shirt’s breast pocket?

The MaxIT Bluetooth Neckloop is one integrated piece. The “dongle” part contains the bluetooth electronics and battery. The “necklace” is really a neckloop. The bluetooth dongle wirelessly “connects” to your cell phone, while the neckloop “connects” to your hearing aids via their t-coils. Thus both parts are necessary. The neckloop is not just a lanyard to hold the dongle, but a vital part of the whole device.

Therefore, you need to wear the neckloop around your neck the way it was designed to work. However, if you want it to be reasonably invisible, wear the neckloop under your shirt and let the bluetooth dongle stick out the front of your shirt (so you can get at the buttons on it to make/answer calls), but it can be hidden behind your tie.

You can learn more about the MaxIT Bluetooth Neckloop, or order one for yourself by clicking on the above link.

by Neil Bauman, Ph.D.

A lady wrote:

I am not assertive when it comes to being with people. This is partly my nature and partly because my older sister was hard of hearing long before I lost my hearing. She is never concerned how often we have to repeat for her. It is very annoying with her, and I certainly do not want to be like that. I think I’m backing off to much though and staying away from people to much. I’m afraid to greet people in the Mall because more than likely they’ll say something and I’ll not understand, ask to repeat and eventually when I finally get it, all they said was, “Well, it’s starting to warm up outside today.

The problem isn’t that you have to repeat and repeat ad nauseam—the problem is that people aren’t doing the right thing in the first place. If people practice the proper coping skills the first time—then hard of hearing people should get it the first time or at the very least, the second time. Doing the wrong thing over and over again doesn’t help!

The lady continues:

I’m not sure how to handle my situation. I don’t think people know how I struggle with hearing. I have shared my hearing loss with one or two people and it makes them very uncomfortable. Why, I’m not sure, but probably because they don’t know what to say. Then I decide not to do that again.

You are not going about this the right way. If you explain your hearing loss and how hard it is for you to hear—people tend to shy away from you. You’ve already warned them it is going to be a problem talking with you, so they “take off” as soon as they can.

You need to put people at ease first. A good way to do this is to mention you have a hearing loss, and in the same breath assure them that you can still have a nice chat—”all I need you to do is ……” (and name the one or two things that will make the most difference in that particular situation). These could be as simple as face me when you talk, or speak up a tad, or let’s move to that quiet corner, etc. Now people know what will make it a success. Thus, they are much more willing to talk with you.

If you want to learn to cope better, I’d suggest reading two easy-to-read and understand books. The first one is “Talking with Hard of Hearing People—Here’s How to Do It Right!” It explains a number of freebie coping strategies that you can use any time or any place to help you hear better. I have used these strategies all my life because they work.

The second book, “Help, I’m Losing My Hearing—What Do I Do Now?” gives you a good overview of the whole hearing loss thing, and then gives you lots of good information on coping strategies.

 by Neil Bauman, Ph.D.

A lady asked:

Can unilateral pulsatile tinnitus in my right ear only be the cause of hypertension/high blood pressure? What are the causes unilateral pulsatile tinnitus?

Its the other way around, but yes, high blood pressure can result in pulsatile tinnitus.

There are a good number of causes of pulsatile tinnitus. All of them are vascular—meaning having to do with blood flowing in the various blood vessels near your ears. This is because pulsatile tinnitus sounds are rhythmic, pulsing sounds that are synchronous with your heart beat.

The most common cause of pulsatile tinnitus is benign intracranial hypertension, followed by carotid artery disease, glomus tumors, turbulent blood flow, increased blood flow in different blood vessels, emissary veins, high blood pressure, twisted arteries, aneurysm in an artery, and a number of other things.

If you are interested, you can read more about pulsatile tinnitus (and all the other kinds of tinnitus) in my book, “When Your Ears Ring! Cope With Your Tinnitus—Here’s How“.

 by Neil Bauman, Ph.D.

People have been wanting totally invisible hearing aids for a long time. Now, the ultimate in invisible hearing aids, totally implanted hearing aids, are approaching reality.

Otologics, Inc. is beginning trials on their fully implantable hearing aid. This hearing aid is totally invisible as it is all under your skin—including the microphone.

Note, I’m am not advocating that you immediately jump on the bandwagon for this device as there are still a number of unresolved “issues” in my opinion. One concern that has come out of their preliminary studies is that with the microphone under your scalp, the sound is not as clear as it is when a microphone is open to the air. Another problem is replacing the rechargeable battery when it finally won’t take a charge anymore. (It will require minor surgery each time.) Furthermore, this new hearing aid is not for everyone. For example, it is not for you if you have middle ear infections or other middle ear conditions such as otosclerosis.

On the plus side, you will be able to wear this hearing aid while swimming under water, or in the shower, and you can leave it on at night if you need to listen for your baby crying, for example. It comes with a remote control so you can turn it off if you want to, or adjust the volume. Another nice feature if I understand it correctly, is it does not affect your residual hearing. Thus, even if the device fails, or the battery runs down, you will still be able to use all your residual hearing. You will not be left totally deaf.

 by Neil Bauman, Ph.D.

When my wife (before I ever met her) noticed she was losing her hearing, one of the first questions that worried her was, “Will I still be able to drive?”

Apparently, many people seem to think you need to be able to hear in order to drive. (I think a better criterion is being able to see!)

The surprising truth is that we (people with long-standing hearing losses) are some of the safest drivers around. Thus, it “bugs” us when people keep asking us if we can drive. Some have come up with some pretty pithy answers to the question, “Can you drive since you can’t hear?”

For example, “Judy”, when asked by her boss, “How do you drive not being able to hear?” retorted, “I use my hands. My ears aren’t able to reach the steering wheel!”

“Beth”, a deaf dentist, when asked, “Do you drive a car?” quipped, “Of course I do! It isn’t my ears that turn the steering wheel”

“Patsy” responds to “Can you drive since you can’t hear?” with, “Yes, and I can have sex, too!” (You gotta love their sense of humor.)

When people wonder if I can drive since I can’t hear much, I respond, “I use my eyes when I’m driving. What do you use?”

You see, one of the reasons we are safer drivers than our hearing counterparts is because we have to rely more on our eyes. After all, driving is obviously a visual activity, more than it is an aural experience. Sure we don’t hear horns honking, but when you are visually alert, you have already seen the “problem” looming before some driver sounds their horn. Horn honking today is typically just some impatient driver sounding off.

Some of us choose not to wear our hearing aids while driving. As “Anna” explained, “I would rather drive without my hearing aids because there is no noise distraction, and I can go down the interstate with the windows down. Never had an accident.”

I feel the same way. I have a severe hearing loss, yet I seldom choose to wear my hearing aids while driving. As a result, I hear almost nothing—but I do keep visually alert. Like “Anna,” I’m not distracted by extraneous noises, and also like “Anna,” I have a wonderful driving record.

One of the “problems” people often cite is that we won’t be able to hear emergency vehicle sirens, and generally, that is true—we don’t. But then, many hearing people don’t hear them either. You see, modern cars are so soundproofed, and many people have their car radios blasting—so they can’t hear sirens either—until the emergency vehicle is right on top of them. Furthermore, studies have shown that it is very difficult to hear sirens coming up behind you if you are barreling down the interstate. That’s just how the laws of physics apply in this situation.

I’ve had experience with emergency vehicles from both sides. First, I’ve had a lifetime of watching out for emergency vehicles as a hard of hearing driver, and second, for 10 years, I used to drive both fire trucks and ambulances myself. Thus, I know first hand just how many hearing people fail to hear sirens!

Because I am visually alert, it is the rare emergency vehicle that can ever get close to me without my seeing their flashing lights—even when they are still quite a distance away. Often, I am the first vehicle to pull over—before the hearing drivers are aware an emergency vehicle is approaching.

The most difficult situation with emergency vehicles is at intersections in the city with tall buildings built right out to the sidewalks blocking our lateral view, and with an emergency vehicle approaching from the left or right.

How do I avoid being hit in such situations? Glad you asked. I have several tricks I use. First, I am always watching for flashing reflections in the windows of the buildings on the opposite side of the intersection. Especially at night you will see the red flashes on glass surfaces as an emergency vehicle approaches the intersection and can safely stop in time.

Second, I watch the traffic around me—especially when the vehicle in front hits the brakes, or pulls to the side for no apparent reason. I do the same. I resist the temptation to swerve around him until I know the reason for this strange behavior. This has saved me a number of times.

Third, be aware that emergency vehicles often travel in “packs,” so if a fire truck goes whizzing past, watch out for other fire trucks, police cars and ambulances. Be careful. Don’t fall into the trap of thinking they all will be coming from the same direction as the first fire truck. Some may, but others may be converging and coming from several directions—so remain especially vigilant until you are well away from that area.

In summary, when driving, keep visually alert—use your mirrors—you have three. Make sure you use all of them. Always be aware of what is going on around you—ahead, behind and beside. This is just good defensive driving, and especially critical when you can’t hear. Watch for flashing lights and reflections of flashing lights. Watch what the cars in front and beside you are doing when it is “out of the ordinary” and take appropriate evasive action.

Following these few tips will go a long way towards making you a safe hard of hearing driver too.