by Neil Bauman, Ph.D. December 29, 2015 A number of people believe that drugs ending in “–mycin” (and “-micin”) are all members of the extremely ototoxic Aminoglycoside class of antibiotic drugs and should be avoided so they don’t damage their ears. This is not totally true. It is true that about half of […]
T-coils and Telephones
by Neil Bauman, Ph.D. November 30, 2015 A man explained: While talking on the phone the other day, I accidentally turned on the T-coil program in my hearing aids and got a boost in volume and since the microphone was muted in that particular program, cut out the noise in the room. I also tried […]
CROS Hearing Aids Existed Before CROS Hearing Aids Were Even Invented!
by Neil Bauman, Ph.D. November 8, 2016 The concept of a CROS (Contralateral Routing Of Sound [or Signal]) hearing aid is simple. Route the sound from the “deaf” (worse hearing) ear to the “good” (better hearing) ear. The result is that people who are deaf or hard of hearing in one ear can now […]
Ototoxicity—The Hidden Menace. Part I: Lives in Upheaval
How serious are the side effects of ototoxic drugs? What can I do to help preserve my hearing?
This article is an introduction to ototoxic drugs and how they turn lives upside down. It includes a list of a few of the hundreds of ototoxic drugs commonly used. Furthermore, it explains the side effects of such drugs, the risk factors associated with them, and the steps you can take to reduce this risk.
Musical Ear Syndrome—The phantom voices, ethereal music & other spooky sounds many hard of hearing people secretly experience
My mother began hearing music in the form of Christmas carols and other songs. She insisted that she was hearing actual carols coming from a neighbor’s house. I couldn’t hear a thing, but I drove around the neighborhood trying to find a source of this [phantom] music without success. Is she losing her mind?
If you hear phantom voices, singing or music, you are not nuts. You are just hearing some of the strange auditory hallucinations many hard of hearing people experience. Learn the causes of MES, and more importantly, how to bring these phantom sounds under control.
The Bizarre World of Extreme Reverse-Slope Hearing Loss (or Low Frequency) Hearing Loss
This article explains reverse-slope hearing loss, what it is like to have an extreme reverse-slope hearing loss, and tips for fitting hearing aids and ALDs to people with reverse-slope losses. It also contrasts reverse-slope losses to the common ski-slope hearing losses that most are familiar with.