by Neil Bauman, Ph.D. © February, 2018 Introduction Reactive tinnitus is a fairly new term. And as is often the case with new terms, there seems to be quite a bit of controversy in some circles over exactly what reactive tinnitus is and is not. For example, some people are adamant that there’s no such […]
How to Keep Diabetes From Affecting Your Hearing and Your Health
by Neil Bauman, Ph.D. © January, 2018 It is no secret that diabetes causes hearing loss in numbers of people with this condition. In fact, hearing loss among diabetics is more than twice that of those without diabetes. Studies show that one in three people with diabetes will have trouble with their hearing […]
Which Are the Least Ototoxic Beta-Blockers and other Anti-hypertensive Drugs?
Neil Bauman, Ph.D. January, 2018 (revised October, 2024) People often ask me which are the least ototoxic beta blockers (or other classes of anti-hypertensive drugs) to take for high blood pressure (hypertension). For example one man asked: I have some questions about the ototoxicity of medications for high blood pressure. My primary care physician and […]
Cytomegalovirus and Hearing Loss
by Neil Bauman, Ph.D. © November, 2017 Introduction to Cytomegalovirus Perhaps you have never heard of cytomegalovirus (CMV), but the chances are, this virus has already infected your body. By age 40, between 50% and 80% of adults in the United States have already been infected by the cytomegalovirus. (1) This incidence increases […]
Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitor Drugs (SSRIs) and Tinnitus
Neil Bauman, Ph.D. © October, 2017 Drugs are a fickle lot. You take a drug to fix one problem, only to find it causes another—and often worse—problem. For example, some antidepressant drugs alleviate symptoms of depression and anxiety by increasing the level of serotonin in your brain. Unfortunately, at the same time, this […]
The Early History of Zenith Hearing Aids
by Neil Bauman, Ph.D. © June, 2017 “As a young salesman, Eugene F. McDonald Jr. hurt his head in an auto accident and became deaf in one ear. When he became the hard-driving boss of Chicago’s Zenith Radio Corporation, one of the biggest US radio-makers of the day, McDonald was shocked at the […]
Are the Magnetic Fields in Hearing Loops a Health Hazard?
by Neil Bauman, Ph.D. February 28, 2017 An audiologist wrote, I am an Italian audiologist. Whenever I can, I encourage the use of hearing loops. Recently, the registry office of an important Italian city was interested in installing a counter hearing loop. They wanted me to guarantee that the employees working at the […]
Should I Wear a Hearing Aid in My Ear That Has Poor Discrimination?
by Neil Bauman, Ph.D. February 18, 2017 A young lady wrote, I have a 30 dB hearing loss in my left ear although I still have 100% word recognition. However, my right ear has an 80 dB hearing loss, but only 8% word recognition. My doctor told me that due to this, my […]
“The Communicator” Clear Surgical Face Mask Now Available
by Neil Bauman, Ph.D. February 12, 2017 For decades I’ve wished that doctors, dentists and other health care professionals would wear clear, surgical masks so that I could speechread them. I know many of you with similar severe hearing losses feel the same. In the past, I’ve read about clear masks that had […]
Obstructive Sleep Apnea, CPAP Devices and Hearing Loss
by Neil Bauman, Ph.D. February 11, 2017 A man wrote, I have sleep apnea and I use a CPAP machine every night. When I searched the Internet using Google to find out whether there is any link between sleep apnea and sensorineural hearing loss, I found many articles suggesting a link. I would […]
Hidden Hearing Loss
by Neil Bauman, Ph.D. February 8, 2017 Perhaps you have heard the relatively-new term “hidden hearing loss” (coined in 2009) and wondered, “What in the world is hidden hearing loss?” After all, aren’t all hearing losses hidden? Since you can’t see a hearing loss, of course it’s hidden. So why are researchers finally […]
Why Don’t My New Hearing Aids Let Me Understand Speech Perfectly?
by Neil Bauman, Ph.D. January 21, 2017 A man wrote, I am disappointed with my ability to understand speech with my new hearing aids. My hearing aid dispenser gave me the word recognition test. I scored only 50 – 60% which I don’t think is much of an improvement over my old aids. […]
Zinc-Air Batteries Need Time to Get Ready to Work
by Neil Bauman, Ph.D. January 20, 2017 A nurse wrote, I am a nurse at a retirement home and was told by the daughter of one of my residents that her hearing aid batteries must be left out in the air for a few minutes after the tabs are removed before placing them […]
Hypoacusis and Other Words Ending in -acusis
by Neil Bauman, Ph.D. January 12, 2017 Doctors, audiologists and other medical professionals use medical jargon that can snow under the average person. When it comes to our ears and our hearing, they may diagnosis us with terms like paracusis, or dysacusis or hypoacusis and we don’t have a clue what they have […]
Tapering Off Citalopram Safely Without Side Effects
by Neil Bauman, Ph.D. November 6, 2016 A man explained, I was on Citalopram for 2 years and had no noticeable side effects—no tinnitus. I’ve never had tinnitus other than in my younger days for a few hours after going to a nightclub! Three months ago I thought I was ready to come off. Having […]
Constraint-Induced Sound Therapy for Sudden Sensorineural Hearing Loss
by Neil Bauman, Ph.D. November 4, 2016 A man explained, My wife suffers from tinnitus after sudden partial hearing loss in one ear. In her reading, she came across “Constraint-Induced Sound Therapy” and its potential benefits. Do you recommend this technique? Constraint-Induced Sound Therapy (CIST) for single-sided Sudden Sensorineural Hearing Loss (SSHL) is […]
Converting Decibels to Sound Intensities
by Neil Bauman, Ph.D. October 29, 2016 A person asked, How do you calculate the difference in sound intensity in decibels between any two sound intensities. For example, how do you calculate the increase in sound intensity between 0 dB and 15 dB or between 52 and 94 dB? There is a mathematical […]
TENS Treatment and Cochlear Implants
by Neil Bauman, Ph.D. October 24, 2016 A lady asked, I have lower back pain from degenerative disk disease. I’m wondering if I can use a TENS unit on my back now that I have a cochlear implant? If you are not familiar with TENS, TENS is not what comes after NINES and […]
“Say Good Bye to Meniere’s Disease” Book Released
by Neil Bauman, Ph.D. October 1, 2016 “Meniere’s disease is a stranger that one day suddenly invades your life—unwanted and unbidden to be sure—but there nevertheless. How you cope with this mysterious stranger is up to you.” Thus begins the preface to the fourth edition of my new book, “Say Good Bye to Meniere’s […]
Propranolol and Distorted Pitch Perception
by Neil Bauman, Ph.D. © Sep 2016; revised May, 2019 The beta blocker drug Propranolol (Inderal) can mess up your correct perception of pitch. One musician explained, I am a musician and have occasionally taken Propranolol to deal with particularly stressful concerts. I gave up taking it as I found that the frequency […]
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