by Neil Bauman, Ph.D. If you had to guess, what percentage of children between the ages of 6 and 19 years of age would you think have noise-induced hearing loss? (Note: this is not hearing loss from causes such as middle ear infections, heredity, etc., but just noise-induced hearing loss.) According to the Centers for […]
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Where Can I Find Out About Amplified Stethoscopes?
by Neil Bauman, Ph.D. A man wrote: A friend of mine with a cochlear implant is considering taking a medical course. During the class she will need to use a stethoscope. Can she just use a regular one over the T-mic on her cochlear implant, or does she need to purchase an special one that […]
Helping Your Child Deal with the Grief of Hearing Loss
by Neil Bauman, Ph.D. The father of a hard of hearing child asked: Does your kid (or did you, as a kid) ever get depressed about hearing loss? Our eleven year old son has worn hearing aids since age three. When he started, we successfully made it a happy condition, as he ran to show […]
Which Drugs Are Causing My Progressive Hearing Loss?
by Neil Bauman, Ph.D. A lady wrote: Would you explore the question of medications that affect hearing loss. My hearing gets noticeably worse every year. I’ve asked my doctor about which of my many medications (I’m 81) might cause deterioration of my hearing. He doesn’t seem to know. Here is the list of what I […]
Computers Now Better at Speechreading (Lip-reading) than Humans
by Neil Bauman, Ph.D. A new study by the University of East Anglia has revealed the surprising results that computers are now better at lip-reading (speechreading) than humans are. In one demonstration. the computers recognized 80% of the words presented, whereas the 19 human speechreaders only recognized 32% of the words. (1) That […]
Which Is the Best Cell Phone for a Hard of Hearing Person?
by Neil Bauman, Ph.D. A lady asked: What is the best cell phone for a person with a hearing problem? That question is impossible to answer because there are so many variables. Many of these variables are subjective—so only you can answer them. It is like asking people, “What is the best tasting food?” You […]
Sudden Hearing Loss—What Happens Next?
Sudden Hearing Loss—What Happens Next? by Neil Bauman, Ph.D. A man explained: I am a 37 year old male who has experienced sudden hearing loss in my right ear. Unfortunately, the problem was not treated right away. Prednisone therapy, which didn’t help, was initiated 13 days after the loss. In hearing tests I could not […]
Prescription Drugs and Your Health
by Neil Bauman, Ph.D. Americans take a lot of prescription drugs. Doctors in the USA in 2008 prescribed a total of 1,505,200,000 prescriptions for just the 50 top prescription drugs. (And they prescribed untold millions more prescriptions for the hundreds of other drugs.) The retail value of these 1.5 billion prescriptions was a whopping $53,186,000,000.00 […]
Are Flu Shots Ototoxic?
by Neil Bauman, Ph.D. A lady wrote: One thing I am concerned about is the new swine flu and flu vaccines in general. I’ve heard that they contain a lot of mercury. Do these vaccines have a negative effect on hearing? I have not ever had any kind of flu shot and will not […]
Long-Life Smoke Detector Batteries
by Neil Bauman, Ph.D. A lady explained: In my townhouse, I have an interconnected smoke alarm system that is powered, and which also uses 9-volt batteries. In the master bedroom on the third floor, the vaulted ceiling on which the smoke alarm is placed is very high, so it would require a tall ladder to […]