by Neil Bauman, Ph.D. As many of you know, I am not a fan of taking prescription drugs, especially when there are safer alternatives, and almost always, there are safer alternatives. These safer alternatives will not only save your ears from the ototoxic side effects of the drugs, but they can also save your life. […]
Microtia—Small, Deformed or Absent External Ears
by Neil Bauman, Ph.D. Some “kids”–I kid you not–are born with small, deformed or absent external ears. The fancy medical name for this is “microtia”. Microtia is composed of two Latin words—micro—small or tiny, and otia—from oto—ear. So literally, microtia is “tiny ears”. If there isn’t even the nub of an external ear present, the […]
Sleep Apnea and Hearing Loss
by Neil Bauman, Ph.D. Who would have thought that hearing loss would be tied to sleep apnea? Yet that is exactly what researchers recently discovered. Sleep apnea (AP-nee-ah) is a disorder in which you have one or more pauses in breathing or shallow breaths while you sleep. Breathing pauses can last from a few seconds […]
Yes, You Can Loop Your Bed
by Neil Bauman, Ph.D. Donna contacted me about how to help her mother-in-law, Lois, better hear her TV. I explained about the wonders of loop systems. Then her husband Sam phoned me to ask how to best loop her bedroom. As we talked, I explained there were three ways he could hook the loop up […]
Cool Ring Alerter for Your Cell Phone
by Neil Bauman, Ph.D. Has this ever happened to you? You “buried” your cell phone somewhere nearby and because of your poor hearing, you did not hear it ringing or see it blinking. And you didn’t feel it vibrating either. Result? Missed phone calls and/or missed text messages. You depended on your cell phone’s alarm […]
Do I Need a Loop System and a PockeTalker or Just a PockeTalker?
by Neil Bauman, Ph.D. A lady explained, I don’t know exactly what I need. I have behind-the-ear hearing aids and I’m extremely hard of hearing. My TV is not clear so I might need a loop system. Also, I can’t hear much in the car so I might need the PockeTalker, but your website says […]
Interventions, Cost/Benefit Ratios and Hearing Loss
by Neil Bauman, Ph.D. A concerned daughter wrote, My step-dad has been hard of hearing since the 1990s due to being a gunner in Vietnam. Only in the last 8 years has he decided to not wear his hearing aids even though he got some updated ones just 3 years ago. I have seen the […]
Pacemakers and Loop Systems
by Neil Bauman, Ph.D. © June, 2014 A man asked, Am I able to use the different loop systems or will my pacemaker prevent my using them?” An audiologist questioned, “Have you ever run into a person who can’t use a loop system due to pacemaker issues? We have some clients that have […]
Latest Research on Enlarged Vestibular Aqueducts
by Neil Bauman, Ph.D. Not much was known about enlarged vestibular aqueducts (EVA) when I first wrote about it in 2002. Back then, it was called Large Vestibular Aqueduct Syndrome (LVAS). Now it is more-commonly referred to as EVA, but it is the same condition. In the intervening years, researchers have done a number of […]
Speech Speed vs. Understanding What Was Said
by Neil Bauman, Ph.D. A man wrote, Have you addressed the issue of “speech rate” as a factor in hearing loss and comprehension? As I recall, the “optimal” speech rate is approximately 180 words per minute (wpm). Yet I find that the broadcast industry (radio and TV) are hiring commentators who speak at least 210 […]
Sound Delay When Using Assistive Devices with Your TV
by Neil Bauman, Ph.D. A man asked, All wireless sound systems I have tried to date have a slight delay that creates an echo effect with the TV speaker sound. Does the TV Sound Box have this problem? Not according to my wife. She’s the one that uses the Sound Box in our house. (I […]
Turning on the Captions on TVs in Public Places
by Neil Bauman, Ph.D. Doesn’t it just irk you when you go into a coffee shop and the TV is on, but there are no captions so you can’t understand what is going on? Maybe you are in the breakfast area at a motel and they are showing the weather for the day—but you can’t […]
Removing Ear Protectors Slowly
by Neil Bauman, Ph.D. © May, 2014 A man wrote, I am having to have a MRI scan done this week and when I went to look for ear plugs to wear under the muffs provided by the Imaging Clinic there was a pair that were a reusable gel type that had a protection […]
Visual Triggers That Can Cause Balance Problems in People with Damaged Vestibular Systems
by Neil Bauman, Ph.D. If your balance (vestibular) system has largely been destroyed by taking various ototoxic drugs, by viral attacks on your vestibular system, or from conditions such as Meniere’s disease, you typically have to work hard to keep your balance. However, certain movements, “busy” scenes and other situations can, without warning, […]
Learning to Speechread (Lipread)
by Neil Bauman, Ph.D. A lady explained, I am new to the world of hearing loss. I want to know if there is a way to learn lipreading. How did you learn? Did you just watch people? I am trying to do that but getting frustrated. I am sure that is normal. My problem lies […]
Low-Level Music and Tinnitus
by Neil Bauman, Ph.D. A man asked, Does listening to music at low volume levels, but for 5-6 hours or more every day, make tinnitus worse? Is it better to listen via speakers or headphones? Listening to music at low volume levels should not bother your tinnitus (or make it worse). That’s a general rule […]
Am I Hard of Hearing, deaf or Deaf?
by Neil Bauman, Ph.D. with Dave Myers, Ph.D. and Marjie Anderson Dave Myers wrote, The inspiring news stories about Seattle Seahawks’ ‘deaf’ player, Derrick Coleman, raises an interesting question. Do those of us who can hear and participate in conversation, albeit only with hearing aids (HAs) or cochlear implants (CIs), similarly regard ourselves as ‘deaf’? […]
Here’s the Skinny on Serene Innovations New TV SoundBox
by Neil Bauman, Ph.D. You might not think you have a hearing loss, but if your wife (or husband, or kids) complain that you always turn the TV volume up too loud, you almost certainly have a significant hearing loss. If this is the case, the new TV SoundBox is for you. If you are […]
The Hearing Aids of Yesteryear
by Neil Bauman, Ph.D. As some of you know, I am the owner/curator of “The Hearing Aid Museum”, the largest on-line hearing aid museum in the world. As a result, I’m often asked to identify and/or appraise old hearing aids, and to contribute pictures and information on hearing aids for various publications. Recently, I was […]
Musical Ear Syndrome Sometimes Misdiagnosed as Hyperacusis (or Recruitment)
by Neil Bauman, Ph.D. A lady wrote, For years my tinnitus has been a kind of sound of which I was rarely aware. Now, with a new, loud tenant upstairs, I recently started being able to hear his phone calls and conversations with people in his home upstairs. He speaks very loudly. I have a […]
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