by Neil Bauman, Ph.D. January 24, 2016 A man wrote, I am a 29 year old male. 11 days ago, I shot about 60 rounds from an AR-15 (.223) rifle, outdoors, with foam ear plugs in both ears. I might not have had the plugs in as deeply as they could go, but the sound […]
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Help! I’m Losing My Hearing. What Should I Do Now?
by Neil Bauman, Ph.D. and Steve Barber January 12, 2016 A person asked, I have recently been diagnosed with significant bilateral hearing loss. I will be seeing an audiologist to be fitted with hearing aids for the first time. What do I need to know about hearing loss and hearing aids? As a hard […]
The New Contacta HLD3–the “Ferrari” of Home Loop Systems–Has Arrived
by Neil Bauman, Ph.D. January 12. 2016 If you want to have unparalleled performance in your home loop system, then the new Contacta HLD3 loop driver is for you. I used to say that the Univox CLS-1 was the Cadillac of loop drivers (and it was and we sold hundreds and hundreds of them), […]
Cochlear Implants and Assistive Listening Devices
by Neil Bauman, Ph.D. January 11, 2016 A lady asked, Are there assistive listening technologies that are compatible with cochlear implants (CIs)? I pore over your articles, but it is not very clear to me with reference to which technologies match the needs for people with CI devices. Each inquiry directed to other resources […]
Don’t Focus on Your Tinnitus
by Neil Bauman, Ph.D. January 3, 2016 If you have tinnitus you need to stop focusing on your tinnitus. Constantly and repetitiously mulling over your tinnitus will only make your tinnitus worse. Therefore, you need to consciously choose not to dwell on it. Instead, focus on living a happy productive life. Get involved in fun […]
The Ototoxicity of Drugs Ending in“-mycin” (and “–micin”)
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.