by Neil Bauman, Ph.D. A mother wrote: A few weeks ago my son’s digital hearing aid stopped working and he got very upset because he was in the middle of exams and didn’t want to have to send the aid away for repairs just then. I wangled a emergency appointment for that night with the […]
Blog
Good and Bad Hearing At the Same Time
by Neil Bauman, Ph.D. A young man wrote: My girlfriend has a hearing issue. When listening to music, she cannot hear the high, metallic sounds, like cymbals tapping to a beat–sounds that are produced by the tweeter. Sounds that sound like TSK TSK TSK TSK TSK, she cannot hear. She doesn’t have hearing loss, in […]
Maxalt (Rizatriptan) and Ataxia
by Neil Bauman, Ph.D. A lady asked: I found on your web site a statement about Maxalt causing ataxia. Do you have any idea how long it can last? This is one of the mysteries of ototoxic drugs—just how long an side effect will last. Some side effects only appear while you are taking the […]
Neuromonics and Tinnitus
by Neil Bauman, Ph.D. A man explained: I have a question about tinnitus. I have it in the left ear. It started suddenly last February. I had the usual tests from three ENTs. They couldn’t figure out what caused it, so I started learning about tinnitus (which included reading your excellent book on tinnitus). I […]
Cracking Tubes on Behind-the-Ear Hearing Aids
by Neil Bauman, Ph.D. A mother wrote: My son got a hearing aid in May and the ear piece is cracking already. This is his first hearing aid, so I have no idea what to expect. Is this normal? Yes, it is normal for the tubes to become harder and more brittle as the months […]
Bactrim (Trimethoprim) and Ototoxicity
by Neil Bauman, Ph.D. A parent asked: Can you please tell me if the antibiotic “Bactrim” is known to be ototoxic? My son was prescribed this medication because of an exposure to whooping cough.” Bactrim (Trimethoprim) is somewhat ototoxic. It is not known to cause hearing loss, but it can cause tinnitus (ringing in the […]
Lawnmowers and Ear Protection
by Neil Bauman, Ph.D. A man wrote Because I have a lot of grass to mow I spend 2 to 4 hours per week on a riding mower. My question is how best to protect what is left of my hearing. I believe my best options are high quality ear muffs or noise canceling ear […]
Comparing Drug Doses
by Neil Bauman, Ph.D. A man asked: I just wanted to find out how much a 250 microgram (mcg) dose of Xanax (Alprazolam) compares with a 1 milligram (mg) tablet of Valium (Diazepam). I can’t seem to work this out! It’s quite easy. There are 1,000 micrograms (mcg) in a milligram (mg), so 4 x […]
High Body Temperature and Hearing Loss
by Neil Bauman, Ph.D. A lady wrote: Since 2002 my hearing has gone down rapidly and during that time I have been into bikram yoga 3 to 4 times a week. This yoga is called “hot yoga,” and is done in a room with a temperature of 105 degrees. It is strenuous work and goes […]
Hearing Stereo with Bilateral Cochlear Implants
by Neil Bauman, Ph.D. A man explained: On one of the C.I. [cochlear implant] discussion boards, we’ve been having a discussion that I’m certain you can help with. We are discussing how to get a stereo signal (say out of an iPod) split into a right and a left channel for bilateral C.I. recipients. The […]