Corvallis Hearing Center

Audiology Clinic and Hearing Aids

Call 541-754-1377

Hearing Difficulty?

by

Hearing Difficulty?
It’s Important to Know the Business You Are In
Dr. Ron Leavitt, Audiologist

A noted entrepreneur once said “It is important to know what business you are actually in.” In recent years this quote has taken on new meaning for hearing health care providers.

In the past some audiologists may have thought we were in the hearing aid sales business. Then cochlear implants came along and that view was broadened to include a more encompassing term such as the “hearing improvement business” since hearing aids were no longer the only tool in the toolbox.

Today hearing health care providers are faced with a mountain of data suggesting we are in the cognitive optimization business.

Specifically, it is now known that when hearing loss is untreated or improperly treated, a host of anatomical and physiological changes occur in the brain that result in a phenomenon known as “synaptic pruning and resource reallocation.”

While synaptic pruning is used by the healthy brain to minimize those pathways that are nonessential to existence, when hearing loss is improperly treated synaptic pruning and reorganization takes place in critical areas of the brain associated with higher order reasoning. Such unfavorable reorganization/pruning may be a gateway to dementia whose strong relationship to hearing loss has been well documented.

The obvious question then becomes what should we be doing to prevent such an outcome? First, when friends, family or colleagues start saying you are having hearing problems act immediately to get a comprehensive hearing test. There is likely a point of no return where the brain is too improperly pruned/reallocated to recover (see https://corvallishearing.com/1feb2021 for more in-depth discussion).

Next, every hearing aid and cochlear implant must be programmed so as to provide audibility of the greatest number of speech sounds possible within the limitations of the individual’s hearing loss. Unfortunately, such programming rarely occurs (see https://corvallishearing.com/2feb2021 or https://corvallishearing.com/3feb2021 or https://corvallishearing.com/4feb2021 for more in depth explanation).

Next, you must work to maintain optimized hearing of speech sounds. Such maintenance entails annual hearing and hearing aid/cochlear implant checkups. Hearing rarely gets better over time and some causes of hearing loss result in a fairly rapid degradation of hearing in a relatively short time frame. As such, hearing aid reprogramming may be necessary on an annual basis or sooner.

Additionally, hearing aid and cochlear implant performance may degrade over time, particularly when used in high humidity or dusty/polluted environments or worn with excessive amounts of hair spray.

Finally, we must all take some initiative to stay physically active and eat well as contemporary research has shown both are critical areas of intervention in cognitive optimization for both children and adults (see https://corvallishearing.com/5feb2021 and https://corvallishearing.com/6feb2021 and https://corvallishearing.com/7feb2021 and https://corvallishearing.com/8feb2021 for more info).

For anyone interested in more information on this topic we will be presenting this information at our next “virtual” Better Listening Seminar and on our website in the near future. For more info call (541) 754-1377.

 

Hearing Aids for People with Normal Hearing?

by

Much research has focused on patients who self-report listening difficulties, but show normal results on the typical pure tone hearing test where you raise your hand, push a button or say “yes” when you hear the tone.

In fact, it is estimated some 26 million people in the U.S. self-report listening difficulties with normal pure tone results (see https://corvallishearing.com/hearing-difficulties for references ).

This 26 million figure would account for nearly 70% of the 37.5 million people in the U.S. who have suspected listening difficulties per the National Institutes of Health estimate.

The literature notes there are a number of auditory disorders that may not produce hearing loss as measured by pure tone testing.  These disorders include Central Auditory Processing Deficit, Auditory Neuropathy Spectrum Disorder, Cochlear Synaptosis, Hyperacusis and tinnitus to name a few.

It is not surprising then that pure tone testing popularized in the early 1940s does not address these more recently-identified auditory maladies.

In a previous article we noted several other tests are often more diagnostically revealing for the disorders listed above.  However, the question for most patients so afflicted with any of these disorders is “What can be done to treat it.”

Unfortunately, the treatment of these disorders is less clear cut than the diagnostic tests used to identify them.

In a recent article Humes (2020) made the case for use of hearing aids with many such patients who show normal pure tone test results (see https://corvallishearing.com/normal-hearing).

In the case of tinnitus (the perception of ringing, buzzing, whooshing sound or music when no sound is actually present) the hearing aid recommendation is often supported. Research has shown oftentimes the brain is essentially turning up the volume looking for sounds that are no longer as loud as they once were before the individual experienced tinnitus.  Thus, hearing aids can amplify these slightly less loud sounds back to their original volume and the perception of tinnitus in as many as 60% of patients is improved.

 

In the case of Hyperacusis (heightened sensitivity to sound, with aversive or pained reactions to normally-loud environmental sounds) this disorder is thought to result from the brain’s loudness mediating function being set at too low a volume.  As such one recommended treatment is gradual introduction of more sound oftentimes from a very low-volume hearing aid combined with counseling to calm an apprehensive patient who is already concerned about too much sound. (see https://corvallishearing.com/tinnitus for discussion).

By contrast in 260 patients with Auditory Neuropathy Spectrum Disorder, 61% of  patients reported little or no hearing aid benefit (see https://corvallishearing.com/auditory-neuropathy).

In short, successful use of hearing aids among patients self-reporting listening difficulties with normal pure tone results depends heavily on the correct diagnosis.  To quote Ghandi “A correct diagnosis is three-fourths the remedy.” It is then imperative that in-depth testing beyond the conventional pure tone examination be completed before any hearing aid recommendation is made for such patients.

Brain Resource Preservation & Hearing Aids

by

This week Ron Leavitt, Au.D and Carol Flexer, Ph.D are presenting our research findings at the International Conference of the American Speech Language and Hearing Association in Orlando, Florida.

Our findings on the objective and subjective variables of patients at Corvallis Hearing Center who have scored like normal hearing people on a very difficult speech in noise test while wearing their hearing aids is our topic.
Our research is based on earlier observations showing brain function is preserved in patients who score normally while wearing their hearing aids on this same speech in noise test.
Unfortunately this earlier research showed that people with untreated hearing loss or poorer aided scores on this test showed alterations in brain function that may help explain the strong relationship between hearing loss and dementia.
At our December 12th Better Hearing Seminar at Corvallis Good Samaritan Hospital we will review new research just published by our colleagues in Australia who have also been looking at these objective and subjective variables associated with normal scores on speech in noise tests.
Both our research and that of our Australian colleagues suggest some alterations of clinical practices that may enhance the likelihood of achieving these normal scores on aided speech in noise tests and allow hearing aid wearers to function much better in noisy environments.
Join us on December 12th from 3:30 to 5 pm at Corvallis Good Samaritan Hospital in Conference Room B as we review these important findings.
There is no charge, free refreshments are served and the public is welcome.

iOS 13 and Your Resound Hearing Aids

by

Did you recently update your iPhone to iOS 13?

Since the launch of iOS 13, 13.1, 13.1.2 and 13.1.3 Resound has been diligently testing with ReSound MFi® hearing aids.

The testing confirms that iOS 13 platforms are compatible with ReSound MFi hearing aids. However, there are some iPhone and iOS related issues which may impact patients. Download the ReSound Tech Tip to troubleshoot your iPhone if you are experiencing these defects.

To pair your hearing aids to back to your iPhone go to Apple’s support page.

If you’re still having trouble with your iPhone Call us today (541) 754-1377 and we will schedule an appointment to further troubleshoot your iPhone and hearing aids.

How to Maintain Any Hearing Aid

by

This is our presentation we did on August 8th, 2019.

Regardless of hearing aid brand or model there are a number of facts that you should know to maintain the hearing aids’ optimum performance.

Watch the video below to hear us discuss 12 must know items for maintaining optimum hearing aid function.

A Source to Resources!

by

Through research, networking and years of experience we have collected a huge amount of resources and put them together for your convenience. We want you to have the help you need at your fingertips. We know life is hectic and full of confusion so we hope that this is one way we can help! We have compiled resources for hearing health and information onto one useful page. Just click our link and you will have them at your fingertips. [Read more…]