Robert Traynor

Robert M. Traynor, Ed.D., is a hearing industry consultant, trainer, professor, conference speaker, practice manager and author. He is a founding member of HHTM and had previously written a regular weekly column for the site for many years. He has decades of experience teaching courses and training clinicians within the field of audiology with specific emphasis in hearing and tinnitus rehabilitation. He serves as Adjunct Faculty in Audiology at the University of Florida, University of Northern Colorado, University of Colorado and The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences.

Auditory Training for Turkeys?

Last Thursday was Thanksgiving in the United States. Thanksgiving, one of the major American holidays of the year, is celebrated on the fourth Thursday in November. It became an official Federal holiday during the Civil War, when President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed a national day of “Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens”, to be celebrated on Thursday, November 26, 1863. THE HOLIDAY

The Titanium Connection to 21st Century Hearing Devices – Part II

As we saw last week in Part I of Hearing International‘s review of Titanium, the list of titanium benefits is lengthy. This makes the metal incredibly useful for a number of different industries, such as the automotive, aerospace and architectural applications. Since titanium resists corrosion, is biocompatible and has an innate ability to join with human bone (osseointegration), it has become a staple in the medical field. From

The Titanium Connection to 21st Century Hearing Devices – Part I

Cornwall, seen circled at left, is a unitary authority and ceremonial county of England within the United Kingdom. It is an English peninsula bordered to the north and west by the Celtic Sea, to the south by the English Channel. It is also bordered to the east by the county of Devon and the River Tamar. The county of Cornwall has a population of 536,000 and covers an area of 3,563 square kilometers. Historically, tin mining has long

What Is a Cloud Ear?

Clouds are an international focus of attention and the one at left from Australia is especially interesting as it is in the shape of an ear. You can tell it’s Australia as there are Eucalyptus trees in the bottom of the photograph. There are other cloud formations that look like cochleas in the sky (right). Clouds, of course, are a visible mass of liquid

From the Ears of Whales – Part II

Last week we discussed the general topic of Whales and their hearing, but there is another chapter to this story that combines whales, their hearing and Audiology. This week Hearing International looks at the Blue Whale, the largest living animal in the world today. These mammals weigh up to 190 tons (380,000 pounds) and measure up to 89 feet (27 meters) long. Despite their size, whales

From the Ears of Whales – Part I

Ahab pursued one in Moby Dick. The biblical Jonah was swallowed by one. As children we were awed by Geppetto being swallowed by one. Nowadays, millions of people hop on a boat or gather on shore just to see one. Indeed, whales, those mammoth sea creatures that roam the ocean deep from the tip of South Africa to the edges

Hearing Protection in Noisy Sports Stadiums

It seems that young parents are at least protecting their children from high stadium noise levels. Most spectators and concert attendees are not as lucky as the son of New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees at the Super Bowl or Gweneth Paltrow’s daughter at the Live 8 concert. Most of us on our way to the ballgame are thinking hot dogs and beer and not

The Noisest Stadium in the World

No matter the country, sports are a huge part of people’s daily lives. The incredible popularity of various sports has made them a very big business, and the most elite teams and the most successful franchises have built incredibly large stadiums to hold the millions of adoring fans who loyally follow their favorite teams. These stadiums have become an essential component

Diabetes and Hearing Loss – Part III

In the past couple of weeks (Part I and Part II) we have been reviewing Diabetes. This week, in Part III, Hearing International will look at the connection of diabetes with hearing loss. As noted previously, patients with diabetes usually have a myriad of serious medical complications. The American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) indicates that the majority of adults with diabetes experience cardiovascular disease risk

Diabetes and Hearing Loss – Part II

A worldwide problem among patients with diabetes is the myriad of serious medical complications that often accompany the disease. Most adults with diabetes have cardiovascular disease risk factors such as hypertension and high cholesterol. The risk for adverse cardiovascular outcomes, such as stroke or a fatal cardiac event, is two to four times higher among adults with diabetes than those without.