Hearing International

The one course that challenges most audiology students no matter where in the world they study is Psychoacoustics.  Psychoacoustics and the Just Noticeable Differences (JNDs) and Just Not Noticeable Differences (JNNDs) have mystified audiologists, otolaryngologists, and hearing researchers for over 150 years.  Where did JNDs come from?  Who started these concepts?  These are the questions for this week’s Hearing International. Just so happens that

The Mayan Calendar predicted that the world would come to an end December 21, 2012. While the rest of the world was in a tizzy over the Mayan apocalypse that wasn’t, the residents of Oaxaca, Mexico, were busy preparing for the very real Coming of the Radish People. We all woke up on December 22 to the world, its politics, the house payments, jobs

This two-part series ends here: Acupuncture and Hearing Loss…does it Really work? Part II. Acupuncture has been around for centuries and has spread to most parts of the world.  As audiologists, we hear of the procedure, maybe even know patients who undergo the procedure, but don’t hear much about the specifics of how it is conducted or of its actual

During an 1951 afternoon shooting party in County Wexford, Ireland, Sir Hugh Beaver was asked a simple question:  What is the Europe’s fastest game bird?  Despite a heated argument and an exhaustive search with the host’s library, the answer could not be found. This type of question that has been repeated around the world in pubs, bars, social occasions, classrooms,

 A few days ago a cease fire was negotiated between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza area.  As most around the world know, there has been continuing unrest in this part of the world for decades. In November, after months of being the target of rocket attacks by Palestinians in Gaza who continue to deny Israel’s right to exist as a country, Israel retaliated

The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that hearing impairment is the most common sensory deficit in human populations, affecting more than 250 million people in the world.  WHO describes the consequences of hearing impairment, which include inability to interpret speech sounds leading to a reduced ability to communicate, delay in language acquisition, economic and educational disadvantage, social isolation, and stigmatization.

Hearing International this week focuses on Old Age Hearing Loss (Presbycusis) and the some of the international stem cell research into this hearing problem that affects about 10% of the world population. Previously,  Hearing International (posted April, 2011) discussed the incidence of hearing  impairment in the world, where almost 600 million have mild or worse hearing impairment and 250 million have moderate

As presented last week at Hearing International, the politics of stem cell research is volatile in the United States. Thus, most of the research is being conducted in countries where this is less political. Ever since human embryonic stem cells were first cultivated by Dr. James Thompson at the University of Wisconsin, Madison in 1998, they have been at the center

In the USA, stem cell research of any kind is quite political, particularly in the United States. This week’s Hearing International looks at the politics and direction of stem cell research and next week will consider the specific research in the area of hearing.  Questions for audiologists worldwide are:  Can sensorineural hearing loss be cured with stem cells?  Will this put audiologists

This week’s post is the last in a series about bringing audiology to the Northern Communities in Canada.  This program has had a real impact on those who receive its services. Hearing International congratulates Jack and his staff, and Western University, London, Ontario for a job well done bringing audiology to a community in need! Part III:  The Results of Audiology