Winning the War against Hearing Loss, Part 3: Overcoming Background Noise
by Bob Martin, AuD When we help people hear well, they radiate joy. My patient Kim is a perfect example. She is a young mother of three who came to me recently in tears. Her husband had lost his job and they were about to lose their house. “I know how to make money,”…
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You Hear with Your Brain, So Make Sure to Exercise It
We are witnessing huge advances in the world of science and technology. Progress has been especially dramatic in the areas of electronics and applied genetics. For example, the latest iPhone, which fits easily into your shirt pocket, has a capacity far beyond what was available in a desktop computer when this century began. Meanwhile, scientists…
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A Closer Look at Pendred Syndrome
In this last of the series of syndromes that started in the January 20 post on early identification of syndromes using hearing loss, we come to Pendred Syndrome. Pendred Syndrome derives its name from the physician Vaughan Pendred who first described its symptoms in the late 19th century. This genetic disorder causes early hearing loss in children…
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Jervell Lange-Nielsen Syndrome
Jervell Lange-Nielsen syndrome is the highlight of this week’s post. There are times when a failed hearing screening in the hospital is the first indication that there may be other health concerns for a newborn as discussed in our post a couple of weeks ago. Jervell Lange-Nielsen syndrome has not only hearing loss, but another…
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How to Reduce Background Noise and Improve Speech Understanding
In my last couple of blog posts I discussed the use of “listening programs” to improve hearing. Today I want to continue this discussion and cover the difficult topic of “How to enhance word understanding and simultaneously reduce background noise.” When I tackle this problem, hearing when it is noisy, I first ask myself, is…
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How Listening Programs Can Greatly Improve Your Patients’ Hearing
The greatest joy that our profession brings us is to help people hear well. People come to the office hearing poorly. They leave hearing better. They leave happy. And they leave us with a deep sense of accomplishment and satisfaction. Today I want to add another tool to your toolbox. It a hearing aid feature…
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