I learned that little was known about the mechanisms causing tinnitus, and treatments were hard to test because they seemed to have very different effects on different people. Researchers call this heterogeneity, and it simply means that your tinnitus is likely different from mine.
Trying Out Hearing Aids Through ‘Blended Distribution’
The blended business model relies heavily on the internet to capture customers, and it's reported that those customers are around 10 years younger than the typical hearing care office's clientele. Tech-savvy boomers are accustomed to researching options and shopping online.
Sound Is a Spectrum of Emotions
I've been surrounded by sound in some fashion all of my life. As someone with a hearing loss, I've learned to appreciate hearing all sounds, no matter their origin or nature.
Making Sense of Ménière’s Through Media
As a veteran entertainment industry executive, I am acutely aware of the power that film and television have to enlighten, so I decided to develop “Unheard: The Ears of Ménière’s,” a documentary that will shine a light on this debilitating disease which has remained unheard for far too long.
From ‘Bionic’ Kid to a Dad Giving Back
I was born with a bilateral, mild-to-profound, sensorineural loss due to BOR Syndrome, a rare syndrome that can affect your hearing and kidneys; my audiogram looks like a double-black-diamond ski slope.
What I Learned in Drumming Class (From a Friend With Vision Loss)
We both need to use our brain’s processing power more than those with typical hearing or sight. If the lighting is poor or the room is crowded, Dana must be very focused on what she’s doing or else she’ll bump into things. For me, when there’s a lot of ambient noise I too have to be very focused to understand what people are saying.
Sorting the Priorities
The audiologist listened to my shock and confusion, but confirmed that my test printout showed severe hearing loss. She did one other brief test, which showed 95 percent word recognition. I always hear conversations, so how could I have all this hearing loss?
The Surprising Cause of My Tinnitus
This ominous ringing seemed to recede when I was preoccupied with something else, but it returned in force as soon as nothing else was distracting me, and it was always (seemingly) there, not loud enough to interfere with my life really, but distracting and worrisome.
Let’s Remember No One Hears Perfectly
Why can’t all of us with hearing loss accept our hearing challenges without judgment? It’s a physical disability that we have no control over. If we can’t hear, it has nothing to do with our intelligence or any of the negative stereotypes of hearing loss. It’s just hearing loss—a physical condition.
A Wakeup Call
Whether you’re knowledgeable about noise-induced hearing loss or not, you would probably try to avoid things like having a trumpet blasted point-blank into your ear. But that was me, 10 years ago, in a 7th grade band class, crying from the pain in my ear and leaving school early so my mom could whisk me straight to an audiologist.