One of the country’s leading audiologists sounds off about a condition that will eventually affect almost all of us. By CRAIG W. NEWMAN, Ph.D.
For a long time, hearing loss carried a huge stigma. People didn’t want to be seen as old – and hearing aids were a visible sign that they didn’t have all their original faculties intact. These days, with the likes of Rob Lowe, Halle Berry, Jodie Foster and Bill Clinton not just wearing hearing aids but also talking about them, that stigma has all but disappeared. Everyone is walking around with something in their ears anyway… head-phones, earbuds, a Bluetooth device. Folks may as well use technology that helps them hear. As section head of audiology at the Cleveland Clinic, I see a lot of patients with misconceptions about hearing loss. Here are a few of the most common.
Myth: Hearing loss happens only to old people.
Truth: In fact, 40 percent of the 48 million Americans with hearing loss are younger than 60. Hearing loss does accelerate with age: Almost 30 percent of those between ages 50 and 59 suffer from some degree of impaired hearing in one or both ears; 45 percent of people between 60 and 69 have impaired hearing; and three-quarters of those older than 70 do.
Myth: Your hearing loss was caused by all those rock concerts all those years ago.
Truth: While it’s true they certainly didn’t help, there are many other contributors, including the normal aging process, genetics, medications, smoking, a poor diet and diabetes. All of these destroy the hair cells that send auditory signals to your brain. Once hair cells are damaged, they’re damaged. There is no approved drug that will regrow them in humans, though researchers have been able to regenerate the cells in birds and mice.
Myth: If older people would just talk louder, you would hear just fine.
Truth: Hearing is like the body’s biological microphone. If you’ve ever heard anyone speak into a microphone that’s damaged, it might be plenty loud, but there’s a level of distortion that makes it hard to understand. The goal of today’s hearing aid technology is both to make sounds louder and to reduce background noise and extract the more important features of sound to clarify speech. Other technology can turn your hearing aid into a Bluetooth device; some options let you stream directly from your cellphone to your hearing aid, not just for calls but for music apps such as Pandora.
Myth: As long as you can hear sound, it’s OK to wait to purchase hearing aids.
Truth: The longer you wait, the harder your hearing loss will be to treat. That’s because the auditory system in your brain isn’t stimulated, so the brain stops recognizing sound. That’s why people with hearing loss who wait to get hearing aids sometimes find they don’t help as much as they expected. Fortunately, our brains can “relearn” to hear, thanks to neuroplasticity… the fairly recent finding that the brain can reprogram itself into very old age with the proper stimulation. Practically speaking, that means you have to “teach” your brain to hear again, by wearing the hearing aids regularly.
Should you or a loved one be experiencing hearing loss, give us a call at the Shea Hearing Aid Center at (901) 415-6667 and we’ll be glad to set you up for a free hearing evaluation. It won’t cost you anything but your time and you’ll be given the opportunity to experience the latest and greatest in hearing instrument technology. Give us a call today!