Congenital Hearing Loss

If you enjoy your music at max volume, you’re probably damaging your hearing. Headphones and earbuds afford you convenience and discretion as you can use them almost anywhere without disturbing those close to you.  They are also an escape for some who want to immerse themselves in music, games, and memories. People listen to music to reminisce, help them focus, get through a workout session, etc. Others want to listen to motivational speeches, podcasts, audiobooks, watch motives, etc. Almost everyone has a use for these gadgets, but they're often overused, which could lead to hearing loss. That pair of earphones that you can't leave the house could be the reason you're developing a hearing problem. Table of Contents How to use headphones   Music is part of the lifestyle today; thus, headphones have become a necessity. When you get a pair of earbuds or headphones, often, the first test is to crank up the volume to max. You want to hear how loud they can get and ju...

Justice Clarence Thomas turned to the ongoing pandemic when interrogating the issue of standing in the Affordable Care Act case at the Supreme Court on Tuesday. “Putting the Chief Justice’s question in today terms: I assume that in most places there is no penalty for wearing a face mask or a mask during Covid, but there is some degree of opprobrium if someone does not wear it in certain settings. What if someone violates that command — let’s say it’s in similar terms to the mandate here, but no penalty — would they have standing to challenge the mandate to wear a mask?” Michael Mongan, California’s solicitor general who is defending Obamacare in court today, argued that without a threat of enforcement there can be no harm. Nov. 9, 2020 01:13 The health care law has been challenged by 18 Republican states led by Texas, who are claiming it’s unconstitutional for the federal government to command people to purchase health care. The health care law's "individual mand...

Pune, Nov. 09, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- According to the report, the Hearing Aids Market Size was valued at USD 8.39 Billion in 2018 and is anticipated to reach USD 14.45 Billion by the end of 2026. The forecast period is set from 2019 to 2026 and the market is expected to rise at a CAGR of 7.2%. The world’s first Healthable™ hearing aid namely Livio AI was reinvented by Starkey Hearing Technologies in August 2018. This updated hearing aid will run on AI and integrated sensors and is the first device to trace cognitive health and physical activity as measured by hearing aid for utilizing in social situations. In 2018, North America earned a revenue of USD 3.19 billion. Thus, the report states North America to emerge as one of the dominant regions in the global hearing aids market. INDUSTRY DEVELOPMENT: August 2018: Starkey announced the launch of AI (Artificial Intelligence) equipped hearing aid in the UK market. The newly launched device enables superior quality in speech along with...

What sounds do we love? Hearing-aid maker Widex did a survey, asking 1,621 adults in the United States and seven other countries to select the sounds that mattered the most to them. Music and voices topped the list. If you’re a nature-lover, the third most popular sound won't be a surprise: birds. Among the British, bird song was the favorite sound of all.  Even in a big city, you can hear birds if you listen. I live in New York City and my block is full of chirping in the spring. Over the years, though, you may notice that the joyful noise of birds singing may become dimmer or stop. That’s because as we age, we tend to lose our perception of higher-frequency sounds, including the sparkles in a robin’s call. Another giveaway is when small children become challenging to understand. Hearing aids can help. Nathan Pieplow, the faculty sponsor for the Bird Club at the University of Colorado, acquired hearing aids in August 2020. He hoped they would allow him...

SAN ANTONIO – Podcasts have increased in popularity over the last several years. But, they have limitations for members of the deaf and hard of hearing community. “Everybody was coming at me, ‘Have you heard this podcast?” Gallaudet University student Leigh Ann Cowan said. “’Have you heard this podcast? You should listen to this.' And I’m like, ‘I physically cannot.’ Like the most I can hear on a good day is vowels and that’s with hearing aids.” Podcasts are solely an audio-based entertainment platform. They’re easy to use for most; but not for the deaf and hard of hearing. That’s what inspired four graduate students at St. Mary’s University to start their own version of a podcast. It’s called, “the Modcast.” “We were talking about modified podcast,” St. Mary’s graduate student Carrie Villarreal said. “We also wanted to do mini podcasts because we wanted these to be bite-size.” “And so, we came up with a modified mini-podcast, which is 'the Modcast,” Villarreal said. T...

(Shutterstock) Many people don’t realise that there is a link between other health conditions and hearing loss. One in six people in the UK are affected by some degree of hearing loss, which can greatly impact their everyday life. If you're one of them - or care for somebody experiencing a decline in their hearing - it could be time to act. Chris Childe – Audiologist and Training Manager, for global hearing specialist Amplifon - says: “It’s sensible to let a professional assess your hearing difficulties. “At Amplifon we can often pick up whether another health condition might be responsible, referring people to other health professionals. “We offer a personal service designed to get to the root of your hearing difficulties and provide the right solutions.” Here we reveal how five health conditions can be connected to hearing loss. READ MORE 1. New wellness trend teaches you to 'breathe better' 2. #MyWord: How do you know you’re broken? 3. Chrissy King’s journe...

A new smartwatch app alerts users who are deaf or hard of hearing of nearby sounds, such as microwave beeps or car horns. “The main motivation [for the app] came from my own experience, and conversations that my colleagues and I have had with deaf and hard of hearing people over several years,” says Dhruv Jain, who presented the system, called SoundWatch, at the virtual ASSETS conference on October 28. Jain, who is hard of hearing, uses SoundWatch at home to avoid sleeping through a smoke alarm. “On a nature walk, it’ll tell me that there’s birds chirping, or there might be a waterfall nearby,” he says. “Those sounds make me feel more present and connected to the world.” Sound awareness apps for smartphones exist. But Jain prefers the immediacy of sound notifications on his wrist, rather than in his pocket — and surveys of people who are deaf or hard of hearing show he’s not alone.  The SoundWatch app pairs an Android smartwatch and phone. The watch records ambient noises and ...