Better Hearing Blog

According to recent statistics released by the Hearing Industries Association (HIA), “open-fit” hearing instruments now account for more than half of all hearing instruments sold in the United States. This category, which includes “receiver-in-the-canal” (RIC) and “receiver-in-the-ear” (RITE) instruments, has a microphone and sound processor housed in a casing that sits behind the ear, much like a “behind-the-ear” (BTE) instrument. However, unlike a BTE, the ear portion of an open-fit instrument has a small wire running around the ear and into the ear canal at the end of which is the “receiver” with a speaker. Because the sound processor and receiver are separate, an open-fit housing residing behind the ear is sleeker and the entire instrument is more comfortable to wear.

Modern hearing aids are small high-tech computers, which are constantly being refined and developed to provide a better reproduction of natural human hearing. Hearing aids help put people back in touch with their family and friends by letting them enjoy participating in social activities again. To schedule an appointment, please call BETTER HEARING CENTER. New Hampshire’s premier hearing care provider.

P.S. Separation of the open-fit instrument’s receiver into its own compartment has the advantage of rendering feedback and occlusion much less of a problem.

Sometimes we may raise our voices only slightly to get the attention of a person with hearing loss, only to have that person respond, “You don’t have to yell. I’m not deaf!” This type of encounter provides anecdotal evidence of a phenomenon known as “recruitment,” which is an abnormally large increase in the perception of loudness with only a slight increase in the actual intensity of the sound. This phenomenon occurs when normal hair cells adjacent to damaged hair cells (corresponding to the frequency of a hearing loss) are “recruited.”  At the decibel level at which these normal hair cells kick in, perceived loudness shoots up rapidly, causing discomfort. The best treatment for this problem is a hearing instrument.

Although hearing instruments do not restore your hearing to normal, they improve it significantly. They improve a person’s social, psychological and physical sense of well-being. To schedule a hearing assessment, please call BETTER HEARING CENTER. We are the only hearing center that has served the Concord, New Hampshire, area for more than 55 years. New Hampshire’s premier hearing care provider.

P.S. “Hair cells” are found in the cochlea, where they help convert sound waves into neural signals that are sent to the brain.

An “acoustic neuroma,” the most common inner ear tumor, begins growing within the inner ear. “Vestibular schwannoma,” as the tumor is also known, forms when Schwann cells, which wrap themselves in layers around the auditory nerve, grow too rapidly. It is important to recognize the early symptoms of acoustic neuroma (dizziness, hearing loss, and ringing in the ears) and treat it because the tumor may grow so large that it can press on parts of the brain that control vital body functions. Most acoustic neuromas are treated with surgery. From a preventive point of view, some research shows that prolonged exposure to loud noise increases the risk of developing acoustic neuroma, which is one more reason to wear hearing protection.

Early diagnosis of an acoustic neuroma may help keep the tumor from growing large enough to cause serious consequences, such as total hearing loss or a life-threatening buildup of fluid within your skull. BETTER HEARING CENTER offers an array of affordable hearing aid options to meet every budget, cosmetic, and hearing loss need. We’re excited to assist you in making decisions about your hearing health at New Hampshire’s premier hearing care provider.
P.S. Hearing rehabilitation through the use of hearing instruments and assistive listening devices can enhance an acoustic neuroma patient’s ability to communicate with others and significantly improves a patient’s quality of life.

Anyone who regularly swims in cold ocean water or other chilly natural bodies of water may be surprised to learn about “external auditory exotosis” (otherwise known as “surfer’s ear”). This condition, which is essentially a buildup of bone in the ear caused by repeated exposure to cold water and wind, can be induced by any cold water activity. The closure of the ear canal associated with surfer’s ear is six times more likely to be found among people who surf in cold water. The problem develops because the ear is the only place in the body where skin is directly on top of bone. Without insulation, cold water stimulates bone growth, increasing the likelihood of ear infections and hearing loss.

Some exostoses do not require surgical treatment, but once these have been diagnosed, it may be wise to protect the ears from cold water exposure using ear plugs or a neoprene headband or hood. To schedule an appointment or to learn more about this condition, please call BETTER HEARING CENTER. We are New Hampshire’s premier hearing care provider.
P.S. Surfer’s ear can occur in any activity with cold, wet, windy conditions, including windsurfing, kayaking, sailing, jet skiing, kitesurfing, and diving.

It is estimated that one-quarter of today’s teens may have serious hearing damage and not even know it. It, therefore, becomes necessary that we find ways to diagnose hearing loss and treat it. Until recently, one common way of informally detecting hearing loss is to check for “tinnitus” (ringing in the ears), which has been associated with the loss of “hair cells” (sensory cells that convert sound vibrations into electrical signals that are sent to the brain). Researchers have now discovered that hearing loss is not only linked with the death of hair cells (which do not regenerate), but also with cochlear nerve cells that sustain damage to their synapses. This “hidden” hearing loss is known as “cochlear synaptopathy.”

Not being able to hear well isn’t just frustrating, it also can be a safety concern when it interferes with your ability to hear warning signals, such as sirens, alarms or train whistles. To schedule an appointment, please call BETTER HEARING CENTER. Hearing aids help put people back in touch with their family and friends by letting them enjoy participating in social activities again. New Hampshire’s premier hearing care provider.

P.S. A “synapse” is a structure that permits a neuron (or nerve cell) to pass an electrical or chemical signal to another neuron.

The term “absolute pitch,” more commonly referred to as “perfect pitch,” is the rare auditory ability to identify and recreate a musical tone without the help of a reference tone. It is different than “relative pitch,” which is a learned ability common in trained musicians that allows them to infer the pitch of a tone by mental comparison to an external reference tone. Perfect pitch is a phenomenon that is estimated to affect only one in 10,000 people. This ability seems to be a result of both genetic and environmental influences. Aside from being born with perfect pitch, it seems that early exposure to music also may play a role in cultivating the ability to re-create a given musical note.

Hearing loss can affect anyone and has a profound effect on one’s ability to communicate with friends and family. Many modern hearing aids are extremely effective. If fitted by an experienced audiologist, hearing aids can make a real difference. To schedule a hearing assessment, please call BETTER HEARING CENTER. We are the only hearing center that has served the Concord, New Hampshire, area for more than 55 years. New Hampshire’s premier hearing care provider.

P.S. Research suggests that perfect pitch may be associated with an unusually large memory span for speech sounds, further underscoring the importance of hearing ability.