Better Hearing Blog

For people over age 70  who have “clinically meaningful hearing loss,”  proper fitting with a hearing instrument can not only improve their ability to hear the television and radio, but it can also significantly improve their social interaction with family and friends, thereby helping them avert depression and withdrawal that may otherwise accompany old age. In addition, hearing loss can place older individuals at such a disadvantage when it comes to hearing doctors’ instructions that it can put their lives at risk. According to a 2015 study, people age 70 and older with moderate-to-severe hearing loss had a 54% higher risk of mortality. Even mild hearing loss was associated with a 21% increased risk of dying from all causes.

Proper hearing promotes better communication. When an uncorrected hearing impairment causes the loss of special and important moments in your life, it’s time to rediscover the benefits of healthy hearing and learn about the marvelous wonders now available in hearing instruments. Come see us at BETTER HEARING CENTER and discover how today’s hearing instruments are virtually disappearing from sight. We offer a complete range of hearing healthcare services at New Hampshire’s premier hearing care provider.

P.S. Similar to high blood pressure being regarded as an important contributing factor to a number of serious health conditions, hearing loss is increasingly being recognized as an important health and longevity factor.

In recent years, health professionals have advocated that we do all we can to eat foods that promote the health of the cardiovascular system. Now, it seems we all have even more reason to embrace heart-healthy diets. According to a recent analysis of 81,000 women in the Nurses’ Health Study II, those whose eating habits most closely resembled a Mediterranean-style diet or the anti-hypertension DASH diet were nearly one-third (30 percent) less likely to develop moderate or severe hearing loss over a 22-year period than women with the least adherence to the elements of these diets. It is thought that heart-healthy diets protect against hearing loss by reducing the oxidative damage caused by free radicals and lowering nerve inflammation.  

In addition to a dietary approach, two important steps you can take to help protect your hearing are wearing ear protection in loud, noisy environments and having your hearing checked regularly to stay on top of possible hearing loss. Hearing tests are easy, comprehensive, painless ways of evaluating this precious sense. If you’ve never had a hearing test, or if it’s been awhile since your last one, take the time today to call us at BETTER HEARING CENTER. If wearing a hearing aid is indicated, we can show you a variety of instruments and determine which is best for you. We are New Hampshire’s premier hearing care provider.

P.S. Previous research has linked overall healthy diets to a reduced risk of hearing loss.

Surveys indicate that seniors are more afraid of developing dementia, which includes Alzheimer’s disease, than they are fearful of getting cancer, heart disease, or a stroke. This fear of dementia is predicated on worries about losing independence and becoming a burden on loved ones. While there is currently no cure for dementia, experts recommend certain lifestyle changes that minimize seniors’ risk of developing the condition. These changes include lowering blood pressure to normal levels, giving up smoking, losing excess weight, remaining socially engaged, and treating diabetes. In addition, hearing loss has recently been discovered to be a risk factor for dementia. Treating hearing loss with a hearing instrument helps reduce feelings of depression and social isolation, which promote dementia.

If you have a hearing impairment, you are missing more than just the understanding of words. Hearing keeps you in touch with the world, lets you respond to sound, and reassures you of changing surroundings. After the age of 50, a regular hearing test should be considered as important as a yearly physical checkup. BETTER HEARING CENTER offers comprehensive hearing services by a certified clinical audiologist including evaluations, custom fittings, a full range of hearing instruments, accessories, follow-up support, and repairs. We are New Hampshire’s premier hearing care provider.

P.S. While it is not known if treating hearing loss can prevent memory loss, it is worth getting your hearing checked.

When it comes to the selection of a hearing instrument, it is generally true that bigger is more powerful. While individuals with mild-to-moderate hearing loss will most likely find that in-the-canal instruments can adequately meet their needs, those with moderate-to-severe hearing loss are usually best served by larger, behind-the-ear instruments with greater power and capabilities. However, larger does not necessarily mean more intrusive. Unlike traditional behind-the-ear instruments, an “open fit” instrument is also worn behind the ear, but is smaller. Instead of housing the microphone, digital processor, battery, and speaker in one unit, open fit instruments use a thin tube to connect a tiny speaker to a smaller behind-the-ear housing. This design is less visible and affords greater comfort.

P.S. Because open fit hearing instruments do not require an ear mold, they provide a more natural hearing experience.

While two out of three people have some degree of hearing loss by the time they reach age 65, many feel it isn’t severe enough to interfere with their daily lives. They therefore simply endure their hearing deficit, figuring that the worst that can happen is that they miss a few words of conversation, and they must ask people to repeat themselves. However, there may be more to it than that. Research shows that poor hearing can also increase the risk of injuries. According to one study, people who reported having poor hearing were nearly twice as likely to suffer some sort of accidental injury related to driving, work, or leisure/sport compared with people who reported having good/excellent hearing.

Millions of people of all ages face the daily challenge of living with a hearing loss. And while the number of hearing impaired individuals is on the rise, so too are the ways of dealing with hearing impairment. If you fall victim to hearing loss, don’t suffer in silence. Instead, take the first step toward changing your life. Visit BETTER HEARING CENTER to discuss with a Certified Clinical Audiologist the revolutionary options available today to help maximize your hearing potential. We are New Hampshire’s premier hearing care provider, we are the only hearing center that has served the Concord, New Hampshire, area for more than 55 years.

P.S. At the very least, it’s a good idea to have your hearing tested in order to establish a baseline against which any future hearing loss can be compared.

While not every hearing-impaired person can derive benefit from wearing a hearing instrument, the hearing industry is dedicated to fighting all forms of hearing loss regardless of cause or treatment. In this case, mention must be made of the hearing loss pediatric patients might endure as a result of being treated with the medication cisplatin for liver cancer. Cisplatin (alone and in combination with other drugs) is standard treatment for several types of pediatric cancer, and 60% or more of children treated with cisplatin have significant treatment-associated hearing loss. However, new research shows that patients with cisplatin-treated liver cancer had a 50% reduction in the risk of significant hearing loss after receiving the antioxidant sodium thiosulfate in addition to chemotherapy.

One of the most important services BETTER HEARING CENTER provides is helping our patients comprehend their hearing impairments and become aware of the ways and means available to help improve their quality of life. It’s important to us that our family, friends, and neighbors here in Concord enjoy the world in which they live. We are committed to serving the needs of the hearing impaired no matter what their age. Can we help you? Let’s start with a hearing consultation and test. Then we’ll show you the amazing, revolutionary hearing instruments available today. We are New Hampshire’s premier hearing care provider.

P.S. According to the research mentioned above, the effectiveness of cisplatin was not found to be compromised by the addition of sodium thiosulfate.