The most common cause of permanent hearing loss is noise exposure. That being said, unless you live in a perfectly quiet world, it is likely that you are exposing your hearing organ (cochlea) to excessive vibration. We hear through vibration and vibration is what causes the damage! It is a Catch-22. The hearing organ is fragile. The cochlea is the size of a green pea, curled like a snail and filled with fluid. Inside this tiny, sophisticated organ are rows of nerves that sit on a membrane … [Read more...] about Protecting Against Noise: How Hearing is Damaged
Audiologist
The Trinity of Hearing Part 3: The Audiologist
This is part three of a three-part series on hearing loss and the relationship of the three primary elements, or the Trinity of players, involved in facilitating hearing as efficiently as possible. This Trinity includes the family, the hearing-impaired person and the hearing health-care provider. “Blindness cuts us off from things; deafness cuts us off from people.” Helen Keller What is the big deal about hearing loss? Most humans need to communicate every day, many times a day. … [Read more...] about The Trinity of Hearing Part 3: The Audiologist
Misophonia: Don’t Make That Sound
Misophonia is the term used for people who suffer from annoyance to specific sounds. As I write this, I looked back at my choice to use the word “suffer” and then decided based on my experience with people who have the disorder, suffer is the perfect word. The person suffers when hearing particular sounds. People with misophonia are usually thought of as being “too sensitive, tightly wired, control freaks or that they are faking the problem for attention” by their friends and family. For more … [Read more...] about Misophonia: Don’t Make That Sound