The Hearing Knowledge Hub
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3D Printed Eardrums!
Hearing in 3-dimensions? If you’ve been wondering what the point of 3-D printing is, let us introduce you to a new development in hearing health. A team of Harvard researchers and surgeons in the USA have developed a 3-D printed graft that can be implanted to repair a damaged eardrum. Called the PhonoGraft, this innovation has just entered commercial development and aims to solve the pain and hearing loss of eardrum perforation – a problem that affects millions of people worldwide. The eardrum, known as the tympanic membrane, is a thin membrane that conducts sound in the ear and protects against any nasties like bacteria or viruses that may find…
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Are your child’s headphones damaging their hearing?
We’re obviously all very aware of protecting our children from viewing inappropriate content online, but fewer of us will have thought about the damage being caused to our children’s hearing by the volume of the content they’re viewing. Children today have a world of audio and video content served up to them via computers, tablets, consoles and phones, and they’ll often use devices like headphones, earphones and earbuds – collectively called ‘hearables’ – to listen to this content. But until now it hasn’t been possible for parents to know how loud, or for how long, their children have been listening. This obviously creates the potential for permanent hearing damage. The World Health…
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Is CBT the solution to managing tinnitus?
Tinnitus does not need to rule your life. There are approaches, ranging from hearing technology to masking and sound therapy, which do genuinely manage the condition, bringing relief from the often-constant noise in your head. Change your thoughts, feelings and response Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) for tinnitus is an excellent and effective approach we use at The Hearing Clinic with clients experiencing tinnitus. This NICE-recommended treatment works by teaching you how to completely alter the way you think about, and respond to, tinnitus. Here’s how it works. Your thoughts influence over how you feel and behave. For example, if you’re running late for a meeting, it’s easy to become frustrated,…
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Is medicine close to restoring lost hearing?
Scientists from the University of Southern California have made a fascinating discovery linked to the inner ear’s sensory cells and their ability to regenerate, which may help science edge closer to a medical solution to restoring lost hearing. The inner ear contains two types of sensory cells, ‘hair’ cells that receive sound vibrations, and supporting cells that play various functional roles. When the hair cells are damaged due to wear and tear over time, or due to noise damage, they don’t regenerate, leading to permanent – or sensorineural – hearing loss. The US scientists found that, for the first few days of life, the supporting cells in the…
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Hearing impairment can be genetic
Today marks the start of Mitochondrial Disease Awareness Week. While many people have never heard of mitochondrial disease (often referred to as mito), this genetic disorder affects one in 5,000 people, making it the second most commonly diagnosed, serious genetic disease after cystic fibrosis. In fact, every 30 minutes, a child is born who will develop a mitochondrial disease by age 10. Everyone has mitochondria in their cells – it provides 90% of the energy needed to sustain life. But the disease, for which there is yet no cure, robs the body’s cells of energy, often causing multiple organ dysfunction. The parts of the body that need the most energy,…
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Migraines and link with hearing loss
Migraine and hearing loss – a strong link Migraine can be linked to hearing loss, Migraine is a debilitating disease that affects some 1 billion people worldwide. Chances are, you either suffer from migraines or know someone who does. These incapacitating headaches affect people of all genders and ages, and involve a host of disabling symptoms, including visual disturbances, nausea, and extreme sensitivity to stimuli. It’s thought that 4 million people worldwide have chronic daily migraines. Today marks the start of this year’s Migraine Awareness Week, which makes it a good time to highlight the link between migraine and hearing loss. Many studies have found a link In an…
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Are wireless hearing aids safe?
Most modern hearing aids have wireless Bluetooth capabilities for connecting to smartphones. Wireless hearing aids have revolutionised hearing technology, enabling users to connect to their smartphones, TVs, sound systems and other media devices. And as time goes on, this list will only grow. However, some people are worried about a possible link between wireless hearing aids and radio frequency electromagnetic radiation. Should they be? There are different forms of electromagnetic radiation, and some are a risk to health, such as ionising radiation. However, hearing aids produce extremely low levels of non-ionising radiation – so low that they’re well below government limits. In fact, to absorb the same amount of energy…
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The sounds of Stonehenge.
REDISCOVERING THE SOUNDS OF STONEHENGE Following on from our July blog about hearing in the past, we were interested to learn about research by the University of Salford’s Acoustic Research Centre that has looked at the prehistoric acoustics of Stonehenge. In a first for archaeology, the Salford team built a 1:12 scale model in a special sound chamber to understand more about the role sound may have been experienced, and the possible role it could have played, in rituals at the monument. Might it have dictated the design of the henge? Acoustic scale models have been used for decades to investigate historic buildings and design concert halls but have never…
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Oto – a great new tinnitus app
• Science-based Oto is a science-based therapy programme that’s available on Android and iOS devices that claims to keep tinnitus treatment simple. It offers an extensive sound therapy library plus ‘notch therapy’, the ability to tailor sounds to the pitch of your tinnitus, providing even more effective masking. • Range of cognitive behavioural therapy Oto provides a range of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) exercises to train your brain to respond differently to the sound it perceives. This means that, over time, you’ll hear your tinnitus less and less, with the goal of habituation – the point at which you no longer notice it at all. • Sleep relaxation and sleep…
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Hearing loss found in ancient bones
Today, 17th July, marks the beginning of the Council for British Archaeology’s Festival of Archaeology – a two-week long celebration of the fascinating layers of history that lie under our feet. What’s that got to do with hearing, you say? Well, it got us thinking about what life was like for people with a hearing impairment and deafness in previous centuries. What evidence does archaeology give us for lives lived with these challenges in the past? Ancient evidence of hearing loss Human remains dating back thousands of years and found by archaeologists in the famous Shanidar Cave in Iraq show evidence of possible conductive hearing loss. Several of the skeletons dating…
