Upcoming Event: Dr. Ellen Baker to lead discussion on tinnitus
Audiologist Ellen Baker, Au.D., owner of Decibel Hearing Services, will lead a talk on the effects of tinnitus and possible treatment options from 8:30 to 9:30 a.m. Thurs., Aug. 18 at The Oaks mall, Hillcrest Drive, Thousand Oaks. Dr. Baker’s goal is to raise awareness on the effects of tinnitus and possible treatment options. Tinnitus,…
The Evolution of Hearing Aids
Technological and scientific development over the last few decades has been staggering. In fact, some of the technology today borders on science fiction. We can print a dolphin a new tail using 3D printing, wear watches that don’t need batteries, charge cellphone devices wirelessly, play games in virtual reality, and even drive cars that run…
Love My Music and Love My Hearing
It seems as if I have been to more concerts lately than I did in my youth! My kids don’t know what to get Mom & Dad for presents anymore so they give us tickets to shows. My husband and I are thrilled with these kinds of gifts because we might not have thought to…
Celebrate the Sounds of Your Life
The American Academy of Audiology is using the slogan of “celebrate the sounds of your life” as a tribute to May as Better Hearing Month. I particularly like this expression because it reminds me that there is so much to listen to that is beautiful. I’m not sure we realize how much of the world…
Happy Anniversary to Us
This week marks the 12th anniversary of Decibel Hearing Services. I started my own business later in life so it seemed like a big undertaking at the time. Looking back I see that it was the right choice at the right time. I have been an audiologist for over 30 years, but always worked for…
Why Do Hearing Aids Have Such a Bad Rep?
Everyone remembers our parent’s and our grandparent’s hearing aids. They were big old beige things that filled the ear and seemed to whistle (feedback) all the time. Hearing aid users would constantly complain that all they heard was background noise and not the people they wanted to hear. People waited until they couldn’t put it…
Which Manufacturer is the Best?
There are six major hearing aid manufacturers at the present time: Oticon, Phonak, ReSound, Siemens, Starkey and Widex. Some of them have parent companies that incorporate some of the smaller brands as well. For instance, Oticon is under the auspices of William Demant Holding which also includes Bernafon and Sonic Innovations. Sonova is the umbrella…
Vanderbilt Study Reveals Senses of Sight and Sound Separated in Children with Autism
Like watching a foreign movie that was badly dubbed, children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) have trouble integrating simultaneous information from their eyes and their ears, according to a Vanderbilt study published today in The Journal of Neuroscience. The study, led by Mark Wallace, Ph.D., director of the Vanderbilt Brain Institute, is the first to illustrate…
Health Department Launches Ad Campaign Warning of the Dangers of Listening To Loud Headphones
Prolonged exposure to loud sound can cause irreversible hearing damage. The Health Department launched a new ad campaign warning people that listening to headphones at high volume can cause tinnitus (ringing in the ears) and irreversible hearing loss. The ads encourage people to protect their hearing by turning down the volume when using headphones. The…
Lab on a Chip Features Drug Delivery Device that Could Restore Hearing
CAMBRIDGE, MA- Draper Laboratory has demonstrated new advances miniaturizing in a drug delivery device that could help patients recover from the most common forms of hearing loss. The lab’s progress on the intracochlear drug delivery device, including in the incorporation of a planar micropump that brings the system towards the miniaturization needed for clinical trials, is…