October 20, 2016 | McDonald Audiology & Hearing Health Care
In the US, tinnitus (ringing in the ears) affects 20 percent of the entire population, and hearing loss exists in 90 percent of the cases. With such a strong relationship between hearing loss and tinnitus, you would assume that people would be more inclined to seek out treatment for one or both ailments. But believe […]
September 29, 2016 | McDonald Audiology & Hearing Health Care
As hearing providers, there’s one particular type of hearing aid that we all worry about. It’s detrimental for the patient, and it can deter others from even attempting to give hearing aids a try. They’re referred to as “in-the-drawer” hearing aids. In contrast to behind-the-ear or in-the-canal hearing aids, ITD hearing aids never see the […]
September 8, 2016 | McDonald Audiology & Hearing Health Care
Have you ever had problems hearing in a crowded room or restaurant but can hear without any problem at home? Do you have particular challenges hearing higher-pitched voices or TV dialogue? If so, you may have hearing loss, and hearing aids may be able to help. But how exactly do hearing aids work? Are they […]
June 15, 2016 | McDonald Audiology & Hearing Health Care
Researchers are looking at ways to apply new signal processing strategies to the design of hearing aids. Signal processing is the method used to modify normal sound waves into amplified sound that is the best possible match to the remaining hearing for a hearing aid user. NIDCD-funded researchers also are studying how hearing aids can […]
June 9, 2016 | McDonald Audiology & Hearing Health Care
Murphy’s Law informs us that “if anything can go wrong, it will.” A better variation might be that “things will go wrong in any given situation, if you give them a chance.” That’s the reason we change the oil in our cars, switch out the filters, and rotate the tires. We’re aiming to preserve our […]
April 21, 2016 | McDonald Audiology & Hearing Health Care
Have you ever taken a course, or attended a lecture, where the ideas were presented so rapidly or in so complex a fashion that you learned practically nothing? If yes, your working memory was most likely overloaded beyond its total capacity. The limits of working memory We all process information in three steps: 1) sensory […]
April 7, 2016 | McDonald Audiology & Hearing Health Care
Hearing aid guides are not uncommon, but the majority are not exactly reader-friendly, either. Most are simply too long or complex, generating more perplexity rather than less. My guess is that you’re a great deal less interested in the physiology of hearing or in the particulars of acoustical engineering and a lot more interested in […]
March 25, 2016 | McDonald Audiology & Hearing Health Care
Technology changes fast: in 2005, the typical 40-inch flat screen TV would have cost you in excess of $1,500. Now, 10 years later, you can purchase a 40-inch flat screen TV for about $230. The same has taken place with hearing aids, even though it’s more likely to escape our recognition. We take note that […]
February 25, 2016 | McDonald Audiology & Hearing Health Care
Photo credit: flickr Saad Faruque Twentieth century neuroscience has discovered something rather astonishing: specifically that your brain can change itself well into adulthood. While in the early 1900s it was assumed that the brain ceased changing in adolescence, we now know that the brain reacts to change throughout life. Neuroplasticity To understand exactly how your […]
February 11, 2016 | McDonald Audiology & Hearing Health Care
Congratulations—you’re prepared to join the millions of Americans who have found out how wearing hearing aids can make life more exciting and fulfilling. In the near future, you’ll be listening to sounds you’ve long forgotten, engaging in stimulating conversations, and listening to music with enhanced discernment for each instrument. But before you can get to […]
