3 Things that Cause Hearing Aids to Whistle

We see a lot of different hearing aid problems here in our clinic. One of them is whistling. Yes, hearing aids can generate a whistling noise that not only reduces their effectiveness but also makes wearing them rather annoying. If you’ve noticed your hearing aid whistling, stop in and see us. We can probably take care of the problem without expensive repairs being necessary.

The three most common causes of whistling hearing aids are:

1. Improper Fit

In order for hearing aids to work as they should, they need to fit snugly into the ear canal so that no sound can escape. An improper fit that allows escaping sound causes feedback that the hearer recognises as whistling. It’s a lot like a microphone feeding back if it’s too close to a speaker. Improper fit can be addressed through modifying the moulding or showing you a better way to insert the hearing aid.

2. Damaged Tubing

The tubing on your hearing aid is that which carries sound from the speaker into your ear canal. Therefore, if the tubing is damaged, it creates the same kind of problem you would experience if the earpiece doesn’t fit properly. Sound escapes and causes feedback. The thing to understand about tubing is that it wears out and breaks down over time. The average hearing aid needs to be re-tubed every 4 to 6 months.

3. Excess Earwax

The third cause of a whistling hearing aid actually has nothing to do with a hearing aid itself. It is the result of excess wax build-up that doesn’t allow the hearing aid to fit properly. The simple solution is to remove the wax from the ear. Most hearing aid wearers need this simple procedure from time to time.

The Original article Published at Darroch Hearing Blog

How Can a Hearing Aid Help with Tinnitus?

In our last blog post, we discussed three things you might not know about tinnitus. Among them is the fact that there are two different kinds of tinnitus, the most common being subjective tinnitus. In this post, we want to discuss how hearing aids can help people suffering from this form of the condition. Keep in mind that subjective tinnitus is almost always linked to hearing loss.

When a person begins to lose some of his or her hearing, whether that is due to age, illness or some sort of injury, the result is less auditory stimulation from external noises. Think of it in terms of standing under a tree during a rainstorm. The train does not prevent all the precipitation from getting through, but it does prevent some of it. Hearing loss results in fewer external sounds making it to the auditory portion of the central nervous system.

Tinnitus is caused by the brain trying to make up for the loss of those external sounds. The brain processes the limited frequencies it is exposed to in different ways, resulting in tinnitus. People with tinnitus related to hearing loss are often suffering from a loss of higher frequency recognition. Thus, tinnitusis often described as a high-pitched ringing in the ears.

With all of that said, let’s talk about how a hearing aid can help. Hearing aids can amplify certain frequencies depending on the needs of the patient. Digital hearing aids are especially adept at this. By amplifying the frequencies that are not heard as well, a hearing aid can make up for the loss of natural sound. This can prevent some of the frequency modification happening in the brain. A hearing aid can also provide enough amplification to mask the tinnitus.

The Original article Published at Darroch Hearing Blog

3 Things You Might Not Know about Tinnitus

Tinnitus is a condition affecting tens of millions of people around the world. Also known as ringing in the ears, tinnitus can range from being mildly annoying to completely debilitating. It all depends on how the individual deals with the distraction tinnitus is known to cause.

Here at Darroch, there are several different methodologies we can use to approach the issue of tinnitus. There are also a number of studies currently underway with the hope of finding a pharmaceutical treatment to alleviate the condition. In the meantime, here are three things you might not know about tinnitus:

1. The Causes of Tinnitus Are Many

Tinnitus is a symptom of an underlying health issue in most cases. Tinnitus can be caused by obstructions in the middle ear, head and neck trauma, sinus pressure, and other conditions. It is most commonly caused by noise or age-related hearing loss.

2. There Are Two Kinds of Tinnitus

There are two types of tinnitus, the first being subjective tinnitus. This first variety comprises just about 99% of the known cases. With subjective tinnitus, there is no sound recognised by anyone other than the sufferer. Objective tinnitus, which accounts for 1% of the world’s cases, does involve a sound that is audible to both the sufferer and others around him or her.

3. There Are Ways to Measure Tinnitus

Though 99% of all tinnitus cases are subjective in nature, there are still ways to evaluate the characteristics of tinnitus and how these impact the individual sufferer. We do it through things such as speech recognition tests, acoustic reflex testing, and pure tone audio testing.

If you’re suffering from tinnitus, we urge you to contact Darroch right away. We might be able to help alleviate your discomfort significantly.

The Original article Published at Darroch Hearing Blog