Hearing Aid News

With the introduction of the worldwide first high-tech ceramic housing, Phonak once again leads the way in the industry by addressing the end-user’s even most demanding needs for high-value, durable, comfortable and cosmetically appealing hearing aids. The slightly greater weight supports the added value feel of these new deep black hearing aids compared to polymer housings.

Based on their unique properties such as extreme hardness and high mechanical strength, excellent biocompatibility, esthetic appeal and thermal shock resistance, high-tech ceramics are being used for example in the luxury goods industry as well as in aerospace applications. Phonak is very proud to introduce this first class material to hearing aid housings, available for Audeo S Smart at two price levels.

The extremely durable, abrasion-resistant surface ensures a scratch-free shine that lasts for years. The polished finish makes the housing smooth to the touch and offers unmatched comfort when worn behind the ear. Another feature of this fantastic material is its ability to quickly reach and maintain body temperature, thus preventing perspiration behind the ear. Last but not least, the hypoallergenic properties make the material especially kind to the skin and make ceramics hearing aid housings very hygienic. Lotion, sweat and other daily influences will not alter these qualities.

The small and elegant hearing aid Audeo S Smart was the obvious choice for introducing the high-tech material into the Phonak portfolio. Audéo S SMART is part of the award-winning Audéo product family, a collection of tiny and stylish hearing aids with the power, flexibility and durability to fit different hearing needs and lifestyles - and now empowered by the newest Spice technology. Audeo S Smart delivers top hearing performance and unlimited connectivity, is easy to use, is built to last, and now, with high-tech ceramic housing, will have a high-value appeal and be eternally beautiful.

More on Phonak Hearing Aids

Teens Get More Ear Infections When Someone Is Smoking at Home

December 7, 2010 – Family members who smoke are more apt to feel it is OK to smoke indoors as their children get older. But in households with secondhand smoke, children between 12 and 17 are 1.67 times more prone to have recurrent ear infections compared to adolescents who live in a smoke-free environment, a large new study reveals.

Harvard researchers analyzed smoking behavior of 90,961 families surveyed between April 2007 and July 2008.

“Overall, we found that the proportion of households that use tobacco products is the same across all age groups, but family members are increasingly more likely to smoke indoors as their children become preteens and teenagers,” said Summer Hawkins Ph.D., lead study author.

“The reason why secondhand smoke may cause ear infections is not known completely, but secondhand smoke is an irritant and that may increase children’s and adolescents’ susceptibility to ear infections.”

 
Their findings appear online in the Journal of Adolescent Health.

“Parents are usually pretty savvy and know it’s not in their children’s best interest to smoke indoors,” said Ellen Wald, M.D., chair of pediatrics for American Family Children’s Hospital in Madison, Wis. “When they say they never smoke indoors, I’m skeptical. They know that’s the answer people want to hear.”

The study authors suggest that pediatricians should do more to make parents aware of the hazards of secondhand smoke.

“Parents and health care providers need to work together to create a smoke-free environment for their children,” Hawkins said. “Providers should ask parents about tobacco use during clinic visits. Parents can reduce children’s exposure to secondhand by prohibiting smoke inside the home.”

While no simple answer exists, Wald said, “In order to change behavior you have to talk about it. Physicians are in a good position to send the message that everyone’s vulnerable to secondhand smoke, not just children and adolescents but adults as well.”

www.naturalhearing.co.uk

White noise therapy not enough to curb Tinnitus 

Feb 3rd 2011 - Tinnitus what many think of as "ringing in the ears" is the perception of sound without any real acoustic stimulation. Sound masking therapy, a common component of tinnitus treatment, is of uncertain benefit when used on its own, a new evidence review finds.

Tinnitus sufferers might hear one sound or multiple ones; they can hear them continuously or intermittently. The sounds are imperceptible to others. For most people, the phantom sounds hissing, whooshing and others hardly matter.

But for a small minority, tinnitus causes severe problems, such as anxiety, insomnia and even major depression sometimes leading to suicide.

Jonathan Hobson, lead author of the new Cochrane review, said that sound therapy relies on distraction, with an additional noise often called white noise reducing the contrast between the patient's tinnitus signal and the background noise. This reduces the person's perception of the phantom sounds and the distress they cause.

Hobson and colleagues at the Centre for Hearing and Balance Studies at Bristol University, in England, summarized the results of six studies of 553 adults with persistent tinnitus who underwent sound therapy either alone or combined with other treatments.

People receive sound therapy in several ways: by devices worn in or on the ear, by headphones connected to an MP3-like device or with an under-the-pillow speaker for night use.

Sound masking rarely is a standalone therapy; other treatment methods usually accompany it. Tinnitus therapies include medications, psychological interventions such as cognitive behavioral therapy and holistic approaches such as acupuncture.

Most tinnitus sufferers are adults between about 50 and 70 years of age who also have diminished hearing. Accordingly, for most, hearing aids represent a first line of treatment, improving the hearing of actual external sounds and diminishing the phantom sounds at the same time.

The review was published by the Cochrane Collaboration, an international organization that evaluates medical research. Systematic reviews draw evidence-based conclusions about medical practice after considering both the content and quality of existing medical trials on a topic.

"[The review] does not provide high-quality evidence that sound therapy devices are better than alternative treatments, but they are probably better than no treatment at all and certainly no harm or adverse effects have been reported with their use," Hobson said. "The six trials included were all very different in nature and compared sound therapy devices to a variety of other interventions: information, counseling, tinnitus retraining therapy, hearing aids or no treatment.