Solar Powered Hearing Aids In Africa
One of the challenges of the developing world is a constant reconciling of the needs of many with limited financial resources. Many individuals in the world need assistance with their vision and hearing health. A vast majority need hearing devices, but the ability to supply them is scarce. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), over 166 million people in developing nations need ear hearing aids but the cost of the latest hearing technology is a bottleneck. In fact, less than 3 percent of people in the developing countries who need a hearing device actually have one.
Instead of importing expensive Western technology, an African manufacturer is now producing own affordable hearing aids, powered solely by the best free source of energy: the sun.
Since 1992, Godisa Technologies in Botswana has been producing hearing aids with batteries powered by available solar energy. There are very few environmentally friendly solar hearing devices specifically for the tropical sub-Sahara, which includes some of the worlds poorest regions. The company, which employs 14 people --10 of whom are deaf or physically challenged -- created the SolarAid solar hearing aid, an eco-friendly ear hearing aid that sells for less than $100.
What makes these products unique and adapted to the needs of the developing world is the ability to apply such practical means of providing hearing. Plus, the batteries are charged by the solar power and the environment is saved from waste. Just another way to hear better!
Dealing with Hearing Aid Feedback
Hearing aids sometimes have the problem of feedback. Feedback is defined as when the hearing aid picks up the sounds of its own amplification and processes. There is a loop of sound in the circuitry and really can be a pain. This used to be a common problem with individuals that are using hearing aids to combat hearing loss deafness. Now as hearing aid technology has expanded, the problems with feedback have dissappated. Even so, when you are experiencing feedback, there are some actions that you should not undergo.
- Do not hit the device onto a hard surface to make the situation cease. This may seem like an instantaneous reaction, but it will do no good. Hearing aids are sensitive instruments that help with hearing loss. Do not risk breaking your device.
- Opening the hearing aid is not only a bad idea, it may also void any warranty that could have helped solve the problem. The circuitry inside a hearing aid is very tiny and specialized.
- Remember not to wash the hearing aid by conventional means. Your hearing specialist can recommend special cleaning solutions to make sure that you hearing aid is as clean as possible.
- Discontinue using your ear hearing aid if the feedback does not stop. Bring the unit into your specialist and receive immediate attention. Extended exposure to feedback can cause permanent damage.
Genes That Can Forecast Hearing Loss or Impariments
Ever since one of the most influential genetics researchers, James Watson, helped discover DNA, scientists across the globe have been making discoveries and identifying the relationship between genes and various health problems, including hearing loss. The connection between genes and hearing impairments has been documented by many studies. Nearly 100 genes are now known to play a role in hearing loss.
A new study being carried out at an acclaimed university concerns the genetic and environmental factors affecting hearing loss, the third most common chronic impairment among older adults after arthritis and hypertension.
Several of the various genes responsible for hereditary deafness or hearing loss have been identified thanks to this important research. European scientists identified a gene called TGBF1, which they classify as responsible for the most common cause of hearing loss among white adults, an abnormal growth of bone in the inner ear, otosclerosis.
Learn more about otosclerosis in future blog posts!
Auditory Deprivation From Not Using Hearing Aids
We are all aware that not using muscles will make them weak. Well the same goes for our hearing. If we are struggling with the signs of hearing loss, then ignoring those signs and not wanting to use a hearing aid will only worsen the problem. The main objective is to act as soon as you feel like you are experiencing hearing loss deafness, tinnitus, or any other hearing symptom and find a specialist quickly. There is no time like the present.
When your brain and the hearing nerves that take care of our hearing are deprived of auditory stimulation, they weaken, or atrophy as your hearing specialist may have called it. If your hearing nerves are weak, then it will be much more difficult to counteract the hearing loss and make a positive recovery. Auditory deprivation is the phrase used to describe allowing yourself to suffer from hearing loss and hearing loss symptoms.
It is completely possible that your ears recovery from auditory deprivation and its effects on your hearing. One way is to make sure you invest in a solid pair of ear hearing aids that are tailored to your specific hearing condition. Make sure that you indeed get a pair of hearing aides because binaural amplification is necessary to treat your overall hearing spectrum. Like many other facets of your healthy life, the sooner you help yourself the more success you will have!
Naturally Treating Tinnitus
Tinnitus is a hearing problem that is perceived in one ear, both ears, or in your head. Thousands of people suffer from tinnitus and describe it as a constant ringing noise in the ears. Others have described it as a high pitched buzzing, hissing, whistling, ticking, or humming sound. However the effects of tinnitus are felt, they are very frustrating and often times debilitating. Aside from prescription remedies, there are natural ways to help combat tininnitus.
The ever-present ringing in your ears can conflict with not only your ear hearing aid, but your entire life. A healthy lifestyle will allow you to prevent some of the causes of tinnitus. Modifying your diet to relieve high blood pressure and adding exercise can often result in the elimination of symptoms. Some causes of tinnitus, such as high blood pressure, can be managed by diet modifications and through incorporating exercise into your weekly routine in many cases.
Some people that have tinnitus have been found to have a deficiency in the B12 vitamin. Eating more animal products such as milk, eggs, meat, and fish have been effective natural treatments. Another natural treatment to avoid hearing loss deafness from tinnitus is ginkgo biloba. This herb increases blood circulation in the head and the neck with can improve the circulation issues that come with tinnitus. The signs of hearing loss can be problematic, and one way to cure tinnitus is naturally simple!
Baby Boomers’ Hearing Loss Declining
Can it be possible that the onset of hearing loss in baby boomers is declining? One study looks to prove that people born between the years of 1946 and 1964 are experiencing fewer signs of hearing loss than their parents. Rates of hearing losses usually jump from 18 percent for ages 45 to 64 to 30 percent for ages 65 to 74, and 47 percent for those 75 and older.
Most baby boomers will experience sensorineural hearing loss, which occurs when the hair cells of the inner ear are damaged or die prematurely. Being a result of the aging process, this cannot be reversed. Other boomers suffer from conductive hearing loss, which is a mechanical problem in middle or outer ear.
Unfortunately, insurance plans don't pay for hearing aids, which can cost from $1,000 to $7,000. Still, boomers are more proactive about their hearing loss than the older generation, and look to do what it takes to help their well-being. As expensive as hearing aids can be, they are the most common method in fighting hearing loss.
Understanding the Levels of Hearing Loss
Taking care of our ears is something in which we all must be active. More and more Americans are experiencing the signs of hearing loss at a young age, therefore hearing loss has the years to develop to even more impaired levels. It is important to recognize the different types of hearing loss that can be demonstrated by individuals young and old.
Slight impairment - loss of 26 – 40 dB - at this mark the voice of another can be interpreted at 1 meter or less.
Moderate impairment - loss of 41 – 60 dB - a person at 1 meter would have to raise their voice to communicate; this level of hearing loss is usually aided by hearing aids.
Severe impairment – loss of 61 – 80 dB - words must be shouted directly to a severely hearing impaired individual; hearing aids are almost necessary
Profound impairment – loss of 81 dB or greater - at this level a person is unable to hear and understand a shouted voice. Hearing aids may help receiving words in some cases, yet alternate communication is necessary.
Hearing Aids and Hearing Aid Insurance
Obtaining your hearing aid can sometimes be a lengthy and costly experience. Due to the nature of hearing aids, it is important that you have some sort of health insurance policy that covers the costs of hearing aid testing and fitting. Aside from the upfront costs of testing and diagnostics, there are a few other implications that require some sort of coverage.
Hearing devices can be very expensive and as the technology gets better and better, hearing aid manufacturers are passing on the prices. Costing between $1000 and $4000, modern hearing aids have not lost their price tag. Now, with tiny hearing aids and also implantable hearing aids, the prices have been going up to accompany to positivity brought into people's lives.
Along with the price of hearing aids, they can be easily lost or damaged, adding on to the cost. With insurance, you may be able to recoup the costs of a misplaced hearing aid. The warranty that comes with your hearing aid only lasts for so long. Do the research and look into hearing aid insurance.
FDA Approves New Type of Hearing Aid
Just recently the FDA has approved a new type of hearing device that has no visible parts in the ear. The hearing aid is fully implanted into the ear and uses the ear itself as a microphone. Named the Esteem, it combats sensorineural hearing loss as a surgical implant and improves hearing and enhances the quality of your life.
The materials used in manufacturing the Esteem have been proven safe by the FDA, and are used in millions of successful pacemakers and other implantable devices. These vital electrical components make the lives of many daily problems to a care-free existence. Using your own eardrum as a natural microphone, the esteem picks up sounds through your ear canal. It utilizes your body’s natural anatomy to reduce distortion and background noise that people frequently experience with traditional hearing aids.
The Esteem battery is maintenance-free and can last between 4.5 to 9 years! After its full life is done, a minor outpatient surgery is required to replace it. Never again will you have to fuss with a small hearing aid battery or replace parts every couple of weeks. See more at http://www.envoymedical.com.
Type of Hearing Loss Signifies the Type of Treatment
The signs of hearing loss are nothing to ignore. If you feel that your hearing is starting to give way, it is necessary to act right away. Hearing and vision are very vital to living a great life. Once they are hindered, it is a process to salvage them, if it is even possible. Hearing loss treatment depends to a great degree on the cause of the hearing loss.
In the case of permanent hearing loss, immediate attention is essential to avoid the depression and feelings of loneliness that accompany the impairment. Treatment would involve the use of hearing devices such as hearing aids or hearing amplification. What is important about the inclusion of hearing aides is the ability to return communication. Social interaction, and daily life as a whole, rely on functioning communication.
Other types of hearing loss call for different hearing aids, herbal treatments, or even hearing therapy. Make sure you are familiar with the type of hearing loss that you are experiencing before you seek treatment.