August 20, 2014 | McDonald Audiology & Hearing Health Care
All those fun summer outings you go on with family and friends – fireworks, concerts, sports events – can be revealing some dangers that could pose a threat to your hearing. While we’re not suggesting you ditch these fun summer traditions, you should be aware of the hearing loss possibilities associated with their loud sounds. […]
August 8, 2014 | McDonald Audiology & Hearing Health Care
You may have more cause to protect your hearing now than ever before. For years scientists have wondered if there was a more intricate link between the health of individuals and their ability to hear. Research on the subject has found that such a link exists, and a study was performed to discover the correlation […]
July 30, 2014 | McDonald Audiology & Hearing Health Care
Brian Wilson, Neil Young, Pete Townshend and Barbra Streisand – what trait do these diverse musicians all share? As a result of years of performing, they all have permanent hearing loss. When I treat musicians, I have to tell them a sad but unavoidable fact of life – the very music they love to play […]
July 25, 2014 | McDonald Audiology & Hearing Health Care
Patients often ask precisely why hearing in crowds of people is particularly hard for them. When they are talking to people one-on-one, or in small groups of people there is no problem, and they seem to hear just fine. But when they find themselves in a large crowd they often find it very difficult to […]
July 16, 2014 | McDonald Audiology & Hearing Health Care
Hearing aids and mobile phones haven’t always gotten along as well as they do today. The complex electronics in both products often caused static, dropped words or squealing interference noises. Technology enhancements along with new government regulations have mostly eliminated this problem. Today cell phone – hearing aid compatibility is not the problem it used […]
July 11, 2014 | McDonald Audiology & Hearing Health Care
Shopping for and selecting your first hearing aid is an intimidating activity, and you aren’t alone in that feeling. When Consumer Reports did a comparative report on hearing aids, they followed consumers for six months as they tried to figure out which one to buy. Their report was dismaying: two-thirds of the aids purchased ended […]
June 30, 2014 | McDonald Audiology & Hearing Health Care
A little bit of history and an explanation of how analog devices work versus how digital devices work is necessary to understand the distinctions between analog and digital hearing aids. Historically, analog technology appeared first, and as a result most hearing aids were analog until digital signal processing (DSP) was invented, at which point digital […]
June 25, 2014 | McDonald Audiology & Hearing Health Care
Even though the battery life for hearing aids might sound like a straightforward question to answer, it actually hinges on many factors. One variable is the manufacturer of the hearing aid. Battery life varies by manufacturer and also by model from the same manufacturer. The actual life of a hearing aid battery also depends upon […]
June 20, 2014 | McDonald Audiology & Hearing Health Care
One component of hearing loss which is not often discussed is the simple decrease in safety of those who have hearing difficulties. For instance, imagine that a fire starts in your house; if you’re like most people you have smoke detectors to sound a warning so that you and your loved ones can evacuate the […]
June 15, 2014 | McDonald Audiology & Hearing Health Care
Hearing loss has many forms – it may occur gradually (for example, due to aging) or suddenly (as the result of an injury or trauma). The hearing loss itself may be short-term or permanent, and may range from mild (having difficulty understanding casual conversation) to severe (total deafness). Moreover, a person might suffer a loss […]