Allen Audiology

Protect young ears...nice to see this type of product winning national awards! Kidzcontrol Volume Limit Headphones Wins a 2013 National Parenting Award http://www.gearforkidz.com... From the website - "KidzControl Volume Limit Technology delivers a safe volume limited listening experience for children of all ages. Ergonomically designed with soft padded child-sized ear-cups and high-quality audio components, the KidzControl Volume Limit Headphones available in a variety of colors are value priced at only $19.99, available immediately from U.S. retailers, such as Target"

"The average person who needs a hearing aid waits about seven years before actually getting one." This statistics appeared in a Businessweek article published yesterday and from experience we can tell you that it is true. "I should have done this ages ago." That's a paraphrase of the most common reaction from someone who is properly fitted and acclimated to their hearing aid. Stop waiting. If your schedule is open today...make today the day and pick up the phone.

Yesterday USA Today ran a story summarizes newly published research involving 900+ kids which found a connection between prenatal smoke exposure and hearing loss between the ages of 12 and 15. Would you have suspected the effects could be measured that far after exposure?

Have you seen articles about the emergence of 3D printing and how it will revolutionize manufacturing processes? You may be ahead of the curve and already own a 3D printed item without knowing it. The hearing aid you are wearing right now, could be one of 10 million 3D-printed hearing aids in circulation worldwide. Here is a great Forbes article explaining how this 'new' technology isn't actually that new in the hearing industry and how your audiologist's hand-held 3D scanner image gets translated into a 100% custom hearing aid for you.

Illinois becomes the latest state to ban hearing aid batteries containing mercury stating that new alternatives are 'nearly as good' and therefore the environmental and health impact of the mercury-containing hearing aid batteries is no longer justified. The U.S. banned mercury from many other batteries in the mid-1990s but not from hearing aid batteries because manufacturers said technological limitations gave them no alternatives. Read more: http://www.sj-r.com//New-state-...law-makes-old-hearing-aid-b http://www.sj-r.com//New-state-law-makes-old-hearing-aid-b

Silly, but cute. (Click on image to see the full cartoon strip)

Researchers from the Stanford University School of Medicine have released the results of a new study which means there could be a treatment for people experiencing sudden hearing loss in the aftermath of explosions and roadside bombings according to research published July 1 in science journal PLOS One entitled ‘Mechanisms of Hearing Loss after Blast Injury to the Ear’. Researchers explore why the loud blasts of noise caused hearing loss and found that it was caused by both hair cell loss and auditory nerve cell loss. However, the Stanford team said that the cochlea was not destroyed and that previous studies may have destroyed the cochlea with their research techniques. While this research was conducted in mice, it inspires hope that medicines could be developed to prevent long term hearing loss.

Happy Birthday USA! 237 Years Young

Be safe on the 4th and watch the displays from a safe distance. For a firework that explodes at 170 decibels, stand at least 20 yards away. Children should stand 60-70 yards away from that same firework and infants should not be exposed to fireworks at all.

BE SAFE on the 4th: The single bang of a firecracker at close range can permanently damage hearing in an instant. Follow these tips from the Better Hearing Institute

***This is NOT a substitute for a professional hearing test*** Fun online test largely for the younger members of your household. Even if you don't try the test, browse the 100's of comments underneath. People of all ages are posting their own test results and some teenagers are realizing for the first time that their hearing may not be normal (for their age) as they compare to their parents. http://www.noiseaddicts.com//can-you-hear-this-hearing-te/

Excerpt from the NY Times Blog - Obesity in Teenagers Is Tied to Hearing Loss Several studies have demonstrated the association of obesity with hearing loss in adults, but now researchers examining records of a nationwide sample of 1,488 boys and girls ages 12 to 19 have found the same association in teenagers. The reason for the connection is not known, but the scientists suggest that inflammation induced by obesity may be a factor in organ damage.... http://well.blogs.nytimes.com//obesity-in-teenagers-is-ti/

Has anyone see this film? http://www.lostandsound.org