Causes of Itchy Ear and Hearing Health

Using Q-tips to clean our ears has been something done since childhood. According to an article found on the Hear the World Magazine it could actually cause Otitis Externa Diffusa or Itching of the ear. This is because it removes earwax which destroys the natural antibacterial protection our ears have. There are many conditions, mild and severe, that may cause an itchy ear and affect ones hearing health. If left untreated these conditions lead to hearing damage and hearing loss.

Viruses, bacteria, fungal infections and allergic reactions are some of the causes of an itchy ear. External factors such as piercings, ear protectors and earphones destroy the natural antibacterial protection provided by the layer of earwax and may also cause an itchy ear. Other causes include changes in the pH value due to hairsprays, shampoos, soaps which leads to irritation and swelling of the ear canal. Lastly, suffering from an itchy ear could be due to a compromised immune system or diabetes.

Always visit your Miami Hearing Center and consult with an Audiologist such as Dr. Duran. The expert can give you tips on how to prevent this condition, identify the cause and make sure it doesn’t escalate to something serious which may lead to hearing loss or deafness.

Moby Guards His Hearing Health

Suffering from hearing loss can be an overwhelming experience, this is why the Hear the World Campaign has taken the initiative to educate people about hearing aids and bring awareness about the impact of hearing loss on a person's life. New Generation Miami Hearing Center, is also part of this Initiative and has chosen Moby this week to discuss his involvement in the campaign.

Richard Melville Hall, whose stage name is Moby, got the name from his uncle twice removed, Herman Melville author of the Novel “Moby Dick”. He reached stardom in the early 90's with his single "Go" from the album Moby. The single reached number ten in the UK Singles Chart.

Moby knows the dangers which could affect his hearing health by being a live performer and DJ. He claims to have “almost perfect hearing after 30 years as a musician in punk bands and as a DJ.” He states to have used protection whenever possible, even if at times that consisted of “stuffing ears with tissues when visiting clubs.”

Tips for Hearing Aids First Time Users

Loss of hearing, specially at an older age can be devastating. Happily, options exist that assist patients in handling this condition. Audiologists recommend hearing aids to improve hearing abilities. Once a specific hearing aid is prescribed, there are steps to follow that will help get used to the new little helper.

Visiting the local Miami Audiologist, like Dr. Duran should be priority. The expert inserts the hearing aid into the ear and adjusts it according to the degree of hearing loss and the patients’ hearing preferences. Instructions are given on how to care for the hearing aid and an explanation of how hearing aids react in different situations.

Familiarization with the hearing aids happens within the first few days. The new helpers should be used a few hours each day. This can be done when watching TV or talking to someone. The patient must get used to the volume of their voice, and try to adjust it to speak in a soft manner. Experiences using the hearing aids should be written down, doctors use these notes to adjust the hearing aid to the patient’s specific needs.

After visiting the Audiologist, patients begin to use the hearing aids regularly and experience an increase in their quality of life. For any questions, patients should visit their local Miami Hearing Center.

Rod Stewart: Bringing Awareness on Hearing Loss

The number of people now suffering from hearing loss is on the rise. This is why the Hear the World Campaign, created by Phonak, is trying to help by giving information about hearing loss and the usage of hearing aids. This Campaign has enlisted the help of Celebrity Ambassadors. Rod Stewart is one of them. New Generation Miami Hearing Center has also joined the initiative. Today we will talk more in dept about Rod Stewart’s involvement with this campaign.

Rod Stewart showed his musical inclination at the tender age of 11, when he decided to learn to play the guitar. He was born in London in the year of 1945, being the youngest of five children. As he grew up, he participated in the band “The Kinks”, but he knew he wanted something more. When his first single came out “Maggie May” he became a famous rock ‘n’ roll star. The single reached the No. 1 spot in Britain as well as the U.S.

Rod Stewart is trying to help Hear the World Campaign by spreading the word about being hard of hearing and the use of hearing aids. He has participated in other causes as well, such as the Dream Foundation and the Red Cross. Mr. Stewart also helped the victims of Hurricane Katrina by donating a CD with a compilation of all his songs.

Wearing Hearing Aids at a Young Age

The usage of hearing aids has always been related to old age, but what most people don’t know is that hearing loss is now affecting 2 out of every 1,000 babies. This is why whenever a baby is born, their Miami hearing health is screened to make sure everything is working correctly. The problem is, that this method can be faulty due to the ear canal being blocked by amniotic fluid from the birth.

Parents should take their babies to their local audiologist, to make sure the baby’s hearing is ok. If a young child is misdiagnosed and later found out to be hard of hearing the consequences are enormous. It is in the first few months and years of life that the cognitive growth and maturation of the central auditory system occurs. For this to happen there must be auditory stimulation, which doesn’t occur if the young child suffers from hearing impairment.

When a young child is diagnosed with hearing loss, they must start using a hearing aid as to avoid any more delays in the development of speech and growth of the auditory system.

Hearing Loss Awareness Supporter Diane Kruger

Many people now suffer from hearing loss without even knowing it. The Hear the World Campaign has enlisted the help of its celebrity Ambassadors, to bring awareness to individuals. One of these Ambassadors is Diane Kruger, who is also New Generation Miami Hearing Center Ambassador of the week.

Diane Kruger began her career as a ballet dancer in Germany. As she tired of this, she became a model. She was finally discovered by director and producer Luc Besson, who inspired her to take acting lessons. After this meeting, she began acting. Diane has now worked with many famous Hollywood stars such as Nicolas Cage. She adds to her list of achievements being the face of the Hear the World Campaign. Diane knows people who are hard of hearing suffer from this, and she wants to help.

Scientists Investigate Hearing Loss Cure

In previous articles we have discussed the number of Americans now suffering from hearing loss, your New Generation Miami Hearing Center will now talk about what scientists are doing to remedy this. A study done

at the University of Washington is finding new information that will help restore hearing health in adults. Scientists found that the Notch Signal (a cell-to-cell signaling pathway) is the one responsible in choosing where the ear’s sensory organs will be located in embryonic mice. The scientists are able to activate this signal across the embryonic tissue that becomes the inner ear.

They are trying to find a way to repair the inner ear sensory hair cells in adults, which is the main cause of hearing loss. Initially, scientists learned how hair cells form. After, they triggered the Notch Signal to promote the development of new sensory patches all over the inner ear. Once this happened, new hair cells regenerated.

Olivia Bermingham-McDonog part of the group explains, “As the population ages, there's a great interest in discovering how to regenerate the inner ear sensory cells that we need for our hearing and balance”. She says, "Both of these falter as we get older -- we get hard of hearing and unsteady on our feet -- due to accumulated destruction of the sensory cells in the inner ear"

Scientists are researching a way to manipulate this pathway in the inner ear of a human adult. This will hopefully help with hair cell regeneration in the hearing and balance organs. It will result in the restoration of hearing damage and hearing loss which is very good news.

Renée Zellweger’s Views on Hearing Loss

Day by day, individuals all over the world are becoming more aware about hearing loss and recognizing hearing damage. This is one of the main priorities of the Hear the World Campaign created by Phonak. Celebrity Ambassadors have been chosen to be the faces of this initiative and spread the word about what we can do to help. New Generation Miami Hearing Center has joined the efforts and has decided to each week, choose a Celebrity Ambassador and talk about their interest in this Campaign.

This week we will talk about the famous actress Renée Zellweger. She was born to an engineer father and a midwife mother in 1969. Renée began studying journalism and ended up in Hollywood, winning many awards. She is best known for the movie “Bridget Jones Diary” . She is also known as the assistant to Tom Cruise’s Character in the movie “Jerry Mcguire”.

Renée Zellweger wishes to help this campaign and inform people about hearing loss and hearing damage, and how using Miami hearing aids can help reduce the impact these conditions have on people’s lives.

Tips on Dealing with Ringing Ears

Millions of Americans are now suffering from ringing ears which can range from mild to severe. This condition is called “Tinnitus”. In this article, I will go over some tips and information that might help you deal with or prevent this condition.

There has been a lot of research done towards finding out why tinnitus occurs. Anatomically, whenever we hear a sound, a vibration is sent to the part of the ear containing tiny hair cells. These hair cells in turn, send electric signals to the brain that help translate the vibrations into a sound. Sometimes these little hair cells are damaged and they continuously send bursts of electricity to the brain when there are no noises causing vibrations. What causes this damage ranges from high blood pressure to earwax etc.

If you suffer from tinnitus it’s always good to check your blood pressure. High blood pressure can not only cause this but it could also affect your heart. You should also avoid high levels of sodium. If you suffer from high blood pressure, become conscious of the levels of sodium in your diet.

If you are one of the lucky individuals who do not suffer from tinnitus, you may prevent it by reducing the noise you expose your ears to and avoiding listening to very loud music. The continuous exposure of loud music to your ears can not only worsen the condition but also result in hearing loss.

If you already suffer from this condition, there are Miami hearing aids that generate a pleasant sound that will help masque the annoying ringing in the ears caused by tinnitus. In the end, always consult your local audiologist such as Dr. Joseph Duran or visit your Miami hearing center, which will guide you on more tips that will help you deal with or prevent Tinnitus.