Miley Cyrus: I'm Going, Haiti

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti - Singer and actress, Miley Cyrus, is heading back to Haiti for a very good cause, providing hearing aids at schools for the deaf.

To hear one of the former Hannah Montana's songs would have been impossible for some in Haiti who can't afford a hearing aid or the maintenance necessary to keep one running. Many will receive hearing aids through the starkey hearing foundation , a charity close to Cyrus' heart.

Haiti Mission

The cause is so close to her heart that on Miley's first trip to Haiti there were no press releases, not many photos, or any news of the trip until weeks after.

For this trip, Cyrus announced her intentions at the Starkey Hearing Fundraising Gala.

Second Hand Smoke Causes Hearing Loss

Who would have thought that second hand smoke could cause hearing loss? ABC reports that a study found connection in teens between second hand smoke and hearing loss:

The researchers noted that the link of secondhand smoke exposure with elevated thresholds ranging from 0.5 kHz to 8 kHz suggests "that the injury to the inner ear is global."

In addition, the unilateral hearing loss is probably an early phase of ocular damage that is likely to progress in severity, they cautioned.

The elevated thresholds at 2, 3, and 4 kHz were particularly important, according to Lalwani and colleagues.

"These mid-to-high frequencies are critical for hearing in humans and are responsible for the clarity of hearing that allows us to discriminate between similar sounding words," they observed.

Possible mechanisms by which secondhand smoke could result in auditory damage include effects on the vasculature of the inner ear and injury from nicotine or other components of the smoke.

Hearing loss in young children has been shown to interfere with not only speech and language development, but also cognitive function, academic progress, and social interaction.

But newborns and young children are routinely screened for hearing difficulties, while adolescents are not.

The findings of this study suggest that teens who are exposed to secondhand smoke should have their hearing tested, and parents and caretakers should be made aware of the auditory hazards of their smoking.

Limitations of the study include its use of cross-sectional data which doesn't allow assignment of causation, lack of information on duration and sources of secondhand smoke exposure -- including prenatal exposure -- and absence of data on other factors such as exposure to loud noises.

The researchers also were unable to rule out the possibility that some of the participants had conductive, rather than sensorineural, hearing loss.

They concluded, "Future studies need to investigate the adverse consequences of this early hearing loss on social development, academic performance, behavioral and cognitive function, and public health costs."

Diabetes Could Cause Hearing Loss?

WebMD reports that in an analysis of 13 studies people with Diabetes were twice as likely to have a hearing loss problem that those without. That in and of itself is not clear proof of cause and effect but would suggest that those with diabetes get tested regularly for hearing loss issues.

Blood Vessel Damage

It’s unknown why hearing loss is more common among people with diabetes, but most researchers believe that damage to the blood vessels is the main culprit, according to Pamela D. Parker, MD, of the A.T. Still University School of Osteopathic Medicine in Mesa, Ariz. She has studied the link between hearing loss and diabetes for years but was not involved with the new study.

Researchers believe that over time, the high blood sugar levels that characterize diabetes may damage the small blood vessels of the inner ear, making it harder to hear. Autopsy studies of diabetes patients have shown evidence of such damage.

Nearly 26 million Americans have diabetes and about 34.5 million Americans have some type of hearing loss, according to the American Diabetes Association.

A 2008 study showed that 54% of people with diabetes had at least mild hearing loss in their ability to hear high-frequency tones, compared with 32% of those with no history of diabetes. And 21% of participants with diabetes had at least mild hearing loss in their ability to hear low-to-mid frequency tones, compared with 9% of those without diabetes.

The new study suggests that people with diabetes are 2.3 times more likely to have mild hearing loss, defined as having trouble hearing words spoken in a normal voice from more than 3 feet away.

These findings were presented at a medical conference. They should be considered preliminary as they have not yet undergone the "peer review" process, in which outside experts scrutinize the data prior to publication in a medical journal.

Hearing Testing is Tossing Out Veteran Police

The NYT is reporting on the NYC police department and it's policy on hiring: if you can't pass a hearing test you will not be hired as a police officer. The department has allowed officers to wear hearing aids and even pay for them at times but this is not the official policy. In 2009 they started  enforcing a ban on hearing aids effectively pushing out the older officers who then would tell others not to wear them to work.2 have already filed a complaint with the EEOC   stating that the policies are discriminatory.

Audiology Organizations Argue with the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association

(Washington, DC) – The Academy of Doctors of Audiology (ADA) and the American Academy of Audiology (AAA) today joined forces to correct claims made recently by the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) with regard to activities surrounding the legislative initiatives of these audiology organizations.

“For several months, ASHA has released contradictory and misleading information regarding its ‘comprehensive audiology Medicare benefit’ proposal and our organizations’ involvement in it,” said Patricia B. Kricos, Ph.D., President of the American Academy of Audiology. “We feel a responsibility to our membership to clarify the misconceptions and overstatements that ASHA has used in its publications.”

Notice of ASHA’s proposed ‘comprehensive benefit’ initiative came in February 2010 via an article in the ASHA Leader outlining plans to seek the aforementioned benefit through a legislative agenda. Following the publication of that article, 10 organizations representing audiology were invited to discuss the ASHA proposal. Upon initial review, and at subsequent meetings, AAA and ADA posed specific questions and concerns regarding potential unintended consequences of the legislation which, to date, have remained unanswered. Due to ASHA’s failure to respond to these inquiries, ADA and AAA have refrained from endorsing or supporting the initiative.

In the letter [click here to view], sent today on behalf of the membership of AAA and ADA to ASHA leadership, the organizations reiterate their stance of wholeheartedly supporting direct access to audiologists for Medicare beneficiaries, and enumerate their concerns with the ASHA-proposed benefit and recent articles in the ASHA 2011 Audiology Connections magazine.

“ADA and AAA have been clear on our position. We unequivocally support direct access and plan to continue to focus our efforts on that endeavor,” said Bruce Vircks, Au.D., President of the Academy of Doctors of Audiology. “We hope that the letter ASHA received today sends a powerful message that our organizations, representing nearly 12,000 audiologists, are setting the record straight: we do not endorse or support the ASHA-proposed ‘comprehensive audiology Medicare benefit.’”

Haslam signs bill obligating insurance to cover child hearing aids

NASHVILLE — Gov. Bill Haslam signed legislation last week requiring private insurance plans to include coverage of hearing aids for children.

Senate Bill 607 <http://wapp.capitol.tn.gov/apps/BillInfo/Default.aspx?BillNumber=SB0607> , sponsored by Sen. Doug Overbey, R-Maryville, Sen. Bill Ketron, R-Murfreesboro, and Rep. Richard Montgomery, R-Sevierville, requires that health insurance policies provide coverage of up to $1,000 per individual hearing aid per ear, every three years, for every child covered as a dependent by the policy holder.

“Insurance coverage for hearing devices is very important to help make them affordable so these children grow and learn,” said Overbey. “There are many benefits to passing this legislation. If you provide hearing aids in early childhood you save money for therapeutic services and hospitalization down the road. The true savings of allowing children to have hearing aids, however, is that they become active members of their school day one.”

“I am very pleased this bill has become law,” added Ketron. “No child should have to go through life without hearing, especially when there is a medical device available to help them."

"This bill has been of great importance to many of us,” added Montgomery. “Hearing is critical to the development of a child. This new law will help many children have an opportunity to receive a hearing device for both their own personal success and to become productive citizens of Tennessee"

Will Hearing Aids Help Prevent Dementia?

New research has shown that  people who are hard of hearing have increased odds of developing dementia.The research however, does not show a direct correlation between cause and effect. There is hope that perhaps as more people use hearing aids, it can stop the tide of dementia.

"Dementia is devastating, and the prevalence doubles every 20 years," said Dr. Frank R. Lin, an ear surgeon at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, whose findings appear in the Archives of Neurology.

"There are some studies showing that if you can delay dementia onset by just one year, you would decrease the prevalence of dementia by more than 10 percent in 2050."