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Writer Arthur C. Clarke, best known for 2001: A Space Odyssey, once wrote: “Any advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.”

This might be true of hearing aids: tiny, powerful devices that open up the world of sound for the wearer and reconnect people to one another. Let’s take a journey through the history of hearing aids and trace their advancement from the low-fi ear trumpet to the advanced wireless models we use today.

Hearing Loss in History

According to History Today, “The earliest written record of hearing loss is believed to date from 1550 BC in ancient Egypt. The Ebers Papyrus offer a remedy for ‘Ear-That-Hears-Badly’: injecting olive oil, red lead, ant eggs, bat wings and goat urine into the ears.” It’s unclear if this refers to earwax blockage of hearing loss – but this solution might be frowned upon today by hearing specialists.

With the advent of the Renaissance, patrons of the arts invested greatly in painters, such as Giambattista della Porta, who “describes horns shaped like the ears of animals known to have excellent hearing (though this may be an attempt to create something more akin to a telescope for sound).” In turn, this resulted in crude hearing technology that looked like ear trumpets, invented by Paolo Aproino (whose teacher was Galileo) in the 1610s.

By the 19th and 20th centuries, we see a big push by scientists and inventors to address hearing loss, inspired and influenced by other rapidly growing industries and new technologies. The history of hearing aids has closely followed the advent of mechanization and industry, evolving into powerful digital devices in the 21st century.

19th Century: The Ear Trumpet

Just as their predecessors in previous centuries, many people who were hard of hearing in the 19th century relied on ear trumpets to amplify sound. Ear trumpets are funnels, held up to the hard-of-hearing ear, to capture sound from the environment. Images and texts of this era show people awkwardly holding these oversized cones to their ears. Apparently, they didn’t function so well, either.

Then, along came one of the most ground-breaking inventions in the 19th century: the telephone. Legend has it that Alexander Graham Bell invented the telephone to try to communicate with his dear, deceased brother. As a result, he became the first person who transmit a human voice via electric signal to another machine (the first words spoken were: “Mr. Watson – come here – I want to see you”). Though Alexander Graham Bell forever changed how we communicate, his invention had another effect: according to the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, the proximity of the telephone to the ear helped hard of hearing people with their conversations, and not unlike humans today, they preferred phone calls to in-person conversations!

Late 19th/Early 20th Century: The First Electric Hearing Aid and the Vacuum Tube

After inspecting the inner workings of Alexander Graham Bell’s telephone, Miller Reese Hutchison put together the first electric hearing aid in 1898. This electric hearing aid used a portable carbon transmitter to amplify weak sound signals. Great minds seem to think alike – especially in this rich time of invention and industry – as an Austrian man named Frederick Alt designed something similar. Quite bulky and heavy, Alt’s carbon transmitter hearing aid amplified sounds by about 15 decibels and was useful for cases of moderate hearing loss.

Along with other things such Dadaist art and Modernist literature, the early 1900s brought many new and exciting innovations. In 1907, in New York City, the vacuum tube was invented by Lee De Forest at the Western Electric Company. The original models were enormous; they weighed approximately 100 kilograms, were the size of a filing cabinet, and had to be plugged in. Additionally, they amplified all sound. While this may initially sound like a great idea for people who struggle to hear, the lack of nuance and differentiation between the unique sounds in your environment can be overwhelming and unhelpful: it did not allow for focus on voices or sounds that users wanted to hear.

Fortunately, the vacuum tube reduced in size to 4 kilograms by 1924, but still, it was not a portable or discreet device. People had to hold “receivers” up to their ears in order to hear the amplified sounds.

1938: The First Wearable Hearing Aid

In 1938, the first wearable hearing aid was invented, which consists of similar components to today’s hearing aids. With this early model, an amplifier-receiver is clipped to the user’s clothes, while a thin wire connected to an earpiece. A battery pack, which powered the device, was also strapped to the user’s clothes.

After World War II, research into the field of audiology expanded. A great number of veterans returned from combat zones with hearing loss and tinnitus. As research grew, newer devices were developed to address hearing loss. Transistor hearing aids were introduced in 1952 (two years before the transistor radio): they were boxy devices used with headphones, worn by the user. Over years of continued research and development and re-design in the 2nd half of the 20th century, these hearing aids became recognizable as the predecessors of hearing aids we use today.

21st Century: Digital, Wireless Hearing Aids

Technological devices of all kinds have gotten sleeker and smarter in the 21st century. After 2015 was named “Year of the Hearable,” advanced hearing aids have only gotten better. In terms of design, hearing aids are now so small that they are nearly invisible (in fact, some are, depending on the model).

As with hearing aids of the past, contemporary hearing aids continue to be inspired by phones. Our newest hearing aids are compatible with your smartphone, wirelessly streaming phone calls, music, and other media directly to your hearing aids. Furthermore, today’s hearing aids are deemed “mini-computers” with super-fast processing systems that automatically adjust program features to help wearers focus on sounds they want to hear. Other fantastic features include the ability to geotag locations with your user preferences, resistance to water and dirt with nanocoated construction, and fully rechargeable lithium-ion batteries.

And, best of all, our newest advanced hearing aids bring significant benefits to your health and well-being by ensuring that you are always connected to the sounds around you.

Want to improve your hearing?  Contact us at Purchase Ear Technology by calling (270) 558-3996 or visit our office located at 2008 Broadway, Paducah, KY  42001.

This is actually a multi-faceted question! At its most basic, the answer could be “yes,” because — from a manufacturing standpoint — hearing aids all require the same parts: a microphone, an amplifier, a receiver (or speaker) and a battery source. And, from a functional standpoint, all hearing aids should amplify sounds, just as all cars should get you from Point A to Point B.

However, if we take a closer look at the hearing aid technology that is available to us today, the answer isn’t quite so simple.

Hearing aids have different features and technologies

First, there are many different technologies and features that are available within today’s hearing instruments. There are memories, channels, bands, wireless, wired, remotes, accessories, and more. Because these options are intricate and confusing to many, it is strongly recommended that one seeks out a reputable hearing healthcare professional to guide them through the process.

Hearing aids come in different styles

There are several styles of hearing instruments available. They range from behind-the-ear hearing instruments to the very smallest invisible-in-the-canal hearing instruments. Again, a hearing healthcare professional will make a recommendation of which style of hearing instrument is the best option for one’s type and severity of hearing loss.

The company that makes the hearing aid also makes a difference

Finally, there are several manufacturers of hearing instruments. Each of these manufacturers make reliable, quality products. And they all offer (mostly) the same styles. But each manufacturer also specializes in, excels at or is known for certain things.

To go back to the automobile analogy: sure, companies like Ford, Toyota and Volkswagen all make sedans, minivans and SUVs that get you from A to B — but think why you ultimately choose one over the other?

So, as you can see, there is not one single answer to the question of “Aren’t all hearing instruments the same?” The best hearing aids will be the hearing aids that are appropriate for the user’s hearing loss and have the features and technology that will best benefit the user’s lifestyle.  At Purchase Ear Technology in Paducah, we can help you find the hearing aid that is right for you.  Give us a call today at (270) 558-3996.

It’s hardly a spoiler alert to tell you the world is a noisy place. From sports venues and restaurants to cineplexes and city streets, loudness is trending. Yet, according to a 2012 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 70 percent of people exposed to loud noise “never or seldom wear hearing protection.”

And who can blame us? We (hopefully) protect our hearing if we work in a noisy environment. But who thinks to (or wants to) wear ear plugs just going about our daily lives?

Maybe we should — because the Center for Disease Control estimates that 53 percent of us with hearing damage do not have noisy jobs. In fact, according to the CDC, one in four of us, 25 percent of us, already have hearing damage and we don’t even know it yet.

Remember to always protect your hearing.  Contact us at Purchase Ear Technology to schedule a hearing test by calling (270) 558-3996 or stop by our office located at 2008 Broadway St, Paducah, KY  42001.

Hearing loss can be caused by a number of factors. Though it is frequently inherited, hearing loss causes can include:

• Prolonged Exposure to Sound Over Time
• Certain Conditions & Infections
• Head Injuries
• Natural part of the aging process
• Prolonged Exposure to Noise

From having conversations, listening to music and television, and even hearing the sounds on the street, we put our ears through a lot. Usually the sounds that we hear do not cause any damage to our ears. Talking with your friends each day, for example, is probably not going to cause any damage to your ears. Yet listening to music at a high volume (over 85 decibels) will damage the inner sensorial parts of your ears. This is called noise-induced hearing loss, and usually occurs gradually over time, almost imperceptibly to the person who suffers from it. Single exposure to an extremely loud sound, such as an explosion, can also cause hearing loss. This is called acoustic trauma and may be temporary or permanent depending on the damage inflicted.

Conditions and Infections

Certain conditions and ear infections can have a permanent effect on your inner ear. Many of these conditions can be treated by a doctor or surgeon. These include but are not limited to:

• Otosclerosis: A condition that affects the tiny bones in the middle ear. Fortunately, this condition is surgically treatable.
• Ménière’s disease: An inner ear condition with symptoms such as dizziness, tinnitus, and sensitivity to loud noises. This condition can cause temporary to permanent hearing loss. Patients report a range of mild to severe symptoms, and that hearing loss comes and goes over time.
• Autoimmune disease: A severe condition that can cause sudden, dramatic hearing loss. Hearing loss can be reduced with immediate medical intervention.
• Ear infections: Middle ear infections or ear canal infections (such as swimmer’s ear) interfere with the movement of the eardrum and ossicles, and can cause permanent hearing damage if left untreated.
• Earwax buildup or an object in your ear: Earwax or objects in your ear act as barriers to the sensors in your ears. Too much earwax is one of the most common hearing loss causes and is easily treated.

Head Injuries

Physical head injuries can damage the structures within your inner ear, including the tiny bones in your middle ear and your ear drum, leading to hearing loss. Hearing loss caused by head injuries are often permanent and are not easily treated.

Age-Related Hearing Loss

One of the most common and relatable types of hearing loss is age-related hearing loss, or presbycusis. As we age, the senses and nerves in our ears change, making sounds seem muffled or unclear. Age-related hearing loss will occur gradually over time for many people and it is unfortunately not treatable.

Though age-related hearing loss and many of these hearing loss causes are not curable, a good hearing aid will help you to counteract their effects.  To find out how we can help, contact us at Purchase Ear Technology by calling (270) 558-3996 or visit our office at 2008 Broadway St, Paducah, KY  42001.

At Purchase Ear Technology in Paducah, we strive to promote better communication through healthy hearing every day. After all, hearing plays an essential role in relationships, physical health, mental health, and even earning potential! And there are more than a few ways to promote better hearing in your life, and in the lives of those you love.

Maintain a good diet and exercise

As some hearing professionals put it, “the ears are the window to the heart.” And as history and numerous studies have shown, there is a link between your heart and your ears.

Your diet, medical history and medication regimen can all play a part in your hearing health. However, staying active and eating healthy are both steps you can take to ensure your hearing stays strong.

Get an annual checkup

Just like getting an annual physical, regular hearing health evaluations can help keep your hearing sharp. Remember, there are a number of things that can cause hearing loss, including what we mentioned above—aging, loud noises, and certain illnesses or medications. Knowing the signs of hearing loss and staying up-to-date on your checkups can help keep your hearing healthy and strong.

And if you already have hearing aids? Regular tests are still critical to ensure your hearing abilities have not changed, and that your technology is giving you the best possible performance.

Avoid the noise

Loud noise is a leading cause of hearing loss, especially among younger people (which is why it’s important to protect your kids’ and grandkids’ hearing health).

Certain jobs where loud noise is prevalent, rock concerts, busy streets and commuting can all contribute to hearing loss. To avoid hearing damage sustained by prolonged exposure to loud noises, experts recommend wearing ear protection such as earmuffs or earplugs in environments where noise levels are higher than 85 decibels. Additionally, you should also take breaks to give your ears a chance to rest.

Follow proper care and maintenance tips for your hearing technology

When it comes to making the most of your hearing aids, taking care of your technology is key in ensuring you’re getting the best performance. From storage to battery best practices, we’ve logged away tips and tricks to help ensure you get the greatest amount of mileage from your hearing instruments.

Talk about it

Talk to your loved one if you think they may be experiencing hearing loss.  If you think a friend or loved one is experiencing hearing loss, the most caring thing you can do is talk to them about it.

Helping someone you love with hearing health issues could help them avoid consequences of untreated hearing loss. Research shows that waiting too long for treatment could lead to other health concerns, so it’s best to have these conversations as soon as you suspect there may be a problem. You can use these tips for talking to someone with hearing loss as a starting point to ensure you have the most comfortable and productive discussion possible.

If you or someone that you love is experiencing hearing loss, contact us at Purchase Ear Technology, 2008 Broadway, Paducah, KY 42001, give us a call at (270) 558-3996 or send us a message at www.purchaseear.com/contact.

One of the first signs of hearing loss is when someone, who typically hears well in quiet environments, struggles to hear in noise. Why is that?

Even for someone with normal hearing, noisy settings can be tricky to navigate when trying to make out speech. That’s because we all tend to use contextual cues — or clues from words we do make out — to fill in the gaps we miss or don’t make out due to background noise.

Background noise tends to mask the finer sounds of speech — like higher-pitched consonants — which makes it difficult for even those with normal hearing thresholds to hear in crowded, noisy environments.

Add to that, the variable of hearing loss, and these situations can be incredibly strenuous, as the brain is not always able to separate speech from the background noise and fill in the blanks of those missed sounds. Even when it can, the cognitive fatigue that we undergo in these situations can be exhausting.

How do hearing aids work in noise?

Hearing aids are incredible technology that use some key differences between speech and noise to separate the two types of auditory stimulus (sounds) from one another.

Noise tends to be more steady-state, meaning it does not have much fluctuation in its frequencies (pitch) or amplitude (loudness). Speech, however, tends to be highly variable in both frequency and amplitude.

Hearing aids work to analyze and distinguish all sounds coming into the microphones, then treat noise and speech differently so that the target signal — speech — is amplified and prioritized, while the background noise is compressed not enhanced.

To experience this difference for yourself contact Purchase Ear Technology for a FREE demonstration of our latest technology. You can reach us by phone at (270) 558-3996 or visit our office at 2008 Broadway St, Paducah, KY  42001.

Hearing loss is a global and national health crisis. Our advice – know the facts and seek treatment.

Hearing Loss Prevalence – Not Just For The Old

• According to the World Health Organization, 360 million people worldwide have disabling hearing loss.
• There are 48 million people in the US with hearing loss, yet only 2 million consider themselves deaf, using sign language as their primary mode of communication.
• One in 5 teenagers has hearing loss. This study was published in 2010, so the numbers are probably higher today.
• 60% of veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan come home with hearing loss and tinnitus.
• Hearing loss and tinnitus are the #1 and #2 most prevalent war wounds.
• According to the Better Hearing Institute, 65% of people with hearing loss are below age 65.
• About 2 to 3 out of every 1,000 children in the United States are born with a detectable level of hearing loss in one or both ears.
• On average, it takes seven to 10 years before someone with hearing loss seeks treatment for it.

Hearing Loss Is Associated With Many Health Problems

• Hearing loss is associated with a higher risk of falls. People with a mild hearing loss are nearly three times more likely to have a history of falling. Each additional 10-decibels of loss increases the chances of falling by 1.4 times.
• Hearing loss is twice as common in people with diabetes. Among people with pre-diabetes, the rate of hearing loss is 30 percent higher than in those with normal blood glucose levels.
• Those with even mild hearing loss are twice as likely to develop dementia and this likelihood increases with higher degrees of hearing loss.
• Hearing loss is linked to accelerated brain tissue loss.
• There is a high correlation between hearing loss and cardiovascular disease.
• Roughly 10 percent of the U.S. adult population, or about 25 million Americans, has experienced tinnitus lasting at least five minutes in the past year. Hearing loss occurs in 90% of tinnitus cases.

If you or someone you know is experiencing hearing loss on any level, we encourage you to contact us a Purchase Ear Technology located at 2008 Broadway Street, Paducah, KY  42001 or give us a call at (270) 558-3997.

It is very rare that a person with hearing loss self-diagnoses the issue. While hearing loss can begin in your 30’s, the long gradual decline can be barely noticeable on a month to month or even year to year basis. In addition, as hearing declines, our brains adjust and we become remarkably effective lip readers, particularly of those we spend the most time with. We don’t even realize we are lip reading until we see that we can only understand people when they are directly in front of us.

Some of the signs of hearing loss:

• Asking friends and family members to repeat information frequently.
• Increasing the volume on the radio or TV to a level that’s uncomfortable for individuals with normal hearing.
• No longer enjoying social activities like group dinners at restaurants. Your friends think you have lost interest in them when really it’s just that you struggle to hear well in groups
• You constantly ask people them to repeat what they said or it appears that you forget what was just said (because you didn’t actually hear it).
• You miss the beginning of conversations because it’s hard to hear them and then when you jump in, they say “that’s what we were just talking about!”

What to do about it?

First of all, don’t assume you need hearing aids. Just get a hearing test. This is a good step for your general health. Declining hearing can be an early sign of something more serious. Hearing test are quick and easy to do. They normally take about 30 minutes.

If you think are experiencing any of the signs listed about, give us a call at Purchase Ear Technology at (270) 558-3996 or stop by our office at 2008 Broadway St, Paducah KY  42001.

A recent study published in The Lancet, one of the world’s leading medical journals, called dementia “the greatest global challenge for health and social care in the 21st century.” The study, conducted by The Lancet Commission on Dementia Prevention and Care, noted that 50 million people have dementia worldwide — and that the number is expected to triple by 2050.
The commission’s purpose was to provide recommendations for prevention and management of dementia. The need is urgent, it determined, as dementia not only affects the person with dementia, it also impacts their family and friends.

Managing hearing loss earlier in life can reduce the risk of dementia.

Be proactive earlier in life to help prevent dementia later. The commission’s 24 international experts concluded that one in three cases of dementia could be prevented if people managed just nine lifestyle factors — one of which is managing hearing loss during midlife (between age 40-65).

The other eight include increasing childhood education and exercise, maintaining social engagements, reducing or stopping smoking, and management of depression, diabetes, hypertension, and obesity.
Dementia typically doesn’t manifest itself with symptoms until we’re 65+, but the study’s authors note that it likely begins between ages 40-65. They determined that managing these nine modifiable risk factors at various stages of life could “contribute to prevention or delay of dementia.”

The link between dementia and hearing loss.

The commission admits science isn’t yet unanimous on why unmanaged hearing loss can increase the risk of dementia. But research has confirmed that hearing loss adds to the cognitive load of the brain, leads to social isolation and depression, and accelerates brain atrophy — all of which are likely contributing factors.
Now, at least, there’s research that points to ways we can “reduce the incidence of dementia or substantially delay its onset” — and nearly all are within our control. This is terrific news for anyone worried about being affected by this awful condition.

We can help you manage your hearing loss.

Hearing loss is definitely something you can manage with the help of a trained hearing professional. If you have or think you have hearing loss, this new research gives you a great reason to do something about it as soon as you can.
Purchase Ear Technology can help improve your hearing and help prevent the long-term effects outlined in this study. Give us a call today at (270) 558-3996 or visit our office at 2008 Broadway St, Paducah, KY 42001.

When we think about happiness, we probably imagine a special memory we shared with a loved one, laughing with friends around the dinner table, or enjoying our favorite activity. Happiness probably conjures up similar memories and hopes in most of us. Some common things that make people happy are: family, vacations, lazy Saturdays, sunshine, chocolate, and  hearing aids.

While not typically the first things that enter our mind when thinking about happiness, if you or a loved one suffer from any degree of hearing loss, perhaps they should be. Study after study has shown the clear connection between both hearing aids and happiness, as well as untreated hearing loss and mental health concerns such as depression and anxiety.

We’ve outlined 3 very important ways that treating your hearing loss with hearing aids can make you happier.

 1.  Better Relationships with Friends and Family:

It is well documented that people with untreated hearing loss are at a high risk of becoming socially isolated. It makes sense, when you’re constantly straining to understand conversations, gatherings with friends and family can easily become tiring, frustrating, and downright difficult.

When treated with hearing aids, many of these concerns are virtually eliminated. A recent survey of about 4,000 adults with hearing loss by the Hear-The-World Foundation found that about 70% of respondents reported hearing aids having a profoundly positive impact on their relationships.

If you think this study is an isolated case, think again. The international non-profit organization Hear-It analyzed almost every peer-reviewed article on the benefits of using hearing aids from Australia, Europe and the US. Their findings? The overwhelming majority showed an overall improvement in quality of life, with the most profoundly positively affected area being in social and family relationships.

 2.  More Work Productivity:

We all know that money doesn’t buy happiness, however, it doesn’t hurt to get paid for your hard work – and feel successful while doing it. A recent study conducted through the University of Texas found that after only two weeks of use, hearing aids increased cognitive function in adults in their 50s and 60s with mild hearing loss when completing work related tasks. Their work productivity also increased significantly.

It has also been shown that those with untreated hearing loss are rated as less competent at their jobs than their peers with hearing loss treated with hearing aids. On average, people with severe hearing loss earn about $14,000 less per year than those without hearing loss. We all know that we’re happier when we feel like we’re good at our jobs, liked by our co-workers, and earning a salary we deserve.

 3.  Lower Risk of Depression:

Multiple studies have pointed to the clear connection between untreated hearing loss and depression. In a recent study by the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders, (NIDOCD), it was found that while only 5% of the population with normal hearing suffered from depression, that number was more than doubled for those with untreated hearing loss. In the same study, it was also concluded that those with hearing loss who do not wear hearing aids are much more likely to develop a major depressive disorder than those with the same degree of hearing loss who use hearing aids.

Another study concluded that hearing loss was associated with an increased risk for depression – especially in adults between 18-69. A study by John Hopkins came to similar conclusions – stating that those with untreated hearing loss are about 57% more likely to develop depression than those without hearing loss.

Do you think hearing aids may make you happier? Contact us at Purchase Ear Technology located at 2008 Broadway St, Paducah, KY  42001 or call us at (270) 558-3996. We look forward to helping you in rediscovering your happiness with hearing aids.