Don’t Believe Everything you Hear: Top 5 Hearing Aid Myths revealed

April 5, 2010 - PRLog -- Hearing aids were developed to help facilitate and amplify sound for those who are hard of hearing. Since hearing loss is linked with depression it can be said that hearing aids improve the quality of life by giving people a second chance.  However, only one in five people with deafness actually purchase a hearing aid. Consider the myths, and the facts, surrounding this tiny, yet amazing, technology.

Myth number 1: Hearing aids are only for the elderly.
It is true that as you grow older the chances of someone being affected by hearing loss is more prominent. Age, however is only one of many factors that contribute to hearing loss. Most experts agree that it is experience instead of age that contributes to hearing loss. Each time your ears are exposed to a noise, the individual cells within the cochlea are prone to damage. Stress can also cause incremental damage to these cells.

Myth number 2: If I needed a hearing aid, I would know it.
One of the most common affects of hearing loss is denial. Many people want to deny that they are hard of hearing and choose to not get immediate help. Just like anything else that gradually happens over time, you may not have an accurate perception of just how poorly you are able to hear sounds. There is also a misconception about what constitutes hearing loss. It is not just that you lose your ability to hear at certain volumes. Hearing loss also includes difficulty hearing particular pitches or frequencies.

Myth number 3: Hearing aids will restore my hearing to normal.
Hearing aids will not return your ability to hear, but rather, amplify the sounds you are unable to hear. In doing so, hearing aids will undoubtedly introduce you to a new world of sounds that will take some getting used to. The audio and physical experience will take some getting used to. Many people even think their own voice sounds strange. But over time your listening skills will adapt to the amplification.

Myth number 4: Hearing aids are large and uncomfortable
Many people have not seen the latest technological advances and designs that make hearing aids nearly invisible. "Completely-in-the-Canal" (CIC) instruments are available for many hearing losses, and these amazingly small hearing aids are so technologically advanced that they've made most old-fashioned hearing aids obsolete.

Myth number 5: Hearing aids are really expensive
Hearing tests are free. The very best hearing aids available are well within the reach of most people. Any way you look at it, a hearing aid could be the best investment you can make. Make sure to visit your local Hearing center, http://www.miamihearingaids.com, to get screened and speak to a professional audiologist.

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Specializing in digital hearing aids for the Miami, FL area, New Generation Hearing Centers has created a new paradigm in patient care. A place patients get the information they need to make a good decision about their hearing loss and hearing aids