July 2014 | Pacific Northwest Audiology

When Sound Hurts

NIHL is related to both noise intensity and the duration of exposure. The relationship between sound levels and exposure limits is illustrated below. The Table (below) shows how quickly sound tolerance limits decrease with small increases in sound intensity levels. Recall, this is because an increase of 10 dB corresponds to a 10 fold increase in sound intensity. Simply put, the louder the sound, the shorter the time before damage occurs..and the relationship isn’t linear! Here’s an important take-away: there are no treatments…not medicine, not surgery, not hearing aids…that can restore your natural hearing once it is damaged by noise. …

Age-Related Hearing Loss (ARHL)

Seeds of a Growing Problem The population of the U.S. is getting older. According to the Administration on Aging, the aging ‘baby boom’ generation will produce a dramatic increase in the population through 2030. In 2009, people over 65 represented 12.9% of the population, but by 2030, they will represent 19.3%. The population over 65 is expected to double between 2008 and 2030 to a projected 72.1 million. Why should we be concerned with an Aging Population? Because Hearing loss is the third most common chronic health condition among older adults! According to the National Institute on Deafness and Other …