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About the Hearing Matters Podcast
 
The Hearing Matters Podcast discusses hearing technology (more commonly known as hearing aids), best practices, and a growing national epidemic - Hearing Loss. The show is hosted by father and son - Blaise Delfino, M.S., HIS, and Dr. Gregory Delfino, CCC-A. Blaise Delfino and Dr. Gregory Delfino treat patients with hearing loss at Audiology Services, located in Bethlehem, Nazareth, and East Stroudsburg, PA. 

In this episode, Blaise Delfino discusses Cognition, Audition and Amplification with Dr. Douglas L. Beck, Vice President of Academic Sciences at Oticon.

Dr. Beck explains that the connection among cognition, audition and amplification is the human brain. The three are intertwined and cannot be separated. There are 26 million Americans who have no hearing loss but still cannot understand speech in noise. This can be caused by a traumatic brain injury, dyslexia, and many other conditions. An audiologist can determine if the problem is central auditory processing. 

Dr. Beck explains the term “cross-modal recruitment.” It occurs when one area of the brain is not stimulated, and another area of the brain takes it over. In a study done by Drs. Sharma and Glick, titled “Frontiers of Neuroscience,” the area of the brain that processes sound was not stimulated, and the part of the brain that processes sight took it over. Drs. Sharma and Glick found that by fitting patients who have hearing loss with hearing instruments reversed the cross-modal recruitment that had taken place in their brains. 

Hearing screenings are not something that Dr. Beck advocates. He believes that they are usually not done in sound-proof booths, the instructions are not well presented, and headphones are generally not used. He is in favor of Universal Newborn Screenings, however, which tests the hearing of all babies born in hospitals and birthing centers. He is also in favor of cognitive screenings in older adults who are having difficulty with speech in noise. He says once people reach a certain age there are many conditions that can cause hearing loss. Among them are neurovascular conditions that reduce blood flow to the brain.

Dr. Gregory Delfino adds that he has seen many patients over the past 20 years who have central auditory processing problems and have significantly improved with low-level amplification. 

Buying hearing instruments online or over the counter is not something Dr. Beck advises. He says a person may be experiencing hearing loss for any number of reasons, from a hair up against the ear drum or the bones in the ear malfunctioning to a brain tumor. The rule in medicine he says is first diagnose then treat. Without a diagnosis by a trained hearing healthcare professional, a person could do more harm than good by buying over-the-counter hearing aids. He adds that a person can get well-made hearing aids provided by a professional for as little as $1,000 per pair.     

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