Category: Blog

Covid link to hearing loss research

To help answer whether Covid really does cause hearing loss The UK’s Manchester Biomedical Centre has received funding from 2 charities, Royal National Institute for the Deaf (RNID, until recently known as Action on Hearing Loss) and the Dowager Countess Eleanor Peel Trust.

Professor Kevin Munro, Director (research) of the Manchester Centre of Audiology and Deafness (MacCAD), has become the go-to UK expert between COVID and other health conditions.

The basis for the research is the premise that viruses such as measles, mumps, and meningitis are known to damage hearing, so it is possible that this coronavirus can also result in hearing loss. In an earlier 2020 study by the Manchester researchers, adults with COVID-19 were followed up eight weeks after hospital discharge, more than one in ten of them self-reporting a deterioration in their hearing or the presence of tinnitus.

The proposed further research will involve use of a mobile test facility to assess 218 patients who have been discharged from hospital, half with COVID-19.

The Effects Of Coronavirus

The coronavirus has been found to affect the body in myriad ways, from a loss of taste and smell to organ damage. Now doctors have reported fresh evidence that Covid could also affect hearing.

Experts at University College London report the case of a 45-year-old man with asthma who was admitted to intensive care with Covid, ventilated, and given drugs including the antiviral remdesivir and intravenous steroids.

A week after leaving intensive care he developed a ringing sound – tinnitus – and then hearing loss in his left ear.

The team say none of the medications the man was given would be expected to cause damage to his hearing, while he had no problems with his ear canals or ear drums. Further investigation showed no sign of autoimmune problems, while he did not have flu or HIV – conditions previously linked to hearing loss. What’s more, the man had never had hearing problems before.

Subsequent tests revealed the man had sensorineural hearing loss in his left ear – a situation where the inner ear or the nerve responsible for sound is inflamed or damaged. This was treated with steroids with partial success.

Seven million UK tinnitus sufferers

Recent research by British Tinnitus Association of 1,620 people with tinnitus found:

57% experience low mood and sadness
42 per cent say they take part in fewer social activities because of their condition
One in five say they think about it ‘every few minutes’ or ‘every waking moment’ and say it can be as loud as a jet engine, whistling kettle or dentist’s drill.
A third said their tinnitus is trivialised by friends, family and work colleagues.

Tinnitus can be triggered by normal hearing loss caused by ageing or from loud noise, making musicians vulnerable. It can also affect people following car accidents or head injuries.

Roughly one in three people will experience tinnitus at some point in their lives.

Hearing aids can help because experts believe that when people cannot hear properly their brain creates its own internal noise to fill the silence.

The BTA claims that research into tinnitus receives 40 times less funding compared to mental health conditions such as depression and anxiety.

“It is a travesty that tinnitus, with its huge mental health impact, receives 40 times less funding than comparable conditions like depression or hearing loss. We need more research to help find a cure, and to find ways of properly diagnosing tinnitus” said David Stockdale of the BTA.

“Our committed research community has made great strides in recent years to bring us to the edge of major progress. We need to seize this opportunity by making the investment needed to grow the field and make the huge leaps forward that are so important to people with tinnitus.”

To sign the BTA’s petition to urge the Government to invest in more research to find a cure click here

If you have concerns about tinnitus come in to see one of our highly qualified Hearing Therapists who can advise you on a package of action to help provide tinnitus relief.

Call 020 7486 1053 or complete the form below

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Independent Healthcare Network

The Independent Healthcare Network was founded by a collective group of like-minded healthcare professionals within Marylebone & Fitzrovia, where each one of our members are leaders and experts in their respective fields.

Our ethos is to support our patients to find the leading practitioners in every field of healthcare.

We understand that finding the best practice for your needs can be time consuming and daunting. We aim to make this experience easier for you through the IHN.

If you’d like advice on finding other quality healthcare professionals, just ask a member of our team.

Introducing Oticon OpnS

Oticon OpnS gives you even better speech understanding with less effort in noisy environments. Here are just some of the benefits for this new hearing technology:-

Breakthrough technology stops feedback even before it occurs.
Proven BrainHearing benefits:
- Reduces your listening effort.
- Helps you remember more of what is being said.
- Gives you better speech understanding.
- Improves your ability to follow conversations with multiple speakers.

The OpnS includes an a new booster function through the Oticon ON App giving your hearing aids an extra boost allowing speech to stand out from noise in an everyday situation.
Now available as a rechargeable style. Just place the hearing aids in the charger for three hours, and you’ll have power for the entire day.

Want to trial this new technology call 020 7486 1053 or complete below.

DJ Eddy Temple-Morris earplugs for tinnitus

If you’re a DJ or a muso and you’re reading this and thinking ‘maybe it’s time I got some earplugs…’, hold that thought and listen: there is NO ‘maybe’ about it. I cannot stress to you how important it is to protect your ears, they are your living, and they are under almost daily barrage.

I cannot stress to you how important it is to protect your ears, they are your living, and they are under almost daily barrage.

I’ve been on tour with The Prodigy and played gigs so big the monitoring is 30,000 watts of sound, but if you’re thinking ‘I only play little gigs’ it’s often those sh*tty little sound systems at Camden Monarch or some bar that will cause the most damage.

One day, years ago, my colleague Erol Alkan told me he’d lost 40% of the hearing in one of his ears and that he’d just discovered Geraldine and Paul at Musicians Hearing Services.

That recommendation changed my life. I’d get tinnitus SO badly after every gig, that I couldn’t sleep, and I’d ill as a result. My immune system was shot through and I was a mess.

Since getting MHS to sort me out with plugs, I carry them EVERYWHERE and use them at big gigs, little gigs, parties, anywhere with a sound system. Now I sleep, I’m healthy and my ears aren’t getting any worse despite my job.

They make it easy, they are nice people, they’ll even get rid of that horrid build up of years worth of wax for you.

The plugs come in varying degrees of sound reduction and they just reduce it, not muffle it like those spongy yellow ones you can get for free at festivals. You’ll still hear the sizzle of a hi-hat and the boom of a kick drum, just at less damaging volume.

Now if you’re final thought is ‘hmmm but its quite expensive…’ Stop. It’s the best money I EVER spent.

Do it now. You will not regret it. Just guard them with your life!

PS – just one more thing – if you’re thinking ‘this is one of those free plugs for a plug thing…’ NO. This is from the heart and I paid the same for my earplugs as you will pay for yours.

Eddy Temple-Morris

the world’s first Ai hearable Livio

LIVIO is the world’s very first hearing aid with Artificial Intelligence (AI).

This is a hearing aid within a class of its own.

This new technology is completely revolutionary. It features integrated sensors and AI (this means it performs tasks that normally require human intelligence).

It’s proven that hearing health is directly connected to overall health and well-being. Meaning those who can hear can engage with the world around them and live healthier and better lives. Early treatment for hearing loss can improve or limit cognitive decline and dementia.

Some of the unique features of Starkey’s LIVIO:-

Up to 30% improvement in speech understanding in noisy environments
Significant improvements in sharpness and clarity
Automatically and instantly adapts to the environment to optimise challenging situations
Built-in activity tracker – to support hearing health and fitness
Manages balance and spatial awareness
Detects if you fall and alerts your chosen contact

Want to be one of the first to trial LIVIO in the UK?

Call us to book the next available trial appointment on 020 7486 1053 or complete below.

Travelling with hearing loss

Travelling with Hearing Loss. Forida had always wanted to travel but was scared of travelling with her hearing loss. After an appointment at Harley Street Hearing everything changed.

“I was given one pair of Opn miniRITE chargeable hearing aids.

My audiologist, Jas, helped me to download an app called Oticon ON which helps me to hear straight from my iPhone and helps me to turn the volume up and down. She showed me how to use everything step by step and how to maintain hygiene. When I went to book another appointment, for the first time I could actually hear everything that the receptionist was saying, She was so lovely and said good luck with your journey with the new hearing aids. I was soo excited. I couldn’t wait to go and explore everything”

To read the full article click here

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Phonak’s new Marvel

Come in to Harley Street Hearing, London’s largest independent hearing clinic for a trial of Phonak’s MARVELous new hearing aid.

This new generation technology recognises and automatically adapts to precisely match more listening situations than ever before.

With AutoSense OSTM 3.0 and
Binaural VoiceStream Technology
in all models, you can enjoy better speech understanding in noise and less listening effort in everyday life.

What to Expect

• Exceptional sound quality from the first fit
• Better speech understanding in noise
• Reduced listening effort in noise
• Top rated streamed sound quality

Rechargeable Technology

• switch on automatically when removed from the charger and turn off when placed back in the charging case
• Ease of use – no more disposable batteries
• Full day of hearing including streaming
• Super quick charging
• Battery engineered to last 6 years

Whether you already have hearing aids and are curious to see the amazing advances in hearing aid technology; or you’ve got some hearing concerns and would like us to assess your hearing in a relaxed atmosphere with one of our highly trained audiologists, call us now on 0207 486 1053 or complete the form below.

Hearing Loss: 100 Years of Adult Education

Harley Street Hearing’s Matthew Allsop (Operations Director) was delighted to be invited to this evening of celebration at the House of Commons. Guest speakers included Rt Hon Damian Hinds MP, Secretary of State for Education, and James Fitzpatrick, MP for Poplar and Limehouse since 2010.

City Lit offers over 5000 short courses in the centre of London. Amongst the very first courses were lipreading classes for WWI veterans who had acquired hearing loss serving in the trenches. Link to City Lit

JP Morgan Hearing Loss Education

Paul Checkley & Jaspreet Bahra presented to over 100 staff, family & friends, of JP Morgan employees with hearing loss, at their head office in Central London.

They discussed the amazing new advances in hearing aid technology; detailed the different types of hearing loss; and spoke about how colleagues and family and friends can use communication tactics to optimise hearing both at work and at home.