United States presidents, famous actors and actresses, Miss America and athletes have all suffered from hearing loss.

It isn’t a condition that many of us plan for. In many instances it happens gradually and over time. You may wake up one day and realize that your hearing just isn’t as good as it used to be.

It happens to millions of Americans, more than 35 million to be exact. That number happens to include, former U.S. Presidents Bill Clinton and Ronald Reagan; actors Sally Fields, Burt Reynolds and Robin Wright. It is also a condition that has impacted the lives of Hall of Fame football player Mike Singletary, race car drivers Al & Bobby Unser and rocker Bono.

Hearing loss didn’t keep them from important meetings with foreign delegates or even from the music they loved.

If you think you suffer from hearing loss, life doesn’t have to be a struggle. Hearing aids can often help. Many of today’s devices can also go unnoticed.

They can be so unnoticeable that even former Miss America Deidre Downs can wear them and feel confident in social situations.

“Wearing hearing aids again gave me the ability to better participate in life – school, family, and friends. Hearing aids have diminished the impact hearing loss has on my life. I finally feel like I can hear as well as a normal hearing person,” she has said.  “My friends, family and classmates no longer have to constantly repeat themselves. I don’t have to use closed captioning on TV anymore and I rarely miss pieces of conversations – even in noisy restaurants. It’s been an unbelievable life change for me, my family and my friends.” 

If you have a hearing loss, don’t let it keep you from communicating with family and friends or from participating in your life. Visit Hearing Aid Express today for a free hearing test and consultation.

Hearing Aid Express is now offering Panasonic hearing systems.

Panasonic is not a newcomer to helping consumers hear better. The company has been offering hearing technology abroad for more than 50 years. Now, for the first time, this technology is available in the United States , and Hearing Aid Express is the first to bring it to you.

Panasonic’s hearing system line includes the 4 Series Receiver-In-Canal, the 2 Series Behind-The-Ear and the JZ Series. These hearing instruments include Panasonic’s own Digital Signal Processor to help deliver high-quality sound and enable precise reproduction of the original sound through advanced audio and acoustic technologies.

Whether you’re listening to a group of friends in a crowded restaurant or sharing a conversation in the privacy of your home, Panasonic’s Intelligent Scene Selector adjusts the listening mode to enhance the delivery of crisp, clear sound. Unlike units that require manual adjustment of present memory and volume settings, Panasonic hearing instruments automatically select the appropriate listening mode from up to seven different sound environments to optimize audibility and speech recognition.

Dual Focus helps users understand speech by focusing on the conversation in front of you and suppresses surrounding noise through the use of dual microphones.  The result is less noise from the sides and behind you and clear sounds from the front to help make hearing in noisy situations more comfortable.

Wind Suppression and Dual Filtering Feedback Cancellation help create a clear reception of the sounds you want to hear.

High performance and advanced signal processing typically leads to a shorter battery life, but Panasonic’s unique circuit design and optimized signal processing reduces power consumption to extend the battery life of your hearing instrument. When your battery runs low, the Battery Alarm will notify you it needs to be replaced. Panasonic hearing instruments operate in the “green” by minimizing frustration, expense and impact on the environment caused by frequently having to change batteries.

To learn more about Panasonic hearing systems, call Hearing Aid Express today for a free hearing test and demonstration.

Imagine this scenario:  you’ve just finished getting an eye exam. As you suspect your doctor tells you that you will need a pair of contacts or eyeglasses to correct your vision.

You know you need to see well, and you realize your ability to see impacts nearly everything: your freedom, your safety and your day-to-day living.

“Can I get just one contact lens,” you blurt out to your physician, wondering if it would just be less expensive. After all, you reason, isn’t one corrected lens good enough?

As absurd as this question is it’s the same scenario that is playing out in hearing clinics across the country.

Just like impaired vision, the conditions that have caused damage to one ear have very likely caused damage to both ears. While you most certainly wouldn’t consider getting just one lens in a pair of eye glasses, many are opting for just one hearing aid when most of the time they really need two.

Having two hearing aids helps you hear more clearly so you can pinpoint where sounds are coming from.

Here are 7 more reasons why you should consider wearing 2 hearing aids:

1.You will have greater understanding in noisy environments.
2.You will experience smoother tone quality.
3. You will be able to hear more sounds.
4.Using both ears to hear helps you preserve the hearing ability you have in both ears.
5.Because you won’t have to work as hard to hear, creating an easier listening experience.
6.Hearing in both ears creates a sense of balance
7.You won’t be as shocked by loud noises.
 

If you think you or someone you care about has a hearing loss, call Hearing Aid Express today for a free hearing exam.

Remember the old saying, “If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is?”

The thought may have crossed your mind when a late night television ad appears for a hearing device that costs only $19.95 plus shipping.

These devices are known as Personal Sound Amplification Products. They are not hearing aids.

PSAPs amplify everything including noise. Hearing aids are able to be programmed and adjusted for your unique hearing loss so that they can focus on the sounds that you are not hearing.

Over-the-counter and some mail-order hearing devices can actually cause more hearing damage because they amplify sounds you may not need amplified. The result can mean an even greater hearing loss.

To be fit for a hearing aid, a patient must first take a hearing test to determine exactly what their hearing loss is. The results of the test are used to help select the most appropriate hearing aid for your loss.  To find out if you have a hearing loss, give us a call today and set up a free hearing test and consultation.

Many Americans suffer from hearing loss. Most of them are taking an average of seven to 10 years before they do anything about it.

That is a pretty long time to not properly hear the world around us.  You may wonder what’s the harm in waiting.  You probably think you can get by without too much of a problem. What’s the rush, you may ask.

All that waiting is more than likely causing more damage to your hearing.  Don’t let another month pass before you take action to improve your hearing health. This May pause to take time out to care for yourself and your loved ones during Better Hearing Month.

Consider what happens to a person’s arm after it has been in a cast for months.  Once the cast is removed, typically the arm will look smaller and less muscular than it did before the break.  This process can be defined as atrophy.  In layman’s terms, this means that if you don’t use your arm for an extended period of time, you lose the muscle mass and strength. This “use it or lose it” concept can also be applied to our hearing. However, the biggest difference between the two is that you can rebuild muscle mass after a broken arm.  Once you have hearing loss, most of the time, you cannot reverse it.

Studies have shown that the more proactive you are about your hearing health and the faster you pursue amplification once you are a candidate for hearing aids, the greater the possibility of the progression of the hearing loss slowing down somewhat.  It is important to note that this does not mean that hearing aids can stop your hearing loss from getting worse.  However, they have been proven to keep the hearing organs and nerves functioning longer than if aids are not used.

Think about the sounds that make up your world and your life.  You want to preserve this important sense for as long as you can.  If you or a loved one has been diagnosed with hearing loss, or thinks there might be hearing loss present, visit a local hearing healthcare provider like Hearing Aid Express to determine if hearing aids are right for you. There’s never going to be a better time to address your hearing health.

Hearing Aid Express always offers free hearing tests. If you know you have a hearing loss, take a look at our special offers and take the next step to improve your hearing.

Are there waterproof hearing aids?

Hearing aids have to have some sort of opening for the microphone so that sound waves can get inside.  Once inside, the computer chip in the hearing aid processes the signal (adjusting for noise, different frequencies and so on) and delivers the modified sounds to your eardrum.
Because there must be an opening for sound waves to get in to the aid there are no hearing aids that are completely waterproof (meaning you can’t store them in a bowl of water!).  There are some new hearing aids that are surprisingly water-resistant.

What’s the problem with water and moisture?

Hearing aids are small electronic devices.  They have one or more microphones, a receiver (or “speaker”), a computer chip, a battery for power, plus delicate wiring and other components.  Electrical devices and water don’t mix.  In fact, moisture, whether from water, sweat or humidity is one of the leading reasons hearing aids need to be repaired.  In Texas this is an especially big problem.

What about these new Water Resistant hearing aids?  How are they different?

Some new hearing aids are nano-coated to make them very water resistant.  This coating is extremely thin – less than one thousandth the thickness of a human hair.  The company doing this nano-coating is P2i www.p2ilabs.com.  (Note: watch their video to see how this coating keeps water out!)
A few hearing aid manufacturers including ReSound and Starkey are now using this  nano-coating technology on some of their hearing aid models.  This coating makes them very resistant to moisture, which should greatly reduce the need for repairs.  Nano-coating can only be applied during the manufacturing processing and is only available for BTE and RIC models.
Contact the nearest Hearing Aid Express office (show locations here) to learn more about these new “nearly” waterproof hearing aids.

Unitron Moxi & Unitron Moda II

Unitron Next

Unitron Yuu

Hearing Aid Express: Locations Throughout Texas

Siemens Acuris Life hearing aids are made by the largest hearing aid manufacturer in the United States and are part of a proud tradition of quality and innovation. With 125 years of experience in working with hearing aids and  hearing assistance, Siemens is a highly respected manufacturer that puts out impressive products, including Siemens Acuris Life hearing aids.

One of the many things that makes Siemens Acuris Life hearing aids so appealing is that they are virtually invisible when worn. Plus, they’re comfortable, unobtrusive, and are designed for maximum value and performance by Siemens engineers.

Wearers of Siemens Acuris Life hearing aids will enjoy years of hearing assistance — these hearing aids are dependable and capable of handling most ordinary hearing situations. With a quality hearing aids, people who are suffering from hearing loss can participate in conversations with ease and will be able to hear sounds more clearly and loudly.

About Siemens

In 1878, Werner von Siemens designed one of the first amplified hearing aids — a telephone handset with powerful amplification. This design was like nothing you’ll see at a hearing aid store today, but it gave way to another innovation by Siemens in 1913: the Phonophor hearing aid. This included a battery, microphone and receiver, and people carried it in a handbag when they weren’t using it. Just one year later, Siemens took that design to a new level and added a miniature receiver that sat close to the eardrum. Looking at this design, it’s easy to see how it gave way to modern Siemens hearing aids.

More Siemens Hearing Aids

Siemens Acuris Life hearing aids are just one example of quality hearing aids from Siemens. We’re proud to carry a wide variety of Siemens hearing aids at Hearing Aid Express, including the Siemens Nitro, Siemens Vibe and Siemens Pure.

Hearing Aid Express has several convenient stores in Dallas, Houston and Austin. Stop by and enjoy the free services we offer on a daily basis: free hearing evaluations, free cleanings and adjustments, and more.

Thinking about buying a Starkey Destiny hearing aid or two? These hearing aids have an excellent reputation for quality and innovation. They are BTE hearing aids, or behind-the-ear hearing aids, and several styles are available in the Destiny series. Built with BluWave Signal Processing, the Starkey Destiny  hearing aid adapts to your ever-changing environment, a factor that is certainly important for hearing aid wearers.

When you meet with a hearing professional, they will be able to determine the best Starkey Destiny hearing aid model for you, as there are several different kinds. Here are the key features of the Starkey Destiny hearing aid:

Directional Speech Detector (DSD). This feature reduces background noise and focuses on speech sounds. DSD monitors environments and adjusts to them.

Automatic Telephone Response. A big complaint about hearing aids is that talking on a telephone can be difficult. Thanks to Automatic Telephone Response, the Starkey Destiny hearing aid adjusts for optimal communication and eliminates feedback.

Active Feedback Intercept (AFI). AFI helps get rid of annoying feedback sounds like whistling.

Acoustic Signature. This state-of-the-art sound management tool detects and classifies different sound environments and then adapts to an optimal setting. It’s available on the Starkey Destiny 1200 and Starkey Destiny 1600.

What’s more is that the Starkey Destiny hearing aid series is stylish and thoughtfully designed.

More Hearing Aids

We’re proud to carry the Starkey Destiny hearing aid, but that’s just one of many quality hearing aids in our impressive selection. Stop by your nearest Hearing Aid Express store to have your questions about hearing loss and hearing aids answered. Our friendly staff will be happy to assist you. We also offer several free services on a daily basis, including free hearing evaluations, free cleanings and adjustments, and free digital demonstrations.

It’s a new month, and that means new hearing aid coupons from Hearing Aid Express. We’re proud to make hearing aids more affordable, and we hope you’ll be able to take advantage of these coupons — they can really save you money.

Hearing Aid Coupons

This month, you’ll find a coupon for $600 off a set of ReSound Dot 30 hearing aids. This coupon is not valid with any other offer and is not eligible for financing. It expires on March 31, 2010.

Our other coupon is for a limited time offer on Starkey E-3 hearing aids. They start at just $1,395 each. This offer is not valid with any other offer and is not eligible for financing. You have until March 31, 2010 to take advantage of this exceptional deal. If you’d like to use either of these coupons, visit our hearing aid coupons page and click on the one you want, and it will print so that you can take it to your nearest Hearing Aid Express store.

What’s Free at Hearing Aid Express

We’re not kidding when we say we’re making better hearing more affordable: We even offer several FREE services. Every day, here’s what’s free:

• FREE Hearing Test
• FREE Digital Demonstrations
• FREE Cleanings & Adjustments
• FREE Personalized Programming on purchases from HAE

We have many locations throughout Texas. Be sure and visit our stores, where you’ll meet our friendly staff. We have locations in Dallas, Austin and Houston.We are able to assist you with any questions regarding hearing aids and hearing loss.

We also offer an impressive selection of hearing aids from Starkey, Sonic Innovations, ReSound and Unitron. If you’re suffering from hearing loss, hearing aids can really help improve your quality of life.