Completely in the Canal (CIC) Hearing Aids

Completely in the Canal (CIC) Hearing Aids
By Martin Smith

Completely in the canal hearing aids (also known as CIC hearing aids) are, as the name suggests, hearing aids which fit entirely within the wearer's ear canal. These revolutionary devices are the smallest hearing aids on the market and are invisible to the average observer who doesnt know they are there. Most major hearing aid brands and manufacturers now offer this inconspicuous alternative to traditional behind the ear, or BTE, hearing aids.

CIC hearing aids are custom made to fit deep inside the individual wearers ear canal and are said to mimic the natural auditory process more closely then any other style of hearing aid. They are best suited to people with a mild to moderate hearing loss. There are a number of advantages and disadvantages that should be taken into consideration when deciding between CIC hearing aids and the BTE models.

For audiologists, otologists, speech therapists and other hearing professionals, the primary appeal of CIC hearing aids are their acoustic advantages. They are able to closely simulate environmental, and more importantly, speech sounds, patterns, nuances etc. This is imperative to a hearing impaired individuals competency with the spoken word. Additionally, since CIC hearing aids are worn closer to the eardrum then their BTE counterparts, their microphones are better able to amplify and therefore give a boost to any residual hearing the wearer may have. The advantage that is most often touted by the wearers of CIC devices, however, is their cosmetic appeal and inconspicuousness.

Conversely, it is important to keep in mind that CIC hearing aids also have some drawbacks. If financial constraints are a part of the picture, it should be noted that completely in the canal hearing aids are somewhat more expensive to purchase then behind the ear hearing aids are. Another issue that may make them cost prohibitive to those on a tight budget is that increased susceptibility to ear wax build up puts CIC hearing aids at higher risk for damage, therefore necessitating pricey repair bills or replacement hearing aids.

Whereas BTE hearing instruments are appropriate for almost all hearing impaired individuals regardless of the type or degree of hearing loss, CIC hearing aids are not recommended for individuals with certain kinds of hearing loss. They are also unlikely to be prescribed or advised for children. First of all children tend to be less able to tolerate the discomfort and irritations that sometimes come along with the use of CIC models, especially in the beginning.

Plus childrens ear canals arent done growing, so they will need to be refitted and replaced much more often for them then for adults. The size of CIC hearing aids and their even tinier batteries make them difficult to manipulate for the elderly, arthritis sufferers and others with conditions and diseases which effect fine motor control. Feedback and no volume control are two more drawbacks often mentioned by CIC hearing aid users.

Audiologists are the best resource hearing impaired individuals have to help them objectively decide whether CIC or BTE hearing aids are better for them. They can also point wearers in the direction of the best CIC hearing aids provider. Research on the pros and cons can also be done at the library or on the internet.

About the Author
Martin Smith is a successful freelance writer providing advice for consumers on purchasing a variety of Hearing Aids, Hearing Aids Manufacturers, and more! His numerous articles provide a wonderfully researched resource of interesting and relevant information.

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Audio Textbooks: Learning Enhanced by Combining Hearing with Seeing

Audio Textbooks: Learning Enhanced by Combining Hearing with Seeing
By Helen Wall

Being able to read is an essential skill in our world, yet most people, especially with the fast-paced lifestyles of today, only read what they have to in order to accommodate their most immediate needs. This is especially true of children whose attentiveness is already distracted on many fronts by audio-visual pursuits provided by the technological society of today. Audio textbooks are revolutionizing the learning process for both teachers and students.

For example, many youths already see and hear on new video phones, or at least complete one activity whilst listening to a phone call on the older more prevalent mobile phones; play video games (marketed toward youth) available on arcade-style video games, portable hand-held devices (Gameboy etc.), console stations for TV (e.g: Playstation & Xboy), even mobile phones. And that is not to mention films and other audio-visual projects available on video, CDROM, VCD/DVD, or at the cinema.

In fact, aside from technological pursuits, everything you do contains an audio-visual element, and doing constitutes a direct pathway to learning, for what else is doing than gaining experience? And what else is experience other than the stuff of learning?

Contrast then, the bulk of daily activity (the stuff of learning), and its audio-visual element, with the main technique for learning at school: reading from books. Reading is a none audible activity insofar as it is usually done is relative silence; whatever is audible while reading is either ignored or is a distraction from reading. Subsequently, reading requires more concentration because it relies on the faculty of sight alone; it is not assisted by audio stimulation.

It may then come as no surprise that most people, especially kids, shy away from reading: with all the alternative activities available, that provide a more thorough stimulation (audio and visual), reading, is noticeably harder and much less fun. MP3 players and audio textbook downloads are however not associated with the tiresome task of reading.

But now audio textbooks make it possible for children (and adults) to get greater stimulation, and thus offer an easier pathway to learning from materials that they would not otherwise gain from reading alone. Of course, one must still read, but by hearing the material at the same time as seeing, it makes reading much more interesting, and enables the material to arrive in the brain audibly and visually, ensuring easier processing, thus easier learning. Audio textbook downloads make material easy for students to access anytime from anyplace at reasonable costs.

Educational professionals have realized the great potential for enhancing the learning process offered by providing audio-visual channels, and subsequently, many schools have now brought audio textbooks into the classrooms, and they have past the test with flying colors.

Helen Wall is the author of this article. Visit http://www.AudioBooksBonanza.com to download audio books from an extensive range of titles from top publishers. Join the free newsletter now and get to know about the latest hot off the press titles, receive time limited special offers and discounts, before anyone else.

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Winning a Virginia Workers' Compensation Hearing

Winning a Virginia Workers' Compensation Hearing
By Jerry Lutkenhaus

If your claim has been denied by the insurance company, the Virginia Workers Compensation will schedule your case for a hearing in front of a Deputy Commissioner. You will have 60-120 days to prepare for the hearing. This is what you need to know.

Discovery

You and the insurance company are allowed to engage in discovery. This usually means interrogatories, requests for production of documents, and depositions of witnesses.

Interrogatories

You are allowed to send the other side written questions asking about defenses, witnesses, and other evidence that may be used against you at the hearing. The other side has 21 days to respond. This is an excellent way to find out why your case is being denied and what evidence supports the denial of your claim.

Requests for Production

You are also allowed to request the other side to provide you any written documents about your case. If you have provided the insurance company a written statement about the accident, it is essential to obtain a copy of this document so that you review what you have previously reported about the accident.

Subpoena duces tecum

You can request doctors and other parties to send you documents concerning your claim. You do this by requesting the Commission to issue a subpoena duces tecum for these documents.

Pre Hearing

You now know the issues in your case. You now know the documents and witnesses that support your claim. You need to subpoena the witnesses to the hearing that support your claim. You also need to file with the Commission prior to the hearing the medical documents that describe your injury, accident, and disability. If the medical records are incomplete, you need to have the treating doctor prepare a comprehensive report addressing the injury, the accident, and any disability. The Commission accepts medical records as an exception to the hearsay rule. Thus, it is rare for doctors to testify at the hearings. Medical evidence is almost always submitted in the form of records or reports without testimony.

The Hearing

Now that you are ready you present the documents and witnesses that support your claim. The insurance company will do likewise. The Deputy Commissioner does not hear arguments he just listens to the witnesses and then reviews the documents and renders a written decision.

Need for an attorney

The insurance company will be represented by an attorney; thus, it behooves the claimant to consult an experienced Virginia Workers Compensation attorney for representation.

Appeal if you lose the hearing

If the case goes against, you have 20 days in Virginia to file for review of the Deputy Commissioners decision which will be heard by Three Commissioners. But, you should never count on the appeal process to correct the mistakes or omissions you made at the hearing. No new evidence is allowed in the appeal process in most instances. Thus, if you want to win, you need to win by proper preparation and presentation of favorable evidence at the hearing level.

Conclusion

Proper preparation is the key to winning your worker's compensation case. Thus, even if the insurance company has denied your case, you can still win at the hearing.

Jerry Lutkenhaus is a practitioner of Workers Compensation law in the Richmond, Virginia area for over 30 years. He was given an AV rating by Martindale Hubbell in 2003. Lexis Nexis listed him in the 2005 Bar Register of Preeminent Attorneys. For more information, see http://www.geraldlutkenhaus.com and http://www.virginiadisabilitylawyer.com You can call Jerry Lutkenhaus now at 804-358-4766 for a free consultation about your disability case.

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Your Dogs Sense of Hearing More Sensitive Than You Might Think

Your Dogs Sense of Hearing - More Sensitive Than You Might Think
By Randy Jones

Dogs have far greater hearing than we humans. In addition to what the human ear can hear, he can detect fainter sounds from greater distances and on much higher frequencies. The human ear has a frequency upper limit of about 20,000 cycles, while the dogs range can be as high as 50,000 cycles. Dogs are able to determine the direction a sound is coming from much more accurately than we can, and can differentiate between similar sounds better also. Breeds with erect ears have better hearing than those with floppy ears due to their sound capturing ability.

Because dogs clearly distinguish different pitches, the tone of your voice and commands is as significant to him as the words that you pronounce. Since he responds most quickly to sharp sounds, you will find it easier to get a puppy to come when called if you reinforce your voice command with a whistling or hand-clapping at first. Instructions such as STOP should always be sharper in tone than ordinary communications. Any unexpected or unusual voice will alert a dog. His immediate reaction is to face the direction of the sound and then approach the spot warily.

Dogs perceive sound by feeling as well as through their auditive equipment. They react to vibrations of airplanes and earthquakes long before we are aware of them. Continued sharp or percussive noises can cause real suffering for a dogs sensitive hearing. A dog may seem to have a pathological fear of thunderstorms or explosives, when the real reason for his cringing behavior is simply physical pain. Oddly enough, given their sensitive hearing, dogs seldom suffer from vertigo, which begins in the inner ear.

Randy Jones and his partner Brent Jones have been in the pet industry for a long time. Recently they formed the website http://joncopets.com/ on the site, customers can read articles about anything pets as well as shop for the latest trendy items for their best friend. Feel free to check out the site at http://joncopets.com/

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36 Tips To Hearing God's Voice The Voice For Love Within You Tip #2 The Evolution Of Truth

36 Tips To Hearing God's Voice, The Voice For Love Within You- Tip #2 - The Evolution Of Truth
By David Paul Doyle

What is the evolution of truth? It sounds like a strange concept because Truth is eternal. It's changeless. It's formless. It's the essence of pure being that we are and that God is. Truth is the Reality of God, so how can there be an evolution of Truth?

When we experience truth in the world, in many ways, it is an evolutionary experience. We are constantly deepening our experience of Truth, our experience of Oneness, our experience of Love, understanding, compassion, and what's important are those qualities. Those are the qualities that the Voice for God within us teaches us about. God's Voice, by whatever name you call this Presence of Love and Peace within you, teaches us about love, compassion, understanding, acceptance, and truth. God can only speak to us where we are, what we're capable of learning right here, right now. God could give the same truth to each and every one of us, and yet we are each going to take in exactly what we're capable of taking in right now that makes sense to us, that feels real, accurate, and valid.

This is an important concept in hearing God's Voice within you because it will help you stop comparing WHAT you hear and HOW you hear to anyone else, because we each need to hear what we need to hear in order to awaken. If twenty people were to make the exact same request of prayer or God the same exact question, they would all hear something different. Each person has different life experience, different history, different belief systems, different culture, different background, and different language. Our minds are very unique, and when God speaks to us, He speaks to us through our particular mind, life experience, history, belief system, and vocabulary.

If you are a five-year old child, you're going to hear something completely different when you ask God a question about a particular situation than if you are possibly an atheist, a Buddhist, a scientist, someone living in Mongolia, or someone who comes from a very wealthy family. Because we're so unique in these ways, God is going to speak to each of us exactly where we are. What is it that we need to hear right here, right now in order to deepen our experience of Truth, Love and Peace? God will say something different to each of us, and that's the power of hearing God's Voice within you because you're not taking a concept of Truth that you read in a book or that someone else says to you and somehow figure out how to apply that Truth to your life. God will speak to you exactly where you are on a particular topic-right here, right now. That is powerful! That helps us each to deepen our understanding of Truth in our own way and at our own time. It's not taking an abstract concept and figuring out how to apply that concept or teaching to your life or somehow make it real. It gets made real right here and right now by hearing this Voice for Truth within you.

When we understand that there is no generic form that God's Voice expresses in, we can allow everybody to hear whatever they hear, even if it seems contradictory to what we hear. It's what that person needs to hear to awaken. You need to hear something different, and I need to hear something different. Sure there's going to be some commonality, and we may even hear exactly the same thing, but the point is, we each hear what we need to hear in this moment. When we can give that to our self and have that be okay, we are able to extend that to others and allow what they hear to be ok. What you hear doesn't need to match what this teacher, author, or minister says God's truth is.

I hope the messages we hear and share from God's Voice are helpful to people, and yet, you might hear something different. You will hear something unique to you, and that's what's important! It doesn't mean that someone is hearing God's Voice and someone isn't just because they hear different things. It's that each one heard God's Voice within them, and each heard what they needed to hear and how they needed to hear it.

When you give this to yourself, you'll stop comparing what you hear with what another person hears and you will be able to recognize God speaking to people in all kinds of ways, all over the world, non-stop. And it won't matter what it sounds like. You'll be able to see the Truth in it, and understand that each person gets what they need for their awakening and growth. This is what we call, The evolution of Truth, hearing as much Truth as we are possibly able to receive in this moment, in exactly this form, on this topic, and that is perfect. We could ask the same question tomorrow and get a different answer or the same answer. We might ask the same question next year or ten years from now and get the same answer or a different answer. There are no rules. This moment is this moment. That's it. We will hear whatever we need to hear in whatever form we need to awaken.

Over the next few days, as you practice this concept, ask God's Voice, the Voice for Peace and Love within you, for guidance and allow yourself to receive whatever you receive and know that it doesn't have to sound like, mimic, or be anything like what you've ever heard before. If it is exactly what you've heard before, that is perfect as well. That is just what you need to hear.

For example, if you are a student of A Course in Miracles and your mind is formed with that vocabulary and that understanding, then what you hear will probably be very similar to that body of work. If you have a mindset of a Catholic priest, you're going to hear in that form. If you're a Buddhist, you're going to hear with that vocabulary and that belief system, and that is perfect. If you've never studied any practice or belief, then you're going to hear however you do and that's perfect. That's how hearing God's Voice works! Hear however you do and know that is perfect for you. Over the next few days, begin to recognize how other people hear and that what they hear is perfect for them. This will truly change the way you experience God's Voice within you and outside of you. Blessings to you.

DavidPaul and Candace Doyle are the authors of The Voice for Love Book. Through their free 30 day audio program on hearing God's Voice, they teach how to hear God's voice as a distinct and conversational voice within you. If you desire to have more peace and love in your life, they will teach you how to clearly hear God's Voice within you.

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