How Good is the Sound With a "Bionic" Ear? [Audio Simulations]

Given the media exposure (and popular  YouTube videos ) of patients getting their "bionic ear" turned on with subsequent tears of joy... there is an often mistaken belief that such bionic ears, otherwise known as cochlear implants , provide superior hearing compared to an ordinary hearing aid . A cochlear implant is actually implanted through the skull and directly into the cochlea rather than placed on the outside of the ear (watch video ). Well, this blog article will try to pro…

6/28/2015 0

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How Often Does Tongue Tie Release Improve Breastfeeding? What about Speech?

In the last blog article , we discussed the controversy around tongue tie release that exists from ancient to modern times. According to modern research, cautious support exists for tongue tie release regarding breastfeeding but not speech difficulties. So what did the research actually show? Statistically, tongue tie release improves/resolves breastfeeding problems ~80% of the time within 4 weeks, often within 48 hours. The percentage is lower if birth defects are present. Summary of the…

3/22/2015 0

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Are OTC Otoscopes Any Good? (Dr. Mom Pocket Otoscope, etc)

So I was hanging out at Walgreens one day and noticed that there are several models of otoscopes for sale in the pharmacy aisle. The cost of one ran anywhere from $25 to as much as $50 which is quite cheap compared to the "doctor" model which typically is a Welch Allyn and costs several hundred dollars. I was curious to see how good or bad these OTC otoscope models are compared to the Welch Allyn otoscope I use. Here are the models I decided to use for comparison (as seen on Amazon.…

12/03/2014 5

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How to Describe Hoarseness?

At heart, physicians are science geeks. And when it comes to a raspy voice , one can go truly bananas in how exactly to describe how a raspy voice sounds. For the layperson, when asked to describe a hoarse voice, one often gets imprecise answers to a question most feel ridiculous... I often get a blank look with an answer that goes something like "You know... raspy... it's not clear." Unfortunately, such a description is inadequate. Even when using more descriptors like deeper…

11/16/2013 0

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Vocal Cord Tear Silences R&B Singer Frank Ocean

Image by Fred von Lohmann from Wikipedia On July 25, 2013, R&B singer Frank Ocean was forced to cancel his entire Australian concert tour due to a small vocal cord tear. After singing his opening night with a sore throat during which he reportedly sounded "noticeably off-key," he seeked medical attention and was informed of the unfortunate condition of his vocal cord. Listening to his voice on this YouTube video recorded during this fateful concert, his voice actually doe…

7/27/2013 0

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What Makes a Voice Sound Attractive?

Ever hear a voice that sounded sexy or attractive? Ever build a mental image of what a stranger on the phone may look like purely based on the sound of the voice??? Well, according to researchers , an attractive voice reflects an attractive perceived body size. A group of human subjects listened to the same sentence that was manipulated by altering pitch, acoustic resonance, and voice quality based on body size projections reported for animal calls and emotional human vocal expressions. …

5/01/2013 1

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