Have you heard of ear ‘tickling’?
It sounds like fun but refers to sending small electrical currents into the ear. A new study suggests this therapy could rebalance the nervous system in the over-55s to help them age more healthily.
Children from Chernobyl enjoying a respite holiday were welcomed at our Stone branch which provided free eye tests and prescription glasses. The ten youngsters were put at ease by optometrist Larisa Dorochtchak, who is Ukrainian and speaks Russian, and they also received goody bags from the team at the branch on Adies Alley.
Some things in life are obvious and hard to ignore while others – like ageing – creep up on us. Hearing loss often comes into that latter category as it can be subtle and gradual and easier to overlook. But the signs are out there and it pays to listen to them.
A new study suggests that wearing hearing aids for age-related hearing loss could delay the onset of dementia and slow brain ageing by eight years. There has been evidence for some time of a link between hearing loss and dementia-related illnesses such as Alzheimer’s, but it was not clear whether the loss was a symptom of the illness or one of the causes.
With one in ten British adults suffering from tinnitus, news that a drug to cure the condition may be nearer is certainly welcome. Research scientists in Arizona, USA, have made a breakthrough by blocking a protein molecule that fuels brain inflammation. The study has been trialled on mice but further investigations are required before tests on humans.
As festival season kicks off this summer, thousands of music fans will be looking forward to an experience of a lifetime. They’ll be wondering which performers will really rock the place and go down in festival folklore, what the unpredictable British summer will throw at them and what memories will be created.
The loss of his grandad from dementia has spurred on a Halesowen man to tackle a tough 105 mile charity cycle ride just months after buying a bike.
Peter Fell, aged 37, hadn’t been on a bike since he was a teenager but in January he bought a road bike to tackle the annual Wolverhampton to Aberdovey sponsored bike ride. He hopes to raise £500 for Alzheimer’s Society in the challenge on Friday 21 June.
Here’s food for thought, what you eat could affect your hearing.
We know a balanced diet and healthy lifestyle are good for our wellbeing and that being overweight can take its toll in many ways. But are you aware that research has linked obesity to hearing loss?
There’s more than a touch of science fiction becoming fact with news that boffins have created a mind-controlled hearing aid to focus on particular voices.
It’s early days yet for the experimental technology which would transform the ability of those with hearing loss to cope with noisy environments. As even advanced hearing aids haven’t cracked this issue yet it could be a real breakthrough.
The importance of regular eye tests is given added focus in Diabetes Week. Eye tests provide more than a check on your vision; they give an insight into overall well being and can detect whether you are at risk of diabetes based on the retinal vascular changes and blood vessel patterns in your eyes.