TransEar is a bone conduction hearing instrument designed specifically for unilateral hearing loss, often called single-sided-deafness (SSD). It consists of three parts: a "transfer unit" ? a small custom acrylic half-shell which contains a miniature oscillator. These components are fit on and in the ear that has no hearing. Using bone conduction, the oscillator conducts vibrations across the skull to the good cochlea on the other side.

TransEar is available through hearing healthcare professionals. If your provider is not familiar with TransEar, we'll be happy to send him/her a complete fitting packet. (TransEar has not been available for long, so it is not surprising that many providers are just now hearing about it.) If you do not have a hearing healthcare provider and need a referral, contact Ear Technology by email at info@transear.

If you have a normal, non-drainiing ear canal on the dead side and good hearing on the other side, TransEar should work well for you. The "good ear" should show no greater than 30 dB of sensorineural loss through 2000 Hz. (See Indications for Use for full details.) Your hearing healthcare professional will evaluate your hearing in both ears and will compare that against TransEar's fitting range. Each patient's physiology and medical conditions may also be factors in the fitting.

Yes, but some adjustment might be needed. Although custom fit to your ear, a typical ear canal can change shape due to movement of the jaw when chewing, yawning, or talking, and this movement can cause discomfort in some people. If you are one of them, your provider will modify the shell to remove the pressure point, and in extreme cases this might take more than one visit. Such modifications can be done quickly, while you wait. Once modified, most users forget TransEar is even there.

Yes, but with a narrower frequency response than high-powered air conduction hearing aids. Please ask your hearing healthcare provider

It depends on the size of the ear canal and the maturity of the child being fitted. TransEar's transfer unit must reach past the second bend in the ear canal, so the child must be able to tolerate a deep-canal impression and accept the presence of a hard plastic shell in the ear. Some large children have small ear canals, and the opposite is also true, so there is no "one-size-fits-all" answer. Once we receive the required impressions, we can easily determine who is not a candidate.

Barely. The original version of TransEar used a larger oscillator in a full shell, but TransEar 270 is much smaller and is almost invisible from most angles. The faceplate ? the visible portion in the ear ? has a flat, non-reflective finish and does not have the controls and knobs that can make a traditional hearing aid noticeable. It is available in three colors: tan, pink/chameleon (ideal for pink or ruddy complexions), and medium brown.

Sorry, not yet. Complicated regulatory procedures make introduction of any medical device an expensive and time-consuming process, and each country has different rules. We hope to be able to offer TransEar outside of the U.S. sometime during 2007, so please check back periodically.

If your hearing healthcare provider has mentioned CROS aids, you are probably a good candidate for TransEar. However, if BI-CROS aids are recommended (in order to amplify the better ear), you may be out of the fitting range for TransEar. Ask your provider about TransEar, and he or she will be able to determine if TransEar is a viable option for you. (We'll be happy to send your provider complete fitting information in order to help him/her make that determination.)

A CROS is used when when an individual has a severe or profound loss in one ear, and the other side has such good hearing that it doesn't require amplification. An ear mold containing a microphone is positioned in the dead ear in order to receive sound on that side. Sound is transferred either via a wire, or wirelessly, to a hearing instrument in the better ear. So even though it doesn't need amplification, the good ear is still occluded.

Angina means pain or discomfort, coming from the heart, generally due to blocked arteries, and usually occurring with exertion. Not all chest pain is angina, and not all people with blocked arteries have pain. Not necessarily. Only in people with certain "high-risk" characteristics (e.g. unstable symptoms, triple vessel disease, poor heart muscle function) has it been proven that we can prolong life by these methods.

Electrology is the art and science of permanent hair removal utilizing probe devices. A fine sterile probe is inserted into the hair follicle and a small amount of electrical energy is discharged which destroys the hair growth tissue. When this is competently and skillfully accomplished, the regenerative ability of the hair follicle is permanently eliminated. The hair is lifted out after treatment and you leave with bare skin!

Alcohol is a chemical, a substance, a drug, because it is legal and socially accepted in our society and has a long history it is viewed differently than other drugs or chemicals. Ethyl alcohol, or ethanol, is an intoxicating ingredient found in beer, wine, and liquor.1 All alcoholic drinks contain ethanol, it is produced by the fermentation of yeast, sugars, and starches.

A cataract is a cloudiness of the eye's natural lens, which lies between the front and back areas of the eye. [top]

Plagiarism is representing another's work or ideas as your own. DO NOT DO IT -- EVER! In your written work, do not copy anything word-for-word from any source (including another student!) without putting it in quotes and referencing it. Do not copy any idea without referencing it. In the case of 1 or 2, it is NECESSARY to reference the source from which the quote or idea came. If it is a quote, it must appear in quotation marks.

The key to olive leaf is a phytochemical compound called Oleuropein from the leaves of Mission and Manzanillo olive trees. Oleuropein is the major phenolic constituent of the olive leaf (Olea europaea) and it is also present in olive oil and fruit. It has a powerful anti-bacterial and anti-viral effects. It has proven to be useful in cases of yeast and fungal infections, herpes, chronic fatigue, allergies, psoriasis and many other pathogens.

Massage, bodywork and somatic therapies are defined as the application of various techniques to the muscular structure and soft tissues of the human body. Specifically: Massage: The application of soft-tissue manipulation techniques to the body, generally intended to reduce stress and fatigue while improving circulation. The many variations of massage account for several different techniques.

It’s a surgical technique in which the abdominal cavity (belly) is inflated with carbon dioxide gas (CO2) and distended. A small (3-11mm thick) telescope (resembling a long and thin tube) is then inserted through the belly button, inside the abdominal cavity. This telescope called laparoscope has a light source at its end and a camera that allows the surgical team to watch on TV monitors, what is inside the belly under magnification and in great detail.