The Advantages of Programmable Hearing Aids

People need hearing aids for a variety of reasons. Perhaps your hearing is degenerating due to normal aging, or perhaps you have undergone a serious illness that resulted in moderate hearing loss. Whatever the reason, if you have mild to moderate hearing impairment, it is likely that a hearing aid can help to better your quality of life.

Conventional hearing aids are the analog variety and are non-programmable. This means that they have one setting that cannot be changed or altered. with these models, you may experience sensitivity to background noise without the option to filter. Though many believe that these models are better than no hearing aid at all, with todays advanced technology, other options are available.

Programmable, or digital hearing aids are designed and programmed specifically for each individual. After you have had a hearing examination, your audiologist will determine the level of your hearing loss and what product best suits your needs. He or she can then program the device for your particular type of hearing loss.

Some of these programmable devices offer the patient the option to change settings. You are able to control the volume as well as the input of loud and soft sounds. Generally, the models do not have volume controls; they are programmed to automatically adjust to changing conditions.

Programmable hearing aids use computer technology. Because of advanced digital computer technology, these aids are able to accommodate a wide range of needs. In the past, when a patients hearing worsened, they would have to order and purchase a whole new device. with todays programmable hearing aids, the patient or audiologist can simply reset the hearing aid to function at the patients level of hearing loss.

Leaps in technological advancement have increased the quality of life for many people with hearing loss. From digital hearing aids capable of retrieving a greater range of sounds to programmable hearing aids, the world is rapidly become a friendlier place for the hearing impaired. Most consumers of programmable hearing aids sing the praises of this wonderful technology and cannot imagine going back to a world of non-programmable, analog hearing aids.

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Mysteries of Muscle Memory

When you learned to write, you trained the muscles in your arm and hand to create letters. It took time and concentration to do this, but with repetition it became automatic. Your hand developed muscle memory; when you write your name, your muscles remember how to move without focusing on the process.

Dancing, yoga, gymnastics and weight training are examples of other activities that require enhanced muscle memory. We can make the learning process easier and help establish muscle memory by using a few simple techniques:

* Visual images
* Repetition
* Slow motion
* Micromovement

Imagery

Using a visual image is an effective way to train your body to perform a new dance step or exercise. the best visual images are those which are familiar and detailed.

In dance, visualizing a movement helps you perform the step. For example, if a dancer wants to make an S-curving motion with her body, she can visualize a fish swimming, a camel walking, or a snake crawling. Since the best visual images are familiar and detailed, visualizing the color, texture, shape and markings of the image make it more vivid and effective. Likewise, visualizing yourself correctly repeating a new dance step or exercise makes the learning process easier.

Many people find geometric shapes helpful. For example, you can imagine drawing a big circle to make learning a belly dance hip circle or circle step easier. A square is a useful image for learning a box step or hip square.

Repetition & slow motion

Repetition helps fix a new exercise or dance movement in your mind, so that the next time you perform it, you remember it more easily and perform it with less effort. Slow repetitions of a new exercise or dance step enable you to feel every nuance of the movement.

Rushing through a movement before youve completely mastered it skips over the important process of sensing every nuance of the movement; beginning dance students and exercisers often need to be reminded to slow down. Going slowly helps your muscles recognize precisely what the movement should feel like when performed correctly.

Micromovement

Micromovement means performing a movement in a very tiny way, using the least range of motion possible. For example, if you were writing the letter O ten inches high and then writing o in a script so tiny it could barely be seen, your O would require a much larger hand movement than tiny letter o, the micromovement. Using a tiny range of motion helps you sense subtle muscle movements which are occurring, but micromovements must be performed with awareness to get the full benefit. Going slowly helps.

have fun with learning!

Select the movement or exercise you are working on, then answer the following:

Imagery: what animal, shape or object does it remind you of?
Repetition: what kind of music would help you when practicing this movement?
Slow motion: how many counts does it take you to complete one repetition?
Micromovement:what is the smallest range of motion you can use for the movement?

Ramona is the author of Dynamic Belly Dance, the Joyful Journey of Dancemaking and Performing. See free belly dance videos, read book excerpts and order an autographed copy at http://www.DynamicBellyDance.com

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