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A cheap, safe treatment for sinus problems
(11/19/07) An inexpensive, safe and easy treatment is an effective method for treating chronic nasal and sinus symptoms - more effective, in fact, than commonly used saline sprays, according to a new study from University of Michigan Health System researchers..
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A parent's guide to understanding tonsils and strep
(08/06/07) When is a tonsillectomy the right choice for your child? And, why are some children more prone to chronic throat infections? To help answer those questions, a U-M Health System expert offers parents a seven-step guide to better understand tonsils, tonsillitis, strep and tonsillectomies before the start of the school year.
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A wider range of sounds for the deaf
(06/07/07) A tiny electrode array placed directly in the auditory nerve could overcome limitations of todays widely used cochlear implants, initial U-M research in animals suggests. Such a device would allow deaf people to hear low-pitched sounds typical in speech, converse in a noisy room and enjoy a symphony.
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Nutrients might prevent hearing loss due to noise
(03/28/07) In a new study in animals, U-M researchers report that a combination of high doses of vitamins A, C, and E and magnesium, taken one hour before noise exposure and continued as a once-daily treatment for five days, was very effective at preventing permanent noise-induced hearing loss. The nutrient combination will be tested in humans soon.
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Stem cell marker identified in head and neck cancer
(01/16/07) Researchers have found a marker on head and neck tumor cells that indicates which cells are capable of fueling the cancer's growth. The finding is the first evidence of cancer stem cells in head and neck tumors.
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7 things to know about preventing, treating winter laryngitis
(01/02/07) Viral laryngitis is contagious and passes the same way as common colds and flu bugs. To avoid getting laryngitis, a U-M expert suggests seven ways to prevent and treat this inflammation of the voice box, and offers suggestions for caring for your voice even when it's healthy.
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All I want for Christmas is a toy with a mute button
(12/04/06) From traditional noisemakers like toy guns and musical instruments to talking dolls and animated stuffed animals, many toys today are loud enough to cause permanent hearing damage in children. To protect kids hearing, a U-M audiologist offers parents some tips for picking toys that are safe for their childrens ears this holiday season.
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Using aspirin to prevent antibiotic-induced hearing loss
(04/26/06) Irreversible hearing loss is commonly caused by an antibiotic that is widely used in the developing world. Now, researchers at the University of Michigans Kresge Hearing Research Institute have found that the hearing loss can be prevented in many people with the use of another inexpensive, widely available medication: aspirin.
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Put your best voice forward on World Voice Day
(04/14/06) Many people strain their vocal cords on a regular basis due to the way they sing or speak. Whether youre a lawyer, teacher, parent or even a star-in-the-making on American Idol, experts at the University of Michigan Health System say its vital to focus on the well-being of your voice.
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Preserving hearing with ear tumor removal
(02/28/06) Researchers at the University of Michigan Medical School have found high rates of success at preserving patients hearing when a particular type of procedure is used to remove tumors on the nerves that connect the brain to the ear.
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Treatment method improves survival for laryngeal cancer
(02/01/06) Researchers at the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center have found that determining early into treatment for cancer of the larynx, or voice box, which patients would benefit from chemotherapy and radiation treatment and which would be better off having surgery led to better survival rates than typically expected for this type of cancer.
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Cranked-up music on headphones can lead to hearing loss
(01/03/06) Nothing is innately unhealthy about listening to iPods and other MP3 players, but listening to them with the volume turned up too high can cause lasting damage and irreversible hearing loss, a University of Michigan audiologist cautions.
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NIH grant funds hearing-loss research
(08/29/05) At a time when longer life spans are leading to a rapid increase in the number of people with age-related hearing loss, a new $6.9 million federal grant will help U-M Health System researchers understand the causes of hearing loss as people age and possibly the ways of lessening or preventing the damage that leads to it.
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Immune system attacks on hearing studied
(08/16/05) Our immune system protects us from disease, destroying invading microbes with a swarm of attacking cells. But it can also go haywire for no apparent reason, ganging up on normal tissues in our body and wreaking havoc. New U-M research explores why this sometimes happens in the inner ear, destroying a person's ability to hear.
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Compound from Chinese medicine shows promise in cancer
(07/18/05) A compound derived from cottonseed could help improve the effectiveness of chemotherapy at treating head and neck cancer, researchers at the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center have found.
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Compound from Chinese medicine shows promise in cancer
(04/19/05) A compound derived from cottonseed oil could help improve the effectiveness of chemotherapy at treating head and neck cancer, researchers have found. The findings could lead to a treatment that provides an effective option to surgically removing the cancer, helping patients preserve vital organs involved in speech and swallowing.
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Listen to your voice: Changes could mean danger
(04/01/05) Many people take their voices for granted. For people whose careers revolve around speaking, such as teachers, salespeople, clergy and receptionists, untreated voice problems can greatly interfere with their work. It’s important to take voice symptoms seriously. Such symptoms can include hoarseness; loss of vocal range; loss of volume or ability to project a loud voice; and loss of endurance. Neck muscle pain or throat soreness after voice use can also indicate a problem.""
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Gene therapy restores hearing in deaf animals
(02/14/05) After 11 years of intensive research, scientists at the University of Michigan Medical School have succeeded in using gene therapy to grow new auditory hair cells and restore hearing in deafened adult guinea pigs - a major step forward in the search for new ways to treat hearing loss in humans.
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Feeling dizzy? Like your head is spinning?
(12/23/04) Imagine what it would be like to feel that dizzy and off-balance for minutes, hours, days — or even years. This kind of serious dizziness, called vertigo, makes life miserable for millions of people each year, and keeps some from driving or working. It starts without warning for no apparent reason, and comes and goes. But, it doesn’t have to be this way.
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U-M performs 1,000th cochlear implant
(10/01/04) Today, the Cochlear Implant Program at the University of Michigan Health System will reach a new milestone when Steven A. Telian, M.D., Medical Director of the Cochlear Implant Program, implants the 1,000th cochlear implant recipient. To celebrate, the program will host a two-part event on Oct. 2 at U-M.
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Half of head and neck cancer patients disabled by treatment
(06/22/04) More than half of people treated for head and neck cancer were unable to return to work after treatment, according to a new study.
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U-M study: Botox injections provide long-term relief and better quality of life for voice disorder patients
(04/19/04) Best known for smoothing wrinkles, Botox shots can also help people with a severe voice problem called spasmodic dysphonia. A new U-M research study shows that the shots, delivered to the muscles in the vocal cords, provide lasting and reproducible relief.
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Voice your concerns about your voice!
(04/15/04) A U-M voice expert urges everyone to pay attention to their own voices - because changes in how you sound may be caused by a variety of health problems. April 16 is World Voice Day, when voice experts everywhere try to draw attention to the importance of a healthy voice.
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U-M doctors implant new "bionic ear"
(07/07/03) A rare condition, known as neurofibromatosis type II is a hereditary disorder caused by non-cancerous tumors that grow on the hearing and balance nerves. Surgeries to remove these "acoustic neuromas" can leave a person completely deaf. A complex surgical procedure available at the University of Michigan Health System can give a person a chance for a new kind hearing with a "bionic ear."
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Gene therapy triggers growth of new auditory hair cells in mammals
(06/02/03) University of Michigan scientists have used gene therapy to grow new auditory hair cells in adult guinea pigs - a discovery that could lead to new treatments for human deafness and age-related hearing loss.
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Overcoming language loss after stroke or other traumatic brain injuries
(06/02/03) Like most people, Debbie Bowland didn't think twice about her ability to have everyday conversations with family and friends. But after a paralyzing stroke more than a year ago, the 59-year-old suddenly found she could no longer speak or read.
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Changes in your voice means trouble
(04/14/03) Most of us don’t think much about our voices from day to day, taking for granted our ability to talk, shout, murmur, laugh and groan. Many people — teachers, lawyers, clergy and salespeople, as well as actors, singers and radio hosts — rely on their voices to do their jobs.
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3.7 million grant advances hearing loss research at U-M
(10/21/02) A five-year, $3.7 million grant from the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communicable Disorders will allow Kresge Hearing Research Institute to advance the hearling loss research field at large
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U-M Cancer Center receives $14M grant from NCI
(08/15/02) With the five-year, $14 million SPORE grant, the Cancer Center will work to significantly improve the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of head and neck cancer. It will also advance the use of chemotherapy for an innovative preservation treatment approach pioneered by the Cancer Center.
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Chronic ear infections: Antibiotics aren't the only option
(08/05/02) Specialists at the U-M Health System suggest that in many cases, antibiotics might not be the best defense against chronic ear infections.
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Noggin mutation causes rare congenital hearing loss
(07/26/02) If hearing loss runs in your family and the doctor says it's otosclerosis, it may be important to see a genetic counselor as well as a surgeon, according to new research from the U-M Medical School.
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U-M study tests pulsing ear-pressure device for relief of Ménière's disease
(02/21/02) U-M ear specialists are giving Ménière's sufferers a chance to try a much less destructive option that has shown early promise in European studies.
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U-M scientists find gene for low-frequency hearing loss
(11/20/01) An international research team, led by U-M Medical School scientists Marci Lesperance, M.D., and Margit Burmeister, Ph.D., has identified a gene responsible for an unusual type of hearing loss called low frequency sensorineural hearing loss.
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Cochlear implants found to help deaf-blind patients
(01/18/01) Study shows hearing devices open channels of communication for deaf people who lose vision.
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Deaf children who get cochlear implants early in life get the biggest language boost, concludes largest-ever study
(01/02/01) The younger deaf and hearing-impaired children are when a cochlear implant awakens their hearing, the better they will do on speech recognition tests later in life, according to the new results of the largest and most carefully designed study of its kind.
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