The Wonders of Hearing

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When you get a chance, buy yourself a pair of earplugs at a sporting goods store. Put them in for a short time and notice how much harder life is when you have difficulty hearing. Even something as simple as a conversation can be a strain. You would not be able to listen to the radio, and enjoying an evening of television is a monumental task. If you are having difficulty hearing will also have trouble perceiving movement in your home. The closing of doors, the ringing of oven timers, and the operation of air conditioners cannot be heard if your hearing is impaired.

You have just experienced the world of auditory isolation. The good news is that for most people, hearing loss can be prevented. Hearing loss can be categorized in two ways. Conductive loss is what happens when sounds can't reach the inner ear, where sounds are interpreted.

Sensorineural hearing loss occurs when there is physical damage to the fibers of the inner ear, the auditory nerve or the brain such that sounds are misinterpreted or weakened. People that experience this type of loss usually have tinnitus, which is a buzzing or ringing sound that happens all the time or intermittently. Many people with tinnitus believe it's a worse problem than hearing loss. A physician or audiologist is able to differentiate between the kinds of hearing loss by examining your medical history and by carrying out certain tests. The diagnosis can be verified through the use of a hearing test.

There are several corrective actions that can be taken for conductive hearing loss, including the simple removal of wax from the ear canal, or the treatment can involve complex surgery for otosclerosis, which is a procedure involving the middle ear bones. Sensorineural loss can be treated with a digital hearing aid, which certain patients work extremely well, all the way to cochlear implants that are designed for people that have specific inner ear problems.

You should always protect your ears when in a noisy environment by either leaving the area or using ear plugs. A lot of baby boomers are dealing with hearing loss because they grew up listening to loud music. Others who served in the military or shot guns without protecting our ears are also facing hearing loss. Exposure to motors, machines, munitions and music leads to long term hearing damage. Twenty per cent of people have hearing loss by age 55 and another 33% will suffer from hearing loss by age 65. Fortunately, loss of hearing associated with the aging process usually does not lead to complete deafness.

People experiencing a loss of hearing in a single ear may have an acoustic neuroma, a benign tumor which interferes with the auditory nerve. These tumors grow slowly, but left unchecked can cause total hearing loss as well as other problems and the only treatment is surgery. Many people suffer a variety of chronic ear infections, such as middle-ear, measles, mumps, meningitis, and mumps. These can all cause hearing loss and should be discussed with your doctor.

Sound can be muffled by anything that blocks the ear canal. This includes ear wax which is pushed deeper into the ear canal by people who aggressively clean their ears with cotton swabs. It is acceptable to lightly use swabs. But if there is a build up of wax, it's a good idea to consult your doctor for advice on removing it safely. At times, the bones of the middle ear will harden or there will be fluid generated by allergies or infections.

Hearing can be adversely affected by some medications such as those for malaria, heart anti-arrhythmics, some antibiotics, and even aspirin. Trauma is also a culprit in causing hearing loss. Holes poked in the eardrum, fractured skulls, as well as trauma from noise and water or air pressure can all hurt our sensitive hearing. Begin using earplugs whenever you should. You should especially consider earplugs whenever you are working with power tools, even lawn tools like your lawnmower or power edger, target shooting, playing video games, watching movies or listening to music where the volume is very high.

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