Your hearing is one of the most important function your body carries out and sometimes you realize that you are losing your sense of hearing, when it is too late to get it back. There are two main reasons for this. One of the reason is age  and the other is when the inner ear's hair cells break down and do not pick up sound well. Here are 7 ways to safeguard your hearing.

1. Try to avoid loud places
It is not advisable to go to places where you have to shout to be heard, such as in a street, a concert or a construction site.

2. Buy low noise rating equipment
The equipments in your house will make sound that you hear the most. Try to avoid these equipments by buying appliances with a low noise rating.

3. Wear hearing protection at loud places
However, it is true that it is not always possible to avoid loud noises. This is when you need to get hearing protection. Earplugs and earmuffs are two of the best ways to make sure that even when you are in a loud place, your hearing does not get affected. Earplugs and earmuffs generally reduce sound by 15 to 30 decibels, which may be crucial to make sure that later in your life, you do not lose your hearing.

4. Avoid smoke
Smoking raises your chance of hearing loss. Second hand smoke does the same thing. Therefore, try to avoid, both smoking and secondhand smoking. 

5. Remove earwax properly
Earwax cannot be removed properly using a cotton swab. Instead, you should use an irrigation kit. Remember this as otherwise; the earwax could muffle your hearing.

6. Avoid medications which reduce hearing
Certain medications increase hearing loss. Therefore, double check with your doctor to make sure your medicines will not make you lose your hearing.

7. Get your hearing tested
Finally, get your hearing tested as identifying the problem early on can help stop worsen the situation.

7 Tips to Safeguard Your Hearing

Loss or impairment of hearing can happen due to a variety of causes and may be temporary or permanent in nature, depending on the type and severity of the condition. One of the most common causes of hearing impairment is age. The degeneration of one's vital organs and senses becomes a reality for many people as the advancement of age happens, and the delicate insides of the ears are no different. Noise pollution, injury to the ear drum or any other part of the ear, as well as the movement of particles inside are only a few of the many reasons for loss of hearing. One of the many ways of dealing with long term hearing impairment is by using a hearing aid. Read on to know how you can regain your hearing with hearing aids.

1. Long Forgotten Sound: A hearing aid will help you reacquaint yourself with long forgotten and subtle sounds that you may not have been able to hear for a long time. Many times, this kind of impairment also makes us forget to notice the fact that we do not hear so many normal sounds in our everyday lives - sounds that we probably did not notice even earlier. This may include the whirring of a fan, the whoosh of the air, the pitter patter of pets' feet and so much more. A hearing aid will help in bringing about an adjustment to these sounds that you will actually end up discovering again.

2. Technicalities: The hearing aid basically works by letting your hearing and ears readjust to the various volumes, intensity and vibrations that one feels when different sounds reach the ears. This helps in hearing better.

3. Amplification: A hearing aid is basically an electroacoustic device that fits in neatly behind your ear where it is tucked away from plain sight. This device helps in amplifying sounds so that you can catch them and hear them more clearly.

4. Modulation: The ENT specialist will usually prescribe a certain kind of hearing aid based on your individual condition in terms of volume, size, power and circulation. These factors help in modulating the sounds in a certain way so that they reach the nerve pathways from the inner ear and travel to the brain in a proper and effective way. This is usually done in a customised way to cater to the specific type and cause of your hearing loss.

Using a hearing aid is a matter of retraining your hearing rather than restoring it completely. These aids will be helpful in regaining a better sense of hearing within the condition you are going through, rather than reversing the condition completely.

Regain Your Hearing With Hearing Aids

While most noise is just in the background for us, loud noises, either in small spurts or prolonged exposure, can cause hearing loss. This has been happening more frequently as the levels of noise in an industrialized society go further up.

Noise induced hearing loss explained
Loud noises may damage the sensitive structure of your ear, which process the sound waves into information. They eventually become nonfunctional, resulting in a loss of hearing in that range. If exposure to loud noises continues, then this might extend to the entire range of hearing and may cause total hearing loss.

What may cause noise induced hearing loss?
Some of the scenarios which may cause noise induced hearing loss are as follows:
1. Listening to music on high volume: If you constantly listen to music or watch movies at your home on very loud levels, then it may result in noise induced hearing loss. In fact, listening to music or watching movies with headphones in your ears is one of the leading causes for hearing loss. Headphones have deceptively loud levels and may result in damaged hearing overtime.

2. Noise of household tools: Household tools such as drills, mixers, grinders, mowers, and saws can expose you to loud levels of noise. Even a quick exposure for a few seconds could temporarily damage your hearing. 

3. Occupational problems: Occupations such as construction, factory work and military that require the use of power tools on a constant basis can also cause hearing loss. The sound from the resulting friction might damage your hearing very quickly. Explosions and impacts are also causes of hearing loss in the military and law enforcement departments.

Prevention and treatment
Treatment: It is difficult to treat hearing loss as in most cases; it may be permanent, except sudden shocks, when your hearing might come back to normal. The only treatments for hearing loss are hearing aids or cochlear implants which can restore hearing partially.

Prevention: Prevention is the best method to avoid hearing loss and in most cases, you should wear ear protection such as mufflers or sound level reduction devices to protect your hearing. Also, practice listening to music, watching TV or movies at lower levels, especially if you are on the headphones. 

Induced Hearing Loss - Facts You Should Be Careful about It!

Hearing loss is experienced by millions of people these days. Ageing is not the only factor that brings hearing impairment. The causes are many. Certain medications, continuous exposure to loud noise, genetic involvement, injury and some medical conditions may cause hearing loss.

There are quite a few myths that people have come to believe about hearing loss over the years. Since it is such a common phenomenon, here we take a look at the common myths surrounding hearing loss.

Myth no. 1: Hearing loss is exclusive to elderly.

Fact: As said before, hearing loss can be an outcome of various causes. Nearly half of the people suffering from the same are below the age of 55 years. No matter what your age is, you must always get your ears checked, especially if you are feeling that are you missing things.

Myth no. 2: Diagnosing hearing loss is easy.

Fact: Most people do not come to know about the condition until it gets worse. Also, your physician never really checks for hearing loss symptoms in a general check-up unless you ask for it specifically.

So, always get a check-up done, like you do for other probable diseases.

Myth no. 3: There's no effective solution for hearing loss.

Fact: Like there have been advancements in the medical field for everything else, there are aids available these days that improve your hearing and have finer adjustments for noise adaptation. Also, there are certain other procedures and surgeries that have proved to improve the condition in many.

So, seek help as soon as possible.

Myth no. 4: The sounds aren't loud enough; my ears are healthy and fine.

Fact: If there is a problem you're experiencing with hearing, you have got to accept that and get it treated. Avoiding a certain condition will only get things worse for you.

Also, hearing aids are no more a stigma. Ear aid devices have designs similar to earphones these days, which are comfortable enough to wear. Ignoring a medical condition or inability to accept the same would only do more harm instead of making things fine.


Common Myths About Hearing Loss

What Causes Meniere s Disease?
Meniere's Disease is a disorder that basically affects the sense of balance and hearing of the patient. This condition takes place in the inner ear and it may cause problems like vertigo, where patients experience a spinning sensation and a ringing sound as well. This is a chronic disorder, which requires a number of lifestyle changes so that it can be managed and treated without becoming a debilitating problem.

Read on to know more about the symptoms and causes of the condition.

Symptoms: The various signs and symptoms of this disease include a feeling of fullness in the ear, which has been affected by the condition. Also, most patients have a spinning sensation and a ringing sound in the affected ear. Nausea and vomiting may also be caused by this condition, along with sweating and loss of balance. It is also normal to feel uncoordinated when you are suffering from this condition.

Secondary Symptoms: This condition may also cause many other complications, which are known as secondary symptoms. These include anxiety, depression and stress. This usually happens due to the problems in the ear and even the problem of vertigo. This may cause problems for people who climb heights or ladders for their work or even for other recreational causes. The constant sense of dizziness and spinning may cause a person to become anxious and undertake stress when it comes to carrying out various kinds of functions in day to day living.

Causes:  There are various causes of this condition, even though many medical reports suggest that the exact cause has not really been understood so far. As any doctor will tell you, the in the inner ear there is a labyrinth which contains fluids. When there is a problem with the composition and level of these fluids, the patient may develop Meniere s Disease. This condition specifically affects the inner part of the ear. This part is made up of passages and a cavity as well as soft membrane like structures with hair like sensors. These sensors respond to the fluid s movement within the ear. When this fluid does not have the appropriate levels, it can lead to many complications like Meniere s Disease, which affect the nerve impulse that these sensors catch and transmit to the brain.
Stages: This disease progresses over a set of three stages. In the very first stage, the patient will experience much dizziness and nausea, before that progresses to the second stage. In this stage, the patient will have moderate to severe vertigo. This is also known as the middle stage. Finally, this may culminate into the third or late stage, which leads to more frequent episodes of vertigo. The hearing of the patient and the ringing sound in the ears will also get worse in this stage.

Meniere s Disease -  What are the Reasons Behind It 

A cochlear implant is an electronic device that is used to restore hearing ability in people who suffer from hearing loss due to inner ear damage. Unlike hearing aids which amplify sounds so people with hearing loss are better able to perceive them, cochlear implants directly transmit electronic sound signals to the auditory nerve. They work by compensating for damaged cochlea, the part of inner ear that converts sound waves into neural impulses which are perceived by the brain. 

A child who cannot hear will also never be able to speak. 
Inability to hear and speak puts a person at disadvantage in society. 
Simple tasks like talking on the phone which we take for granted become impossible. 
Conventional methods of learning like attending a classroom lecture become impossible. 
Brain development and intelligence is closely linked to development of speech and language. 
Inability of parents to communicate with child leads to emotional distancing. 
Integrating a hearing disabled person in to society becomes a frustrating experience for all involved. 
Cost of integration per capita in much higher when compared to cost of Cochlear Implant. 
Children with Cochlear Implants are fully integrated in society with normal hearing & speech. 
Children with Cochlear Implants can attend regular schools & colleges 
Early identification of hearing impairment gives children a better chance of developing speech and language skills, and of making the most of social and emotional interaction from an early age. 
Cochlear implants offer a multitude of benefits to people experiencing hearing loss, especially infants and children with severe hearing loss who are just starting to process language and speech. Some of these benefits are: 

Hearing and communication   Cochlear implants improve hearing significantly, especially to a level where normal communication can be restored. It enhances the person s ability to hear speech without relying on visual cues such as lip reading or hand signs. It makes telephonic conversation a lot easier. Cochlear implants also help people regulate their own voice and volume so that it is easier for others to understand them. 
Quality of life - It can help people with hearing loss listen to and enjoy music and also watch television with sounds. It helps people listen to sounds in a noisy environment and differentiate soft sounds from loud ones. 
Safety   Cochlear implants enhance the individual s safety as it allows the person to be able to hear warning sounds like honking cars or ambulance sirens. This will allow people to navigate public spaces in a much safer way. 
Society - For children with hearing loss, cochlear implants can help them adjust a lot better to regular schools instead of requiring special institutions. 
Brain development - It can help infants with cochlear damage develop their speech recognition and speaking skills much faster. 
Cochlear implants 

Only device of its kind that can restore a special sense.
Consists of 2 parts-
One part is surgically implanted in the body 
Second part is worn behind the ear and communicates with internal part using wireless signals 
Persons of any age can get a cochlear implant, from less than one year old children to 90 year old persons have received implants all around the world. 
Cochlear implants can be done for partial hearing loss also, know as Hybrid implant that preserves the residual natural hearing and augments hearing only in certain sound frequencies in which hearing loss is present. 
Are being used for indications other than hearing loss also like Tinnitus. 
Surgery is a day care procedure for most patients. 
Consult a doctor to get a clear assessment of whether you would be an eligible candidate for a cochlear implant and what to expect from the procedure.

Cochlear Implant - The Many Benefits Of It

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