AARAV SPEECH & HEARING CLINIC , NEW PANVEL

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 Audiologist, who are specalized in hearing assessment and diagnosis, will prescribe the type and detail 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.

What is Hearing loss?

Hearing loss is a decreased ability to hear. There are two main categories of hearing loss: Conductive hearing and sensorineural hearing. 

Symptoms of Hearing loss-

• Unable to hear high or low level sounds
• A little Hearing but not understanding
• Unable to hear when there is background noise
• Humming sounds in the ears
• Social withdrawal
• Fatigue and stress
• Speak loudly

Causes of Hearing loss-

• Fluid in the middle ear
• Ear infections
• Ear injury or fractured bones in the middle ear
• Damage of ear drum
• Rigid bones in the middle ear
• Ear surgery damage to the inner ear
• Tumors 

Risk factors of Hearing loss-

• Genetics
• Age
• Not receiving all recommended immunizations
• Ear infections
• Exposure to earsplitting music or noise
• Use of certain medicines
• Meniere’s disease
• Collagen vascular diseases 

Complications of Hearing loss-

• Diabetes
• Deafness 

Diagnosis of hearing loss:-

• Medical history
• Physical exam
• Tests may include: Weber test, Rinne test, Audiometric tests, Tympanometry, Electrocochleography and Brain stem auditory evoked responses test. 

Precautions & Prevention of Hearing loss

• Quit smoking
• Always wear ear protection
• Get all appropriate immunizations.
• Treat all medical conditions.
• Avoid noisy environment
• Use sufficient ear protection when using noisy equipment.
• Sufficient treatment of ear problem

Treatment of Hearing loss

• Homeopathic Treatment of Hearing loss
• Acupuncture Treatment of Hearing loss
• Conventional / Allopathic Treatment of Hearing loss
• Surgical Treatment of Hearing loss
• Dietary & Herbal Treatment of Hearing loss
• Other Treatment of Hearing loss

Treatment of Hearing loss

Homeopathic Treatment of Hearing loss-

Homeopathic remedies depend upon patient condition or level of hearing problem. Homeopathic treatment reduces the symptoms of hearing loss. It helps both conductive and sensorineural hearing loss. Following homeopathic remedies are very beneficial for hearing loss symptoms:

• Calcarea carbonica
• Cimicifuga
• Graphites
• Carbo vegetabilis
• Kali carbonicum
• Lycopodium
• Coffea crud
• Natrum salicylicum
• Salicylicum acidum 

Acupuncture and Acupressure Treatment of Hearing loss-

In Acupuncture treatment, the ringing in ears disappeared and the volume and pitch in ear were appreciably muted. Acupuncture treatment has been shown tremendous improvement in hearing loss. 

Psychotherapy and Hypnotherapy Treatment of Hearing loss-

Psychotherapy and hypnotherapy can help in stress relief. They can help in better coping and early relief. 

Conventional / Allopathic Treatment of Hearing loss-

Allopathic treatment of hearing loss includes some antibiotics, analgesics, immunosuppressant, oral contraceptives, and mood-altering drugs.  

Surgical Treatment of Hearing loss-

Surgery treatment may be performed in some cases of serious hearing loss to correct the middle ear problem, such as in otosclerosis, damage and ear infections. 

Dietary & Herbal Treatment of Hearing loss-

• Limit Caffeine, chocolate, and sodium
• Avoid tobacco and alcohol
• Eat fresh pineapple
• Plenty of garlic, kelp, and sea vegetables in diet

 Other Treatment of Hearing loss

• Removal of Earwax
• Use Hearing Aids
• Sign language and lip reading (if severe hearing loss)

Proper and sound hearing is essential for a healthy living. If you are suffering from lack or loss of hearing, chances are that you are missing out on life itself. Therefore it is imperative that you undergo treatments in case you are suffering from any kind of hearing ailment. There are various reasons that contribute to loss of hearing. Some of the common causes are-

1.        Age
2.        Increasing noise
3.        Genetically inherited

Over the years various surgical and non-surgical methods have surfaced that repair hear loss and damage. Among the other branches of medicines, Ayurveda is the most old and ancient method. It uses natural herbs in order to correct and treat hearing loss. This has proved to be extremely beneficial and potent and it cures hearing ailments by various natural methods. Some of them are:

1.        Lukewarm mustard oil or sesame oil
If you are suffering from ear ache or loss in hearing, try putting few drops of warm mustard oil and sesame oil in your ear and hold it with index fingers. At the same time store the air in your mouth and let your cheeks contract and bulge for a minute or so. This ayurvedic tip considerably improves hearing and reduces ear pain.

2.        Raddish juice and sesame oil
If you are suffering from sores and hearing problems, a mixture of the two can be beneficial. In this method, a small quantity of raddish juice should be boiled with a small quantity of sesame oil till the juice absorbs the oil. This mixture should be administered twice a day in order to experience the results.

3.        Applewood oil
A variety of ingredients are required in order to create the resultant oil. Initially cow's urine should be boiled and the applewood powder must be added to it. This mixture should then be filtered and further added with sesame and goat's milk. This concoction then should be boiled and the resultant oil should be stored and applied with cotton daily. This improves hearing a great deal.

4.     Mixture of neem and turmeric
In this method turmeric and neem leaves are boiled together. The steam should be taken as well as the water must be applied on the ears and surrounding areas. This has proved to be an extremely effective remedy in treating puss in the ears and consequent hearing loss.

5.    Mixture of raddish juice, turmeric, sesame oil and ajwain seeds
All these ingredients must be taken in selective quantities and boiled to get the resultant oil. This oil must be stored and used to treat hearing loss and other ear diseases.