monicapink
07-14-03, 02:19 PM
The older I become the more aware I have to be about the different facets of aging. Herein I have presented information taken from an article I read in Sunday's newspaper.
ALL ABOUT HEARING
You will discover that everything you do becomes more difficult when you can't hear ..... whether it is listening to the radio, simple conversations, watching television -- even sensing presence in your home.
There are two types of hearing loss CONDUCTIVE LOSS AND SENSORINEURAL HEARING LOSS:
CONDUCTIVE LOSS: This means sounds are NOT BEING "CONDUCTED" or GETTING THROUGH TO THE INNER EAR (where the interpretation of sound occurs).
SENSORINEURAL HEARING LOSS: Sound makes its way through to the inner ear BUT ONCE IT IS THERE THE SIGNAL IS MISINTERPRETED BECAUSE OF DAMAGE TO TINY FIBERS IN THE INNER EAR, THE HEARING NERVE OR THE BRAIN ITSELF. People with this type of loss often have tinnitus -- a ringing/buzzing sound that occurs intermittently or constantly. For many this is worse than hearing loss.
A physician (or an audiologist) can distinguish between the types of losses by looking at your history and performing certain exams.
For conductive loss the treatment can be as simple as removing wax from the ear canal -- or as complicated as ostosclerosis (which is a surgery on the bones in the middle ear).
For sensorineural losses treatment can vary between using a digital hearing aid or having a cochlear implant (this is specifically for individuals with specific inner ear problems).
Here are some S O U N D SUGGESTIONS: *
SENSORY OVERLOAD: If you have to raise your voice above the background noise for others to hear you, then you need to EITHER GET AWAY FROM THE SOUND SOURCE OR PROTECT YOUR EARS WITH PLUGS OR HEADPHONES. Baby boomers grew up listening to loud rock n roll -- and many are paying for it now. Some served in the military or grew up shooting guns without ear protection and ended up with the same loss MOTORS, MACHINES, MUNITIONS AND MUSIC -- their damage is PERMANENT
OLD AGE: By age 55 -- 20% of individuals have hearing loss. By 65 -- 33% are affected. THE GOOD NEWS IS THAT AGE-RELATED HEARING LOSS TYPICALLY DOESN'T LEAD TO COMPLETE DEAFNESS.
UNDIAGNOSED TUMORS OR UNDER-TREATED INFECTIONS: People with hearing loss in one ear may have an acoustic neuroma, a benign tumor that affects the hearing nerve. IT TENDS TO GROW SLOWLY BUT EVENTUALLY CAN LEAD TO COMPLETE HEARING LOSS AND OTHER PROBLEMS. The treatment is surgery. MANY SUFFER FROM CHRONIC EAR INFECTIONS, INCLUDING MIDDLE-EAR INFECTIONS, MUMPS, MEASLES, SCARLET FEVER AND MENINGITIS --- all those can lead to hearing loss AND SHOULD BE LOOKED AT BY A PHYSICIAN
NON-FUNCTIONING EAR CANAL OR BONES: Anything that blocks the ear canal impedes sound flow. PEOPLE WHO AGGRESSIVELY CLEAN THEIR EARS WITH COTTON SWABS -- BELIEVING THEY ARE REMOVING WAX .... WHEN THEY ARE ACTUALLY PACKING IT DEEPER INTO THE EAR CANAL like a cannon plunger. (It is ALRIGHT TO USE COTTON SWABS LIGHTLY The middle ear sometimes has "hardening of the bones (ostosclerosis) or extra fluid (from allergies or infections).
DAMAGE FROM DRUGS, TRAUMA OR PRESSURE: Certain ANTIBIOTICS, DRUGS FOR MALARIA, HEART, ANTI-ARRHYTHMICS AND EVEN ASPIRIN CAN HAVE TOXIC EFFECTS ON HEARING. Trauma can damage hearing too .. a hole poked in the eardrum, fractures to the skull, noise trauma (gunfire, fireworks) and pressure trauma (underwater diving or pressurized airplane cabins) all can damage our hearing.
Do you want to help yourself insure your hearing ? ... Start wearing EAR PLUGS when you are mowing the lawn, target shooting, playing video games, watching loud movies, using power tools -- THIS CAN SAVE YOUR HEARING.
*The information and suggestions were taken from an article regarding Hearing by Tedd Mitchell, MD (director of the Wellness Program in Dallas, Texas)
ALL ABOUT HEARING
You will discover that everything you do becomes more difficult when you can't hear ..... whether it is listening to the radio, simple conversations, watching television -- even sensing presence in your home.
There are two types of hearing loss CONDUCTIVE LOSS AND SENSORINEURAL HEARING LOSS:
CONDUCTIVE LOSS: This means sounds are NOT BEING "CONDUCTED" or GETTING THROUGH TO THE INNER EAR (where the interpretation of sound occurs).
SENSORINEURAL HEARING LOSS: Sound makes its way through to the inner ear BUT ONCE IT IS THERE THE SIGNAL IS MISINTERPRETED BECAUSE OF DAMAGE TO TINY FIBERS IN THE INNER EAR, THE HEARING NERVE OR THE BRAIN ITSELF. People with this type of loss often have tinnitus -- a ringing/buzzing sound that occurs intermittently or constantly. For many this is worse than hearing loss.
A physician (or an audiologist) can distinguish between the types of losses by looking at your history and performing certain exams.
For conductive loss the treatment can be as simple as removing wax from the ear canal -- or as complicated as ostosclerosis (which is a surgery on the bones in the middle ear).
For sensorineural losses treatment can vary between using a digital hearing aid or having a cochlear implant (this is specifically for individuals with specific inner ear problems).
Here are some S O U N D SUGGESTIONS: *
SENSORY OVERLOAD: If you have to raise your voice above the background noise for others to hear you, then you need to EITHER GET AWAY FROM THE SOUND SOURCE OR PROTECT YOUR EARS WITH PLUGS OR HEADPHONES. Baby boomers grew up listening to loud rock n roll -- and many are paying for it now. Some served in the military or grew up shooting guns without ear protection and ended up with the same loss MOTORS, MACHINES, MUNITIONS AND MUSIC -- their damage is PERMANENT
OLD AGE: By age 55 -- 20% of individuals have hearing loss. By 65 -- 33% are affected. THE GOOD NEWS IS THAT AGE-RELATED HEARING LOSS TYPICALLY DOESN'T LEAD TO COMPLETE DEAFNESS.
UNDIAGNOSED TUMORS OR UNDER-TREATED INFECTIONS: People with hearing loss in one ear may have an acoustic neuroma, a benign tumor that affects the hearing nerve. IT TENDS TO GROW SLOWLY BUT EVENTUALLY CAN LEAD TO COMPLETE HEARING LOSS AND OTHER PROBLEMS. The treatment is surgery. MANY SUFFER FROM CHRONIC EAR INFECTIONS, INCLUDING MIDDLE-EAR INFECTIONS, MUMPS, MEASLES, SCARLET FEVER AND MENINGITIS --- all those can lead to hearing loss AND SHOULD BE LOOKED AT BY A PHYSICIAN
NON-FUNCTIONING EAR CANAL OR BONES: Anything that blocks the ear canal impedes sound flow. PEOPLE WHO AGGRESSIVELY CLEAN THEIR EARS WITH COTTON SWABS -- BELIEVING THEY ARE REMOVING WAX .... WHEN THEY ARE ACTUALLY PACKING IT DEEPER INTO THE EAR CANAL like a cannon plunger. (It is ALRIGHT TO USE COTTON SWABS LIGHTLY The middle ear sometimes has "hardening of the bones (ostosclerosis) or extra fluid (from allergies or infections).
DAMAGE FROM DRUGS, TRAUMA OR PRESSURE: Certain ANTIBIOTICS, DRUGS FOR MALARIA, HEART, ANTI-ARRHYTHMICS AND EVEN ASPIRIN CAN HAVE TOXIC EFFECTS ON HEARING. Trauma can damage hearing too .. a hole poked in the eardrum, fractures to the skull, noise trauma (gunfire, fireworks) and pressure trauma (underwater diving or pressurized airplane cabins) all can damage our hearing.
Do you want to help yourself insure your hearing ? ... Start wearing EAR PLUGS when you are mowing the lawn, target shooting, playing video games, watching loud movies, using power tools -- THIS CAN SAVE YOUR HEARING.
*The information and suggestions were taken from an article regarding Hearing by Tedd Mitchell, MD (director of the Wellness Program in Dallas, Texas)