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Purchase earplugs the next time you are in a store that carries them. If you wear them for a short period, you will discover that everything in your life is harder. It's a strain to have a simple conversation. Forget about listening to the radio, and watching TV is a struggle. 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.
This is the world of auditory isolation which many people have to face. The good news is that for most people, hearing loss can be prevented. There are two kinds of hearing loss. When sound can't get through the inner ear, the part where sound is translated, it's known as conductive loss.
Sensorineural hearing loss occurs as a result of damage to the tiny fibers located either in the inner ear, the healing nerve, or the brain itself, and although sound has entered the inner ear, the signal has been restricted or misunderstood because of the damage. When people are dealing with this kind of loss they often also have tinnitus, which is a buzzing or ringing noise that can be intermittent or all the time. Many people find this annoying condition more bothersome than the hearing loss itself. Your doctor or an audiologist can help to determine which hearing loss you are suffering from through a thorough exam and review of your medical history. A diagnosis is usually established with a hearing test.
In the case of conductive hearing loss, treatment may be as elementary as extracting wax from the ear canal, or as complex as surgery for otosclerosis, which involves the bones of the middle ear. Sensorineural hearing loss is treated in a variety of ways including the use of a digital hearing aid, which is very effective for certain patients, and cochlear implants, which are designed for individuals who have specified inner ear conditions.
Typically, if you have to talk loudly to carry on a conversation over the background noise, you should either leave the area of the noise or use some form of ear protection (like ear plugs or headphones). Baby boomers who loved their loud rock and roll are paying dearly for it now. Some of us that experience the same type of loss grew up shooting guns, without the proper ear protection, in the military. Other sound sources of permanent hearing damage are motors, machines, munitions, and music. Twenty per cent of people have hearing loss by age 55 and another 33% will suffer from hearing loss by age 65. Hearing loss that is due to age, fortunately, will not result in total deafness.
Some people who have loss of hearing in just one ear may have an acoustic neuroma, a benign tumor on the auditory nerve. This type of tumor has a slow rate of growth, but can cause total deafness and other problems if left untreated. The normal treatment is surgery. Still more individuals are plagued by chronic ear infections that include middle-ear infections, measles, mumps, meningitis, and scarlet fever. A physician must diagnose and treat all of these conditions.
Anything that is blocking the ear canal can interefere with the transmission of sound. This includes ear wax. Ear wax blockages are common among people who forcefully use cotton swabs to clean their ears. When doing this the ear wax is actually packed farther into the ear canal. Using a swab lightly will not cause damage. If your ears have a tendency to have substantial wax buildup, check with your physician for advice. The middle ear is vulnerable to hardening of the bones or the presence of extra fluid due to allergies or infections.
Hearing can be adversely affected by some medications such as those for malaria, heart anti-arrhythmics, some antibiotics, and even aspirin. Hearing impairment can also result from trauma. Holes poked in the eardrum, fractured skulls, as well as trauma from noise and water or air pressure can all hurt our sensitive hearing. It would be wise to begin to utilize earplugs when appropriate. Earplugs can be worn for all sorts of activities, like mowing the lawn, target shooting, playing video games, watching high-volume movies, and working with power tools.
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