|
|
|
|
Have you heard the Canadian geese as they fly by? As the swoop overhead, have you looked up to follow their path against the setting sun of a late summer evening? Well over fifty million people deal with hearing problems and miss out on this age old wonder, along with many other sounds. According to audiologists, lawn mowers, leaf blowers and vacuum cleaners all contribute to hearing loss unless a person wears headphones or ear plugs. Concerts and sports games are also in this category.
If you were to ask your audiologist for a list of sources for common noise pollution, he'd pull out a list the size of a dictionary. Many Americans have ignored this advice and sustained permanent hearing loss that necessitates the use of a hearing aid.
Anyone can fall victim to hearing loss. From big business honcho to rock star to stay at home mom, everyone faces the potential for hearing loss. The former president, an actress and male actor, and baseball players have all suffered from this condition. Many turn to hearing aids to help hear the world around them.
Hearing loss can pose a significant obstacle to performing the functions of daily living. Nerve damage, or sensorineural, causes most of the cases of permanent hearing loss. Nerve damage in the ear can be caused by a many different issues, most of which can benefit from the use of hearing aids. While there are over 1,000 different hearing aids on the market -- including those that sit inside the ear canal and those with directional microphones -- two come highly recommended.
Temporary hearing loss is also a huge problem in the young. Caused by ear infections, an astounding 70 percent of all infants and children are affecting. As a result, parents spend more than $1 billion on treatments for their children. Some otolaryngologists believe that new advances in testing among newborns are very encouraging. At one point, hearing tests were only conducted when a hearing problem was readily apparent, though conducting these tests for infants have allowed us to treat and fix many potential problems sooner.
One such test used today involves the cochlear hairs, which respond to a loud/soft sound by emitting an otoacoustic wave. A soft sound is emitted from the way the hairs contract and expand. The ability to hear higher frequencies can be diminished as age increases, and despite this being a very common type of issue, it also receives the least amount of study. Tinnitus, or ringing in the ear, affects nearly 50 million Americans and is often associated with decrease in hearing.
Many peoples causes of hearing loss has nothing to do with their age. Many audiologists will advise you that hearing loss is a product of the way that Westerners live their lives. He is seeing many patients in his clinic suffering from hearing issues, thanks to new technology and conveniences. Everything from loud cars to other vehicles, vacuum cleaners, loud music, and our work environment can contribute to a gradual but permanent loss of hearing, as you're exposed more and more to this stimuli.
The initial effects of hearing loss may be subtle and you could miss them. So how do you know if you are suffering from loss of hearing? It may be that people sound like they're mumbling even when they are speaking loudly, or the sounds in the higher register have disappeared. When listening to something, you might begin to turn your head in order to favor a certain ear. You may try to avoid social functions that are large. The hearing aids we have with new technology are able to mimic the inner ear and brains function of locating an individual in a crowd. Many of us tend to take the gracious gift of hearing the world around us for granted.
|
|
