Friday, January 05, 2007

Hearing loss and me

Hearing loss happens to most people gradually over a period of 7-9 years. Often, the person experiencing hearing loss will go through various stages and people with hearing loss are sometimes completely unaware of the effects on other people. There is a ‘myth’ that needs to be changed…hearing aids do not ‘correct’ hearing loss, it is an aid such as using a cane to help with walking. Hearing loss comes in many forms and comes from a variety of causes. With hearing loss being such a impairment; it is important that we educate ourselves, our children, and our grandchildren about the preservation of our natural hearing and protecting ourselves from exposure to loud noises.

With a couple simple steps, this form of hearing loss could totally be avoided and many people don’t know it The real tragedy though, is that Noise Induced Hearing Loss is preventable if you understand the potential causes. With the advent of the iPod and MP3 players being so prevalent, this could lead to a huge hearing loss problem for thousands in a short amount of time. Music can cause both temporary and permanent damage to the inner ear. Damage may occur from one extremely loud session of exposure to noise or it may occur from sustained exposure to lesser noise levels. Even Apple includes a cautionary note with every iPod, warning, "permanent hearing loss may occur if earphones or headphones are used at high volume.

In spite of this lack of concern, there are more boomers aged 46 to 64 with hearing loss than seniors over the age of 65 with the same condition, and hearing loss among baby boomers is 26 percent more common than in previous generations. Some toy musical instruments emit dangerous sound levels, while cap guns and firecrackers, exploding near the ear, can damage hearing even if you only hear them once. It is possible that someone who has hearing loss may be able to hear some sounds or simply nothing at all. It can be hard for those of us who have a hearing loss to understand these people. Hearing loss can be such a devastating condition, yet as I mentioned earlier, most hearing loss preventable. Severity of loss can best be described as mild, moderate, severe, or profound.

Protecting your hearing as simple as knowledge and proper protection when it is needed. I have a high frequency hearing loss and now have a bad case of Tinnitus. It is most likely from more than 25 years in loud factory environments with prolonged exposure in my case, but had I been more cautious, I could have prevented it. I wouldn’t wish this ringing I now have in my ears on anyone. Take care of your hearing, you will thank yourself later. For more information on health issues visit
http://www.wm8c.com

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