What, I didn't hear you? Hearing Loss

I have noticed that my hearing is not what it used to be. I can relate that change to the time I have been working at the store. A busy grocery store can be a very noisy environment. The sounds come at you from all directions and the more people, the louder the sounds. In an effort to turn down the volume in my own mind, I am deliberately shutting out the sounds as much as possible.

I think we all accept that a gradual loss of hearing comes with age. We speak louder to those who cannot hear us and we turn up the volume on the TV. I know I hear better when I can see the face of the speaker. All my life I have disliked talking on the telephone, I have difficulty understanding what is being said.

A thing as simple as a build up of ear wax can interfere with your hearing ability.

Having a doctor remove that build up can reopen the world of sound. This is definitely a process you want a professional to do - sticking small pointed objects in your ear is a good way to rupture an ear drum. As a child, I watched my father cleaning his ears with a hair pin. I copied and ruptured my ear drums. My poor husband has the genetic ear structure that contributes to this problem and must have his ears cleaned out on a regular basis. His doctor gave him instructions on how to do a weekly clean out process with hydrogen peroxide that would stop the build up - but forgetting one week after another to do so, oh well. All the knowledge in the world is wasted if no action is taken.

I read an interesting article on this subject that explains the hearing process and why turning up the volume is not the answer.

According to Dr.D. Robert Frisina, PhD, director, the International Center for Hearing and Speech Research, a joint program between Rochester Institute of Technology and the University of Rochester Medical Center, in New York.

The problem is not the volume necessarily --- it is the connection between the brain and the ear.

Here is what happens when that occurs. When sounds are made, the inner ear sends many rapid-fire nerve impulses to the brain. For a person to "hear" the sounds, the brain must process them at the same rate. If signaling gaps occur, the person thinks he/she didn't hear the sound, but the glitch was not in the sound, it was in the processing. This is why speaking louder may not help older adults "hear" better. More helpful, says Dr. Frisina, is to speak clearly and a bit more slowly, thereby giving the inner ear and the brain more time for signal processing.

Is there hope to regain hearing ability?

Yes, because the brain's nerve cells have the ability to reconnect. Challenging the brain is what it is all about. You constantly read or hear the message that as you grow older you need to keep learning. You may want to learn a new language or take a class at your local college. You may want to learn more about your computer and how to do different things with a not so simple tool. Thinking about those brain training games you see on TV - Dr. Frisina says they provide only temporary improvement in the short run, not lasting prevention of age-related hearing loss. Would that be because once you master the game you stop playing it?

Lack of potassium and balanced sodium contribute to hearing dysfunction.

A hormone, called aldosterone, affects hearing acuity in both men and women. Levels of aldosterone decline with age. Lets face it - every hormone declines with age. In previous studies Dr. Frisina found that older adults with severe hearing loss had on average about half the aldosterone as those with normal hearing.

Aldosterone regulates potassium and sodium, which are both crucial chemicals that the inner ear needs to convert sounds into nerve impulses the brain can understand. Consequently, low levels of aldosterone -- or an imbalance of potassium and sodium -- can affect the inner ear's ability to signal correctly and the brain's ability to process in real time.

Simply adding a banana a day to your diet will increase your potassium and I doubt that any of us need to increase our sodium levels. And you have another reason to be sure you are taking your antioxidants in proper proportion to your diet and lifestyle. Smokers need much more in the way of antioxidants as do those who are over weight and under exercised.

So, if you think your mate, your friends, your co-workers are ignoring you, try speaking just a little slower and much more clearly. Most of us do not realize how much we slur our words, particularly here in the south - y'all. If you can, record your own voice during conversation and then reading from a book. You may be amazed, ashamed, or just slightly alarmed. Just remember, turning up the volume won't help.

until next time smile
Sharon
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