The Many Tolls of Hearing Loss

Save Your Hearing Now
by Michael D. Seidman, M.D., FACS, Marie Moneysmith

After twenty years of extensive research, leading otolaryngologist Michael Seidman, M.D., has developed the first all-natural treatment plan to battle hearing loss safely and effectively. You no longer have to simply manage your problem through the help of hearing aids and implants. Now there's a way to help prevent, stop, and possibly even reverse hearing loss-naturally.

Dr. Seidman's proven 4-step program incorporates a specific combination of antioxidants and nutritional supplements, along with special diet, exercise, and lifestyle changes that fit easily into your everyday life. This comprehensive guidebook takes you clearly through every step of the process. Learn:

• A simple assessment test to identify the type, severity, and prognosis of your hearing loss

• Practical advice on diet, exercise, nutritional supplements, and lifestyle changes that can make a difference

• The latest research on natural remedies and surgical options

• Important environmental changes everyone should address

• How to protect teens who are vulnerable to hearing loss.

Whether your hearing loss is age-related or the result of environmental factors, whether you're a baby boomer, teen, or somewhere in between, Dr. Seidman's groundbreaking research and easy-to-follow program can help you Save Your Hearing Now!

Chapter 1

"I like your watch. What kind is it?"

"About quarter to three."

"The chicken looks good. Do you want white meat or thighs?"

"Oh, no fries for me, thanks."

"The lawyer said he can see you tomorrow. Is three okay?"

"Sure . . . but why is it free?"

Most of us have had little misunderstandings when words weren't heard correctly. But when these incidents become a regular part of the day, hearing loss could be to blame. The best way to determine how well hearing is working is by having an evaluation by a hearing professional — starting with an otolaryngologist/head and neck surgeon (also known as an ear, nose, and throat doctor, or ENT) and an audiologist. But here are a few signs that may help determine whether it's time to make that appointment:

• People often have to repeat themselves when speaking to you, or you think that others are mumbling when they speak.

• You find yourself straining to hear conversations in public places, especially when there is background noise.

• When the television volume or music is loud enough for you to hear comfortably, it is too loud for others in the room.

• Errors have occurred because information or instructions were not heard correctly.

• Telephone conversations are difficult because it's hard to hear the other party.

• You fail to hear the doorbell, kitchen timer, alarm clock, or other appliance.

Today, more people than ever before are dealing with hearing loss. In fact, the numbers are staggering — more than 30 million baby boomers, another 9 million seniors, and some 2 million young people. Worldwide, the numbers soar to 500 million — including 70 million Europeans — making hearing loss the number one disability in the world.

Hearing's Two Worst Enemies: Aging and Noise

The epidemic levels of hearing loss can be explained partially by the fact that we are living longer and aging takes a toll on hearing. But there is a second, more dangerous hearing enemy at work, too — noise. If you think about the world we live in, this steep increase in hearing loss is not surprising. Each and every day, the average person is assaulted by an extraordinary amount of noise. In many cases, the sources are convenience devices and appliances we depend on — hair dryers, garbage disposals, sound-producing toys, personal music players, lawn mowers, and vacuum cleaners, to name only a few.

Sound researchers have measured the intensity of many everyday noises and made some surprising conclusions. For example:

• Young people often drive cars with stereo systems that can be as noisy as a jet during takeoff.

• Movie sound tracks blasting from theaters' multispeaker systems rival the sound levels of power saws.

• The roar of a garbage disposal is nearly as earsplitting as a tractor engine.

• Hair dryers can blow away sandblasters, in terms of volume.

• The ear-piercing sounds made by certain children's toys are just about off the charts, sometimes matching air-raid sirens in intensity.

• An evening in a karaoke bar can cost a lot in terms of hearing. The combined effects of singing and music can go well above 95 decibels (dB).

• If you're going to the gym, choose your aerobics classes carefully — and get a spot as far from the speakers as possible. Noise levels from a gym's sound system frequently hit the 90+ dB range.

COMMON SOUNDS IN DECIBELS

15 The average threshold of human hearing (although some people can hear sounds in the 0 to 15 dB range)

20 The sound of a human whisper

50-60 Normal conversation

75 A typical vacuum cleaner

85-90 The point at which hearing damage begins (e.g., a hair dryer or a quiet lawn mower)

100 Power saw

120 Snowmobile engine, jackhammer, chain saw

135 A jet on takeoff, amplified music

140 Gunshot, emergency sirens, threshold of noise-induced pain

Since many tools and toys are commonplace, we tend to take the constant din for granted. In fact, we are so accustomed to noise that silence has become suspicious. Reportedly, back in the 1940s, a silent vacuum cleaner, equipped with an efficient but noiseless induction motor, failed to impress buyers; no one believed that a suction device could work without making noise.

NOISE IN THE WORKPLACE Work-related noise is the leading occupational disease, and experts estimate that about 30 million Americans are exposed to toxic noise levels at work. Furthermore, 10 million people have hearing loss caused by excessive noise at work, according to the Deafness Research Foundation (DRF; www.drf.org). Even the quiet country life is hard to find, thanks to noise from farm machinery. And as a recent Minnesota survey found, farmers are feeling the effects. Fully two-thirds of those queried not long ago had moderate or significant hearing loss.

Bottom line: Hearing's greatest enemy is damage caused by aging. But today, noise is a close second, increasing the likelihood that millions of people will be forced to cope with impaired hearing before middle age even begins.

Since good hearing is essential to the learning process, children and young people are particularly affected by hearing difficulties. Unfortunately, many children with poor hearing are misdiagnosed as having learning disabilities. The hearing problems are never identified or corrected, leading to a vicious cycle with potentially serious complications, including social problems, unwarranted disciplinary actions, and major emotional difficulties.

Frequently, those children whose hearing loss is discovered and corrected don't fare much better, because wearing hearing aids sets them apart from their peers at a time when being different is difficult at best. Says the mother of a nine-year-old boy who suffers from hearing loss: "Having hearing aids at such an early age is a tremendous problem. Kids are so mean about his need for help. He's a bright, normal child except for his hearing, and they treat him like he's from another planet."

The Hidden Costs of Hearing Loss

Clearly, hearing loss is more than an inconvenience. Like all ailments, difficulties with hearing take a personal and public toll. But while experts have calculated the costs to society of various health concerns, such as heart disease, obesity, and diabetes, no one tallies the economic costs of hearing loss. If we added up hearing-loss-related costs — errors made, the time spent correcting them, faulty products that have to be discarded and redone, information that never reaches the right destination, all creating delays, additional expenditures, overtime charges, and so on — it's safe to assume that the grand total would easily reach billions of dollars every year. The U.S. Navy alone estimates its own costs related to noise-induced hearing loss at approximately $1 billion annually, a mind-numbing figure, and further proof that this is a problem that has reached epidemic proportions.

While we may never know exactly how much money hearing loss is leaching from our economy, we do know a few things:

• According to an in-depth study published in the International Journal of Technology Assessment in Health Care 2000, between 500,000 and 750,000 Americans suffer from severe to profound hearing loss, which costs society nearly $300,000 per person during each individual's life. The grand total is well into the trillions of dollars.

• The earlier hearing loss is diagnosed, the more costly it is. Expenditures for social services, specialized education, and treatment of a hearing-impaired child can easily run as high as $1 million over that child's lifetime.

• Hearing difficulty is the second most common complaint (after arthritis) reported to doctors by elderly patients.

• It has been estimated that nearly 13 percent of all soldiers being sent home from Operation Iraqi Freedom are suffering from hearing-related trauma. Furthermore, about one-fourth of America's combat personnel develop significant hearing loss, and the condition is now one of the top ten disabilities for Veterans Affairs.

As serious as the economic cost of hearing loss may be, it cannot compete with the emotional toll. People who live with diminished hearing and those who share their lives — as spouses and partners, co-workers, friends, relatives, clients, and neighbors — consider hearing loss emotionally devastating.

THE PEACE AND QUIET MOVEMENT The importance of maintaining a quiet community is becoming recognized all over the country. Neighbors of the Michigan State Fairgrounds near Detroit, for example, successfully fought plans for an Indy-style auto racing track that would have funneled millions of dollars into the area. Why? They were opposed to the noise that would have been generated by the race cars and added traffic to the area. Similarly, in New York City, where noise is a serious problem, city officials are cracking down on noise polluters with a new noise code, designed to incorporate high-tech acoustic technology and update sections of the existing code.

Copyright © 2006 by Michael D. Seidman, MD, FACS, and Marie Moneysmith

About the Author

Michael D. Seidman, MD, FACS, is a leading researcher in the field of otolaryngology. He is the director of otologic/neurotologic surgery and otology research and the medical director of the Center for Integrative Medicine at Henry Ford Health Systems.

Marie Moneysmith is the author of The User's Guide to Good Fats and Bad Fats and other health-related books.