The Many Tolls of Hearing Loss, Part 2

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

(Page 2 of 2)

Compromising Careers

For more than a decade, Carren Stika, Ph.D., of National University in La Jolla, California, has studied the psychosocial impact of hearing loss. One of her recent research projects examines how hearing loss affects work and career. Preliminary findings show about one-third of those with hearing difficulties feel incompetent or stressed at work, yet almost 40 percent of these individuals say they would "rarely" or "almost never" ask for an adjustment or accommodation because of it. Why? Because they're embarrassed to admit that they don't hear well.

With hearing loss, carrying on a conversation turns into an exercise in frustration. Business meetings, seminars, conferences, and phone calls become major sources of stress. Misunderstanding directions can be disastrous. Even lunch in a busy restaurant is more than some people with hearing problems can endure.

A fifty-two-year-old advertising copywriter, for example, remembers a particularly painful experience, when she was one of the final contenders for a staff job at a major advertising agency. The human resources director invited her to lunch with a few people from the company. "At first, everything was great," she says. "But as the restaurant started filling up, it became harder and harder for me to hear the people sitting on the other side of the table.

"I knew one of the women slightly and knew that her husband had just had an operation, so I asked how he was. I thought she said, 'The doctor said he's doing fine,' and I told her that was excellent and I was very glad to hear it. Everyone turned and looked at me like I was out of my mind. Finally, the woman next to me said, 'I think you misunderstood. The doctor said her husband is going blind.'

"Of course, I apologized profusely. But I was mortified. I didn't talk again during lunch, and I didn't get the job, either."

Losing Hearing, Losing Friends

While careers can be compromised by hearing loss, leisure activities are affected by an inability to hear, too. Nearly all entertainment relies on hearing, but you can't turn up the volume at plays, movie theaters, or concerts. Is it any surprise that people with hearing loss often prefer isolation to struggling through social functions and entertainment venues outside the home?

Ted and his wife, Jean, had been regular churchgoers until Jean's hearing began to deteriorate. At first, she claimed her reluctance to go out was because the winter weather had made driving too dangerous. But when spring arrived, she was forced to admit that the real reason she didn't want to attend services any longer was that she couldn't hear the sermon or manage conversations during the social hour afterward. As retirees in a small town with no family nearby, Ted and Jean had limited social opportunities to begin with. Eliminating churchgoing from their week left them virtually isolated and out of touch with a group of people they had enjoyed.

I heard Ted and Jean's story from Jean's brother, Bill. He came to see me because his wife had fallen down the basement stairs recently and sprained her ankle, but he hadn't heard her cries for help because the radio volume had been so loud. That was all the motivation Bill needed to do something about his hearing, which had been steadily declining. After a long bout with the flu, he felt his hearing had taken a serious hit. "What if my wife had a heart attack or who knows what and I didn't hear her?" he explained. "Plus, I don't want to end up like my sister and brother-in-law, sitting in the house with the TV blasting all day because they can't have a conversation with anyone."

After several months on the Save Your Hearing Now Program, Bill's hearing stabilized, and he was so encouraged that he recommended it to Jean and Ted. "I hope they follow through on it," Bill said. "If they don't do something soon, I'm afraid they'll become completely deaf in a few years."

Needless to say, individuals with hearing loss aren't the only ones who suffer. Family members, friends, and co-workers are frustrated, too, as they are forced to repeat themselves, deal with uncomfortably loud televisions and radios, and worry about whether important information was heard or not. "I was so tired of repeating myself whenever I spoke to my husband that I began avoiding conversations with him," recalls one woman whose husband's hearing deteriorated sharply when he was in his late fifties. "He thought I was angry, but I just couldn't take it anymore."

Or the opposite problem may occur. Some individuals with hearing loss worry about talking too loudly and end up speaking so softly it's difficult to hear them, creating even more frustration for those around them.

With today's longer life spans and our increasingly noisy world, everyone's hearing is at risk. So the sooner we begin to preserve our hearing and work at correcting hearing loss, the better. Unfortunately for some, hearing devices are necessary. Major strides in technology have made these devices smaller and more sophisticated than ever before, but they are still not stylish or chic (like glasses can be, for instance), and there is definitely a stigma attached to wearing them. (From my perspective, I find the attitude that hearing aids are embarrassing completely inappropriate. Hearing aids are immensely helpful for people with hearing difficulties, and no one should feel ashamed about correcting the problem by wearing one.) Fortunately for many hearing loss sufferers — even some of the ones who have or may need hearing devices — there are now proven methods of protecting and even rehabilitating your hearing. Whether you are young or old, have hearing loss or are worried about developing it, this program is for you.

The Save Your Hearing Now Program incorporates antioxidant and mitochondrial-enhancing supplements and foods that provide vitally important nutrients that protect and rejuvenate cells throughout the body, as well as physical activity and other lifestyle measures that bolster their effects. Hundreds of studies have shown that such a treatment regimen can have a profound effect on the damage caused by aging, pollution, poor diet, sedentary lifestyle, and stress. Far too few of us — including those who eat carefully — are getting sufficient quantities of the right substances or physical activity, but the Save Your Hearing Now Program is designed to help you incorporate all the necessary nutrients and lifestyle changes in order to obtain optimal — or much-improved — hearing health. Hundreds of patients have experienced significant improvements in their hearing with this easy, inexpensive approach, which is equally effective for all age groups. The dramatic results that are possible with this program are truly creating a revolution in the treatment of hearing loss. But before we get into the details of the SaveYour Hearing Now Program, let's take an in-depth look at how the amazing process of hearing works.

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.