[Harp-L] Subject: Preventing hearing loss...From Prevention.com

[EGS1217@xxxxxxx]

Worth a read?
 
>From PREVENTION.COM
 
          
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g&pv_topics=wellness)   "Hear Hear!     Protect your ears from hearing  loss; 
here's how

by Molly Lyons

        
Debra Palumbo wasn't ready to admit that her hearing was  fading. It didn't 
matter that her family was always after her  to turn down the radio and that 
she constantly had to ask  people to repeat themselves. "I was only 39; I 
thought I was  too young to lose my hearing, so I ignored it for about 10  years," 
says Palumbo, now 51, of Cortland, OH. "But it got to  the point that people 
didn't want to talk to me, and I avoided  social situations." 

Palumbo may have felt isolated,  but she was hardly alone: While half of 
people between the  ages of 40 and 59 have difficulty hearing, only a third have  
had their hearing tested, found a recent survey of 437 people  by the EAR 
Foundation, an advocacy organization in Nashville.  And for 44% of those with 
hearing difficulty, leaving the loss  unchecked has created social obstacles that 
often translate  into frustration and depression. "It's tiring to strain to  
hear and to fake your way through conversations," says Gail M.  Whitelaw, PhD, 
audiologist and president of the American  Academy of Audiology. "People don't 
realize how much emotional  stress they're under until they go for help." 
Don't wait. Take  these steps to protect--and regain--your  hearing.

Get Tested
Often, people don't even  recognize that their hearing is slipping away until 
suddenly,  they find it's difficult to catch what others are saying. The  
reason: Sounds in the highest-frequency range are the first to  go, followed by 
those in the lower registers, which is where  most speech falls, says Richard 
Salvi, PhD, director of the  Center for Hearing and Deafness at the State 
University of New  York at Buffalo. This is why it's important to get checked by  
an audiologist every few years, starting in your 40s, so you  can spot and 
treat problems early. 

Avoid  Offenders
While genetics and aging play a part in  hearing loss, chronic noise exposure 
is also a common cause.  Whether it's occupational (years of working around 
loud  machinery) or recreational (regularly attending rock  concerts), 
excessive noise can permanently damage cilia, the  tiny hairs in the inner and outer 
ear that transmit sound to  the brain or amplify it. 

It's not just droning mowers  and thumping speakers that cause harm; 
headphones can pack a  mighty wallop, too. Results from a recent Australian study  
suggest that 25% of those using personal stereo devices  regularly listen to 
music at levels high enough to eventually  cause hearing damage. A smart rule of 
thumb: If those around  you can hear your latest download, or if you can't hear 
people  talking to you while listening to music, the volume is too  high.

Unhealthy habits play a part in hearing loss, as  well. For instance, smoking 
and chronic heavy drinking may  damage blood vessels in the ears, resulting 
in dim hearing.  High cholesterol, high blood pressure, and diabetes are also  
contributors. 

Wear Protection
If you're  debating whether you need to safeguard your hearing with  
earplugs, ask yourself: Am I ever in an environment where I  have to strain to hold a 
comfortable conversation with the  person next to me? Are my ears ringing 
after I'm exposed to  noise? If the answer to either is yes, wear plugs. Try the  
custom variety, which are made to fit only your ears (about  $40), or 
over-the-counter earplugs ($3 to $11). If the noise  comes via a shooting range or 
landscaping equipment, however,  you may want to consider muffs instead ($17 to 
$20 at home  improvement stores).

Hear Again
Whether your  hearing loss is slight or significant, there are measures you  
can take to enhance what you do hear. "If you're in a noisy  restaurant or 
meeting, sit with your back to the wall; it'll  reduce the number of directions 
sound is coming from. And  position yourself so you're face to face with 
everyone so you  can pick up visual cues," says David R. Friedland, MD, PhD,  
assistant professor, department of otolaryngology and  communication sciences at the 
Medical College of Wisconsin.  Avoid echo-inducing locales such as large open 
rooms with bare  floors. Small spaces with drapes, carpets, soft furniture, 
and  low ceilings help dampen secondary noise. 

Sometimes,  however, these tweaks just aren't enough. If that's the case,  
see a certified audiologist to find out if you might benefit  from a hearing 
aid. For mild to moderate hearing loss, you may  get help with conventional (aka 
analog) aids, which amplify  sound via a thin tube that sits in or behind the 
ear.  "Cosmetically, you can hardly notice the newer aids,"  Friedland says. 
"They're so small, they can be hidden  completely in the ear canal; even the 
ones that go behind the  ear are discreet." ($900 to $1,200 per aid; often 
people need  one for each ear.)

If you require more sound boosting,  you'll be relieved to know you won't be 
forced to wear a  clunky, outdated aid. The new digital versions are smaller 
and  more inconspicuous, and they can separate background noise  from speech 
with startling clarity. These updated aids are  costly, though, ranging from 
$1,400 to $2,500 per aid. But for  many, the results are well worth the expense. 
"As soon as I  got my aids, I stopped pretending I knew what was going  
on-because I did know," Palumbo says. "I was able to  participate in life again." 
She also realized that when she  didn't have the aids, she was missing out on 
life's little  details. "Right after I got my hearing aids, I was sitting on  my 
front porch and I heard the crickets for the first time in  years. I was just 
thrilled. I never knew how much I missed  them." 

The Cost of Aid
Most insurance plans  either don't pay for hearing aids or pay only a portion 
of the  cost. However, _vocational rehabilitation  programs_ 
(http://www.parac.org/svrp.html)  and local branches of volunteer  service organizations such 
as the Lions, Kiwanis, and Rotary  clubs may provide assistance. Call to find 
out."
 
Elizabeth