Re: [Harp-L] Subject: Preventing hearing loss...From Prevention.com
Thanks for this article. Very informative. I use custom ear filters, that
filter out 9 decibels. Could not be in a band without them. Bullfrog
----- Original Message -----
From: <EGS1217@xxxxxxx>
To: <harp-l@xxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Friday, November 11, 2005 3:02 PM
Subject: [Harp-L] Subject: Preventing hearing loss...From Prevention.com
> Worth a read?
>
> >From PREVENTION.COM
>
>
>
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category=healthylivin
> 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
>
>
>
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>
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