A Natural Approach To Health

Living With Hearing Loss

I had a question the other day about hearing loss.

Hearing loss is the third most common health problem.

It’s also on the rise.

Hearing loss affects quality of life and relationships.

Certain conditions, including age, illness, and genetics, may contribute to hearing loss.

Modern life has added lots of ear-damaging elements, including some medications and plenty of loud, continuous noise.

Advanced age is the most common cause of hearing loss.

One out of three people aged 65-74 have some level of hearing loss.

After age 75, that goes up to 1 out of every 2 people.

Researchers don’t fully understand why hearing decreases with age.

It could be that lifetime exposure to noise and other damaging factors slowly wear down the ears’ delicate mechanics.

Noise wears down hearing if it’s loud or continuous.

In some workplaces, ears are exposed to dangerous noise levels every day.

Noisy lines of work include the military, mining, manufacturing, agriculture, transportation, carpentry, plumbing, and music.

Certain medications can impair hearing.

More than 200 medications and chemicals have triggered hearing side effects.

These include some antibiotics and chemotherapy drugs, aspirin, loop diuretics, a drug used to treat malaria, and several drugs for erectile dysfunction.

Certain illnesses, such as heart disease, high blood pressure, and diabetes, put ears at risk by interfering with the ears’ blood supply.

Otosclerosis is a bone disease of the middle ear and Ménière’s disease affects the inner ear; both can cause hearing loss.

A skull fracture or punctured eardrum puts ears at serious risk for hearing loss.

Infection or ear wax can block ear canals and reduce hearing.

In many cases, hearing fades so slowly, its departure goes unnoticed.

As long as some sound still comes in, you may assume your hearing is fine.

At the early stage of hearing loss, high-pitched sounds, like children’s and female voices, and the sounds “S” and “F” become harder to decipher.

Hearing loss is classified by degrees:  mild, moderate, severe, or profound.

The symptoms of these categories include:

Mild hearing loss:  One-on-one conversations are fine but it becomes hard to catch every word in the presence of background noise.

Moderate hearing loss:  You often need to ask people to repeat themselves during in-person and telephone conversations.

Severe hearing loss:  Following a conversation is almost impossible without a hearing aid.

Profound hearing loss:  You can’t hear other people speaking unless they’re extremely loud.

Treatment depends on the type and source of hearing loss.

If you think your hearing loss stems from medication use, talk with your health care professional about alternative drug options.

Prompt treatment for sudden hearing loss may increase the chance of recovery.

People with permanent hearing loss need to learn how to function with the hearing they still have.

Most people with permanent hearing loss can benefit from using a hearing aid.

Things do sound different through a hearing aid, so it’s important to set realistic goals.

Other technologies include personal listening systems that allow you to tune in to what you want to hear and mute other sounds.

You can set up your home so your rooms are well lit and the chairs face each other.

Seeing the faces of people when they talk allows you to see their mouths move, as well as their facial expressions.

Remove avoidable sources of background noise.

Wear earplugs when you’re exposed to sounds as loud or louder than traffic.

When possible, move away from the source of the noise.

If you work in a noisy workplace, talk to your employer about ear safety.

Hearing loss is often permanent, so do what you can to protect it.

To deal with hearing loss it’s beneficial to:

*Drink 6-8 cups of purified water.

*Increase essential fats (flax oil, fish oils, Omega-3 oils).

*Explore the use of onion juice drops, garlic oil, ear oils found in health food stores, or hydrogen peroxide dropped directly into the ear.

*Consider Oil of Oregano because it is a natural antibiotic.

*Avoid dairy products because they are generally very mucous forming.

*Investigate possible triggers/sensitivities (food and/or environmental) as they often trigger or aggravate the condition.

*Eliminate smoking.

*Eliminate sugar.

*Address ear infections and/or inflammation.

*Ensure ear canal is clear of excess wax buildup.

*Consider chiropractic or osteopathic assessment.

*Consider craniosacral therapy.

Recommendations:

It’s essential to use:  Vita-Lea, Protein, CoQHeart, Alfalfa, B-Complex, OmegaGuard, GLA.

It’s important to use:  CarotoMax and/or FlavoMax, Optiflora, Vitamin C, Vitamin D, Vitamin E.

It’s beneficial to use:  Vivix, Zinc, Mental Acuity, Garlic, DTX.

Please comment below, like, retweet, and share with your friends!

email:  lenay@dickandlenay.com

PS:  If you have any questions about hearing loss, and would like to know how supplements can help, give us a call at 715-431-0657.  We’re here to help.