What did you say?

Most people have had to ask this question at least once in their lives after a particularly loud event (shooting fireworks, rock concerts, etc), but most do not realize the seriousness of that constant, annoying, high pitched buzzing (tinnitus) after these occasions. Hearing loss is an extremely common phenomenon, and usually is a slow, gradual, almost unnoticeable process. Whenever the ear is exposed to sounds above 85 decibels, nerve ending located in the inner ear are shaken inside their fliud-filled compartments and destroyed. The cells that die first are the ones that resonate higher pitches, and then when those high-pitched sounds drop out, words sound more muffled and conversations become frustrating. Or louder, depending on who you are talking to. The specific mechanism that causes the death of these cells is similar to overloading an electrical circuit. Human ears are structured in a way that causes the nerve endings to vibrate at different rates that are proportional to varying frequencies, and these vibrations are sent to the brain as auditory impulses. When the cells are overexcited, they emit toxic oxidation products that cause them to swell and eventually die.


However, not only absurdly loud noises are the causes of hearing loss. Daily activities such as blowdrying your hair, blaring music through headphones, doing yardwork, vacuuming, working with power tools, and just being in a loud room can affect inner ear nerve endings. Studies show that there is an increasing number of adolescents requiring hearing aids, along with middle-aged people that simply did not realize that certain noises were harmful.


Do not fear! There are several ways you can diagnose and/or prevent hearing loss. By completing a questionaire on health.usnews.com, you can determine the probability that you have any damage to your hearing. These questions deal with several areas such as conversations, TV volume, and telephones. Also, though they may seem unnecessary or silly, certain precautions can be taken to avoid eventual hearing problems. When going to a rock concert where you might have awesome spots right in front of the band (even standing in the back can be damaging), maybe a nice, bright orange pair of ear plugs would complete your concert outfit. Protective ear-wear is also available for work in the yard, garage, or workshop. Lat but not least, if everyone around you can hear the tunes from your Ipod, it's too loud.

http://health.usnews.com/usnews/health/articles/070708/16healy.htm

http://health.usnews.com/usnews/health/articles/070706/6healy.loud.htm

http://health.usnews.com/usnews/health/articles/070706/6healy.poll.htm

Jeehyun Park