Presbyacusis - Natural Ways To Help Prevent Age Related Hearing Loss

Losing your hearing can have serious consequences that go beyond simply being a nuisance when you miss the telephone ring or have to constantly ask people to repeat themselves. It can lead to an unwillingness to talk to others because of embarrassment or fear, resulting in feelings of social isolation, loss of confidence and self-esteem and even depression.

It's estimated that up to one in two people aged 65 and over have some degree of hearing loss, and that many of these people could greatly benefit from a hearing aid. Yet only one in nine people who need a hearing aid actually use one.

The most common type of hearing loss is due to presbyacusis - hearing loss caused as a result of the ageing process, which can begin as early as the age of 30. Presbyacusis damages your auditory nerve - the nerve in your ear that enables you to hear - consequently causing hearing loss, especially in terms of high-pitched noises.

Although ageing plays a major role, the exact cause of presbyacusis is unknown. Some scientists believe that damaging free radicals could be partly to blame, by destroying the cells within your auditory nerve.

Other factors that can contribute to hearing loss, include repeated and prolonged exposure to loud noise, ear infections, brain tumours, long-term use of medication such as certain antibiotics and viruses like mumps and rubella. One of the commonest causes of hearing loss is due to an excessive build-up of wax in the ear, which can affect children as well as adults.

The latest hearing aids are very discreet and can help you pick up the subtlest sounds

When treating hearing loss, most doctors will look to identify and treat the actual cause of the problem first. If, for example, an excessive build up of wax is blocking your ear canal and causing a reduction in hearing, your doctor would need to remove the wax. You'll probably be told to apply eardrops first and then come back to the surgery so your doctor can syringe the affected ear with warm water.

If the cause of hearing loss has been treated as effectively as possible but the problem persists, then the next conventional step is to use a hearing aid. It's estimated that over 95 per cent of hearing impaired people could benefit from using a hearing aid. There are now over 1,000 different types, some of which can be completely hidden inside your ear canal.

Cochlear implants may be recommended for those patients with profound deafness. This surgical operation involves implanting a special electronic device inside your skull (just behind your outer ear). It helps amplify sounds from the environment and directly stimulates your auditory nerve. This operation should only be performed if all other options have been tried without success, and for those patients who would otherwise be completely deaf.

Take these 3 steps right now to prevent hearing loss

Natural measures can be especially helpful in protecting your hearing from age-related damage. They include:

1. Alpha lipoic acid and vitamin E help defend your ears from a free radical invasion. Alpha lipoic acid is a potent antioxidant that reduces the risk of presbyacusis by protecting your auditory nerve against free radical damage (Hear Res 117(1-2): 31-38, 1999 Chem Biol Interact 138:189-198, 2001).

In addition, scientific research shows that alpha lipoic acid can also reduce the risk of hearing loss due to other causes, such as toxins from antibiotics or other medication (Hear Res 128(1-2):40-44, 1999). The dose is 250mg twice a day. Using Alpha lipoic acid in conjunction with 400iu of vitamin E has been found to produce an even more beneficial effect (Biochem Biophys Res 253(1):114-118, 1998).

2. Glutathione: Another amazing antioxidant that can benefit your hearing. Levels of glutathione in your brain generally diminish with age and supplements of glutathione have been shown to prevent hearing loss, not only by protecting your auditory nerve but also by reducing age-related damage to the hearing centres of your brain (Brain Res 784(1-2):82-90, 1998). Glutathione should be taken at a dose of 250mg to 500mg daily, on an empty stomach, with water.

3. Ginkgo biloba helps relieve tinnitus-associated hearing loss. The main use of ginkgo biloba (extract of the maidenhair tree) with regards to the ears is to relieve the symptoms of tinnitus, a common problem which causes a persistent ringing noise in the ears. Tinnitus is usually associated with loss of hearing, and many patients have reported that their hearing has greatly improved after taking ginkgo (J Korean Med Sci 13(5):525-528, 1998).

Over 27 years ago, experiments with artificially created sound showed that ginkgo could prevent damage to the hearing nerve in animals exposed to high levels of prolonged noise (Arch Otorhino 209(3) 203-215, 1975). This benefit of ginkgo was also confirmed by other, more recent, experiments (Adv Otorhinol (49):101-104, 1995). The dose is 120mg a day.

How To Tell If Your Hearing Is Impaired

Because age-related hearing loss is often very gradual it's important to be aware of the common signs to look out for, which include:

Difficulty hearing the television and/or telephone

• Experiencing problems understanding what is being said when talking to someone else or within a group - constantly feeling like you have to ask people to repeat themselves
• 'Disappearance' of higher frequency sounds - this can include women's and children's voices, and birdsong
• You can't hear a noise if you're not facing the direction it's coming from
• People tell you you're shouting when you talk to them
• You seem to hear better out of one ear than the other
• If any of the above symptoms apply to you, make sure you visit your doctor for a hearing test. This is a simple and painless procedure, and it's worth having if you're over the age of 65 - even if you don't think you have any trouble with your hearing -- just to rule out any problems. Many people who think their hearing is fine, may have a small but imperceptible loss of hearing, which may increase over time without them realising it.

By following the advice outlined above you can help protect your hearing and rectify what can range from being a minor inconvenience to a real disability. For more information on hearing loss visit: www.hearingexchange.com , or www.hearnet.com