The human body is an awesome, beautiful, perplexing, confounding piece of work, isn’t it? Scrapes, cuts, and broken bones are generally no problem for the human body to repair (I mean, sure, it takes a while, but your body can actually heal the huge bones in your arms and legs with little more than some time and a splint).
But when it comes to restoring the fragile little hairs in your ear, it’s not going to happen. At least, so far.
It’s really unfortunate that your body can pull off such great feats of healing but can’t restore these tiny hairs. So what’s the deal?
When is Hearing Loss Permanent?
So, let’s get right down to it. You’re sitting in your doctor’s office and you’re digesting the news: you have hearing impairment. So you ask your doctor if your hearing will ever return. And he informs you that it might or it might not.
Dramatically speaking, it’s a bit anticlimactic.
But it’s also the truth. Hearing loss comes in two primary forms:
- Hearing impairment caused by a blockage: You can exhibit every sign of hearing loss when your ear has some kind of blockage. This blockage can be caused by a number of things, from the gross (ear wax) to the downright frightening (tumors). The good news is that once the obstruction is cleared, your hearing often goes back to normal.
- Hearing loss caused by damage: But hearing loss has another more common type. This form of hearing loss, known as sensorineural hearing loss, is irreversible. Here’s what happens: there are little hairs in your ear that vibrate when struck by moving air (sound waves). When vibrations are transformed into signals, they are transmitted to the brain which renders them into the sounds you perceive. But loud sounds can cause harm to the hairs and, over time, reduce your hearing to the point where you need treatment.
So here’s the main point: you can recover from one type of hearing loss and you most likely won’t know which one you’re coping with without having a hearing test.
Treating Hearing Loss
So currently there’s no “cure” for sensorineural hearing loss (though scientists are working on that). But that’s not to say you can’t find treatment for your hearing loss. Here are some ways that the proper treatment might help you:
- Protect and maintain your remaining hearing.
- Avoid isolation by staying socially active.
- Help stave off mental decline.
- Successfully manage hearing loss symptoms you might already have.
- Ensure your total quality of life is untouched or stays high.
Of the many forms of treatment available, which one is correct for you depends on the extent of your hearing loss. Hearing aids are one of the simplest and most prevalent treatment choices.
Why is Hearing Loss Successfully Treated With Hearing AIds?
Hearing aids can help you return to the people and things you love. With the help of hearing aids, you can start to hear conversations, your television, your phone, and sounds of nature once again. Hearing aids can also remove some of the pressure from your brain because you won’t be struggling to hear.
The Best Protection is Prevention
Whether you have hearing loss now or not, you need to safeguard your hearing from loud sounds and other things that can harm your hearing (like ototoxic drugs). Your general health and well being depend on good hearing. Having regular hearing exams is the best way to be sure that you are protecting your hearing.
