The human body is a wonderful, breathtaking, perplexing, confounding piece of work, isn’t it? The human body typically has no problem healing cuts, scratches, or broken bones (with a little time, your body can heal the huge bones in your legs and arms).
But when it comes to repairing the fragile little hairs in your ear, it’s not going to happen. For now anyway.
It’s truly regrettable that your body can accomplish such great feats of healing but can’t ever re-grow these tiny hairs. So what’s the deal?
When is Hearing Impairment Permanent?
So, let’s get right down to it. You’re at your doctor’s office attempting to process the news he’s giving you: you’re losing your hearing. So the first question you ask is whether the hearing will ever return. And the answer is… maybe.
It’s a bit anticlimactic, speaking dramatically.
But he isn’t wrong. There are two primary types of hearing loss:
- Hearing loss caused by damage: But hearing loss has another more common form. This form of hearing loss, called sensorineural hearing loss, is permanent. This is how it works: In your ear, there are tiny hairs that vibrate when struck by sound waves. Your brain is good at changing these vibrations into the sounds you hear. But loud noises can cause harm to the hairs and, over time, reduce your hearing to the point where you require treatment.
- Hearing loss caused by an obstruction: You can exhibit every indicator of hearing loss when your ear has some type of blockage. This obstruction can be caused by a wide variety of things, from the gross (ear wax) to the downright frightening (tumors). The good news is that once the obstruction is cleared, your hearing usually returns to normal.
So the bottom line is this: there’s one form of hearing loss you can recover from, and you might need to get examined to see which one you have.
Hearing Loss Treatment
Scientists haven’t found a “cure” for sensorineural hearing loss but they’re working on it. But that doesn’t mean you can’t find treatment for your hearing loss. Here are a few ways that the proper treatment may help you:
- Preserve and safeguard the hearing you still have.
- Help fend off cognitive decline.
- Successfully cope with any of the symptoms of hearing loss you might be experiencing.
- Stay engaged socially, keeping isolation at bay.
- Make sure your total quality of life is unaffected or stays high.
This treatment can take numerous forms, and it’ll usually depend on how severe your hearing loss is. Hearing aids are one of the easiest and most prevalent treatment choices.
Why is Hearing Loss Successfully Treated With Hearing AIds?
You can return to the people and things you enjoy with the assistance of hearing aids. They can help you hear the discussions, the phone, your television, or even just the sounds of nature. You won’t be straining to hear so pressure will be removed from your brain.
Prevention is The Best Protection
Loud noises and other things that would harm your hearing should be avoided and your ears should be protected against them. Your overall health and well being depend on good hearing. Routine hearing care, like annual hearing tests, is just another type of self-care.
