Hearing Loss

The sense of hearing is essentially the ability of the body to pick up vibrations in the air and convert them into a form that it understands. Hearing loss refers to the diminishing ability to detect any kind of sound.

Within the ear is a membrane known as the ear drum. The ear drum is spread tightly across the channel of the ear and it is extremely thin, so that it resonates with any vibrations in the air. These vibrations are then transmitted through a series of bones to nerves that translate the vibrations into what we know as sound.

Hearing loss takes place when any part of this system is damaged or not functioning properly, thus resulting in a decreased ability to pick up and translate vibrations. Hearing loss usually results from one of several causes. The most common causes include inherited traits, disease, and physical trauma.

Inherited traits can result in malformation of the eardrum or other components of the auditory canal, or cause malfunction of the auditory nerve that leads from the ear to the brain.

Natural Cures for Hearing Loss

Diseases such as measles, meningitis, and AIDS often cause some form of hearing loss in victims. Physical trauma may result in damage to either the ear or the head, interfering at some point in the process of picking up vibrations and translating them into signals the brain can understand.

The physical apparatus used in hearing such as the eardrum or auditory bones that transmit vibrations through the ear may be damaged. Also, being exposed to extremely loud noise can cause hearing loss.

Ear Protection

Whenever you know that you will be exposed to loud noises, such as construction or demolition work, you should always wear ear protection. This usually comes in the form of protective ear plugs or ear muffs.

These devices block the passage of the ear, preventing any physical damage from affecting the insides of the ear.

Hearing Aids

For those who suffer from hearing loss, science has yet to discover a method to heal malformed portions of the ear or damaged auditory nerves and damage cannot be reversed. So rather than look for cures to heal hearing loss, one of the things you can do for your hearing health is to find a quality pair of hearing aids.

For those who have reduced hearing ability these aids work by magnifying regular sounds such that someone with reduced hearing ability is still able to such sounds as a regular person would. Hearing aids can usually be found at your local pharmacy or drugstore.