Proper Hearing Care Starts from Day One

Extremely loud iPod earbuds, jumbo jets, cruiser bike gangs and ear-related infections can constantly put our hearing under siege.  To avoid these problems, many audiologists and experts from day one, when you are born, you should be taking great care of your ears.

Over ten thousand newborn babies have hearing loss that can be neglected for years, delaying possible interventions that could help good development. Fortunately, a baby’s hearing can now be tested painlessly through a device that detects electrical potential in the nerves that carry sound to the brain.  Generally children should be tested before the age of 1 month.

In an article titled “There’s More to Ears than Just Wax”, New York Times columnist Nicholas Bakalar discusses the importance of preserving hearing for the long haul.  He brings up four main areas for concern in hearing loss: ear hygiene, noise injuries, age-related hearing loss, and ear health emergencies.  Suprisingly, earwax is not included in this list, despite many painful issues it seems to cause people.  According to Dr. Dennis R. Maceri, an associate professor of otolaryngology at the Keck School of Medicine at the University of Southern California, earwax is not a villain. “A person without it,” Dr. Maceri said, “is far worse off than someone with an excess.”

To learn more about the various causes of hearing problems, pain, and loss, please read the full article on The New York Times.