The human body is a wonderful, breathtaking, perplexing, confounding piece of work, isn’t it? Scratches, cuts, and broken bones are typically no problem for the human body to mend (I mean, sure, it takes a while, but your body can literally mend the giant bones in your arms and legs with little more than a splint and some time).
But when it comes to restoring the delicate little hairs in your ear, it’s not going to happen. For now anyway.
It’s really regrettable that your body can pull off such great feats of healing but can’t restore these tiny hairs. What’s happening there?
When is Hearing Loss Irreversible?
So let’s take a closer look. You’re at your doctor’s office attempting to process the news he’s giving you: you have hearing loss. So you ask your doctor if your hearing will ever come back. And the answer is… maybe.
Dramatically speaking, it’s a bit anticlimactic.
But it’s also a fact. Hearing loss comes in two general forms:
- Damage related hearing loss: But hearing loss has another more prevalent form. Known scientifically as sensorineural hearing loss, this type of hearing loss is effectively irreversible. Here’s what happens: inside of your ear, there are little hairs that vibrate when moved by sound waves. When vibrations are transformed into signals, they are sent to the brain which renders them into the sounds you perceive. But over time, loud sounds can cause these hairs to be damaged to the point where treatment is necessary.
- Hearing loss caused by a blockage: You can exhibit every sign of hearing loss when your ear has some kind of obstruction. A wide variety of things, from something gross (earwax) to something frightening (a tumor), can be the cause of this obstruction. Your hearing will return to normal, thankfully, when the obstruction is removed.
So here’s the main point: there’s one type of hearing loss you can recover from, and you might need to get tested to see which one you have.
Hearing Loss Treatment
So at this time there’s no “cure” for sensorineural hearing loss (though scientists are working on it). But that doesn’t mean you can’t find treatment for your hearing loss. As a matter of fact, getting the right treatment for your hearing loss may help you:
- Reduce mental decline.
- Preserve a high quality of life.
- Stay active socially, keeping isolation away.
- Successfully manage hearing loss symptoms you might already have.
- Protect and maintain your remaining hearing.
Of the many types of treatment available, which one is right for you depends on the extent of your hearing loss. Hearing aids are one of the simplest and most prevalent treatment options.
Why is Hearing Loss Successfully Managed With Hearing AIds?
Hearing aids can help you return to the people and things you love. They can help you hear the discussions, your phone, your television, or even just the birds in the park. Hearing aids can also remove some of the pressure from your brain because you will no longer be struggling to hear.
The Best Protection is Prevention
Whether you have hearing loss now or not, you should protect your hearing from loud noises and other things that can harm your hearing (like ototoxic drugs). Hearing well is critical to your general health and well-being. Having regular hearing exams is the best way to be sure that you are protecting your hearing.