Hearing Loss
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Potential Causes for Hearing Loss
Hearing Loss Linked to Erectile Dysfunction (ED) Drugs
Some patients using the ED drugs Viagra, Cialis or Levitra have reported sudden hearing loss (temporary or permanent), sometimes with ringing in the ears and dizziness. The FDA has asked manufacturers of these drugs to more prominently display warnings about this potential side effect. If you have sudden hearing loss while taking an ED drug, immediately stop using it and seek medical attention.
Source: Janet Woodcock, MD, chief medical officer, FDA's Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, Washington, DC.
Cell Phones Linked to Hearing Loss
A study conducted by Naresh K. Panda, MS, DNB (Diplomate of the National Board of Examinations, New Delhi, equivalent to an MD), FRCSEd, professor and head, department of otolaryngology, at the Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research in Chandigarh, India, which found an association between cell phone use and hearing loss.
In his research, which was presented last September at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Dr. Panda and his colleagues found that people who had used cell phones for more than four years and who talked on them for more than an hour each day were more likely to suffer from high-frequency hearing loss (which can impact a person's ability to hear s, f, t and z sounds) than those who used the phones less.
Though this early study only evaluated 100 people -- and only 30 qualified for the "more than four years of use" stipulation -- hearing loss seems directly connected to cell phones. Hearing loss was slightly higher in the right ear, which was the ear most often used when on the phone.
Warning Signs: Dr. Panda recommends heeding the warning signs of hearing damage -- ringing in the ears, a feeling of fullness in the ears or a warm sensation inside your ear -- while using the phone. If you experience these symptoms, end your call -- and make fewer of them.
Hearing Loss - Nutritional Research / Support
Vitamin C & Rebamipide
In a recent study, researchers took people with age-related hearing loss and tested their hearing at various frequencies. They then gave patients 600 mg a day of vitamin C and 300 mg of the ulcer drug rebamipide.
Result: In just 8 weeks, every single patient was able to hear better in frequencies between 125 and 800 Hz. These frequencies are well within the range of human voice.
The drug rebamipide is chemically similar to antioxidant compounds called quinolones. In fact, the reason it works against ulcers is that it protects the stomach from free radicals that are produced by the H pylori infection, which causes ulcers.
At this point, rebamipide is not available at pharmacies in the U.S. However, one can buy it legally from mail-order sources, as long as one gets a prescription from a qualified doctor.
Source: "Second Opinion" Magazine, Winter 2008 Special Issue
Vitamins A, C & E and Magnesium
Source: http://www.nutritionhorizon.comIn a new study in animals, the University of Michigan researchers report that a combination of high doses of vitamins A, C, and E and magnesium, taken one hour before noise exposure and continued as a once-daily treatment for five days, was very effective at preventing permanent noise-induced hearing loss. The animals had prolonged exposure to sounds as loud as a jet engine at take-off at close range.
Key Finding: The group given the combined treatments of vitamins A, C, and E and magnesium showed significantly less noise-induced hearing loss than all of the other groups.
"Vitamins A, C, and E and magnesium worked in synergy to prevent cell damage," explains Colleen G. Le Prell, Ph.D., the study's lead author, and a research investigator at the U-M Kresge Hearing Research Institute.
According to the researchers, pre-treatment presumably reduced reactive elements called free radicals that form during and after noise exposure and noise-induced constriction of blood flow to the inner ear and may have also reduced neural excitotoxicity, or the damage to auditory neurons that can occur due to over-stimulation.
Safety Note: The antioxidant vitamins and magnesium used in the study are widely used dietary supplements, not new drugs, and therefore they don't require the extensive safety tests required for new drug entities prior to use in clinical trials.
Ginkgo
Ginkgo enhanced circulation in the minute capillaries of the eye has been credited with protecting against age-related macular degeneration (AMD), cataracts and diabetic retinopathy. Improved circulation in the ears may also protect against tinnitus and hearing loss. (Click here for info.)