Hearing Loss… Preventable

The following quote from world-renowned otolaryngologist, Thomas J. Balkany is directed to young readers of “Listen Up!,” a fun breezy book recently incorporated into the curriculum of Palm Beach County schools:

“Everyday I work with young people who have severe hearing loss, and the one thing we find is that many of them could have been prevented. I always wonder why taking care of our hearing isn’t highlighted as much as the other very real issues facing (young people) today. Important issues like peer pressure, drug and alcohol abuse, eating disorders and adolescent obesity.

We work and play in a world of wonderful gadgets that we are discovering for the first time. Most people don’t even know what effects these emerging technologies will have on our hearing in the years to come. The thing most people are shocked by, when they’re sitting in my office and the damage is done, is that many forms of hearing damage are preventable.”

I was in so much denial about my hearing loss that I didn’t even want to discuss causes and prevention. Today, we know that noise is a big factor and that protecting our ears from high decibel noise helps prevent hearing loss.

Empowerment Through Hearing published ‘Listen Up!’ to help warn young people about the alarming increase of hearing loss caused by noise. As founder of this nonprofit, it was my mission to save others the years of pain and denial I went through growing up with this condition.

There are certainly better protection products out there now than I ever knew about while I was growing up. In 2006, there was praise for Apple’s new iPod volume control, http://www.consumeraffairs.com/news04/2006/03/apple_volume.html. Today there’s everything from inexpensive foam ear plugs in rainbow colors to sophisticated custom ear molds. In addition, we’ve come across the iHearSafe earbuds and headphones that keeps volume below 85 db, where the damage can begin.

Have you got any cool ways to protect your hearing? Any new products you’ve heard about? Let me know…

Write soon. I look forward to hearing from you.

Kathlyn

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