Are There Drugs That Can Save Your Hearing?
Thanks to the work of scientists over a number of years there is evidence from lab animal results that a pill may be able to reduce the effects of loud noise to our hearing. Now the scientists are completing human trials of the new pill. The scientists hope that patients who take the substance dissolved in a drink will perform better during a hearing test.
This is just a small part of the research that is ongoing in the attempt to create a treatment that can reduce the effects of damage caused by exposure to loud noise. As scientists have got closer to their ultimate goal the efforts in recent years have been increased.
There is no intention to replace ear protection and ear plugs with this new medication. Instead, it will be combined with the current forms of ear protection available because it is obvious that the problem of hearing loss is still wide spread even with the current level of protection available.
The federal government has warned that hearing loss is the second most commonly reported occupational hazard. Explosions and other similar bursts of sound, and long term exposure are responsible for 10 million Americans having to live with permanent hearing damage.
High levels of noise in occupations in the mining, construction, manufacturing and agriculture industries means that 30 million Americans risk damage to their hearing from their occupations. For professional musicians there is also a great risk of hearing damage.
The problem is not caused only in the workplace. Pastimes such as recreational shooting, racing driving and motorcycling also pose a risk. The sound canceling headphones and earplugs that people wear do help to some extent but they’re not really enough.
Unfortunately the current protection is not always effective against all types of sound. Many people are more susceptible and yet do not wear the protection every time. Sound can also penetrate the skull and cause damage to the ears that way, even if the protection is being worn.
Different approaches in the past have been made to try to create an ear strengthening pill. Thanks to magnesium supplements in their diet it was reported that in 1994 Israeli military recruits were able to avoid any hearing loss during their noisy basic training. Chemicals known as antioxidants which are found in vitamins E and C are the focus of most modern research.
This is due to the fact that the force from loud noise does not always directly cause the damage to someone’s hearing. A lot of damage is actually caused by free radical molecules that the ear produces after being exposed to high levels of sounds.
The neutralization of free radicals by antioxidants occurs naturally in the ear. However, too much noise means that there are not enough antioxidants present. The increase in free radicals will cause the cells that act as sound receptors to die so they can no longer create nerve messages from converting the sound waves that strike them. The death of these cells causes permanent damage to the hearing.
Permanent damage from loud noise could be reduced by increasing the levels of antioxidants in the ear’s defense against free radicals, and may work by both preventing the damage and also treating damage that has just occurred. The experiments on animals have so far looked promising in terms of preventing hearing loss. How effective the antioxidant method will be on humans is approached with caution by some experts. Further animal trials hope to determine the effectiveness of the antioxidant method on people by varying the doses and using differing sound levels.
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