Every day scientists are finding new cures. That can be a good thing and a bad thing. For instance, you may look at promising new research in the arena of curing hearing loss and you figure you don’t really have to be all that careful. You’ll feel like they will likely have a cure for deafness by the time you will exhibit any symptoms of hearing loss.
That’s not a good idea. Without question, it’s better to protect your hearing while you can. Scientists are making some phenomenal strides on the subject of treating hearing loss though, including some possible cures in the future.
It’s no fun to lose your hearing
Hearing loss is just something that occurs. It’s not inevitably because of something you did wrong. It’s just part of the aging process. But developing hearing loss has some major disadvantages. Your social life, overall health, and mental health can be significantly affected by hearing loss, not to mention your inability to hear what’s taking place around you. Untreated hearing loss can even result in an increased risk of depression and dementia. Lots of research exists that shows a connection between social isolation and untreated hearing loss.
Usually, hearing loss is a chronic and degenerative problem. This means that there isn’t any cure and, over time, it’ll get worse. This doesn’t apply to every kind of hearing loss but we’ll get to that soon. Even though there’s no cure, though, that doesn’t mean it can’t be managed.
If you come see us, we can help slow down the progression of your hearing loss and protect your current levels of hearing. Hearing aids are usually the form of treatment that will be most ideal for most kinds of hearing loss. So there are treatments for most people but there’s no cure. And your quality of life will be greatly improved by these treatments.
Two kinds of hearing loss
There are differences in types of hearing loss. Hearing loss comes in two primary classes. You can treat one and the other can be cured. Here’s how it breaks down:
- Conductive hearing loss: When the ear canal gets obstructed by something, you get this form of hearing loss. It may be because of a buildup of earwax. Maybe it’s swelling from an ear infection. Whatever the cause, there’s something physically stopping sound waves from traveling up to your inner ear. This form of hearing loss will be cured when the cause of the obstruction is eliminated.
- Sensorineural hearing loss: This type of hearing loss is more permanent. Vibrations in the air are picked up by tiny hairs in your ears called stereocilia. Your brain is capable of interpreting these vibrations as sound. Unfortunately, these hairs are compromised as you go through life, typically by overly loud noises. And these hairs stop working after they become damaged. This reduces your ability to hear. There’s presently no way to heal these hairs, and your body doesn’t create new ones naturally. Once they’re gone, they’re gone.
Sensorineural hearing loss treatments
Sensorineural hearing loss may be permanent but that doesn’t mean it can’t be managed. Given your loss of hearing, letting you hear as much as you can is the purpose of treatment. Keeping you functioning as independently as possible, enhancing your situational awareness, and letting you hear conversations is the goal.
So, what are these treatment strategies? Here are some common treatments.
Hearing aids
Hearing aids are likely the single most prevalent means of treating hearing loss. They’re particularly beneficial because hearing aids can be specifically calibrated for your distinct hearing loss. Over the course of your day, a hearing aid will help you make out conversations and interact with people better. Hearing aids can even slow down many symptoms of social solitude (and the risk of depression and dementia as a result).
There are many different styles of hearing aid to choose from and they have become much more common. You’ll need to speak with us about which is best for you and your specific level of hearing loss.
Cochlear implants
When hearing loss is complete, it often makes sense to bypass the ears altogether. That’s what a cochlear implant does. Surgery is performed to insert this device into the ear. The device picks up on sounds and converts those sounds into electrical energy, which is then transmitted directly to your cochlear nerve. This enables your brain to convert those signals into sounds.
Cochlear implants are usually used when hearing loss is complete, a condition called deafness. So there will still be treatment options even if you have completely lost your hearing.
Novel advances
Scientists are always working on new ways to treat hearing loss.
These new advances are frequently aimed at “curing” hearing loss in ways that have previously been impossible. Here are a number of those advances:
- Stem cell therapies: These treatments use stem cells from your own body. The idea is that new stereocilia can be produced by these stem cells (those little hairs inside of your ears). Studies with animals (like rats and mice) have shown some promise, but some kind of prescription stem cell gene therapy still seems going to be a while.
- Progenitor cell activation: So, stem cells in your ear originate the creation of stereocilia. Once the stereocilia develop, the stem cells become inactive, and they are then known as progenitor cells. New treatments seek to reactivate these progenitor cells, encouraging them to once more grow new stereocilia. Encouraging outcomes for these new therapies have come from early human trials. There was a substantial improvement, for most people, in their ability to hear and comprehend speech. How long before these therapies are widely available, however, isn’t known.
- GFI1 Protein: Some researchers have discovered a protein that’s critical to growing new stereocilia. Researchers are hoping that they can get a better concept of how to get these stereocilia to grow back by identifying this protein. Again, this is one of those therapies that’s more in the “drawing board” stage than the “widely available” phase.
Don’t wait to have your hearing loss treated
There’s a lot of promise in these innovations. But it’s essential to stress that none of them are ready yet. Which means that it’s wise to live in the here and now. Be proactive about safeguarding your hearing.
A miracle cure isn’t likely to be coming soon, so if you’re coping with hearing loss, call us today to schedule your hearing exam.
References
https://hsci.harvard.edu/major-step-toward-treatment-leading-form-hearing-loss
https://news.mit.edu/2022/frequency-therapeutics-hearing-regeneration-0329