Running with only one goal

By Claire Schultz

I am running this race with one goal in mind:  To raise as much money as possible and accelerate the pace of Hearing Health Foundation's research that will lead to a cure for hearing loss and tinnitus (loud ringing in the ears) in our lifetime.

I decided to take on this enormous challenge of mental and physical endurance with just five weeks to go until the race. A bit daunting, yes. But it is for a good reason.  When I joined Hearing Health Foundation (HHF) back in April,  people were signing up to run on the HHF team to raise money for our mission.  I was told we had one spot remaining and could not fathom that HHF might not take full advantage of this opportunity to raise money to fund our research consortium of leading scientists who are working collaboratively toward a cure.   So, I made the commitment.  I will run the 26.2 miles throughout NYC, and I will cross that finish line with a smile and, hopefully, with your support!   

I am doing this for the people who I know personally who live every day with the challenges of hearing loss.  I he learned from them just how hard it is to live life in a world of silence.  There are 50 million women, men, teens, and children in the U.S. who live each day without their hearing. Noise Induced Hearing Loss (NIHL) and tinnitus are the top two service-connected disabilities among US troops.

You can support me and my goal to raise money for the Hearing Health Foundation. With your help we will make great strides toward a cure for all those people living with hearing loss and tinnitus.

Please go here to donate and those of you who live in and around NYC, come out on November 2nd and cheer me on. 

The Harm from Noise

By Pallavi Bharadwaj

Workplace noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL) is among the most common type of NIHL in the United States, among other countries. In the U.S., 30 million workers are estimated to be at risk for NIHL, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Austrian researchers recently presented a study titled “Early prognosis of noise-induced hearing loss”  recently in the journal Occupational & Environmental Medicine. 

It has long been assumed that some individuals are more vulnerable to occupational NIHL than others because of the wide variation in hearing loss after equivalent exposures. Earlier attempts to define predictors of workplace NIHL susceptibility have been inconclusive. Recently in the journal Occupational & Environmental Medicine, Austrian researchers presented a study titled “Early prognosis of noise-induced hearing loss” that evaluated the potential of temporary threshold shift (TTS) to predict future NIHL.

Between 1982 and 1989, 311 participants (welders and fitters) were included in a prospective study during their initial health screening visit. At this occasion, a standardized noise exposure was applied: 20 minutes at frequencies of 200 to 500 hertz (Hz) and at a volume of 100 dBA. The TTS at 4 kilohertz (kHz) was determined during at least 10 minutes after exposure. Hearing loss was monitored at follow-up visits every three to five years, averaging 13 years in total.

The Austrian researchers say the temporary threshold shift (TTS) model can be successfully applied as a method to detect individuals at greater risk of workplace NIHL. It is recommended to routinely include such a procedure into initial workers’ examinations for suitability to work under occupational noise conditions and for counseling on the use of hearing protection.

Read the abstract here.

To learn more about workplace noises see:       

• Protection for All

• This Is Your Workplace on Noise

• Office Space

The Danger From Noise When It Is Actually Music

By Yishane Lee

Les Paul Ambassador

John Colianni

Noise-induced hearing loss affects anyone exposed to very loud or chronic noise. It doesn’t matter if the “noise” is actually music. It has been estimated that up to half of classical orchestral musicians have hearing loss because of their work in music, practicing or performing up to eight hours a day. Sound levels onstage, no matter the music genre, can reach up to 110 decibels (dB), although it is not usually continuous. That is equivalent to a jackhammer—even if there’s a melody behind it.

Researchers at the Nofer Institute of Occupational Medicine in Poland measured the exposure for classical musicians as 81 to 90 dBA (A-weighted decibels, a unit of measure for how humans perceive sound) for 20 to 45 hours a week. In their study published in the International Journal of Occupational Safety and Ergonomics, they estimated that this exposure over the course of a career increases the risk of a hearing loss of 35 dB by 26 percent. At the greatest risk for hearing loss are those in the brass section—horn, trumpet, tuba—as well as those playing percussion, the study found.

Prolonged exposure at 85 dB (the sound of heavy traffic) will permanently damage the delicate hair cells of the inner ear, leading to hearing loss. Tinnitus, or ringing in the ears, is another potential problem. Roughly 90 percent of tinnitus cases occur with an underlying hearing loss.

Not surprisingly, rock and jazz musicians are not immune. Indeed, there are a number of well-known rock and pop musicians who have publicly discussed their hearing loss and/or tinnitus, among them Sting, Eric Clapton, Neil Young, Phil Collins, and Will.i.am.

But hearing loss due to noise (or music) is completely preventable. A related study by the Polish scientists determined that brass players benefitted the most from the use of custom-molded, silicone earplugs with acoustic filters that reduced sound levels. Woodwind, percussion, and string players also benefited.

In 2013, the Les Paul Foundation and HHF teamed up to launch the Les Paul Ambassadors program. Guitar great Les Paul was determined to find a cure for hearing loss and tinnitus, and through his foundation’s support of HHF’s Hearing Restoration Project, an international research consortium of top hearing scientists, we have the opportunity to find a cure. Learn about the program and the first Ambassador, Lou Pallo, as well as our other Ambassadors saxophonist Chris Potter and jazz pianist John Colianni.

Learn more about NIHL and its risk factors, treatment, and prevention in our new Summer issue of Hearing Health magazine.

How My Sudden Hearing Loss Paved the Way to a New Life's Mission

By Monique Hammond, Guest Blogger

Like everyone else does, I took my clean, crisp hearing for granted. But over a four-hour period in September 2005, I lost my hearing in my left ear. That same day, an intense vertigo attack made the world spin out of control. I became violently ill and spent the next two days in the hospital. My whole inner ear and nerves had come under attack.

The final verdict was that I had suffered a sudden sensorineural hearing loss (SSHL), which is considered a medical emergency. The doctors suspected the cause to be a viral infection complicated by an excessively loud noise exposure from a church fundraiser the day before. I largely credit the treatment of oral steroids and antiviral medication that I received at the very start for being able to regain limited hearing.

The “ear event,” as I like to call it, has left me with a severe one-sided hearing loss, never-ending, high-pitched tinnitus, and annoying sound sensitivities, which make the adjustment of hearing aids quite tricky. Although hearing aids have helped many people beyond their wildest dreams, they have not been tremendously effective for me. Strangely enough, I feel that my hearing aid helps me more with stability—as I am still plagued by pesky balance issues—than with hearing acuity.  

Going back to work only reinforced the realization that my job was eroding right from under me: I simply could not function safely and effectively anymore in the noise-confused environment of the hospital pharmacy that was my place of work. I had enjoyed my work and coworkers and I also appreciated my paycheck. Losing all of that has been emotionally a most difficult adjustment.

I am quite open about my challenges as I have found that to be the best policy for me. I am lucky because my friends and family have been very supportive. Over time, they have come to appreciate the varied challenges that hearing loss bestows on those affected. Yes, I must remind them now and then not to talk to me through walls. But sometimes people forget.  

Of all the hearing-related issues that I have come across, I have chosen noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL) as the focus for any of my training, education, and advocacy efforts. Why? Because this is a preventable disability that is on a steep rise. The damage is irreversible but completely avoidable. As yet there is no cure for any kind of hearing loss, and organized public education on this timely topic as well as on hearing loss in general is greatly lacking. (Learn about research toward a cure by HHF’s Hearing Restoration Project.)

All my life I have been a big believer in prevention and education and from that aspect nothing has changed. This why I wrote my book, “What Did You Say?,” and why I bring my new life mission—to help people hear better longer—into a gaping public education void.

These days I am kept busy working with support groups, leading training sessions, doing public speaking, and writing articles and a blog. Although I do use Facebook connected to my website, my favorite social medium is Twitter. It is an ideal tool to keep up with news and research and to communicate information about a myriad of hearing loss topics to my followers.

Yes, the journey into the world of hearing loss has been a long and often thorny road paved with fears and tears but also with plenty of revelations and amazement. Life is different now, but as Senator Hubert H. Humphrey once said: “It is not what they take away from you that counts. It's what you do with what you have left.”

Monique Hammond is a registered pharmacist and the author of “What Did You Say? An Unexpected Journey Into the World of Hearing Loss.” Learn more at moniquehammond.com.

Protect Your Ears This July 4!

By Tara Guastella

The Fourth of July is a great time for barbecues, trips to the beach, and spending time with friends and family. But fireworks and firecrackers, ubiquitous to many Independence Day celebrations, not only are a potential fire hazard, they also can do permanent damage to one's ears.

These beautiful spectacles measure between 140 and 165 decibels. This means that even one minute of exposure to them can cause immediate, permanent hearing loss.  

When exposed to sounds that are too loud or loud sounds that last a long time, such as a fireworks display, delicate cells in our inner ear can be damaged, causing noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL). These sensory hair cells in the inner ear convert sound energy into electrical signals that travel to the brain. Once damaged, our hair cells cannot grow back.

While you're enjoying summertime get-togethers, remember to pack ear protection, such as earplugs or earmuffs, and don't forget a pair for the kids! Also remember to Walk, Block, and Turn:

Walk away from loud sounds.

Block loud sounds with ear protection.

Turn the volume down (when you can control it).

Learn more about how loud is too loud today.

We wish you and your family a happy, healthy, and safe Fourth of July holiday!

Stay tuned for more about NIHL—its symptoms, prevention, treatment, and related conditions such as tinnitus—in the upcoming Summer issue of Hearing Health magazine. Get a free subscription by signing up here. We also wish to salute and thank our military service members, who are disproportionately affected by hearing loss and tinnitus as a result of their service, on this American holiday.

Today, We Honor our Vets: 60% of Whom Return with Hearing Loss or Tinnitus

By Yishane Lee

Veterans are uniquely affected by noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL) and tinnitus. These two conditions are the top complaints among returning military personnel. In part due to ongoing conflicts abroad, there have been more than 1 million cases of tinnitus, hearing loss, and other auditory disorders over the past decade.

Noise exposure during service in Iraq and Afghanistan is to blame, but veterans from older conflicts also report their hearing has been damaged, likely in part due to their military service decades ago.

At HHF, we have been working with the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to bring attention to this major health threat among veterans. Among the average population, the risk of NIHL in the workplace is something that is very preventable, through the use of earplugs, sound-damping architectural or interior design features, and plain-old noise breaks, as mandated by the Occupational Safety & Health Administration.

But out in the field, with the machinery that is necessary for military readiness and the constant risk of facing potential enemy combatants, hearing well—and the ability to hear signs of danger and fellow soldiers—can be a matter of life or death. Sudden noises, such as from an improvised explosive device (IED) or other weapons, can’t necessarily be predicted—and protected from.

What’s more, the temporary hearing loss that results from a sudden loud explosion puts the military personnel even more at risk. (Think about how your hearing is muffled after a loud concert. Now think about experiencing that muffled hearing in a tense combat situation.) Although recent research has found that short-term hearing loss may actually protect hearing, if it is repeated often enough, the sensitive hair cells in the inner ear die, leading to permanent hearing loss. (HHF is working to find a way to regenerate hair cells, through our Hearing Restoration Project.)

The VA has been working to remedy the situation. Together with the Department of Defense, its Veterans Health Administration launched the Hearing Center of Excellence to provide education and resources to members of the military. Among the Texas-based center’s mission drivers and goals are prevention and education, accurate and comprehensive data collection, and research into effective treatments, according to otolaryngologist Mark D. Packer, M.D., its founding director. (And yes, we here at HHF have the same goals, along with the search for a cure for hearing loss and tinnitus.)

The VA is also conducting clinical trials to find an effective tinnitus treatment, including the landmark Tinnitus Retraining Therapy Trial, headed by Craig Formby, Ph.D. A sequential tinnitus treatment, called Progressive Tinnitus Management, is also showing promise among veterans. For one thing, part of the treatment can be done remotely, over the phone or the computer. This diminishes the need for frequent trips to a VA hospital, which veterans say can be difficult to maintain because of work, other injuries, finances, or sheer distance.

This Veterans Day, please take a moment to remember the service that our fellow Americans have volunteered to perform for the rest of the country, and share your stories and comments below.

Veterans' biggest health concern involves hearing damage

Hearing Health Foundation, the leading non-profit funder of hearing research, remains committed to the Americans serving in the U.S. armed forces who return home suffering from tinnitus (ringing in the ear) and hearing loss. At least 60 percent of soldiers coming home from Iraq and Afghanistan report hearing problems due to noise exposure experienced during their time of service; surprisingly, hearing loss and tinnitus are more common than post-traumatic stress disorder.

Hearing loss and tinnitus aren’t new to the military, found San Diego writer and editor Elizabeth Stump, whose research contributed to the content of this article. John Ayers, 79, of Texas was informed at the age of 25 that he had suffered from hearing loss due to his time in the U.S. Air Force preparing B-47 jet bombers to fly combat missions.

“Earplugs were required only for those who worked on the flight line and next to the aircraft,” he says. “Flying at 10,000 feet, the engine roar permeated every part of my body. The droning of the engines made the entire airplane frame vibrate, making it difficult to sleep; hearing other people talk was impossible. It was several days before my hearing returned to normal.”

“Hearing loss is truly a hidden disability, and our aim is to address significant gaps in the military’s ability to prevent or mitigate, and then treat this type of injury,” says Col. Mark Packer, the interim acting executive director of the Department of Defense’s Hearing Center of Excellence and an Air Force neurotologist.

For a variety of reasons, hearing protection for the military remains limited. Hearing Health Foundation strongly advocates using hearing protection in all situations with high noise levels, but while earplugs can protect against noises that reach 80 to 85 decibels, they can’t protect fully against explosions and firefights that reach intensely dangerous levels of up to 180 decibels.  Some active duty servicemen and women also worry that using earplugs will prevent them from hearing important tactical instructions.

Nathan Beltzee, 35, of New Jersey, served for 11 years in the Army and Air Force. He suffered hearing loss as a direct result of gunfire and loud jet engines.

“I have 40 percent hearing loss in my left ear and 30 percent in my right ear,” Beltzee says. “I left the service because of my hearing problems. I was afraid to ever fire a gun again or to be in a situation where I would be exposed to small arms fire or explosions that would make the ringing worse."

There is currently no cure for the noise-induced hearing loss experienced by armed forces, but through the Hearing Restoration Project, Hearing Health Foundation has a goal of a real, biological cure for hearing loss within the next decade.  The cure for hearing loss would help people like Ayers and Beltzee regain hearing lost as a result of their military service.