Calling All Riders!!

For all of you recreational ATV and motorcycle riders, beware of the permanent damage you are causing to your hearing. As an adventure rider for Pursue the Adventure, I am often in the saddle riding for hours. I was curious to learn how my exhaust and blue tooth communications were affecting my hearing.

I was distressed to learn that after about 20 to 30 minutes, I was damaging my ears. If riders are not careful, it can lead to ringing in the ears and even possibly going deaf. Now, I love riding as much as the next person, but not at the sacrifice of my hearing.

Thankfully, The Hearing Pill® has allowed me to help protect my hearing and still ride safely. I take one pill before and after riding, giving me the peace of mind that I will not be deaf when I am in my 50s and 60s. It’s like a football helmet for your hair cells in your ear, offering protection against loud noises. How awesome is that? Thanks to the US Navy and other research universities, it has extensive positive clinical studies. The Hearing Pill® is something every person around loud noises should take and it helps ensure a high quality of life as we all age.

“I started taking The Hearing Pill® as a preventative measure. I have abused my ears with years of firefighting, chainsaw work and riding loud dirt bikes. I have already noticed some hearing damage and want to prevent any further damage to my hearing. I have spent many hours researching NAC, the primary ingredient in The Hearing Pill®, and was pleased to find that it has many other beneficial outcomes for my health other than just hearing health.”

Local Firefighter and Rider, Caleb O

Recently we blogged about who is at risk for hearing loss among workers in America, construction workers were ranked very high. Noise-induced hearing loss is very common for them. According to The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) the 25-year-old carpenter has the hearing capability of 50-year-old person who has worked in a quiet job. However construction workers are exempt from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s  general occupational noise standard.

Usual Hearing Conservation Program

The general occupational noise standard, requires employees exposed to an 8-hour time-weighted average equal to or exceeding 85 dBA to be covering by a hearing conservation program with:

-Exposure monitoring

-Audiometric testing

-Training

-Hearing protection

- Engineering Controls

-Recordkeeping

OSHA mandates hearing conservation methods when exposure exceeds 90 dBA with no specific program. NIOSH research shows 1 out of every 4 workers will become hearing impaired at exposures up to 90 dBA

At the Hearing Pill®, we believe that construction workers have right to protect their hearing in a way that will not interfere with their security on site. That is why the protection offered by The Hearing Pill® is optimal for them. If you have a construction company or if you are involved in this industry do not hesitate to contact us so we will be able to offer you a customized protection program effective and easy to use for your workers.

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I am sure that most of you have heard that red wine is good for your heart. Or simply, that red wine is good. Point. For relaxing or keeping company to a nice meal what can be better? But could you imagine that red wine could also protect your ears?

Just imagine the scene…

-What! One more glass of wine! This is too much…

-No, this one is to protect my hearing!

More seriously, a new study explains how a compound found in red wine protects against hearing loss. The research was published this week in Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery. This specific compound is called “resveratrol”. It plays a role in body’s response to injury. The study shows that resveratrol protected rats from noise-induced damage to the auditory system by suppressing levels of a protein (Cyclooxygenase-2).

Resveratrol has effects not only on hearing but also on aging and cognition. This new study could give rise to other development using resveratrol as a powerful dietary supplement.

In a country like America where recreational use of firearms is a popular leisure-time activity, it is interesting to give a closer look to how firearm users protect their ears. Recently, an article published on ASHA website from Michael Stewart, PhD, Professor of audiology at Central Michigan University gave a lot of insights about how audiologists can better understand the situation faced by firearm user and help their patients protect their ears. 

How Firearms Impact Hearing

According to several studies done by Central Michigan University:

•80% of participants reported never using hearing protection while hunting.

•40/50% reported inconsistent use of protective devices during target practice.

•The time for recovery between shoot of rapid-fire (semi-automatic) gun is so short that the ear has no time to recover.

•shoot in indoor fire range and hunting blinds increases the overall peak sound pressure level and duration of firearm noise.

•Sound pressure levels of popular recreational firearms are 160 db to 170 db+.

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Have you heard about the Usher Syndrome? It is a genetic condition causing problems with hearing, sight and balance. A new study published in the Journal Nature Medicine, gives potential hope to correct this condition in mice.

•A Crucial Protein

The Usher Syndrome impeached a protein to do its job in creating hairs in the ear needed to detect sound.

•A Genetic Patch

Researchers from Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science in Chicago created a ‘’genetic patch’’ that attaches to the mutation, which lets the protein do their job.

•Results Limited In Time

The results on mice were perfect during the 6 months with their hearing perfectly working. However, their hearing capacities started to deteriorate at the 6 month mark.

•Similar Treatment For Humans?

The treatment was given to mice in their early days. There is possibility that if the treatment was given before being born, long term results would be better. As humans spend more time in the womb than mice, the treatment could be given before the baby is born.

Consider these 4 stats:

•⅓ of older adults fall each year

•People with hearing loss may be at greater risk of falling

•More than 50% of adults over the age of 65 experience hearing loss

•65% of them seek no treatment

Now you can understand why the University of Texas has launched a research project evaluating how much hearing aids and other technologies might improve balance and prevent falls for people with auditory problems.

A member of the research team, Thibodeau said “We anticipate that there will be increased cognitive resources available to devote to balance and gait when the hearing aids or assistive devices are worn. But until we observe these individuals in situations that are created to simulate normal day-to-day environments, we can’t be certain of the effects. This study could go a long way toward helping us understand the importance of hearing and how it affects many other aspects of a person’s well-being.”

The Hearing Pill® is the easiest and most efficient way to help avoid hearing loss for people finding themselves in risky situation during their professional life or practicing hobbies. It is like a football helmet for your hair cells in your ear. You wouldn’t drive a car without a seatbelt, you should not expose your ears to loud noises without taking The Hearing Pill®.

 Can you imagine that the Hearing Pill® could be better than this?

Yes, you should! We receive exciting news from a clinical trial in Iraq done by the Navy using NAC the active ingredient in the Hearing Pill®. The clinical trial was focused on the acute treatment of combat blast related mild Traumatic Brain Injury in a forward war zone. According to the Study, “Supplementation of standard therapy with oral NAC had a significant impact on neuropsychological test results, number of mild Traumatic Brain Injury symptoms, and complete symptom resolution by day seven of treatment when compared to placebo. Moreover, the pill form of NAC, produced no side effects in mild Traumatic Brain Injury blast subjects.”

 New Possibility To Treat Mild Traumatic Brain Injury

This groundbreaking news opens the Hearing Pill® to a new universe, as its principal active ingredient could be used for treating Mild Traumatic Brain Injury. The Hearing Pill® could help a wide range of people not only protect their ears against hearing loss but also people suffering from mild traumatic injuries.

So stay tuned, the Hearing Pill® has unique technology that can help millions of people improve their quality of life.

A Dedication To Children As Mission

At The Hearing Pill® we are very curious about all the organizations dedicated to helping people who suffer from hearing loss. The Lake Drive Foundation is an amazing organization, making a positive impact on the world and how we treat kids with hearing loss. The foundation’s mission is to support the identification, evaluation, therapeutic intervention and education of hearing impaired and communication impaired infants, toddlers and children. It is crucial for these children to get particular attention during their first steps at preschool in order for a successful entry into their road to education. The State of New Jersey does not have specific programs or funding for hearing impaired children, so the Lake Drive Foundation took charge and develop a program called, Lake Drive’s Sound Start Program.

 A Program That Works

Lake Drive’s Sound Start Program offers the most comprehensive, intensive and highest quality early intervention services for infants and toddlers with hearing loss. In Sound Start, a multidisciplinary team of specialists provides parents with education, support, individual therapies in the home, small group classes for babies and caregivers. Furthermore, they offer an intensive full day inclusive nursery program where toddlers with hearing loss and hearing peers develop speech and language skills together. At age three, Sound Start toddlers graduate ready for preschool in their home communities.

How You Can Make A Difference!

Through grants, events and donations, The Lake Drive Foundation is committed to raising the necessary funding to ensure infants and toddlers have access to the highest quality intervention services, regardless of their family’s ability to pay. If you wish to support this great organization opportunities are available through the year. A Gala is organized every year called For the Babies Gala.

If you personally know this organization do not hesitate to share with us your experience or if you benefited from their program we would love to hear from you!

If you just try to localize your heart and your ears, it is difficult to see how they can be related. Even if you think function, your ears process sound to the brain but not the heart – so what can create this link? Blood. The inner ear is extremely sensible to blood flow. That is why Harvard researchers have focused their work on how heart disease affects hearing capacities. Here are the main outputs to keep in mind:

•Hearing loss happened 54% more often to people with heart disease than in the general population.

•The hearing nerves are so fragile that the ears are likely to be the first organs damaged by cardiovascular disease.

•People are usually aware of the risk of heart disease as it is the top killer in USA. However little is done to take care of the risk of hearing loss associated with heart disease. Hearing checks must be a reflex for patient with heart disease.

If you suffer from a cardiovascular disease do not hesitate to start the conversation about hearing loss during your next visit with your practitioner. You have already enough to deal with when you suffer from heart disease, there is no need to add hearing loss to that!

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This week, we spotted a great blog post on Hear The World Foundation about how to protect your ears during winter. Ears can be particularly at-risk during winter because of hearing infections and for people using hearing aids, low temperatures can damage their efficiency. Here are the main points to remember according to Hear the World Foundation:

•Keep your ears warm during cold periods (by wearing a hat, headband, earmuffs or a good ski helmet).

•Do not put cotton wool in your ears to protect them from the cold wind. It may cause inflammation in the ear canal.

•After taking a shower or going swimming, you should dry your ear canal before going out into the cold.

•If you have an ear infection, you should consult your physician or an ENT specialist. Ear infections that are left untreated can get worse and cause even more damage.

•Minor damage to the pinna, the outer part of the ear, due to cold conditions may be painful, but in most cases this will go away by itself if you stay in a normal heated room. Gently massaging the ears can help warm them up again. Never use hot water to warm up your ears!

•In severe cases of frostbite, you should consult a physician without delay.

•You should remove any earrings if you are spending long periods of time in the cold. Metal conducts cold quickly and can rapidly cool down any parts of the body that come into contact with it.

Additional ones, particularly for people using hearing aids:

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