Photo credit: Andrea Piacquadio from Pexels by Daniel Fink, MD, Chair, The Quiet Coalition One usually doesn’t think of occupational hearing loss as a problem for professionals, just for factory workers or miners or heavy equipment operators, but it is a problem for dentists. The high-frequency whine of turbines used to power drills and polishing
Photo credit: vxla licensed under CC BY-NC 2.0 by Daniel Fink, MD, Chair, The Quiet Coalition This post on the Digital Trends site discusses how to protect yourself from noise-induced hearing loss. As the article notes, NIHL is insidious in its onset, and predictable in its course. I disagree with one statement, however. Namely, the author
Age-related hearing loss is almost certainly noise induced hearing loss says a recent report, confirming Dr. Daniel fFnk’s conclusion after reviewing the literature in 2017.
Chemical earmuffs to prevent hearing loss? Dr. Daniel Fink asks why so much effort is spent developing drugs to prevent hearing loss after noise exposure when avoiding loud noise is easier.
David Sykes writes about an AARP article that cites a German study showing working musicians are nearly 4 times more likely to suffer noise-induced hearing loss than any other profession.
The NY Times writes about how loud fitness classes are compromising instructors’ vocal cords. Dr. Fink thinks they should worry about their hearing, too, as should their students.
Can a drug that repairs DNA prevent noise-induced hearing loss? That would be great, but Dr. Daniel Fink asks why Americans focus on finding “a pill for every ill” instead of preventing disease in the first place.
Will personal music players be the next public health disaster for young people? Dr. Daniel Fink fears the answer is yes, and says we must regulate now to prevent a hearing loss epidemic tomorrow.
Research shows there is a genetic susceptibility to hearing loss from noise exposure. Whether you are more susceptible or not, there’s an easy way to avoid NIHL—avoid loud noise.
Dr. Daniel Fink proposes a revised definition of noise for National Protect Your Hearing Month: noise is unwanted and/or harmful sound.
