Innovations in medicine have made the unthinkable possible. Not long ago, one might not have imagined that transplanting new organs into the body would have been performed successfully, but medical professionals have been able to perform these actions with great success. Innovative treatments for serious conditions, such as cancer, have made it possible to live a full and healthy life after a serious diagnosis. With these new medical innovations, you might be curious what advances have been made when it comes to hearing loss.
Although current medical technology has not made it possible to restore hearing once it has been lost, treatment in the form of hearing assistance is becoming more and more like the “natural” sense of hearing. With such remarkable advances in treatment for hearing loss, one has to question the difference between a cure and a treatment that makes it feel as if hearing loss had never happened.
Why is hearing loss irreversible?
The unfortunate fact is that medical technology and techniques have not found a way to reverse hearing loss within the organic structures of the body. In the most common form of hearing loss, the tiny hairs of the inner ear are damaged through exposure to too much noise or simply the lifetime of inundation with sound. Although hearing might return naturally in some rare cases of immediate noise exposure, such as a car crash or hearing a loud explosion, most cases of hearing loss are permanent within the context of the body. The tiny hairs that receive sound information and translate it to the brain do not regrow on their own, and hearing loss in the ears tends to be permanent. Although science and medicine continue to seek new ways to repair hearing, no discovery has been made that would reconstruct the organic matter of the inner ear after damage.
How is treatment different from a cure?
Although a cure for hearing loss has not been discovered, treatment options are such that one must think carefully about the difference between treatment and a cure. Hearing aids are a way of treating hearing loss, restoring hearing ability to incredibly natural and lifelike possibilities. Many of the newest hearing aids are tiny units that fit into the ear canal, out of sight of onlookers. These devices are able to replicate the sounds of the world to a high degree of precision and accuracy. This type of treatment relies on an inorganic unit that is placed into the ear: a hearing aid. However, much like other medical innovations that use synthetic units to assist the body, such as a pacemaker, pins in a bone, or metal plate in a joint, the difference between treatment and a cure is difficult to discern. Consider even further the effect of medication on the body, and the line between natural and unnatural might become difficult to detect.
What are the benefits of hearing loss treatment?
Although hearing loss cannot be restored in the inner ear in most cases, treatment in the form of hearing aids can be incredibly effective at restoring hearing ability in ways that mimic the natural ability prior to hearing loss. Once hearing loss has been treated in this way, you will be amazed at the many benefits you experience with assistance. One of the most common reports of those who use hearing aids is a newfound joy and feeling of freedom in social interaction and communication. Whereas it might have been difficult to carry on a conversation with a loved one in the past, hearing aids make it possible to communicate freely once again. The ability of new hearing aids to isolate a voice in a crowd or noisy restaurant is a remarkable innovation. Restoring social and family interactions in this way can have astonishing positive effects on your mood, mental health, and overall sense of wellbeing. Whereas hearing loss might have made you feel isolated and alone in the past, treatment in the form of hearing aids can restore your enthusiasm for social events and can strengthen your relationships, easing the conditions of anxiety and depression that might have accompanied hearing loss in the first place. With these many benefits, don’t delay to seek treatment!
Pacific Hearing Care
Have you experienced changes in your hearing? The first step is to take a hearing test. At Pacific Hearing Care, we provide comprehensive hearing health services, from tests to hearing aid fittings. Contact us to learn more!