Listen Hear

I was having a conversation about hearing with my cousin the other day. How do you enhance hearing? Which vegetable does one consume for that - since carrots enhance eyesight? Is there some chemical, vitamin exercise routine, activity, anything really, that can deal with hearing loss? Because I, for one, don't want to to lose my hearing as I age. I don't want to be the "huh?" grandma, I refuse.

So what then? How can I possibly prevent losing my hearing? All my cousin could say was "Uhm, that's probably the section I failed in Med school". So, I resorted to one of my many mottos in life: Google before you speak.

Earphones can be detrimental to your ears.

You, who constantly listen to music through earphones. You, who feel the need to play music at a remarkably loud volume even when you are alone in the house or car - all day everyday. You, who insist on always travelling in deafening taxi's (this day and age). This is for you.

Let's not fool ourselves and think that we live in an era where we are invincible and immune to this, this and that. Reality is, hearing loss comes with the territory of ageing. For some it's inevitable, but, for others it can be prevented. Turns out, hearing can be enhanced after all.

So I took to Google and came across a blog by John Goldmann, 5 Ways to Improve Your Hearing, which I found particularly interesting and relevant. Three of Goldmann's five points really stood out for me.

1) Maintenance:
This is for those who prey on loud music. Try to avoid that as well as plug-in earphones - rather go for those that nestle around your ear.

2) EENT check-ups:
Regularly checking your eyes, ears, nose and throat (EENT) can improve not only your hearing but can help maintain all your senses as well.

3) Vitamins and Medication
Don't we all just hate this section?! Well if your hearing is failing you this might be just what you need. Goldamm mentions 4 vitamins that can bring a bit of volume to your ears: Acetyl-carnitine (150mg a day), alpha-lipoic acid (150 mg a day), glutathione (50 mg a day), and coenzyme Q10 (60 mg a day). I've never heard of these but judging by their names, they probably do a good job. And lucky for some, I linked them to definitions and explanations.

These are just some of the ways you can improve your hearing. It is imperative to make use of the necessary precautions now while you still can, than spend the rest of your life being a "huh?" statistic. It might be too late to help your grandparents out but u may still have a chance. This, or live with hearing-aid devices for the rest of your old life.

For a variety of info visit:
http://www.google.co.za/search?q=supplements+that+improve+hearing&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a.