Hearing LossAn Exploration of the Brain, Training and Nutritionby Janis Aaron Moore, Copyright 2007 |
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There seems to be an abundance of information about ototoxic (harmful to hearing) medications which cause hearing loss either temporarily or permanently. However, there seems to be little about medication, nutritional supplements or dietary practices which might help improve hearing. I've received conflicting information from hearing professionals. Some have told me, "There is no research showing nutrition helps hearing." Yet when I went through a diet change and my hearing seemed to improve. My audiologist's response to my inquiry about this was that stress is a contributor to hearing dysfunction. This seems contradictory, and I wanted to see if I could find materials to resolve the conflict.
The issue of hearing loss and nutrition was pointedly brought to my attention by my audiologist after a recent hearing test. When my word recognition was 0%, he began to ask questions about my diet – whether I drank coffee, smoked cigarettes, ate chocolate or had lots of blood constrictors (vasoconstrictors) in my diet. This was very interesting to me because several hearing loss professionals have claimed there is no scientific research showing a relationship between diet and hearing loss.
The literature about otoxic (harmful to hearing) medications and substances is prevalent (Carmen 152, 161). However, information about nutrients, supplements and foods which might help hearing or ameliorate hearing loss is very sketchy. The best resource I've found so far is a book by Michael D. Seidman, MD, FACS, entitled Save Your Hearing Now. He devotes two chapters to the subjects of diet and nutrition. One of my respondents contributed the following: "In the late 1980s my late audiologist recommended I take a vitamin compound ZBEC. The first is Zinc and the last three are vitamins. There are newer versions for the Silver generation. I do not know his specific reason for this recommendation … my habits at the time or for my hearing." ~ VCH
One book which has a comprehensive section on medications related to hearing and more than a cursory reference to nutrition, diet or supplements was Tinnitus – Diagnosis / Treatment. A person may have tinnitus without a hearing loss, and a person may have hearing loss without having tinnitus. However, frequently the two come together in a hard-of-hearing person's experience (Shulman).
I learned that diet and vitamins impact brain function (Carmen). Further, the "life support system for the ear is blood that comes from the heart" (Carmen 64-65). Fluoride strengthens bones – particularly the bones in the middle ear – which might help prevent otosclerosis (a degenerative disease of ear bones) (Carmen 69).
Surprisingly, I learned more about the brain and nutrition than about the nutrition and hearing loss. I have come to make some connections between the two. The ears are only part of the process of discerning sounds – the brain is involved also. Therefore if certain substances are good for the brain, one might extrapolate that they may also help a person with hearing loss – either by improving the brain's performance, or enhancing hearing functions. If the brain is not functioning properly, it can be assumed that the part of the brain which is responsible for hearing, discerning human speech, etc., is also affected. The brain requires certain substances to process information properly. Several of the least complex are glucose, oxygen and water – sometimes referred to as "brain fuels" (Sousa 123). The ability to pay attention is important, and there are chemical influences on attention and behavior – serotonin, noradrenaline (Jensen, "Teaching" 76). Also involved with the "chemistry of attention" are neurotransmitters, hormones and peptides (Jensen, "Teaching" ##)
In the course of my hearing loss research last quarter, I learned when people delay getting hearing aids, the brain "forgets" how to "translate" sounds to human speech. I wanted to find information about why this happens, and to learn about possible training to correct the loss.
In my classes during "seminar" and free-for-all discussions, I sometimes experience disorientation. I use assistive listening devices and have CART services. When I'm switching between trying to speech read and looking at the CART laptop screen, my brain sometimes seems to shut down and refuse to process speech. I wanted to find information about why this happens, and what I can do to prevent it (if possible).
I discovered there are a variety of terms for training people with hearing loss: adult aural rehabilitation, audiologic rehabilitation, auditory verbal therapy, intensive auditory training, speech and hearing therapy, and speech-language pathology and audiology. For example Auditory Verbal Therapy is a method of training for hard-of-hearing children. This methodology uses an auditory training machine which projects sounds for children to learn how to understand speech (Sanders 181). I learned there is an optimum age range where children learn language much more easily than at earlier or later ages (Estabrooks). This is particularly important information when the child has a hearing loss or is deaf (Sanders) because special education programs must be developed to compensate for the hearing loss in order for the child to be able to communicate. [One of the respondents to my request for research assistance suggested The Mask of Benevolence – Disabling the Deaf Community by Harlan Lane for further information on this subject.] It was interesting to note that "deaf and hearing children's brains develop different patterns of organization" (Marschark 233).
Training in speech reading (sometimes referred to as lip reading) is available (Davis); however, it takes more than three years to learn (Carmen 113). Auditory training is one method of rehabilitation for hearing loss (Davis); however "auditory training" is considered a bad label because it indicates the training improves hearing (Sanders 203); therefore some professionals consider the phrase "aural rehabilitation" (Davis 363) more accurate (Sanders 205). Whatever term or methodology is used, the approach to rehabilitation must be designed for the individual and their unique hearing loss (Sanders).
Toward the end of my research process, one respondent provided me with an article that specifically addressed the issue of what happens when a person with a hearing loss delays getting hearing aids. When the ears no longer hear certain sounds, the brain reallocates the space for discriminating those sounds to other purposes (Gatehouse).
Physical exercise is important for physical well being; however, it was only in my exploring brain function that I learned physical exercise improves brain performance (Sousa 232). Referred to as the mind-body link, movement and learning are considered to be connected (Jensen, "Teaching" 82). Several authors have written about movement (Sousa 231) and the connection between motor skills, the brain and language (Zull 207). When considering emotions and brain function, pleasure and movement are also paired (Zull 61).
In my research, I discovered "attention deficit" (Jensen, "Teaching" 49), and learned that some professionals feel the A.D.D. label may mask other problems, such as poor hearing, bad eyesight, inadequate nutrition (Jensen, "Teaching" ##). I learned that the brain has high- and low-attention cycles (Jensen, "Teaching" 44). I also learned how circadian rhythms, the brain's exposure to daylight, and the sleep-wake cycle (Sousa 100) affect the brain's ability to focus on incoming information with intent to learn.
Several works I read connect learning with dreaming and sleep (Zull 169). Jensen connects sleep deprivation, dreaming, nutrition, and dehydration (Jensen, "Teaching" 24-26). Noise can affect rest and sleep (Gasaway 73). One author even wrote about "delayed sleep phase disorder" (Sousa 102). This information helped me understand why I may have "bad hearing days".
When I drafted my Individual Learning Contract for this quarter, I wanted to learn more about the brain to understand why certain situations were so taxing on my nervous system. I also wanted to learn if there were training programs to help hard-of-hearing (HOH) people cope. While not directly related, perhaps, there are numerous references to stress, anxiety and depression and how they affect brain functioning.
Noise is not only annoying, but it causes interference with listening (Gasaway 77). Talk in noisy surroundings increases physical fatigue (Gasaway 78). Excessive noise also causes temporary noise-produced threshold shifts or "auditory fatigue" (Gasaway 79). I found an amusing anecdote in a recent issue of the Hearing Loss Association of Tacoma newsletter: "Hard of hearing climber Sir Walter Barnacle, K.B.E., H.O.H,, etc., etc., was the first man to scale Mt. Everests's lesser known neighbor Mt. Huh. He was the only one in his party to reach the summit. The others were too sleepy. Apparently, Barnacle's hearing impairment silenced the whistling wind and flapping tent that had kept the others awake."
There are numerous works which correlate hearing loss (Carmen 104) and deafness (Davis 503) with depression. Other works correlate emotion and learning (Zull 51). Emotions are said to be the body's second nervous system (Jensen, "Teaching" 77). Emotions release chemicals to the brain (Jensen, "Teaching" 91). Certain traumas can literally rewire the brain (Jensen, "Teaching" 58). For optimal learning, the mind needs to be in a state of "relaxed alertness" (Jensen, "Teaching" 57).
Threats and social stress (disappointments and glitches) can affect neurons through cortisol, vasopressin and serotonin levels and endorphins (Jensen, "Teaching" 53). From this information, I could deduce that nutrients which help with the psychological effects of stress and depression would also help hearing loss, in that the brain would be less stressed, and better able to cope with taxing situations.
I believe this is important information relative to traumatic experiences which HOH people may encounter. In fact, when I questioned my audiologist, he indicated that stress can inhibit hearing. I learned threats and stress affect learning – and can contribute to "learned helplessness" (Jensen, "Teaching" ##).
In my consulting business, asking the "right" question was frequently of paramount importance to the successful development of a custom software package. As I learned in the case of this Individual Learning Contract, setting the "right" Learning Objectives is also fundamentally important.
Upon reflection, I realize I started my research with an attitude; I was looking for "fixed" answers, and expecting to fail. Nevertheless, I persisted in my search for answers and was stunned at the quantity of information I had gathered. And although, at first glance, the information didn't appear to match up directly with my Learning Objectives, I learned things beyond my initial search. I learned that hearing involves more than the ears, and more than the brain. Aging and diet are also connected with hearing loss. A healthy diet can help prevent osteoporosis, which in turn helps ensure that the bones in the middle ear are kept strong and functional. Exercise and motion have a role in brain function, learning, circulation, oxygen, flow of nutrients.
In embarking on this Individual Learning Contract, I had hoped to find some brain training methodology. What I discovered were ideas which would enable me to control my own situation. For example, in Teaching with the Brain in Mind, Jensen writes about emotional bridges – bridges between a student's learning experiences and real life (Jensen 69). I decided it might be useful to create a ritual to prepare for situations that normally stress me.
I have come away with a broader, more comprehensive perspective about the issues. And I am now empowered with knowledge about how I can change my lifestyle and create personal practices which will enable me to communicate better in a hearing world.
Beginning with my research on hearing loss while I was attending South Puget Sound Community College, I had gathered numerous names and email addresses of hard-of-hearing people, and professionals (etc.). I was taking a class in American Sign Language (ASL) and discovered it was very difficult for me. The President of the Washington State Chapter of the Hearing Loss Association of America broadcast an email about the subject of ASL / HOH and I received more than 20 responses. Since that time I have continued to accumulate HOH contacts. I gathered all the email addresses and broad cast a request for research assistance. I was disappointed in the response. Out of nearly 70 email addresses, I received replies from only ... {number of people}, most of which were one-liners.