Link between Painkillers and Hearing Loss

Can taking common over-the-counter painkillers lead to hearing loss? The results of a study published last month in the American Journal of Medicine investigated this question. Participants included about 27,000 men who were tracked every 2 years for 18 years enrolled in the Health Professionals’ Follow-Up study. The data collected included medical information, use of analgesics, and hearing loss among other data.  

Acetaminophen

Researchers found that men below 50 years of age who regularly took acetaminophen (found in Tylenol) more than two times per week had about double the risk of hearing loss compared to men who did not take the medicine regularly.

Ibuprofen (main ingredient in Advil) and Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs (NSAID)

Men younger than 60 years who regularly took ibuprofen and NSAID at least twice a week had almost two-thirds higher risk of hearing loss compared to men to took it less often.

For men younger than 50 years, the risk of hearing loss was higher by 33 percent using aspirin, 61 percent with use of NSAIDs and 99 percent with use of acetaminophen, compared to men of the same age who used these drugs less often (all based on taking painkillers twice a week). 

Why does this happen? According to one of the researchers, Dr. Sharon G. Curhan, of Channing Laboratory and Brigham and Women’s Hospital mentions that high doses of painkillers are known to have a toxic effects on the ear leading to hearing loss and tinnitus or ringing in the ears.

A positive finding for men 60 years and older was that they did not show a greater risk for hearing loss when compared to the findings for younger men.

The take home message is that you should consult with your physician about the risks of taking over-the-counter or prescription medication. If you think you have a hearing problem, you can have your hearing tested by an audiologist. 

Via Yahoo! Health

AudiologyNow! 2010 – April 14-17, 2010 – San Diego

The annual American Academy of Audiology (AAA) conference, AudiologyNOW! is a couple weeks away in the beautiful city of San Diego. This conference is considered the “largest gathering of audiologists in the world!”

The conference offers educational sessions, clinical and research presentations, and exhibitors featuring the latest technology in hearing devices, equipment, products and more. Some of the topics discussed at the conference include hearing loss prevention, hearing loss treatment, neuro-audiology, practice management, vestibular among others. 

This will be my second time attending the conference as a student volunteer. It is a great opportunity to learn about the research and technological advancements in the field of audiology. I plan to come away with insightful information to share on this blog!


Visit the AudiologyNOW! website for more information.

Crescenta Valley High School: Hearing Conservation Presentation

Yesterday, I had the pleasure of presenting to the students of Crescenta Valley High School’s Academy of Science and Medicine program. The presentation is part of the grassroots effort on behalf of House Ear Institute’s (www.hei.org) teen hearing conservation program titled, “It’s How You Listen That Counts!”

The presentation included a range of topics including: basic anatomy of the ear, noise-induced hearing loss information and prevention, benefits of earplugs, how to use earplugs and the myth of cotton swabs. Afterwards, the students had some of the most thought-provoking questions about hearing and ear health! They were an outstanding group, not to mention very respectful!

Hopefully, the group will be able to schedule a field trip to visit the House Ear Institute to check out the ear model in the lobby and a few research labs!

I hope that I will be asked to return for more presentations at Crescenta Valley in the future!

I plan to post some photos from the presentations soon.

House Ear Institute Teen Workshop information

Photos from presentation for 9th graders

I posted a couple photos of the 9th graders during the presentation on Nov. 21st. Photos courtesy of Julian Diego Lometillo, a Clark Magnet HS student.

Hearing Presentation on Nov. 21st

It has been a while since I last posted here, but school has managed to keep me quite busy! However, I am pleased to share that I will be returning to Clark Magnet High School this week to present to 9th graders on hearing health and conservation. 

I plan to post with a briefing on the experience. Check back soon! 

Japan is releasing speakers that fit inside your ear canal this August 2008. Click on the link to read about the technology on Tech-On! Victor’s Earphone Makes Sound Deeper in Ear. (Image from http://techon.nikkeibp.co.jp/english/)

Think this might be a bad idea? Definitely! Here’s why…

First of all, the brain adjusts to sound after a while. So, for the argument that having the earphone deeper in the ear would allow people turn the volume down lower than with earphones that do not sit as deep… this would most likely not be the case. As the brain adjusts to the lower volume, people have a tendency of wanting to turn it up.

These speakers definitely have the potential and technology to cause permanent hearing damage. The placement of these speaker units being so close to your eardrum also mean that they are closer to the hair cells of the cochlea (sensory organ of hearing) in the inner ear. Hair cells are responsible for transmitting sound information to the brain. When these hair cells are exposed to loud sounds, anything above 85 dB, they are prone to permanent damage. There is a pie chart created by House Ear Institute with different decibel levels and the number of hours of exposure it would take to cause hearing damage. With repeated exposure at unsafe levels, there would likely be a measurable hearing loss.

Yes although those with hearing loss who are fit with hearing aids have an earmold that sits deeper inside their ear canal, which delivers amplified sound to their ears, they only have access to making minimal adjustments with their volume control. The amount of gain applied is prescribed using objective measures. However with these speakers, unless you were well aware of safe sound levels, you could potentially blow your eardrums. Anyone heard of a ruptured eardrum?

Whittier Daily News – Youths warned of threats to hearing

As a presenter on behalf of House Ear Institute in Los Angeles, California, I present hearing information to kids and teens. On May 21, 2008, I presented my hearing conservation awareness presentation to the 7th and 8th graders at Downey West Middle School in Downey, California.

We were lucky enough to have the local newspaper, Whittier Daily News come out to cover the event. Since I still need to get permission to post images here, I have posted the link to the article:

Youths warned of threats to hearing – Whittier Daily News

Below is a PDF file of the article, since it will move to the archives soon.
Simply click on the images to read the full article.

South Pasadena Middle School Presentations

On January 14, 2008, I prepared and presented the hearing conservation program titled, “It’s How You Listen That Counts” on behalf of the House Ear Institute at South Pasadena Middle School in Pasadena, CA. The goal of the presentation was to educate approximately 1,050 students (6th-8th graders) on basic anatomy of the ear, how we ear, safe sound levels, dangers of loud noise exposure and how to protect our hearing. The presentations ranged between 25-30 minutes and included a question and answer session. The students were a great group and asked some thoughtful questions!

An interactive portion of the presentation involved the use of a sound level meter to measure the loudness level of music in decibels (unit used to measure sound intensity). To show this, an iPod was connected to an external speaker and a student volunteer read the level displayed on the sound level meter as I increased the volume of the iPod. The purpose of the demonstration was to listen to what 85 dB sounds like and also emphasize the importance of the location of the sound source in relation to your ears. The students learned that sound intensity attenuates (decreases) as distance increases and how this can help us with protecting our ears.

As always, it was a pleasure to be able to meet with students in the community and contribute to their learning experiences. I hope that the information will help them make sound decisions, such as using earplugs in loud environments (ex. concerts) and setting safe volume levels on their mp3 players and other electronic devices. I am also continuously amazed at how receptive children and teens can be on hearing matters!

Boys and Girls Club of Burbank presentations

The hearing awareness conservation presentations at the Boys and Girls Club of Burbank were a hit with the summer day camp students!

The topics presented to the first-third graders included importance of hearing, how we hear, identifying very loud sounds and the danger, and how to protect your hearing.

The fourth- eighth graders received a similar but more in-depth presentation that also encompassed measuring sound levels using a sound level meter, noise-induced hearing loss and why not to use cotton swabs in the ear. After receiving a warm welcome, both groups were respectful, attentive and seemed eager to learn about hearing. I was thrilled to have had an opportunity to share my knowledge with them. It wonderful to meet students and answer their hearing-related questions. I hope to visit them again soon.



















Picture of me with the winners of the quiz session. The Earbud t-shirt prizes and Earbud brochures were courtesy of House Ear Institute. Many thanks to House Ear Institute for their continued support of my efforts!

What is considered too loud?

It can be surprising to find out how loud some everyday activities can be. Check out this great poster:

Noise Thermometer Poster
(be sure to zoom in for details)

Remember that possible ear damage begins to occur at 85 decibels (dB). If you are going to exposure your ears to sound levels above this level, use hearing protection: foam earplugs, high-fidelity earplugs or earmuffs.
Some factors to keep in mind when trying to determine safe and unsafe sound levels:
1. How close you are to the source of the sound The closer you are to the source (ex. speaker), the louder and possibly more harmful the sound.
2. Duration (time) you are exposed to the sound The recommended exposure time depends on the decibel level. Check out this helpful chart:

Source: House Ear Institute (http://earbud.org/nihl.html)

Feel free to message me with questions!