Can Science Reverse Hearing Loss with Stem Cells or Other Methods?

[moe darklight]

is science anywhere near being able to reverse hearing loss, like with stem cells or otherwise?

it just terrifies me to some day lose my hearing an no longer be able to enjoy music as I do now.

 

[jim mcnamara]

It's not that simple. Hearing loss can be caused by something as simple as ear wax buildup, or as severe as brain or cochlear damage.

It's not just one problem.

However. One thing definitely contributes to hearing loss over time - exposure to loud noise. Concerts (really loud music of any kind), jets, jackhammers, airflow through open car windows while traveling at high velocity - can all cause cochlear damage over time. Usually, diminished perception of higher frequencies > ~2000Hz - affects understanding human speech in older folks.

So - watch the gain on your audio, live in a rural setting, and you'll have a lot less chance of having hearing loss. At the moment, it is far easier to prevent than to correct hearing loss.

 

[baywax]

is science anywhere near being able to reverse hearing loss, like with stem cells or otherwise?

it just terrifies me to some day lose my hearing an no longer be able to enjoy music as I do now.

There is some advance in Neurophysiology concerning blindness and deafness. If the problem is caused neurophysiologically it involves extreme behavior modification in terms of modifying the behavior of the neurons that feed from the aural anatomy to the aural centers in the brain.

I've asked deaf people if they could take a pill and hear again would they?. They defiantly suggested that they would stomp the pill into the ground.

The only explanation I have for that is that they enjoy their community of hearing impared people and would soon become an outcast if they could hear.

 

[moe darklight]

I know it sounds harsh. But to me it seems like it might be more of a case of knowing you can't have something and convincing yourself you wouldn't want it if you could have it. Denial is a natural human reaction to tragedy or loss.

The thought of not being able to hear music is terrifying to me. It wouldn't be the end of the world; there are many beautiful things I could still enjoy perfectly without sound... but it would be a pretty big hit. And deafness with aging runs in my mom's side of the family.

 

[jim mcnamara]

If her problems are not autoimmune-related - like lupus - then you getting regular audiology checks can help by identifying problems at an early stage where they can be mitigated. Physicians love finding problems early on, in general, because success rates for "fixing" a lot of those problems go up.

 

[baywax]

I know it sounds harsh. But to me it seems like it might be more of a case of knowing you can't have something and convincing yourself you wouldn't want it if you could have it. Denial is a natural human reaction to tragedy or loss.

The thought of not being able to hear music is terrifying to me. It wouldn't be the end of the world; there are many beautiful things I could still enjoy perfectly without sound... but it would be a pretty big hit. And deafness with aging runs in my mom's side of the family.

Like Jim says, it could be as simple as ear wax build up. A check-up and a flush with warm water is the best recourse in that case. There are physicians who use a high-powered vacuum but this device tends to screech in your ear when being used and causes more damage than good.