The objective of the study was to compare awareness of music-induced hearing loss to the behavior trends. The article states that they believe that music-induced hearing loss is an unconsciously self-inflicted public health concern and it could evolve into an epidemic because of the appeal of loud music.

The results showed that hearing loss was considered a problem by 32% of the 2500 respondents compared with other health issues such as drug/alcohol use (62%). However, nearly half of the respondents admitted experiencing symptoms such as tinnitus or hearing loss after loud music exposure.

Seventy-five percent of respondents owned an MP3 player, with 24 percent listening to their music player for more than 15 hours a week. Nearly half of the respondents also said they use their player at 75 percent to 100 percent of its maximum volume capacity.

Most respondents could not remember learning about prevention of potential hearing loss, although the media has become the most informative source. Most respondents indicated that they would adopt protective ear behavior if made aware of hearing loss risk, especially if informed by health care professionals, revealing an educational opportunity.

This is an very telling study in that it show two things.

#1 – Respondents could not recall being informed about hearing loss risks.
#2 – Respondents would be in favor of using hearing protection if they were ever educated about the risks.

Help us spread the word about the risk of music-induced hearing loss. Listening to your portable music player is detrimental to your hearing wellness. Take a look at our blog post about putting a limit on your iPod volume.

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A new review of existing employer hearing protection programs seems to indicate that there is little evidence to support the workplace programs. That doesn’t mean that workers don’t wear earplugs and other hearing protection devices, but the study reviewers indicate that they may not always be effective.

Review lead author Jos Verbeek indicated that in terms of the big hearing wellness picture, “We still rely too much on hearing protection, which is not sufficient.” In an article published by Health Behavior News Service, a Colorado audiologist agrees, saying that hearing loss is a very common workplace injury and itís very invisible, saying it takes a while for it to get bad enough for people to pay attention.

Reasons cited that hearing loss protection programs may not work include people not wearing earplugs when they are supposed to, and being exposed to excessive noise levels as a result. Also, low-quality earplugs that are designed as a “one-size-fits-all” may not work properly for everyone. Further, proper use of earplugs requires simple training, because proper use consists of more than just sticking them in your ears.

The overall best solution to protecting hearing wellness is to reduce exposure to loud or extended noise, which may not always be feasible due to expenses — especially in today’s tough economy. However, the study authors recommend some less-costly measures such as enclosures around noisy machinery and simply soundproofing noisy workrooms.

Ultimately, people must take personal responsibility of ensuring hearing health. Taking hearing wellness supplements like ProHieran can also help provide hearing wellness as well as promote overall cellular health.

Prohieran.com

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Surprisingly, there are even iPhone apps for this very purpose. While screenings on phones or computers may be as much for entertainment as anything else, if taken properly according to instructions given, they actually can provide some initial insight to a person about whether their hearing may warrant getting checked out by a true professional. The uHear free application assesses hearing in the areas of hearing sensitivity to determine the quietest sounds you can hear, speech in noise in terms of measuring your ability to understand speech in the presence of noise, and a questionnaire regarding your performance in common listening situations.

For example, if you and several friends or family members take a series of hearing tests on the uHear application (or a similar screening tool) on their iPhones and you score much lower, it might be time for a hearing screening to determine your overall hearing wellness. Since it is a myth that hearing loss affects only older Americans, what do you have to lose?

Also, if you have regular physical checkups with your family doctor, ask for your hearing to be checked as part of the overall wellness exam. Unless you ask about it specifically, your doctor may not check your hearing — especially if you have not reported any problems or concerns.

YouTube link

Protect your hearing through safe practices from loud noises such as wearing ear plugs and having regular hearing examinations. You may also want to consider whether the all-natural hearing wellness supplement ProHieran is right for you!

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Fireworks can be loud (extremely loud) and being near the launch site or even watching a professional show can result in a temporary or even permanent hearing loss caused by noise trauma. The result of such trauma can be a blocked hearing sensation or even a round-the-clock ringing of the ears (tinnitus). Fireworks-induced hearing loss can also cause some individuals to lose the ability to hear high frequency sounds or to hear things in a muffled way.

Most fireworks are estimated to be between 125 and 155 decibels, and According to the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD), noise at 85 decibels or above can cause damage to hearing. But that doesn’t mean you need to forgo watching fireworks displays–a proud and beautiful tradition for many Americans. Rather, you should just keep ear health and overall safety as a determinant for choosing where you sit in relationship to the launch site and to consider bringing ear plugs in case the sounds seem excessive. Since earplugs don’t totally block the noise levels, you should be able to enjoyable watch and hear the fireworks, while not causing any negative affect to your hearing as a result.

If you have children who will be watching fireworks displays this Independence Day, keep their hearing wellness especially in mind. Studies show that people under age of 25 are three times more likely to suffer hearing loss from fireworks.

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Among the professions with high or extended noise levels are industrial workers, farmers, motorcyclists, farmers, pilots, dentists, musicians, and professional athletes. Where hearing is involved, not all hobbies or activities are created equal either. Avocations like sporting clays or dirt biking can also cause permanent hearing loss.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has set regulatory standards to help protect individuals against the effects of noise exposure on the job. Determining these levels is based on a number of factors, including frequency, duration, and octave band sound pressure in decibels. When employees are subjected to sound exceeded the limits as specified, OSHA requires feasible administrative or engineering controls to be utilized, and if such controls don’t reduce the sound levels to appropriate levels, than personal protective hearing equipment should be utilized. A majority of companies today have instituted so-called “hearing conservation programs” where hearing wellness is monitored and the hearing of employees is maintained to the greatest extent possible.

However, if you are self-employed or don’t work for a company that is governed by OSHA standards, then ultimately ensuring your hearing wellness falls to you. One of the greatest concerns about hearing loss is that it can sneak up on you. While exposure to extreme loud noises (like a rock concert) may leave you with a temporary hearing loss that generally returns in a short time, hearing loss on the job may occur gradually so that employees are not even aware of it initially. Over time, the loss of hearing becomes more pronounced, and is often irreversible.

Depending on your job, you may want to ask your employer about what type of hearing wellness plan is utilized at work. You should also take steps to keeping your hearing on track by choosing to utilize hearing protection if you feel it is warranted. Also consider whether taking an all-natural supplement like ProHieran for hearing wellness is beneficial for you and your lifestyle.

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One of the reasons people love to attend sporting events so much is the roar of the crowds, the bands and drums, the entertainment, and of course, the reactions, whistles, horns, cheers, chants and screams whenever your favorite team — or the opponents — score. Players cite the same reasons as well for why they love to play in front of large crowds.

But, if you’ve ever left a sporting event with a ringing in your ears, felt head pressure, or feel like you have earplugs in (but you don’t), then quite possibly your ears are taking a temporary time-out from the action. The result is what is referred to as a temporary hearing loss.

Determining what is considered an excessive and potentially dangerous noise level is difficult. Some hearing specialists say that sounds louder than 85 decibels are potentially hazardous to your hearing. This means that an extended exposure to any sound louder than a normal conversation can potentially be hurting your hearing. By comparison, a lawn mower is considered about 95 decibels. The roars of sporting events have been recorded at 108 decibels in previous studies.

According to the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, an estimated 30 million Americans are regularly exposed to dangerous noise levels. That is an increase of 10 million from just a few years ago. These numbers include many young people who, due to environmental noise exposure, experience diminished hearing in their teens and 20s.

Why no one is saying you shouldn’t go to your favorite sporting eventóor concert or car raceóyou should do what you can to protect your hearing. Keep your ears at their optimal by wearing ear plugs. Also consider supplements like ProHieran for promoting overall hearing wellness.

Learn more about ProHieran here.

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For example, you could hold the iPhone up to your head phone to measure exactly how much sound you are pumping directly into your ears. Or you could use the app to monitor the noise while you are walking on a typical street corner.

Unfortunately the iPhone is not able to measure sound levels above 100 dB, but that really isn’t much of a limitation because anything over 85 decibels for an extended period of time can cause permanent hearing loss. So if you take a reading of your car stereo and find that you typically listen to your music at 90 dB, we’d recommend that you turn your volume down. You could be damaging your ears!

Check out this video review of one of the more popular iPhone decibel meters called, Decibel.

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The Hearos Ultimate Softness Foam Ear Plugs won the highest score. According to Slate,

“…they are much softer and thus much more comfortable to wear. They are made of polyurethane and were easy to insert and clean. The loud, shrill noises were muted, the background noises inaudible and they reduced the pounding sounds of the jackhammer to a pleasant thud, that it’s worth holding out for Hearos.” – via Slate.com

Protecting your ears is extremely important. If you or a loved one is currently suffering from hearing loss please consider PROHIERAN, the all natural hearing wellness supplement.

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We are excited to be a part of the hearing wellness community. On this blog we will discussing hearing loss as well as hearing protection. We consider hearing wellness to be an extremely important part of one’s overall well being and it’s important to take actions to presevre and care for the delicate workings of your inner ear.

Developed by a team of cutting-edge healthcare professionals, PROHIERAN contains all-natural, non-pharmaceutical ingredients (including bioflavonoids and EGCG) carefully selected to promote optimal function of the delicate inner ear tissues. Patients have reported improvement and symptom reduction in conditions such as tinnitus, Meniere’s disease, pressure and dizziness.

As the only hearing supplement on the market optimizing the super-antioxidant Resveratrol, PROHIERAN was designed to not only protect the fragile cells of the inner ear, but also protect overall cell and circulatory function of your entire body.

We look forward to discussing the importance of hearing wellness and how PROHIERAN as helped you maintain your hearing. We encourage you to leave us a comment below, follow us on Twitter, follow us on Tumblr, subscribe to our FriendFeed, or join our Facebook page.

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