That's Fit

When I was 16 I'd walk the two miles to work with my new Sony Walkman orange headphones blasting Let's Hear It For The Boy from the Footloose soundtrack. I had the volume turned up to 8 or 9 most of the time, way over the safe decibels level. From my youthful point of view these new earphones were so awesome I could turn up the volume to the point of pain. I wonder if this is why I now have trouble deciphering table dialogue in a loud restaurant.

According to recent focus group research teenagers feel invincible to hearing loss. Students admitted awareness of the hazards of loud music, but they also reported keeping their MP3 players at maximum volume. What else is new? This is right in line with their self-perceived immortality about lots of risky behaviors.

Researchers also determined many parents are not in the loop regarding hearing risks associated with MP3 players. Most of the students interviewed never had to nod their head to a parental warning. Researchers suggest not only do parents need to discuss responsible use of MP3 players with their kids, manufacturers should equip MP3 players with danger zone decibel indicators. Here's a guide for now -- to stay within safe volume levels do not turn your earbuds higher than 60 percent of full capacity. For over-the-ear headphones, 70 percent capacity is the recommended max.

The American Academy of Audiology wants to help you protect your kids' ears and has kicked off a campaign called Turn it to the Left to help kids remember to turn down the volume of their personal music players. One in eight kids suffer early hearing damage, but because kids aren't aware of the warning signs, they may not even realize they've set themselves up for trouble. Symptoms of hearing loss include ringing in the ears, difficulty understanding other people when they talk, and distorted sounds.

Hearing is critical to children's development, and early hearing loss will also exacerbate age-related hearing problems in the later decades. Learn more at the AAA's website.

The debate continues over whether or not cell phone use can lead to cancer, with evidence emerging in support of both sides of the argument. But, there is another risk of cell phone use that you may not have HEARD about.

Researchers in India discovered that people who use cell phones for sixty or more minutes per day over a yearlong period exhibited early signs of hearing loss.

Some speculate whether damage can be done to your inner ear by the electromagnetic radiation emitted by cell phones, while others believe the effects on hearing are related to the high volume setting at which most cell phones are kept. And others still, such as Dr. Chester Griffiths, feel that the validity of these findings are too preliminary to warrant alarm.

It seems to me that a new cell phone debate has emerged.

Better cochlear implants would be good for many with hearing difficulties, and a team at Rutgers University says it may just have the thing after some serious research was released this past week.

Cochlear implants, which are surgically added into the cochlea area in deaf people to allow them to hear full or partial sounds, were improved by the Rutgers team. They used more of a increase in sensor system in order to try and carry auditory messages as far into the brain as possible compared with the limited range of current devices.

Lead researcher Robin Davis said "The significance of our work lies in the fact that we can change an element in a very peripheral part of the sensory system that can have an impact all the way into the brain."

A lot of us use earbuds or headphones pretty regularly, whether it's while working out or during a long subway commute or whatever, and most of us barely give our health and our hearing a second thought while choosing a playlist and adjusting the volume. But research shows we should be giving it some thought, as causing permanent hearing damage is easier than you might think. Experts have suggested some listening guidelines based on how loud you like to crank your tunes (these are for earbuds):

• At 80% of the maximum volume you shouldn't listen for longer than 1.2 - 1.5 hours at a time
• At 70% of the max volume you can listen for quite a bit longer: 4.6 - 6.0 hours
• And if you can keep it to 50% of the max or lower you can listen as long as you want

I have no idea what percentage I usually have my iPod set on, but I'm gonna figure it out!

Are you a fan of erectile dysfunction drugs such as Viagra, Levitra or Cialis? Although some of those names are now the butt of junk emails for many of us, they may also contribute to an increased risk of sudden hearing loss. Now, that's a weird correlation, eh?

The FDA now wants labeling changes for these products with hearing loss warnings, and added the Revatio blood pressure control drug to that new warning list as well.

The problem stems from an active ingredient classified as a Phosphodiesterase Type 5 Inhibitor (PD-5 inhibitors). It took an ear, nose and throat article from last April's Journal of Laryntology and Otology for the FDA to start investigating. Nice work, folks.

Life is too short not to be fully "tuned in." The Daily Turn On! is designed to wake up your senses, all six of them: smell, taste, touch, hearing, sight and intuition! Everyday The Daily Turn On! with That's Fit Life Fit expert Laura Lewis will awaken your mind, your body and your life!

Did you know ... You can actually improve your hearing by taking a combination of vitamins A, C, and E, as well as magnesium. In a study conducted by researchers at the University of Michigan, animals were given high doses of A, C, E and magnesium prior to high volume noise and then once a day for five additional days. The animals were protected from long-term hearing damage even after prolonged exposure to noises as high as 120-decibels.

The reason? The A-C-E-Magnesium cocktail prevents inner ear damage caused by excessive free radicals. Researchers found that free radical formation in the cochlea is integral in the development of hearing loss due to high volume trauma to the ear. The antioxidants found in these vitamins partner with magnesium to protect the ear from permanent damage.

Before going to a concert, sports game, construction site or any other place where you will likely experience loud noise, take a A-C-E-M cocktail and continue with the regimen for five days. Of course, avoiding those places would be helpful too!

Awaken your senses ... Live a fit life!

Bethany noted an odd iPod story the other day that I kind of found fascinating. Yes, those white iPod earbuds are everywhere these days -- on the bus, in the mall and just about anywhere around town. There is one iPod user who probably never wants to see them again.

While running, a Canadian man was wearing his iPod when lightning struck a nearby tree, throwing him off his feet and burning him with patterns where the iPod's headphones were next to his body. At least he was not listening to his music at deafening levels and not paying attention to the weather outside!

Yes, wires carry electricity and can be involved if lightning strikes nearby, but I'll bet this runner won't be jogging with his tunes an time the weather looks iffy. As always, remember to keep the volume at a decent level or risk potential hearing loss.

After traipsing through punk rock clubs for a significant portion of my adolescence -- an interest which meant my ears were almost always ringing -- I've come to worry about my hearing as I get older. On the one hand, I'm still in my twenties, and hearing loss generally only starts creeping in after 65. But on the other, it's increasingly becoming a problem for teens and young adults -- almost entirely due to the increase of loud noise.

Our ears get bombarded with everything from movie theater sound systems to leaf blowers and hair dryers. The modern world has become so noisy, that, according to the National Institutes of Health, more than 30 million American children and adults are exposed to dangerously loud noise on a regular basis.

So what can you do? Catch it early. Learn to recognize the signs of hearing loss -- are you standing closer in conversations so you can hear what people are saying? Are you turning up your car stereo louder and louder just to understand the DJs? Get your hearing checked regularly, so that if you are experiencing hearing loss, you can work with the doctor to keep what you have.

And, while the teenage me would hate the fact that I'm saying this, you could also turn down the volume.

In a study recently published out of the Netherlands, folic acid appeared to slow age-related hearing loss. Although previous research linked low folic acid levels to bad hearing, this is the first data to suggest that folic acid supplements can actually slow the onset of hearing loss as people get older.

The only real downside to this study is that because it was done in the Netherlands, when laws prevented folate fortified foods, the patients followed started out with folic acid levels at only half of the average U.S. citizen. So more research will need to be done to see if the results hold true under different circumstances, and that (I'm sure) will take awhile.

Like millions of people, I sometimes attend sporting events in large arenas and gymnasiums. The crowd noise level -- which I participate in -- can sometimes lead to such loud and consistent noises that my ears ring after I've left the event.

Add to the concerts and other venues where high-decibel noises are frequent, and it's amazing that more people don't suffer hearing loss as a results over time.

Recent figures state that six minutes of sports-arena noise gives fans 81 times their daily allowable dose of noise. That alarmed me quite a bit, actually. 81 times? Holy cow. A doctor and his wife attended the 2006 Stanley Cup hockey playoff games in Canada and not only measured the sound level, but had their hearing checked after the event. There was temporary -- but significant -- hearing loss in both.

Many of us know that prolonged periods of listening to loud noises (100dB and up) can damage hearing. Construction workers, subway attendants, airplane mechanics, iPod owners and even car stereo enthusiasts all spend a god portion of time near loud environments. In fact, I would say that most of us experience a rather loud noise at least a few times daily.

But, the trick is to avoid prolonged exposure. In what could be a rather obvious sign of the times, New York subways can be dangerous to one's hearing. A study just published out of Columbia University found the highest decibel level on the New York City public subway platform was 106, and the average level was 94 decibels.

Those are dangerous levels indeed, but probably just fine for just a few minutes of exposure. If you're a daily commuter in the Big Apple, you probably have already discovered that hearing protection might be in order.