We Pause Now for a Word from Our Sponsor
Time for a little shameless self promotion... Seriously, Dr. Seidman is a world-class physician with first-rate credentials. His own research shows that hearing loss can be prevented -- and sometimes even reversed -- with the right antioxidants. He's been featured on "Good Morning America," and interviewed for articles in the New York Times, O, the Oprah Magazine, Men's Health and many other publications.
Hearing loss is becoming a huge issue for the Baby Boomer generation, and even their children are at risk, thanks to Ipods, car stereos, video games and the noise pollution that's become part of our daily lives. Even if I hadn't co-authored Save Your Hearing Now, I would recommend it. It's so easy to take good hearing for granted but not so easy to restore it after it's gone.
If you'd like to read a free sample chapter, click here.
posted by moneysmith at 10:11 PM
2 Comments:
Studies on lab rats and antidotal evidence from his patients form the basis of Dr. Seidman’s novel approach to sensorineural type hearing loss. Audio assaults constantly bombard us at home, work, driving and in social settings, add to these assorted personal stereo or video game systems and it’s easy to see why noise induced hearing loss is reaching epidemic proportions in the U.S. and is one of the world’s top ten work related health problems. According to Dr. Seidman, noise pollution is not the only culprit, poor circulation, the result of too much weight and too little exercise coupled with diets rich processed foods are also to blame.
From the workings of the inner ear to a simple hearing test to identify the type and severity of your hearing loss, Dr Seidman covers the basics before moving on to outlining his four step hearing program. Starting with a top ten list of nutritional supplements heavy in antioxidants, a healthy diet of whole grains, fresh fruits and vegetables, adding daily moderate exercise and using proper ear protection when exposed to loud noises, the reader is guided through easy to follow steps towards retaining, perhaps reversing hearing loss.
Although a bit light in scientific data to back up his assertions of hearing loss reversal, the four step program is sound, heart-smart and certainly worth adopting to improve one’s overall health and sense of well being. It will take deep pockets to purchase all the supplements listed and a commitment to taking several pills twice daily. Fortunately, a number of the key nutrients can be found in an assortment of fruits, vegetables and red wine so careful attention to the diet could cut down on supplement costs. Replacing coffee with green tea, adding high fiber foods, cutting down on high fructose corn sugar and daily exercise are easy to follow steps toward better health and perhaps, better hearing too. If you are one of the millions of people suffering from hearing loss it might be worth your time to give this program a try, it might just surprise you with improved hearing and a healthier outlook.
Dr. Seidman then goes into age-related hearing loss and the process that causes it. Personally, I found this discussion fascinating. He delves into what causes the human body to age. As the cells age, our bodies age and our hearing is reduced. His program to Save Your Hearing Now can also delay the aging process itself. There are several different theories about why we age but the one subscribed to by most researchers is called the free-radical, or mitochondrial, clock theory. Scientists have a good idea of how it works and what can be done to slow the process.
About 98% of the body’s energy is produced in the mitochondria, known as the powerhouse of the cells. There may be hundreds of mitochondria in each cell and they have their own DNA, completely separate from the DNA found in the rest of the cell. Over decades the mitochondrial DNA is damaged by free radicals and the cells steadily decline in their ability to produce energy. This leads to aging, disease and eventually death.
For a discussion on free-radicals and how they attack healthy cells, please see our previous article on Antioxidants, Health and Tinnitus.
Dr. Seidman embarked on a series of clinical experiments to first, prove that free-radical damage is responsible for hearing loss in older populations and second, develop a therapy to stop or reverse this damage. The first two experiments, indirectly on people with and without hearing loss and directly on laboratory rats, showed definitively that DNA damage to the mitochondria was responsible for age-related hearing loss.
The next step was to determine if this age-related hearing loss could be slowed or possibly even repaired using supplements of naturally occurring antioxidants. The first trial followed animals from several months old until the day they died. One group received a calorie restricted diet, shown to reduce free-radical production, reduce mitochondrial damage and to increase life span. A placebo controlled group was allowed to eat freely. Other groups were treated with antioxidants, including vitamins C and E, and the hormone melatonin. They were able to demonstrate that dietary moderation and specific nutrients reduce the progression of age-related hearing loss and they concluded that it is likely that a combination therapy would provide a synergistic protective effect on hearing loss and possibly on aging as well.
The next study produced even more dramatic results. Dr. Seidman states that, of all the research he has done, this study is the single most important one. The team used twenty one 2 year old lab rats, considered senior citizens in the rodent world and divided them into three groups of seven each. For six weeks one group was given Alpha Lipoic Acid (ALA), one group Acetyl-L-Carnitine (ALC) and one group a sugar pill.
When they tallied the results, it was clear that the hearing in the sugar pill group had deteriorated at a rate typical for animals of that age. But something amazing happened with both supplemented groups. The supplemented groups not only avoided hearing loss but their hearing actually improved. In other words, supplements didn’t just stop age-related hearing loss, they reversed it!
During the study, the control group lost 3 to 7 dB of hearing while the ones with ALA or ALC had a 7 to 10 dB improvement. The ALA was more effective for protecting hearing at low frequencies while the ALC did better at higher frequencies. They demonstrated that taking both supplements is the best way to protect against hearing damage in general. This groundbreaking work was so novel that Dr. Seidman was awarded a US patent for this supplement. ALA and ALC are the basis of Dr. Seidman’s Anti-Age/Energy Formula.
Noise exposure, Meniere’s Disease, Hearing Aids and more…
I have focused on areas of the book that I thought would be most interesting to our readers. However, there is much, much more in Dr. Seidman’s book. He discusses many of the causes of hearing loss, from noise exposure to drugs that are toxic to the ear. He discusses Meniere’s disease; what is known and what is not. He goes into various medical therapies for hearing loss including a full discussion of the types and choices of hearing aids. Cochlear implants are examined. Stress as an aggravating factor is studied.
Depression and its effects on people are covered. Dr. Seidman makes specific recommendations for nutritional supplements that work as well or better than prescription medications only without the numerous side-effects.
Tinnitus Management
Dr. Seidman includes a chapter on tinnitus and the leading nutritional supplements for its management. He recommends primarily ginkgo biloba, zinc and garlic, the ingredients found in Arches Tinnitus Formulas. He also lists Arches as a recommended supplement supplier for people with tinnitus.
4- Part Plan to Save Your Hearing
He lays out in detail his four-part plan to save hearing. The four steps to Save Your Hearing Now are: 1 – Nutrients; 2 – Diet; 3 – Exercise; 4 – Ear Protection.
1. Top Ten Nutrients:
Dr. Seidman introduces the Top Ten; an all-star team of nutrients that have been scientifically proven to play vitally important roles in hearing and in slowing the aging process.
2. Diet:
He leads us to understand how proper diet allows us to get adequate nutrition. This is not a fad diet but based on carefully conducted nutritional studies published in professional journals. Most of it entails simple moderation and the incorporation of some key nutritional staples.
3. Exercise:
A sedentary lifestyle is on the verge of eclipsing smoking in terms of the number of deaths it causes. Exercise stimulates blood circulation throughout the body, helps with weight management and is a proven method of combating both stress and depression.
4. Ear Protection:
There are new choices available in earplugs, earmuffs, sound canceling headphones and more on how to prevent noise from damaging our hearing.
Healthy hearing and quiet times!
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