It May Be Possible to Reverse Hearing Loss.

There are many possible causes of hearing loss a side effect from a medication, an infection, or even too much earwax but the most common cause is aging.
Over time, the nerve cells in the cochlea, the organ of the inner ear that is responsible for hearing, are destroyed. And, like brain cells, they can't be "treated" or restored. When you lose hearing in this way, you never get any of it back, except with a hearing aid.

At least, that's what a conventional doctor will tell you. But Michael D. Seidman, M.D., isn't a conventional doctor. As an otolaryngologist (ear, nose, and throat specialist) and medical director of the tinnitus center at the Henry Fore! Health System in West Bloomfield, Michigan, Dr. Seidman has a unique perspective on health, healing and hearing.

Also, as a researcher who has conducted numerous studies on nutrition and hearing, many sponsored by the government's National Institutes of Health, he has shown that age-related hearing loss can be slowed and even reversed in rats.

He says that those research results may be very promising for humans. "In scientific studies, we have treated aging rats with different types of nutrients and improved their hearing by 5 to 10 decibels," Dr. Seidman says. In one such study, he tracked the hearing of 18- to 20-month-old rats until they were 24 to 26 months old (the equivalent of an 80- to 90-year-old human). During that period, the rats had a decline in hearing of 7 to 10 decibels.

When a group of those rats was fed the nutrients tor 6 weeks, however, their hearing improved by 5 to 10 decibels, while the hearing of the rats that weren't fed the compounds worsened by another 5 to 7 decibels over that time.
The secret of reversing age-related hearing loss, says Dr. Seidman, is in the mitochondria, the areas within cells that produce energy. As the mitochondria generate the body's fuel, they also produce pollutants called free radicals, which damage DMA a process that may be the cause of all age-related degeneration.

The nutrients that Dr. Seidman gave to the rats "enhance the functioning" of the mitochondria, he says. In fact, they may actually repair mitochondrial DNA that has been damaged by free radicals.
Here are the four nutrients in the formula that Dr. Seidman used. While he says that there would have to be studies involving humans before these nutrients could be scientifically said to reverse hearing loss, he also says that he takes the nutrients himself to counteract the effects of age-related hearing loss.

So try this combination for 6 months to see if it might help improve your hearing, says Dr. Seidman. The supplements are safe to take long term.

When a group of those rats was fed the nutrients for 6 weeks, however, their hearing improved by 5 to 1(1 decibels, while the hearing of the rats that weren't fed the compounds worsened by another 5 to 7 decibels over that time.
The secret of reversing age-related hearing loss, says Dr. Seidman, is in the mitochondria, the areas within cells that produce energy. As the mitochondria generate the body's fuel, they also produce pollutants called free radicals, which damage DNA a process that may be the cause of all age-related degeneration.

The nutrients that Dr. Seidman gave to the rats "enhance the functioning" of the mitochondria, he says. In fact, they may actually repair mitochondria! DNA that has been damaged by free radicals.

Here are the four nutrients in the formula that Dr. Seidman used. While he says that there would have to be studies involving humans before these nutrients could be scientifically said to reverse hearing loss, he also says that he takes the nutrients himself to counteract the effects of age-related hearing loss.
So try this combination for 6 months to see if it might help improve your hearing, says Dr. Seidman. The supplements are safe to take long term.

ACETYL-CARNITINE: A Combination of Amino Acids
This nutrient is made in the body from lysine and methionine, two amino acids. Without it, the mitochondria can't make energy from fat. Your regimen should include 150 milligrams of the nutrient daily.

ALPHA-LIPOIC ACID: A Powerful Antioxidant
Antioxidants protect your body against free radicals, and alpha-lipoic acid may be one of the most powerful antioxidants of them all, Dr. Seidman says. It is essential in mitochondrial functioning. Take 150 milligrams daily.

COENZYME Q10: Another Must for the Mitochondria
This vitamin-like supplement carries fatty acids across the cellular membrane so they can be used by the mitochondria to make the body's energy. Take 60 milligrams a day.
GLUTATHIONE: Vitamins C and E Can't Work without It
The enzyme glutathione is part of your body's antioxidant "dominoes"—without it, the antioxidant vitamins C and E can't do their jobs. Take 50 milligrams daily.

You Don't Hear Only with Your Ears
"Hearing is not generated by just the nerve cells in the cochlea," says Mona Lisa Schultz, M.D., Ph.D., a neuropsychiatrist and neuroscientist in Yarmouth, Maine. Hearing, she says, also depends on how we focus and on our attitude about what we hear.
"If I had age-related hearing loss, I would try to augment my hearing by refining my attentional mechanisms and by changing my attitude," Dr. Schultz says. Here are two steps that you can take to do just that.

FOCUS: Your Internal Hearing Aid
"What hearing you have left, you can augment because you have an 'internal hearing aid'—attention," says Dr. Schultz. She recommends that in situations where it's difficult to hear, such as in a crowded room, you very consciously and intentionally focus on what you want to hear and just tune out the rest.

ATTITUDE: You Can't Hear ff You Don't Listen
"Everyone knows that a man often loses his hearing in the range of his wile's voice," says Dr. Schultz. In other words, it there are things that you don't want to hear, you may find that you have more difficulty hearing them.
If you suspect that your attitude plays a role in your hearing loss, try not only to hear but also to listen—to be emotionally sensitive to what people in your closest relationships are saying to you. And try not to get verbally angry when other people communicate things that you may not like to hear.
In fact, says Dr. Schultz, ask your spouse or relatives or friends, "Do you think I have trouble listening to you?" If the answer is yes, slow down and pay more attention when they're speaking. You may find that when you listen better, you hear better, too.