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The Ear Outer Ear: The external ear called the Pinna collects
the sounds that travel into the auditory canal.
Middle Ear: The chamber has three tiny bones inside that are no larger than a
small carpet tack. Named for their shape; the malleus (hammer), next the incus (anvil),
and the stapes (stapes or stirrup is the smallest bone in the human body).
- Inner Ear:
- Cochlea is a small bony structure, that looks like a snail shell with
approximately 20,000 hairlike sensory cells that line the spiral membrane where sound
waves are transmitted to the brain.
- Labyrinth includes the semi-circular canals; he structures concerned with
balance.
- Eustachian tube allows air pressure to be the same on both sides of the eardrum.
Principal Types of Hearing Loss
The two principal types of hearing loss are conductive or sensori-neural sometimes the
combination of both may be present.
- Conductive Impairment interferes with the mechanical transmission of sound waves
to the inner ear.
- Sensori-Neural Impairment or nerve deafness, occurs because of damage to the
cells in the cochlea or the nerve fibers that transmit sound to the brain. Also may be due
to:
- Meniere's disease, a tumor, some prescription drugs, or exposure to loud noises.
- Tinnitus: Ringing in the ears or episodes of unexplained whirring, whistling,
cracking, buzzing, roaring, or hissing in one or both ears.
- One-sided hearing loss: Acoustic neuromas, tumors can occur suddenly or gradually
and at any age.
Hearing Loss and Medication
There is a connection between what we take into our bodies
and the effects upon our hearing. Everyday substances like caffeine, nicotine, smoke,
alcohol, refined sugar, food preservatives, pesticides, certain drugs, antibiotics and
petroleum products may be poisoning our ears.
Reference: PDR Drug Interaction/Side Effects Index.
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