A salt-based solution may prevent hearing loss, research suggests
Say what? A-salt-ing your ear may prevent hearing loss.
It’s no secret that noise is detrimental to your ear and its ability to hear. From working with loud equipment to listening to loud music for days at festivals and even listening to loud music through earphones; loud noises can eventually lead to hearing problems.
In a way a silent assassin; you think it’s all good until you wake up with tinnitus or worse…
Although ear plugs can be preventative measures, very few people put them to use, with the masses staying speaker-bound without any safety.
Sadly once your ear is bust, the damage is irreversible (for now) but researchers at the University of Southern California’s Keck School of Medicine is conducting research into how to heal ones ears.
A seasoned ear
Through detailed photos of the inner ear, researchers are able to see what happens to the ear when exposed to loud noises:
The hairs inside the cochlea (transforms sounds into vibrations interpreted by your brain) die off, followed by a build-up of liquid containing high levels of potassium.
This is the same liquid that makes your ears feel ‘full’ after being exposed to loud noises for an extended period of time (a festival, club, etc.) and also ends up killing neurons in your ears.
In a nut shell; potassium liquid is bad.
Luckily there is a simple solution that researchers are busy exploring; Since both salt and sugar offset the effects of potassium, they have developed a salt and sugar-based solution that are able to counteract the fluid’s killing effects if injected 3 hours after a noisy event.
A press release stated that “researchers found that treatment with these solutions prevented 45–64 percent of neuron loss, suggesting that the treatment may offer a way to preserve hearing function.”
It is important to note that human trials are yet to begin, so refrain from trying this out until a further paper concludes the results.
A seasoned ear may prevent hearing loss.
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