New cures are constantly being discovered. That may be a positive or a negative. You might think that you really don’t need to be all that careful about your hearing because you read some promising research about potential future cures for deafness. You’ll feel like they will most likely have a cure for deafness by the time you will notice any symptoms of hearing loss.

That would be unwise. Clearly, protecting your hearing now while it’s still healthy would be the wiser choice. Scientists are making some incredible advances when it comes to treating hearing loss though, and that includes some potential cures in the future.

Hearing loss stinks

Hearing loss is just a fact of life. It’s not necessarily because of something you did wrong. It just… is. But developing hearing loss has some major disadvantages. Not only can you hear less, but the disorder can impact your social life, your mental health, and your overall wellness. You will even increase your risk of developing dementia and depression with untreated hearing loss. There’s plenty of evidence to link neglected hearing loss to problems such as social isolation.

Hearing loss is, generally speaking, a degenerative and chronic condition. So, over time, it will continue to get worse and there isn’t any cure. That’s not true for every kind of hearing loss, but more on that in a bit. Even though there’s no cure, though, that doesn’t mean it can’t be treated.

If you come see us, we can help slow the development of your hearing loss and maintain your current levels of hearing. Hearing aids are frequently the form of treatment that will be most appropriate for most forms of hearing loss. So there are treatments for most individuals but there’s no cure. And your quality of life will be greatly improved by these treatments.

Two forms of hearing loss

Not all hearing loss is identical. Hearing loss comes in two principal classes. You can treat one and the other can be cured. Here’s how it breaks down:

• Conductive hearing loss: This form of hearing loss takes place because something gets in the way and obstructs your ear canal. It might be due to an accumulation of earwax. Perhaps it’s inflammation caused by an ear infection. Whatever the cause, there’s something physically blocking sound waves from traveling up to your inner ear. This form of hearing loss will be cured when the source of the obstruction is eliminated.
• Sensorineural hearing loss: This is the more irreversible type of hearing loss. There are tiny hairs in your ear (called stereocilia) that pick up minute vibrations in the air. These vibrations can be translated to sound by your brain. Regrettably, these hairs are compromised as you go through life, usually by overly loud noises. And these hairs stop functioning after they get damaged. And when this happens your ability to hear becomes diminished. Your body doesn’t naturally regrow these hairs and we currently have no way to repair them. Once they’re gone, they’re gone.

Sensorineural hearing loss treatments

Sensorineural hearing loss may be permanent but that doesn’t mean it can’t be managed. Given your loss of hearing, letting you hear as much as you can is the purpose of treatment. The objective is to help you hear discussions, improve your situational awareness, and keep you functioning independently through life.

So, how do you manage this form of hearing loss? Common treatments include the following.

Hearing aids

Hearing aids are likely the single most common means of treating hearing loss. They’re especially useful because hearing aids can be specifically adjusted for your distinct hearing loss. Wearing a hearing aid will let you better comprehend conversations and communicate with others over the course of your day to day life. Many of the symptoms of social solitude can be prevented by using hearing aids (and the danger of depression and dementia as a result).

Getting your own pair of hearing aids is incredibly common, and there are many styles to pick from. In order to identify which model is suited to your taste and degree of hearing loss, you’ll have to come see us for a consultation.

Cochlear implants

When hearing loss is complete, it sometimes makes sense to bypass the ears altogether. That’s what a cochlear implant does. Surgery is used to put this device in the ear. The device picks up on sounds and converts those sounds into electrical energy, which is then transmitted straight to your cochlear nerve. Your brain then interprets those signals as sound.

When a person has a condition called deafness, or complete hearing loss, cochlear implants are sometimes used. So there will still be treatment solutions even if you have totally lost your hearing.

Novel advances

New novel ways of treating hearing loss are always being researched by scientists.

In the past, curing hearing loss has proven impossible, but that’s exactly what new advances are aimed at. Here are a number of those advances:

• Stem cell therapies: Your own stem cells are used in this type of treatment. The idea is that these stem cells can then turn into new stereocilia (those little hairs in your ears). Studies with mammals (like rats and mice) have shown some promise, but some kind of prescription stem cell gene therapy is probably still going to be a while.
• Progenitor cell activation: So the stereocilia in your ear are being produced by your body’s stem cells. The stem cells become inactive after they develop stereocilia and are then referred to as progenitor cells. New therapies seek to reactivate these progenitor cells, stimulating them to once more create new stereocilia. This particular novel therapy has been used in humans, and the outcomes seem encouraging. There was a substantial improvement, for most patients, in their ability to hear and understand speech. It isn’t really known how long it will be before these therapies will be widely available.
• GFI1 Protein: There’s a protein which has been identified by scientists that is crucial for the regrowth of stereocilia. Scientists are hoping that they can get a better idea of how to get these stereocilia to grow back by identifying this protein. Again, this is one of those therapies that’s more in the “drawing board” phase than the “widely available” stage.

Don’t wait to have your hearing loss treated

Lots of these innovations are promising. But it’s essential to emphasize that none of them are available yet. So it’s not a good plan to wait to get treatment for your loss of hearing. Protect your hearing today.

Don’t try to hold out for that miracle cure, call us now to schedule a hearing exam.

Call Today to Set Up an Appointment

References

https://hsci.harvard.edu/major-step-toward-treatment-leading-form-hearing-loss
https://news.mit.edu/2022/frequency-therapeutics-hearing-regeneration-0329