Hearing is one of our essential senses, yet approximately 48 million Americans experience some degree of hearing loss, according to the Hearing Loss Association of America (pdf). Noise, aging, infections, and chronic illnesses can contribute to hearing impairments. On the program “Health 1+1,” Jonathan Liu, a professor of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) at a Canadian public college, shared methods for protecting and maintaining ear health.

The ear is highly sensitive to sound, which travels through the ear canal, reaches the eardrum, and then passes to the middle ear’s auditory ossicles. The auditory ossicles amplify sound waves through vibrations before transmitting them to the cochlea. Inside the cochlea, the physical signals are converted into electrical signals, which are then sent to the brain via the auditory nerve. This process represents how the ear transmits sound.

Causes of Hearing Loss and How to Know if You Have It

Mr. Liu outlined several factors that can cause hearing loss:

• Prolonged exposure to high noise levels: Exposure to environments such as construction sites or the loud engine noise of cars can damage hearing.
• Electronic noise: People who use headphones to listen to music or play electronic games expose their ears to prolonged noise.
• Infections leading to hearing disorders: Conditions such as otitis media or meningitis can result in hearing impairments.
• Medications: Some antibiotics like streptomycin and kanamycin, and certain chemotherapy drugs, can damage the auditory nerve. Certain painkillers and diuretics can also cause similar damage.
• Genetics: Hearing problems can be inherited.
• Aging: As people age, their vision and hearing tend to decline.

The decline in hearing can be gradual, so how can individuals determine if they have a hearing impairment? Mr. Liu provided a list of 12 things that may indicate hearing loss:

• Frequently asking others to repeat themselves.
• Others often complain that the volume of your television is too loud.
• Occasional difficulty catching certain words or sentences during phone conversations.
• Ignoring or not hearing background sounds in the environment, such as flowing water, distant bird chirping, or the humming of a refrigerator.
• Feeling that many people need to speak more clearly.
• Difficulty understanding conversations when speaking with others.
• Often being accused of being absent-minded during conversations.
• Struggling to keep up with conversations when multiple people are speaking simultaneously.
• Difficulty hearing clearly in noisy environments.
• Avoiding public events or concerts because they require significant effort to hear and understand.
• Hearing ringing, buzzing, or hissing sounds.
• Certain sounds are loud to you.

Types of Hearing Impairments

Mr. Liu explained that hearing loss can be categorized into the following types based on the auditory pathway:

1. Conductive: Impairments primarily occur in the middle and outer ear, affecting sound transmission.
2. Sensorineural: These are primarily associated with disorders in the inner ear and cochlea. According to Mr. Liu, if the cochlea, which connects to the auditory nerve, is damaged, it can result in more severe hearing impairments.
3. Mixed: This is a combination of the above two types.

Causes of sensorineural hearing loss within the inner ear include:

• Prolonged exposure to noise or cochlea damage: This prevents the normal transmission of signals, resulting in hearing loss or even deafness.
• Infections: Infections such as chronic otitis media can affect the structures of the middle ear and spread to the inner ear, affecting the cochlea and auditory nerve, leading to severe hearing impairments. Serious cases of otitis media can result in meningitis.
• Tumors in the ear canal: Tumors can be invasive, destroying the anatomical structures of the ear and causing hearing loss.
• Ruptured eardrum: Sudden exposure to loud noises or a significant change in pressure can cause the eardrum to rupture or perforate, affecting hearing.
• Excessive earwax: Excessive earwax can block the external ear canal.
• Cervical spine degeneration: Degeneration of the cervical spine can affect the blood supply to the brain, impacting ear blood circulation. Cervical spine issues often occur among white-collar workers and those who spend extended periods working with computers, as poor posture affects blood circulation in the neck.
• Stress and anxiety: Intense anxiety has been linked to tinnitus onset.

How to Keep Ears Healthy

To prevent hearing loss and maintain ear health, Mr. Liu offered the following strategies:

• Avoid or reduce noise: Wear earmuffs or earplugs if working in a noisy environment. Limit the use of headphones and avoid venues with loud music, such as rock bars. If you can’t avoid such venues, use ear protection.
• Clean your ears: Remove earwax if necessary, but don’t insert anything into the ear canal.
• Get hearing tests: Schedule timely hearing tests.
• Manage stress and reduce anxiety: Reduce negative emotions, exercise regularly to reduce stress, and get enough rest to conserve energy.
• Prevent and manage chronic diseases: Conditions like otitis media, diabetes, and hypertension can impact blood vessels and nerves, leading to hearing loss.
• Massage your ears: The ears have many acupoints closely related to hearing. Rubbing them with the index fingers and thumb in an up-and-down motion until they become slightly red and warm can help enhance hearing.

TCM Tips for Ear Health

According to TCM, the body has a meridian system that channels energy flow, circulating qi (energy) and blood throughout the body. The meridians connect the organs to various body parts, and specific points along the meridians, called acupoints, play a special role. Stimulating these acupoints through acupuncture or massage can treat corresponding organ-related ailments.

How to Safely Clean Your Ears

Proper ear cleaning can also prevent hearing impairments. Mr. Liu suggests three safe methods for removing earwax:

1. Warm water: Pour some warm water into the ear to soften the earwax. After a few seconds, tilt the head to let the water and softened earwax flow out, then dry the ear.
2. Oil: Drop two to three drops of mild oil, such as olive or baby oil, into the ear to soften the earwax. Insert a cotton ball into the outer ear to clean out the discharged earwax.
3. Saltwater solution: Dissolve 1 teaspoon of salt in 1/2 cup of warm water (approximately 125 grams). Dip a cotton ball in the saltwater solution, squeeze a few drops into the ear, and let it stay for a few seconds. Then, tilt the head to the other side to let the saltwater solution bring out dissolved earwax, and use a cotton ball to clean the outer ear.

TCM Treatments for Environmental Forces

Furthermore, Mr. Liu suggests appropriate medications and dietary therapies for different ear problems caused by various bodily conditions.

According to TCM, environmental forces can contribute to various diseases. These forces include wind, heat, cold, dampness, and fire.

1. Wind-Heat Type Cold

Symptoms: Dry mouth, sore throat, and a bright red tongue tip

Treatment: Lonicera and Forsythia Powder

2. Wind-Cold Type Cold

Symptoms: Sensitivity to cold, clear runny nose, itchy throat, and a pale pink tongue with a whitish coating

Treatment: Toxin-Resolving Powder

3. Non-Heat, Non-Cold Type

Symptoms: Unclear heat or cold symptoms, such as those caused by air travel

Treatment: Pueraria Decoction

4. Kidney Yin Deficiency

Symptoms: Night sweats, red tongue with minimal coating, thin and fast pulse, and occasional palpitations

Treatment: Take 10 grams of ginkgo nuts, 30 grams of goji berries, and 600 grams of water. Boil for 20 minutes, strain, and drink the liquid with residue once a day. Repeat the process 10 to 20 times.

5. Kidney Yang Deficiency

Symptoms: Lower back and leg pain, sensitivity to cold, pale tongue, and a weak and slow pulse

Treatment: Take 100 grams of walnuts and 100 grams of black sesame seeds, grind them into powder, and store it in a bottle. Take one spoonful and dissolve it in hot water, consuming it two to three times daily. This can be done for one month.