Wednesday, February 21, 2007

Better hearing through science

Now THIS is cool. Suffering from hearing loss? If, like me, you've spent most of your life playing music—LOUD music—chances are pretty good your ears have been damaged and your hearing has slipped a bit. Thanks to modern stem-cell technology and old-fashioned electricity, scientists may have found a way to reverse hearing loss.

The funny thing about this article though, is that the writer discovered it isn't the traditional sources of hearing loss which fueled this research. No, it's something much more recent: the iPod. It's the audio equivalent of teenage gamers with carpal tunnel syndrome, a medical issue normally associated with middle-aged office workers. Let's not forget, though, that just as in the case of CTS, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Let's turn down the volume, folks. Like the world really needs more noise.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Hearing loss? Just listened on World Cafe to George Martin in a lengthy interview about his days with The Beatles. Regrettably, Mr. Martin, even though he has a new Martin signature model named after him and has the money, title, and fame many ini society long for, can no longer hear very well. He was quite fervent and poignant about warning younger people to take care of their hearing, to use ear plugs at live concerts, etc. That should be . . . 'Nuff Said!
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