By Colleen Huber, Naturopathy Works

What do jackhammers, rock concerts, emergency sirens and power mowers have in common? They all contribute to gradual and permanent damage of one of the most exquisitely perfect organs in our body: The ear. Not that we are born with any imperfect organs, but both the structure and function of your ear are quite magnificent.

The auricle or outer ear is so optimally sculpted that its acoustical performance is comparable to that of a concert hall. It directs sound waves from the external cacophony into your middle ear, where the waves are then amplified by your eardrum or tympanic membrane.

As your eardrum vibrates, it sets into motion three tiny bones, your incus, malleus and stapes (or if you prefer the anvil, hammer and stirrups, respectively) to push against the fluid inside your cochlea. This fluid then moves the hair cells of your inner ear in just such a way as to record nerve impulses.

These nerve impulses are specific and varied enough that they tell your brain whether you're listening to a violin, your washing machine or the last call for dinner, as well as all the different nuances of the violin playing, if the washing machine is functioning well or half-broken, or if the last call for dinner is in a patient or frustrated tone – each transmitted by subtle and unique permutations of fluid waves.

Now, however, the music is fading out for many people. More than 28 million Americans have hearing loss ranging from mild to severe. Experts are predicting 78 million will lose their hearing by the year 2030. (1) Those in their 40s and 50s are experiencing the fastest decline, as the hair cells begin to show wear and tear, and as the Woodstock generation faces the music, or rather lack of it, from listening to way too loud music over the years.

Beware of the iPod

The iPod generation however shows an even worse prognosis, because today's acoustic technology is so precise as to allow users to turn the volume up high without distortion. Worse still, the sound is delivered much closer to the eardrum and can cause damage faster.

Some studies have found that many people's personal music is arriving at the eardrum at 115 decibels, which can cause permanent damage listening for only 28 seconds per day. Unfortunately, more than 7 percent of Generation Xers have damaged ears already. (2)

Once hearing damage occurs it is for the most part not reversible. However, most of the current epidemic of hearing loss is completely preventable.

Will the iPod generation even be able to participate in calm conversations in their middle age, or will they have to shout to each other? Will they have any conversation at all in the senior years, when they may cherish that connection with others the most? Well, what is an iPod listening, video game playing, high-horse-powered driving, trailblazing, double-throttle lifestyle American to do?

Hmmm. Maybe it's time to slow down a little, pick the daisies and appreciate the good life, while we can still hear what's going on around us.

A good start would be to minimize use of power tools. Compare a power lawn mower, with a hand push mower, for example:

Power mower cost: $179 for a walk-behind, to $6,000 for a tractor mower.

Push mower cost: $39-179. Our $39 model is two years old and working fine.

Power mower damage to ears: High decibels, constant pitch, prolonged and frequent use – none of which is in the best interests of your hearing.

Push mower damage to ears: So quiet you can hear the wheels roll through the grass... fine for the ears.

The Benefit To Your Health and Environment

Power mower calories burned: Only as much as driving or slowly walking.

Push mower calories burned: 400-450 per hour, or as much as playing tennis for the same amount of time!

Compared to the push mower, the power mower provides too little exercise and too much noise. So now it's time to go to the gym, where you may be subjected to blaring music. You'll need to free up a lot of your weekend for power mowing, then another hour or so for the round trip gym workout.

Once you've completed push mowing, you've finished! The yard work is done, and you did it efficiently, by getting your exercise done too.  Not only that, but it was all quiet – no assault on the ears.

More errands after power mowing: Get gas and oil. Tune up and repair engine.  Sharpen blades.

More errands after push mowing: Sharpen blades once a year.

Yet another errand after power mowing: dispersing the grass clippings around your lawn for mulch, or more expensively, throwing those clippings away and spending extra time and money on lawn fertilizer.

Yet another errand after push mowing: You've finished! While you mowed, the grass clippings have been dispersed evenly by your push mower, for a free and effective fertilizer on your lawn.

People with immense lawns may not be able to replace their power mowing easily. However, for a low investment, you can start to cut some of the grass with a push mower for a quiet, fresh air workout.

Here are other alternatives to the noisy, energy-gobbling appliances around our homes:

• Hanging clothes out to dry (it just takes a minute).
• Using a hand-cranked food grater/processor (less than a minute).
• Hand-washing the dishes, a good chore for the kids or for the spouse who does not have the cooking duties.
• Letting your hair air-dry. (A hair dryer is a huge 14 watts and quite a noisy appliance to have next to your ear.)

Other quiet activities that are becoming a lost art:

• Reading.
• Prayer or meditation.
• Gardening.
• Yoga.
• Hiking or early morning mall-walking or snowshoeing or cross-country skiing.
• Bird watching.
• Fishing.
• Plant/flower/rock identification.
• Knitting and other fine needle arts.
• Other art, such as whittling, sculpture and painting.

Social activities that are fairly quiet include the following:

1. Spiritual/religious gatherings.
2. Volunteering in a Montessori classroom (pretty quiet, self-directed work).
3. Continuing education, poetry readings, conferences (not silent, but not blaring either).
4. Last but not least, the almost forgotten art of reading aloud from works of classic literature to the whole family.

This last suggestion reminds me of one family who reads Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol out loud (taking turns) every Christmas season. What a wonderful way to celebrate a holiday, introduce younger children to the classics, enhance the education of older children, not to mention their SAT English scores, stretch kids' attention span, entertain adults, foster appreciation, participation and familiarity with great literature in every family member, and actually (horrors!) involve the parents and children in the same activity in the same room at the same time, while enjoying each others' company.

This lost art of reading aloud can expanded to gatherings of multiple families and/or neighbors, and can include potluck or snacks. Not a silent activity, but not ear-threatening either.

Of course, hearing aids are becoming technically better, smaller and even implantable. But we all know the most natural treatment for any malady is prevention. So turning down the volume, avoiding loud theaters, choosing hand tools over power tools when practical, and finding quiet activities with your family, friends or alone can all go a long way toward preserving two of your greatest instruments of social interaction and appreciation of the good life: Your two ears.

Colleen Huber is a wife, mother and student at Southwest College of Naturopathic Medicine in Tempe, Ariz., where she is training to be a naturopathic physician. Her original research on the mechanism of migraines has appeared in Lancet and Headache Quarterly, and was reported in The Washington Post.

Her double blind placebo controlled research in homeopathy has appeared in Journal of the American Institute of Homeopathy, European Journal of Classical Homeopathy, and Homeopathy Today. Her website Naturopathy Works introduces naturopathic medicine to the layperson and provides references to the abundant medical literature demonstrating that natural medicine does work.

References

1. Noonan D. A little bit louder, please. Newsweek, June 6, 2005

2. Better Hearing Institute