‘Ear and hearing care for all, let’s make it a reality’ was the 2023 theme at the annual World Hearing Day on March 3rd. The event was led by WHO (World Health Organisation) to build awareness of hearing loss. Great progress was made recently by researchers and hearing experts who can now answer the question as to whether hearing loss can be reversed, and it’s good news. 

 

Is it possible to reverse hearing loss without surgery?

It is a possibility and we will explain why. 

 

30 million people in the USA age 12 and above suffer from hearing loss and globally 20% of the human population is hard of hearing so the latest information will be encouraging for so many people.

 

A new study has revealed valuable insights into how hearing loss can be reversed in mammals. In an old study 5 years ago, a team of researchers at the University of Rochester Medical Center (URMC) was able to regrow cochlear hair cells in mice. The result was ground-breaking.

 

What is cochlear hair and why is it so important?

Cochlear hair in the ear detects a pitch or frequency of sound and generates nerve impulses which travel along the auditory nerve. The impulses go to the brainstem, and then the hearing centres of the brain convert them to a meaningful sound. 

 

Some creatures can regrow cochlear hair such as reptiles, fish and birds but not mammals. A human has 16,000 cochlear hair cells in each ear and they can get easily damaged, especially with age, infection and disease.

 

The new study has shown the underlying mechanism that allows cochlea ear hairs to regrow in mice. 

 

One of the study’s authors, Dr Patricia White, a neuroscience professor at URMC explained, “We know from our previous work that expression of an active growth gene, called ERBB2, was able to activate the growth of new hair cells (in mammals), but we didn’t fully understand why. This new study tells us how that activation is happening—a significant advance toward the ultimate goal of generating new cochlear hair cells in mammals.” 

 

Dr White concluded, “We plan to further investigate the phenomenon from a mechanistic perspective to determine whether it can improve auditory function after damage in mammals, that’s the ultimate goal.”

Find out more: https://hearingreview.com/inside-hearing/research/university-rochester-researchers-regrow-sensory-hair-cells

It can happen through the production of a protein…

The researchers did single-cell RNA sequencing to compare ear cells with activated ERBB2 receptors against normal cells (with no EGF activation). Researchers found that ERBB2 genes actually make the ear cells behave like stem cells. It makes the cell produce a protein called SPP1. That protein then activates the CD44 receptor in cochlear-supporting cells (hair cells in the cochlea or internal ear that support auditory function) responsible for cochlear hair cell regeneration. That activity doesn’t take place in normal cells.

 

The researchers noted, “Our results suggest that ectopic activation of ERBB2 signalling in cochlear supporting cells can alter the microenvironment, promoting proliferation and cell rearrangements. Together these results suggest a novel mechanism for inducing stem cell-like activity in the adult mammalian cochlea.”  

 

Now, researchers clearly understand the underlying mechanism for regrowing cochlear ear hairs in mammals and with that information, hopefully, hearing loss will become 100% treatable without surgery and reversing hearing loss will no longer be impossible.

 

What causes temporary or permanent hearing loss?

Hearing loss can happen at any age. A person can be born deaf, or deafness can occur after an accident or an underlying condition, infection (labyrinthitis) or disease (Meniere’s disease). A perforated eardrum, a wax build-up, loud music and ageing can affect your hearing to different degrees. Some people experience a condition called Tinnitus, which is the name given to hearing ringing or buzzing from inside the ear with no outside source. 

 

Signs of temporary or permanent hearing loss are: 

• Difficulty understanding what is being said, especially with background noise
• Asking people to repeat themselves
• Using higher volume settings
• Struggling to hear people on the phone
• Lip-reading

 

What help is there for partial or full hearing loss currently?

• Digital hearing aids
• Bone anchored implants
• Middle ear implants
• Cochlear implants
• Learning to lip read
• Medication and treatments

 

You can reduce the risk of hearing loss by keeping your exposure to loud music to a minimum and seeing a doctor as soon as possible if you have a suspected ear infection or discomfort.

 

Hearing and balance loss can sometimes come hand in hand but hearing loss doesn’t cause balance issues on its own. Problems with the inner ear can cause hearing problems and impair balance. An ear, nose and throat (ENT) specialist can determine balance disorders linked to ear problems. 

 

Have you heard of Aldosterone AldoPro™ Liquid? 

It works to aid and balance your hearing. Aldosterone is a hormone known to regulate essential salts and blood pressure in the body. Aldosterone secretion may also hold the key to loss of hearing. Aldosterone’s important role in maintaining the body’s delicate balance of water and essential salts impacts our blood pressure health. As a treatment for hearing loss, Aldosterone also offers a viable alternative to hearing aids and surgery.

 

Find out more here: https://theantiaging.store/product/aldopro-liquid/  

 

 

Further Reading:
Deafness and hearing loss: https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/deafness-and-hearing-loss
WHO deafness & hearing loss: https://www.who.int/health-topics/hearing-loss#tab=tab_1
Hearing loss NHS: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/hearing-loss/