Understanding Sudden Deafness (Acoustic Trauma): A Natural Healing Perspective

Unprotected exposure to explosions, gunshots, and rock concerts, listening to music through headphones turned too loud, and the din of noisy machinery can temporarily or permanently damage hearing. Acoustic trauma is especially destructive of the ability to hear high pitches, and the damage is worst when the loud sound itself is high-pitched.

The way loud sound damages hearing is through injury to microscopic hairs called stereocilia. These hairs lie on the surface of the organ of Corti, the membrane inside the ear that vibrates so that sound is perceived. Every sound causes a surge of fluid through the spiral channel in the inner ear known as the cochlea. The swooshing fluids flow past the stereocilia, and these tiny hairs in turn transmit the sensation of sound to nerves going to the brain.

Low pitches can be heard even if the surge of fluid passes through just a small part of the cochlea. The highest pitches can only be heard if the surge of fluid passes all the way to the end of the cochlea. The stereocilia must be firmly attached to the organ of Corti and rigid enough to be moved by the fluid for sound to be perceived. Since higher pitches need more of the ear canal to be heard, the ability to hear higher pitches is lost first.

A very loud noise causes a very strong rush of fluid strong enough to damage the stereocilia. These tiny hairs can be literally torn out by their roots. Even if they are not, the stereocilia can experience metabolic exhaustion trying to repair themselves. In the latter case, the hairs swell with fluids, become limp, and stop moving with the flow of fluid through the cochlea. They may adhere to each other in sticky clumps.

Damage to the stereocilia causes a threshold shift, that is, sounds have to be louder and lower to be heard at all. If the hairs have a chance to recover, the threshold shift is temporary. Nevertheless, if there is constant exposure to noise, the stereocilia never get a chance to recover, and the threshold shift and related hearing loss become permanent.

Japanese researchers following over 20,000 patients have found that hearing loss is more likely when there is fatigue or poor nutrition. Not having had enough sleep before exposure to loud sound more triples the risk of hearing loss. Conditions that cause nausea or loss of appetite can increase risk of hearing loss by as much as 64 times!

Eating fresh vegetables cuts risk of injury after exposure to loud sound approximately in half, light-colored vegetables offering slightly better protection than dark green or yellow vegetables. People who have high blood pressure or who get colds easily are especially at risk to sudden deafness. High levels of thyroid hormone, low levels of antioxidants, and fever all increase acoustic damage. There is also evidence that a high-fat “meat and potatoes” diet also increases risk of hearing loss when the ear is exposed to loud noise.

Pharmaceutical treatment of acoustic trauma typically involves glucocorticoid (steroid) drugs. People given a short course of steroid treatment are more likely to retain their ability to hear low frequencies, but they are not more likely to be able to hear higher frequencies. To protect hearing of higher pitches, a multi-pronged approach combining medicine and nutrition is best.

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Preventing Acoustic Trauma