Monday, September 3, 2007

iPod Helping You Hear Right

There are plenty of rumors going around right now that electronic gadgets like your mobile phone and your trusty iPod actually could leave you deaf because the sound waves and the high volume that reaches your ear damages the nerves that allows you to hear well.

However, it does look like things are looking up and such heresay may actually not be true. You see, scientists and experts in the medical field are working out ways so as to help out people have better hearing even when their ears are already quite damaged. These experts are developing some kind of technology wherein stem cells and electrical pulses from your iPod could help heal the damaged nerves.

Of course, this is going to be good news. And when you have thought that you would have to set aside your iPod Shuffle along with your iPod Shuffle accessories for something that would have a lesser effect on your ears, the times have changed. And it looks like your enemy would then become your bestfriend.
So how would this go about The American Association for the Advancement of Science held a conference and one of the things that were discussed were the inception of a new kind of technology that would assist people with hearing problems. They have been discussing combining two processes to help heal those hearing wounds. There would be stem cell transplants done first so as to give new life to those ailing ear parts. However, after that, technology would then be used so as to recharge those new cells. The patients would then be using an amplifier in the ear and this is where your mobile electric gadgets come in.

On this, Richard Schmiedt, a professor of otolaryngology at the Medical University of South Carolina, has got something important to share for he does believe in such a kind of medicine to the ailing ears. He did mention, We have a good chance of getting normal hearing back in normal ears. And that is certainly good enough for most having problems with their hearing.

These experts do believe that when stem cells are put in the ears and replacing the damaged hair cells, people can actually regain their hearing back. However, such a kind of technique need to be backed up by a shock of electricity from our gadgets so as to restore the hearing capacity of the patient. Of course, there had been research and studies done so as to check if such claims are valid and true. In fact, Stefan Heller, a professor at Stanford University, did say that he did some studies in mice and within five years, results have been developed and progressed that the technique was a success.

On the other hand, people are trying to find out if this would be successful for human use. After all, mice are mice and people may not react the way the mice have done with the experiment. On this, Heller does explain, What we do with the battery-jumping is actually put the current right next to the inner hair cells and outer hair cells. It's very invasive and dangerous to the other hair cells. He also did continue that the process of putting in the new cells can be quite dangerous and be crucial to the whole deal.


http://www.articleco.com/Article/iPod-Helping-You-Hear-Right/31548