What is the integrative approach to hearing loss and tinnitus? It is the addition of alternative methods of treatment to help those with progressive hearing loss and tinnitus and those who wish to try to delay the aging process and hearing loss by changing life styles.

Evidence suggests that using the integrative approach to hearing loss and tinnitus by maintaining good health habits including a modified Mediterranean diet, supplements, daily exercise and ear protection from loud noises may delay the aging process and hearing loss and, sometimes, improve hearing.

Michael Seidman, MD, an internationally recognized otologist and research scientist, introduced the Integrative 4 Step Approach. He studied aging in mice and found that reducing the caloric intake and providing the animal with supplements would delay both the aging process and hearing loss. He authored SAVE YOUR HEARING NOW which will available in May of 2006.

Dr. Seidman’s formula is as follows:

1. taking supplements of antioxidants and nutrients that are proven to protect against free-radical damage and enhance mitochondrial function will preserve and restore hearing while enhancing overall health.
2. proper diet of healthy foods that support the supplements.
3. moderate daily exercise done frequently.
4. avoidance of noise pollution.

The same basic formula can be applied to a “save your health now” anti-aging program for all people.

Five years ago, I began a program using a diet similar to the Mediterranean diet, exercising with a body trainer for stretching, weight lifting and aerobic training and taking supplements recommended by Dr. Seidman. At 70, I feel better than I have ever felt, enjoying good health with excellent hearing.

A little explanation of how the ear works would help the reader. The ear has three parts the outer ear or auricle that most people think of when you say ears. The outer ear includes the ear canal which produces wax and carries the sound waves to the ear drum. The ear drum is the beginning of the middle ear which is connected to the three bones of hearing the malleus which is attached to the ear drum, the incus which connects the malleus to the stapes bone which is in the oval window leading the inner ear. These bones acts as a transformer and increase sound 22.3 times from the ear drum to the inner ear. Beneath the stapes bone is the inner ear which is filled with fluid that surrounds the hearing and balance organs. The vibrations from the stapes activate the fluids which in turn stimulate the little hairs in the cochlea (organ of hearing) to convert mechanical vibration to electrical impulses which travel down the nerve of hearing to the brain. The brain interprets the impulses as speech or sounds; the second part of the inner ear has to do with balance and coordination. There are 3 balance canals that lie at right angles to each other which keep us in balance. The inner ear along with the eyes and muscles and joints keep us in balance which is an unconscious act. The brain takes all the information and organizes it and the sends information to the muscles to keep us in balance.

Noise pollution is very common in our society and many incessant noises that are taken for granted can produce damage to the hair cells in the cochlea that result in a hearing loss. A good analogy is that “the hair cells are like a healthy lawn that can accommodate a certain amount of wear and tear. When certain areas are constantly trampled the grass may eventually die”.

Five Ways to Save Your Ears

1. Wear earplugs: Coldplay and Dave Matthews Band wear ear protection. You should too. A pair of cheap foam earplugs will do the trick, but it's better to invest in higher-fidelity personal ear plugs, which reduce volume without cutting out too much high end.
2. Turn it down: Don't crank up your portable music player too loud, especially to compensate for other noise around you. If you're on a subway, the ambient noise could be as high as 105 decibels. To hear your tunes, you might turn the music up to 110, a level that is safe only for thirty minutes.
3. Get better headphones: Those that shut out external noise allow you to turn down the tunes. In-ear phones like Etymotic's ER6 ($139) and Shure's E4C ($299) go deep into the ear canal to block pretty much all outside noise -- plus they sound great (a cheaper alternative is Sony's MDR-EX71, $50). Bose's noise-canceling QuietComfort 2 ($299) fits over the ears and removes a lot of low-end noise.
4. Give your ears a rest: "There's nothing wrong with going to a rock concert on Friday night," says Marshall Chasin. "Just don't mow your lawn on Saturday." Your ears need about eighteen hours after exposure to sustained high volumes before they return to normal.
5. Quit smoking: It doubles the risk of noise-induced hearing loss. "After a loud show, the way you get better is through blood supply to your inner-ear nerve cells," says Chicago audiologist Michael Santucci. "If you do something cardiovascularly restrictive, like smoking, your blood supply won't be as good. You're being exposed to two toxins, the cardiovascular toxin and the noise toxin."

Dr. Seidman gives many examples of people who were overweight, sedentary and who took no supplements, where their hearing was decreasing at a young age that reversed when their life style changed to the Save Your Hearing Now Program of healthy living.

In the Integrative Clinic the patient will be given a comprehensive overview of what constitutes a healthy diet. One will learn about the scientific evidence supporting how antioxidants and other supplements work to destroy free radicals, “The Enemy” that is responsible for aging, Alzheimer’s, cancer, heart attacks, strokes and arthritis. Mitochondria, the power house of the cells decreases as with age due to damage caused by free-radicals. Antioxidants reduce this damage. The exercise program includes walking at least 30 minutes a day, stretching and weight lifting.

It is recommended that Dr. Seidman’s supplements be take daily. These include a multivitamin, antioxidant formula, anti-aging formula that includes patented supplements, and essential fatty acids. The patient will be given the opportunity to have an individually tailored ear protection device that can be worn when being exposed to loud noises. Hearing ability, weight, and tinnitus level will be measured on a regular basis to monitor progress with the program.

The Integrative Clinic is dedicated to all those interested in maintaining good health, good hearing and prolongation of life. For further information, Call Toll Free: 1-888-418-9200.