In comparison to other countries, South Africa has a very high population that struggles with hearing loss. There are currently more than 4 million men and women who have been diagnosed with hearing difficulties, and there are many more who are undiagnosed.
Traditionally, there was very little that could be done to help people who struggled with hearing loss. Thanks to advancements in medicine, technology, and therapy, people now have multiple options if they want to seek treatment to help with their hearing. This article will examine several of the most common and readily available options.
There are many different reasons that someone might struggle with hearing loss. Hearing loss could be a side effect of a medication, medical treatment, natural causes, or because of a medical condition. Regardless of why you struggle with hearing loss, here are some of the best treatment options to remedy the problem.
The most popular way to treat hearing loss is with the use of removable hearing aids. Typically, hearing aids are worn during the day and taken out at night. There are different types of hearing aids including:
While each of these hearing aids uses different methods and gets installed differently, they all fulfil the same purpose of amplifying sounds so that you can hear better.
If you do not want to worry about putting your hearing aids in and out each day, you also have the option of surgically implanted hearing aids.
Depending on what has caused your hearing loss, it is possible that surgery can remedy the problem. Typically, surgery to repair hearing loss will include widening your ear canal, removing bone stapes that have grown in your inner ear, or separating the various bones of your ear. Surgery will only work if your hearing loss stems from an abnormality inside your ear.
One of the most common reasons for hearing loss is simply that your ear canal is blocked by ear wax. While it is possible to remove earwax with home remedies, the safer and more effective option is to have your doctor do it for you.
In addition to surgical and medical options to improve your hearing, there are also natural remedies you can try.
The good news about the different treatment options for hearing loss is that most treatments have little to no side effects including natural remedies, blockage removal, and surgery. The only potential side effect of hearing aids is that they can cause soreness in your ears when you are first getting used to them. It is also possible that you might experience headaches when you first start using the hearing aids because of all the new noises.
While hearing loss is a debilitating and frustrating condition, it is one that is often treatable. Although you may never fully recover your natural hearing, depending on why you lost it in the first place, surgery, and hearing aids will significantly improve your ability to hear.