Not Far From It Now

Hearing loss can be defined as a reduction in an individuals ability to hear sounds. Essentially, loss of hearing can affect a person of any age group, young or old. Nevertheless it is appreciated that hearing loss tends to occur gradually as a person ages. Hearing loss can be temporary or permanent and mild or severe. There are three kinds of hearing loss that can affect a person and these are neural/sensorineural, conductive, or a combination of both of these.

Sensorineural hearing loss is caused by the malfunction of the cochlea, or auditory system. This type of hearing loss can be caused by various kinds of disease, certain kinds of drugs that are capable of causing injury to the hearing system, head trauma, aging and genetic syndromes.

As opposed to Sensorineural hearing loss, conductive hearing loss is caused by the malfunction of the middle ear system, which includes, for instance, ear drums. Conductive hearing loss can be caused by a number of conditions which include fluids accumulated in the middle ear which is caused by flu, ear infections, allergies and perforated ear drums. Impacted ear wax can also be said to be a contributive factor to loss of hearing.

Hearing loss is primarily caused by 5 main reasons and these are excessive and long term exposure to high levels of noise, infection of the ears, medication, physical trauma and also genetic factors.

A special category of people that are affected by hearing loss are musicians simply because they are exposed to a very high level of noise from the music they play, especially during concerts. In the early days, musicians, especially from the rock genre never used to wear hearing protection and due to exposure to these high levels of sound, they develop hearing loss. The situations are changing these days as rock musicians now protect their ears from high levels of sound as they understand the need to protect their hearing.

As far as exposure to high levels of noise is concerned, it is understood that an exposure which attracts a noise level of > 70 dB(A) or more for long and extended durations of time can cause a lasting, sensorineural hearing loss. Audio devices such as a walkman or iPods which have been known to produce powerful sounds can contribute to hearing loss. Exposure to very loud sounds such as jet engines, that can produce a noise level of 90 Db, can also cause hearing loss.

Hearing loss is normally measured in decibels hearing level (dbhl). A person with mild hearing loss will have a dbhl of around 25-39 dBHL. Concerning moderate loss, it will range to about 40-68 dBHL and 70-94 dBHL for severe hearing loss.

Besides exposure to high levels of noise, hearing loss can also be caused by disease. Among the more well- known diseases that can induce or cause hearing loss are meningitis, measles, adenoids, Chlamydia, and Presbyacusis. Essentially, presbycusis is hearing loss that occurs as a person gets older

An interesting phenomenon of is that it can also be caused by genetics. Dominant and recessive genes which exist can cause mild or profound hearing loss. This simply means that a dominant gene of deafness can persist across generations.

Levels of hearing loss are simply categorized by severity and age of onset.
The severity of hearing loss is measured by the level of loudness which must be reached in order for it to be heard by a person. Hearing loss can be categorized as mild, moderate, severe, or profound.

With the development of science and technology, more potent and sustainable treatment has been developed for various categories of hearing loss. The most conventional remedy for hearing loss has been hearing aids. Cochlea implants also seem to be gaining popularity and are used to treat mild to profound hearing loss. Some types of treatment include using assistive listening devices.

Essentially, effective treatment of hearing loss will depend largely on identifying the cause of the hearing loss. In some situations hearing loss is permanent and cannot be cured. Hence the solution is such circumstances will be to use hearing aids, which can help people with hearing loss, whether it is caused by conductive or sensorineural hearing loss. Besides hearing aids, cochlea implants can also be done restore hearing. In essence, one effective way avoiding hearing loss is simply to avoid activities that can cause hearing loss such as not exposing oneself to high levels of sounds that can cause hearing loss as it is a known fact that prevention is better than cure.

David P Killian is the proud owner of the huge hit music production site and forums http://www.audioracle.com and other great sites like http://www.homostrology.com and http://www.djdemand.com. He is a full time web developer and music producer.

AP - Teams of gunmen stormed luxury hotels, a popular restaurant, hospitals and a crowded train station in coordinated attacks across India's financial capital, killing at least 82 people, taking Westerners hostage and leaving parts of the city under siege Thursday, police said. A group of suspected Muslim militants claimed responsibility.

posted by treehkczc  # 7:04 PM 0 comments

Halo Wars differs in quite a few significant ways from its predecessors. Rather than being a first person shooter, the game is a real-time strategy game. That means that players have to harvest resources, build units and fortify locations, rather than venturing out on their own. However, developers promise that the game will remain true to its action-packed past. While there will definitely be resources that must be harvested, the true focus of the game will be on battle management. That means that you can concentrate on what the Spartans do best; taking out Covenant and Flood units!

The game focuses on the crew of the Spirit of Fire and their AI, Serina. The Covenant is still the "bad guys," though they are not yet in a civil war. The Flood also play a role, which may seem counter to the story's original telling, where the Flood first appeared on the ring of the Halo installation. However, the addition of the Flood will bring additional diversification to an already diverse game.

The storyline of Halo Wars had to be significantly expanded. Because players control entire armies, rather than single characters, the storyline had to undergo major changes and enhancements. Hardcore gamers may actually appreciate the greater depth and breadth of the new story, as it brings together new elements in the Halo universe.

Players anxious to try out the weapons of the enemy will find that the Covenant is a player-controlled faction, at least during some parts of the game. Complete details have not been released by Ensemble yet, but it has been confirmed that players will be able to control Covenant forces during skirmishes and possibly during longer periods.

The game also sees the introduction of an entirely new planet, Arcade, which was created specifically for Halo Wars. The planet will be an invasion point for players. There have been many other additions, both in terms of available units and weaponry, which will keep the game play relevant to Halo history.

John Hall - A hardcore gamer since 1982. Atari 2600 was that first gaming console I owned. Want to receive a Free copy of Halo Wars (not yet released) and a Free XBox360 gaming console, visit http://www.halowars2009.com

AP - Heidi Montag and Spencer Pratt, the reality-TV couple whose on-again, off-again relationship has been chronicled by MTV's "The Hills" and celebrity magazines, appear on the Wednesday cover of Us Weekly with the headline "Heidi & Spencer Elope!"

posted by treehkczc  # 6:29 AM 0 comments