by Neil Bauman, Ph.D. A man wrote, Three weeks ago I started taking Esomeprazole (40mg) 1 tablet daily in the morning before breakfast because of a case of stomach and gastric reflux sufferings. Everything was going well, but about four days ago I started to suffer from strange noises in my ears like bells—very sharp […]
Secondhand Smoke Harms Hearing
by Neil Bauman, Ph.D. Smoking causes hearing loss in many smokers. That is nothing new. I have written about this for several years now. So maybe it shouldn’t come as a complete surprise that researchers have now discovered that breathing secondhand smoke also harms hearing in non-smokers. Researchers divided 3,307 people between the ages of […]
Tinnitus, Ear Pain and Zolpidem
by Neil Bauman, Ph.D. A lady wrote, I think the tinnitus and intense ear pain I’ve had for 17 months might be a combination of things—Eustachian tube dysfunction from a lot of airplane flights, and some arthritis in my jaw joint aggravated from dental work? I have been taking 5 mg. Ambien to sleep all […]
Heat, Humidity and Humor—Troubleshooting Your Hearing Aid When It Quits Working
by Neil Bauman, Ph.D. Sometimes your hearing aids quit at the most inconvenient times. Often the problem is minor and is easily rectified—if you know what to do. Figuring out what to do can be frustrating. Here is one man’s story to remind you that humidity is an enemy of your hearing aids. He explained: […]
Weird Hearing Loss and Tinnitus from Taking Atenolol
by Neil Bauman, Ph.D. A medical doctor contacted me because he had a weird set of symptoms. A few times a year he would suddenly get loud tinnitus in one ear that seemed to come out of nowhere and for no reason. Then his hearing would begin to fade away. This would last an hour […]
Lack of Adequate Folate (Vitamin B9) Associated with High-Frequency Hearing Loss in Older Adults
by Neil Bauman, Ph.D. A recent study in elderly people revealed that blood serum folate levels significantly correlate with high-frequency hearing loss in people over 60 years old. (1) Lack of adequate folate levels seems to affect high-frequency hearing. (Incidentally, folate is the natural form, while folic acid is the synthetic form of Vitamin B9, […]