You've heard the saying, 'Don't insert anything in your ear smaller than your elbow.' Well, that expression has a lot of merit. Injury to the external ear canal, perforation of the eardrum and hearing loss can result from carelessly poking objects too deeply into the ear canal.

A certain amount of hearing loss is a natural result of aging. Every year, people over the age of fifty lose some of their hearing ability. Hearing impairment can result in confusion and embarrassment.

Hearing loss can be caused in many ways. At about age fifteen, we begin to lose the acute hearing we had as a child, especially higher frequencies. Later in life, additional hearing loss is caused by changes in the hair cells in the ears.

Geneticists have isolated more than 50 genes that cause hearing loss when defective. Four major genetic causes of hearing loss have been identified in this decade alone, and at least one of them may be responsible for a large portion of inherited hearing loss.

Did you know that a simple ear infection could lead to partial or total hearing loss if left untreated? Ear infection, called otitis media (MEE-DEEA) in medical terms, begins as an inflammation of the middle ear caused by an upper respiratory infection such as a cold.

From the moment you wake up to the time you go to sleep, your ears can take a beating from the simple sounds of life. First, you're blasted out of bed by the alarm clock, commute to the office in bustling traffic, work to the tune of ringing telephones, and return home to yelping dogs, kids, blaring music and more.

Otosclerosis (OH-toe-skler-oh-sis) is a hereditary disorder of the middle ear that causes progressive hearing loss. It occurs when, for unknown reasons, an overgrowth of bone immobilizes the stapes.

Presbycusis (PREZBE-QUSIS) is the progressive loss of hearing that occurs with age. It's a form of sensorineural (SINSOR-NYURAL) hearing impairment that makes sound less clear and tones, especially high tones, less audible.

The duration of temporary hearing loss may range from minutes to days, depending on the cause and on how soon you seek medical attention. The onset of temporary hearing loss may be accompanied by ear pain and ringing, buzzing or clicking in the ears - also known as tinnitus.

Tinnitus (TIN-ITE-US) produces a sensation of ringing, hissing, buzzing or clicking in the ears that cannot be explained by external stimuli. It's a condition that affects at least 15 percent of the U.