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medpundit |
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Monday, October 13, 2003....loud noise doesn't always damage the delicate inner ear immediately just by brute force. Rather, in most cases it provokes the inner ear into making harmful oxygen molecules called free radicals. Antioxidants neutralize free radicals, and the ear naturally has such defenses. But with enough noise, the ear's antioxidants are overwhelmed. In that case, damage from the free radicals leads to death of the ear's sound receptors -- hair cells, which convert the mechanical energy of incoming sound waves into nerve messages to the brain. As hair cells die off, hearing erodes permanently. So it makes sense to try to build up the ear's antioxidant defenses as a preventive step, and as a fast treatment after noise exposure. ....NAC not only neutralizes free radicals but also bolsters the ear's own antioxidant defenses. In Kopke's animal work, NAC has reduced hearing loss when given before or right after exposure to loud noise. Translated to humans, the effect could mean the difference between needing a hearing aid or not, Kopke said. posted by Sydney on 10/13/2003 08:33:00 AM 0 comments 0 Comments: |
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