 Got a question about hearing damage? Want some personal attention?
Crabby's our on-site expert. She'll listen to anyone, but
please keep your questions reasonable. She can get temperamental
and sometimes we have to calm her down... Send Dear Crabby Your Question
Dr. Drew on MTV ... Say What?
Dear Crabby,
I just heard from a friend that Dr. Drew
on MTV made comments indicating that hearing protection was
useless because sound travels through the skull so well that
you would suffer hearing damage with or without hearing protection.
This is most disturbing and I was wondering if is any validity
to his claims.
-Cathy
Dear Cathy,
There is some validity to that. Sound at loud levels can
stimulate the ear by bone conduction. Sound passing through
the ear is known as air conduction. Reducing the air conduction
by applying ear plugs, does help to protect hearing. Hearing
by air and bone conduction, without protection, is potentially
more dangerous than protecting hearing by air conduction.
Hearing protection lowers the sound levels
to a safe level. Repeated noise exposure
can cause permanent hearing loss, tinnitus (ringing in the
ears), fatigue and may cause many other medical problems.
So protection is smart. If you think you may have a hearing
problem contact a hearing health professional.
-Crabby
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