HEARING LOSS

Or deafness or PRESBYCUSIS (Hearing loss in old age)

Hearing loss or deafness is partial or total inability to
hear sounds in one or both ears.
Deaf are those in whomm the sense of hearing is non
functional for ordinary purposes of life. They’ve
hearing loss > 90dB in the better ear or total hearing
loss in both ears.
Classification
Types
Depending on the cause, hearing loss is of the following types: 
Conductive hearing loss:
 Conductive hearing loss is due to problems with sound transmission between
the outer and inner ear.
 The common causes for this type of deafness are
 -- wax build-up in the ear canal & accumulation of fluid in the tympanic cavity
or dry scabs accumulated in auditory canal.
 -- Damage to the small bones that are behind the eardrum
 -- fluid in the middle ear after an ear infection
 -- a hole or scar on the eardrum
 -- a foreign object in the ear. 
 -- Oto-sclerosis (an over growth of bone of the inner ear leads to progressive
deafness)
 -- Sclerotic condition of conductive media
Sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) :
 It happens due to damage to the inner ear and is usually permanent.
 This type of hearing loss is commonly caused by
 -- Prolonged exposure to loud noise
 -- Cold exposure
 -- Ageing - Due to the advancing or old age-is called perceptive deafness deafness due
to congestion of blood in the head.
 -- Childhood infections – chronic tonsillitis, adenoid growth.
 -- Weakness in the auditory nerve or auditory centre in the brain. It may be present at
birth- if the mother was affected by German measles during pregnancy.
 -- Meniere’s disease
 -- Heredity
 -- Autoimmune disease
 -- Malformation of the inner ear
 -- Tumour
 -- Head trauma esp. To temporal bone which contains middle & inner ear.
 -- Nervous exhaustion and weakness in the hearing nerve.
 -- Mastoiditis
 -- Meningitis
Mixed hearing loss: a combination of both conductive and sensorineural hearing
loss is called ‘mixed’ hearing loss. 
Gouty diathesis, scrofulous diathesis or syphilis etc.
also cause deafness.
DM, Hypothyroidism, blood dyscrasias can also cause
SNHL.
• Bar-c. =
• Age related dementia
• Mental weakness
• Difficulty hearing, esp. in elderly.
• Crackling noise in ears
• Persistently swollen tonsils or adenoids.
• Pain and swelling in the glands around ears
• Tendency to catch cold easily
• Reverberation in the ear on blowing nose
• < while lying on the painful side, and on washing the
affected area, thinking of symptoms.
• > Symptoms improve when the patient takes a walk in
open air.
• Bell. -
• If the hardness of hearing follows an attack of scarlet fever. Hepar
sulph. to be given afterwards, if necessary.
• Intolerance to loud noise
• Pain in the inner ear and middle ear
• Inflammation of the middle ear
• Swelling in the parotid gland (a salivary gland located near the ear)
• Bulging of eardrum
• Throbbing and beating pain deep in the ear which seem to be
occurring in synchrony with one's heartbeat
• Hearing one’s own voice in ears
• < in the noon, on touching the affected area and with any kind of
noise.
• >The patient feels better while sitting in a semi-erect position.
Chenopodium anthelminticum –
• This remedy is indicated for individuals having Meniere’s
disease.
• Hearing loss due to weakness of auditory nerve
• Better hearing for high-pitched sounds
• Extreme sensitivity to sound
• Tinnitus
• Enlarged tonsils
• Vertigo that occurs suddenly
•  Chenopodium mainly shows a decreased power of
hearing the voice of human beings  but shows increased
sensitivity to other sounds like that of moving vehicles.
• Graph. -
• Dryness in inner ear
• Cracking sound in ears when eating
• Moisture at the back of the ears
• Hearing ability better in noise
• Hissing and loud sounds like gunshots in ear
• Presence of whitish and scaly membrane over the eardrum
• Cracks in and behind the ear
• < at night, and with warmth
• > improve on wrapping oneself up and in the dark.
• Kali-m.
• Chronic inflammatory conditions of the middle ear
• Noises in ear
• Swelling and pain in the cheek
• Swelling in the glands around the ear
• Excessive accumulation of fluid around the auricle (outer
ear)
• < on moving about, and consumption of fatty food.
• Lyc. -
• Offensive yellow discharge from ears
• Humming and roaring in the ears
• Reverberations in ears
• Eczema in and behind ears
• Ear infection after scarlet fever
Symptoms worsen from heat, warm room, hot air, warmth
of the bed and warm applications. Symptoms improve
after midnight, by motion, and on getting cold.
• Sil. -
• Sensitivity to any kind of noise
• Roaring sound in the ears
• Extreme sensitivity to catching cold
• Foul-smelling discharge from ears
• Infection of the mastoid air cells that surrounds the inner and middle
ear
Symptoms worsen in the morning, in cold weather, during periods,
and while lying down, especially on the left side. Symptoms improve
with in humid weather and with warmth.
Hearing loss due to ear wax when soft ear wax fills the ear, leading
to loss in hearing.

Elaps - can help all persons with very dry and hardened ear wax
leading to reduction in hearing ability.
• Petr. -
• Inability to bear noises, especially when a lot of people are
talking together
• Eczema in and behind ears, with extreme itching
• Soreness in parts of ears
• Fissures in the ear canal
• Excessive build-up of mucus in the ear cavity
• Ringing in ears
• Chronic catarrh of Eustachian tubes (a tube that connects the ear
to the throat)
• Diarrhoea during the day
Symptoms worsen in the winter season, from riding in a car,
before and during a thunderstorm and after eating. The patient
feels better in dry weather and in warm air.
• Verbascum thapsus -
• Ear pain (otalgia), with a sense of obstruction
• Scaly and dry ear canal
• Inflammation in the mucous membrane of ear
• Common cold
• Hoarseness
• Stiffness and pain in leg joints
Symptoms worsen from 9 am to 4 pm, on sneezing, and
with changing temperature.
Puls. –
For treating hearing loss due to middle ear infections.
Pulsatilla is of great help for treatment of thick,
offensive discharges with deafness in infection cases.
The ear feels blocked.
Deafness if resulting from measles; and use Carb. veg.
if Puls. does not relieve.
Chininum Sulph is the best for treatment of hearing
loss occurring as a part of Meniere’s Disease. Along
with hearing loss, the accompanying noises can be
ringing, roaring or violent in nature.
Agraphis Nutans - is the best natural Homeopathic medicine for hearing loss
with enlarged tonsils or Adenoids.

Natrum Salicylicum - can be used when all the three features of Meniere’s
Disease — deafness, vertigo and tinnitus — are the presenting symptoms.

Arnica - mostly covers the hearing loss after blunt injuries, injury to ear
bones. The hearing loss after being hit with a hand or fist can be best treated
with Arnica. Discharge of blood from the ear, bruised and stitches in and
behind the ear, dry ear, noises in ears due to rush of blood to the head. Pain
in cartilage -bones of the ear - as if bruised.

Hypericum is a very beneficial Homeopathic medicine for injury of nerve

origin.
Merc sol – Deafness after small pox

Sulphur is also useful when deafness may have quickly

succeeded the sudden disappearance of any eruption.

Dulcamara - If, in consequence of having taken cold, or if from

a transfer of rheumatic pains to the ear, there is deafness.

If deafness arises during the course of or after fevers,

especially those of a nervous nature, and is attended with a
sense of fulness in head, Phosphorus is indicated.
Aurum. Met - In chronic nerve deafness, hardness of hearing due to the abscess of
mastoid process, mastoiditis, caries of ossicula (one of three bones of the internal
ear) and mostoid process, with fetid otorrhoea, external meatus of ear is wetted
with pus, has roaring in ears, with great sensitiveness to noises-all having
syphilitic base. Constipation, high blood pressure, and throbbing headache-due
to rush of blood to head. Bone pains at night are its guiding symptoms.

Calcarea picr-3X, 6X. Deafness due to accumulation of dry scurfs in ear.

Capsicum-30. Deafness or dull hearing due to eruption of boil in the ear, catarrhal
deafness with inflammation of mastoid process. Swelling and pain behind ear,
extremely tender and sore to touch. Otorrhoea and suppuration of mastoid
process with burning and stinging pains in ear.

Carbo-animals-30: Deafness or hardness of hearing in old people - who lacks in

vital heat in body-with ringing in ears-when blowing nose. Hearing weak cannot
tell the direction of sound coming to ear. Swelling of periosteum over mastoid
process (Aurum. met, Nit. ac) with thin ichorous (watery) bloody excoriating
otorrhoea.