For many years scientists have been gathering data to support their findings that a pill might be able to limit the damage that loud noise causes to hearing. Now the pill is about to be tested on humans. If all goes well, evidence will show that the new substance when dissolved in a drink can make a difference to the results of a hearing test. Visit this site for further information on sensorineural hearing loss.

This is just the latest attempts in a large amount of ongoing research with the aim to finally provide sufferers of hearing loss with a cure. This research has been around for some time but in recent years efforts have increased as scientists have got closer to their goal.

No one is saying that the new research will lead to a replacement for ear protection. So far, standard protections have not managed to fully prevent the problem.

The federal government says that noise-induced hearing loss is an extremely common occupational hazard and the second highest self reported occupational injury or illness. Permanent hearing damage from sudden bursts of sound such as explosion or long term exposure to loud noise affects around 10 million Americans. This site teaches you about causes of hearing loss.

The number of people exposed to dangerous levels of noise in industries such as mining, construction, agriculture and mining is estimated at 30 million. Musicians also have a greater risk of suffering from hearing damage.

The workplace is not the only place that causes hearing loss. Many hobbies also pose a threat to a person's hearing, including motorcycling and race car driving and recreational shooting. The protection that ear plugs and sound deadening earphones that are worn is good but there needs to be more.

There are sounds that manage to penetrate the protection. Not everyone wears them as often as they should and some people can be unusually susceptible to hearing damage than others. Hearing damage can also occur when certain sounds are able to penetrate the skull and other areas of the head.

The idea of creating a pill in order to strengthen resistance to hearing damage has been approached in different ways. Researchers in Israel reported in 1994 that military personnel, who received magnesium supplements as part of their diet, were able to avoid any damage to their hearing during their basic training. Many researchers these days focus on using antioxidants especially vitamins C and E.

This is because the force of the sound waves is not always directly responsible for the damage to the inner ear. Instead the ear becomes damaged because the sound promotes the production of molecules known as free radicals.

The free radicals can be neutralized by antioxidants present in the ear. During periods of loud noise the free radicals outnumber the antioxidants. Free radicals eventually kill off the hair shaped receptor cells in the ear that convert sound waves to nerve signals that should be sent to the brain. Once these receptor cells are dead, the hearing in damaged permanently.

By increasing the level of antioxidants, hearing loss could be prevented or even treated straight after it occurs. Animal experiments yielded very promising results for preventing damage to hearing. Some experts remain fairly cautious about using the antioxidant approach. To indicate the effectiveness of the antioxidant method will be on humans further trials are needed with animals with different sounds and doses of the antioxidant.