I am going to wait for stem cells or some other procedure that can restore some residual hearing. My audiologist said if my hearing was 20db better, id hear great with HAs. Phi4Sius just happens to have 20db better hearing than me and he understands 100% speech! I certainly can't understand 100% speech, maybe 70% or so. For those of you with CI, do you plan to have some residual hearing restored and go back to HAs? I know I would if I had CI as having natural hearing is much better and also you get to hear some sounds unaided!
He(Phi4Sius) understands 100% speech in the right ear with an analog HA with a moderate 50db HL. This is why im gonna wait the 10 years for stem cells to improve my own hearing to 50db. I also will be able to hear some sounds unaided. If it takes more than 10 years, fine. I don't have a dead ear that would be nearly risk free. Phi4Sius does have a dead ear so he knows there's no risk of losing residual hearing when there's no residual hearing to begin with. Im afraid that losing my own residual hearing will make it much harder for stem cells to work properly. I am still young so there's no real hurry, ill have several decades to enjoy much improved hearing with tomorrow's technology.
Stem cells may offer cure for deafness
Ive been reading many such articles. Here's the most recent one to date. Ive read that there could be over a dozen ways to treat or even cure deafness. Stem cells is probably the best way but it could be as simple as finding a certain protein that will force hair cells to divide/reproduce. Ive also read an article talking about a special laser that when aimed will either repair hair cells or cause them to divide! There even could be a way to take existing hair cells and recruit them to do several jobs at once!
Stem cells can come from several sources. One article talks about taking stem cells from your own skin, using them as master cells to grow hair cells then injecting them into your ears where they attach and your hearing is improved! Another article has found that every ear contains stem cells. They can remove a sample, convert them to hair cells then reinsert them. Other articles say your brain contains stem cells but I probably will not be willing to let them touch my brain, too risky.
As for finding proteins, the article discusses that a deficient in certain proteins are the cause for damaged hair cells. It is possible that if the deficient is remedied, the hair cells could be repaired! It could be as simple as ear drops and the proteins are absorbed into your eardrums and cause some of your hair cells to repair. That would be a very safe, simple, cheap way to improve your hearing! Id do it for any improvement!
There are lasers that reshape the cornea and improve your vision and reduce your dependacy on glasses. The article talks about laser ear surgery, a cousin of laser eye surgery! I personally have no interest in laser eye surgery since glasses do the job fine for me and I am not willing to take the risks. It does not give better vision than what glasses gives. But with laser ear surgery, it should help the deaf hear better with and without hearing aids. I hear pretty good with hearing aids but I could definately achieve a big improvement. If I was only hard of hearing and not deaf, I wouldn't be as interested since id get full benefits from HAs that most deaf people can't achieve as their hearing loss is too deep.
We all know that recruitment is sometimes a bad thing but im now reading that certain chemicals/hormones/proteins could "reprogram" existing hair cells to recruit in a good way and make you hear better. Have great low frequency hearing but missing the highs? Just recruit some of the low frequency hair cells to respond to high frequencies! Don't hear loud enough with HAs? Recruit more hair cells so you hear louder!
Most of the articles put the timeframe at 10 years out into the future. This means we could be looking at 2020 when we see clinical trials but it could be a few years earlier when the first person gets expermented on with the results made public. Other countries may begin their trials before America as their regulations differ. I will let others go first and see what their results are as well as the risks. When results are good enough and it's safe, I am going ahead myself. I am 27 now and I could be 37-40 when it's done on me. Ill have more than half my life to enjoy better hearing.
He(Phi4Sius) understands 100% speech in the right ear with an analog HA with a moderate 50db HL. This is why im gonna wait the 10 years for stem cells to improve my own hearing to 50db. I also will be able to hear some sounds unaided. If it takes more than 10 years, fine. I don't have a dead ear that would be nearly risk free. Phi4Sius does have a dead ear so he knows there's no risk of losing residual hearing when there's no residual hearing to begin with. Im afraid that losing my own residual hearing will make it much harder for stem cells to work properly. I am still young so there's no real hurry, ill have several decades to enjoy much improved hearing with tomorrow's technology.
Stem cells may offer cure for deafness
Ive been reading many such articles. Here's the most recent one to date. Ive read that there could be over a dozen ways to treat or even cure deafness. Stem cells is probably the best way but it could be as simple as finding a certain protein that will force hair cells to divide/reproduce. Ive also read an article talking about a special laser that when aimed will either repair hair cells or cause them to divide! There even could be a way to take existing hair cells and recruit them to do several jobs at once!
Stem cells can come from several sources. One article talks about taking stem cells from your own skin, using them as master cells to grow hair cells then injecting them into your ears where they attach and your hearing is improved! Another article has found that every ear contains stem cells. They can remove a sample, convert them to hair cells then reinsert them. Other articles say your brain contains stem cells but I probably will not be willing to let them touch my brain, too risky.
As for finding proteins, the article discusses that a deficient in certain proteins are the cause for damaged hair cells. It is possible that if the deficient is remedied, the hair cells could be repaired! It could be as simple as ear drops and the proteins are absorbed into your eardrums and cause some of your hair cells to repair. That would be a very safe, simple, cheap way to improve your hearing! Id do it for any improvement!
There are lasers that reshape the cornea and improve your vision and reduce your dependacy on glasses. The article talks about laser ear surgery, a cousin of laser eye surgery! I personally have no interest in laser eye surgery since glasses do the job fine for me and I am not willing to take the risks. It does not give better vision than what glasses gives. But with laser ear surgery, it should help the deaf hear better with and without hearing aids. I hear pretty good with hearing aids but I could definately achieve a big improvement. If I was only hard of hearing and not deaf, I wouldn't be as interested since id get full benefits from HAs that most deaf people can't achieve as their hearing loss is too deep.
We all know that recruitment is sometimes a bad thing but im now reading that certain chemicals/hormones/proteins could "reprogram" existing hair cells to recruit in a good way and make you hear better. Have great low frequency hearing but missing the highs? Just recruit some of the low frequency hair cells to respond to high frequencies! Don't hear loud enough with HAs? Recruit more hair cells so you hear louder!
Most of the articles put the timeframe at 10 years out into the future. This means we could be looking at 2020 when we see clinical trials but it could be a few years earlier when the first person gets expermented on with the results made public. Other countries may begin their trials before America as their regulations differ. I will let others go first and see what their results are as well as the risks. When results are good enough and it's safe, I am going ahead myself. I am 27 now and I could be 37-40 when it's done on me. Ill have more than half my life to enjoy better hearing.
