Whatever we take into our bodies goes into our ears,
says Dr. Chartrand in another Reader questions may be
submitted to digicarenet@aol.com, or faxed to
719-676-6882. All inquiries must include name,
mailing address, and phone number.
Patient Prompt Sheet #3
THE TEN MOST (UN)WANTED ENEMIES OF GOOD HEARING
HEALTH
by
Max S. Chartrand, M.A.,
DigiCare Hearing Research & Rehabiliation
One of the banes of today’s modern society is the
mass production and commercialization of food
preparation. In short, today’s “Taste Wars” have
given us food, or rather “food substitutes”, which
can be so unhealthy and toxic to our bodies. While
many non-affluent populations in the world are
genuinely starving, those of us in this affluent
society are starving in a different way. Our bodies
are groaning under overprocessed foods laden with
high sodium (salt), sucrose (refined sugars),
petroleum- and plastics-based food additives to give
shape, body, and consistency, and yet other
additives to preserve, add taste, and color. Add
tobacco, alcohol, caffeine, in huge abundance, and
what we get comprises up to 80% of our nation’s
health bill:
o Compromised immune systems
o High LDL cholesterol & triglycerides
o High rates of high blood pressure, stroke
o Diabetes & all shades of gray conditions
o Kidney & liver dysfunction
o Chronic anemia and nutritional deprivation
o High rates of high disease, cancer, vascular
disease
o Obesity in epidemic proportions
o Rampant allergies of all kinds
o ADD/H in the young/AD in the old
o Tinnitus, vertigo and hearing loss
Today’s adult tends to eat half-again as many
calories as they burn in an average day of physical
activity, much of it in the form of undigested
proteins from high animal fat consumption. This
causes a prolonged pH imbalance, high uric acid
levels, and, coupled with a propensity toward
dehydration, a highly toxic state of health. Little
wonder, then, that many of the conditions listed
above are uniquely American, and are only found in
other populations to the degree to which they
emulate our dietary habits.
Now, you’ve bumped into something in your health
that has gotten your attention: hearing health.
Tinnitus is “the pain of the ear”, screaming out to
us 24 hours ‘round the clock that something is
wrong. Let’s talk about some of the things we take
into our bodies that, if they were common criminals,
would be considered the “Top Ten Most Unwanted”:
#1 Tobacco
Several years ago it was determined that tobacco
caused up to 1/3 of all healthcare costs in the U.S.
With recent increased smoking rates among females in
the U.S. we are seeing epidemic proportions of
disease that were once the domain of males. Smoking
does up to 50% more damage to females than males as
a general rule, and is creating a whole generation
of babies born with unprecedented rates of
learning/physical disabilities. More than 80% of
cancers in our population are credited to tobacco
use.
#2 Caffeine
This relatively innocent substance contributes
mightily to attentional problems in our young and
central nervous/limbic system problems in our
not-so-youngs. For those suffering with chronic
tinnitus, it acts as an amplifier. Anyone serious
about reducing tinnitus will avoid caffeine in all
its forms, especially in coffee, soft drinks, and
chocolate.
#3 High salt
High rates of hypertension have their roots firmly
established in diet laden with high salt. While salt
is necessary to maintain electrolytes, it is
estimated that the average adult consumes
approximately 60% more salt than is necessary to
maintain good health. The extra salt simply makes
the body’s cells more toxic, and increases the need
for prescription medication.
#4 High Sugar
High sugar in our diet causes the pancreas to work
overtime secreting insulin. When insulin is released
into the blood stream to control sugar intake it is
virtually impossible to burn fat calories. Instead,
calories are burned from muscle and systemic
proteins. Hence, high rates of obesity, diabetes
mellitus II, and eventually neuropathy and muscle
wasting. It is much better to take sugars in their
most natural form, in honey, fruits, unconcentrated
and unprocessed. Better yet, by striving for a high
protein diet with few simple carbohydrates, the
sugar problem is resolved altogether.
#5 Monosodium Glutamate (MSG)
A word to the wise: Avoid MSG like the plague. This
microcrystalline form of sodium/glutamic acid goes
from the tongue to the inner ear fluids in 20
minutes flat---wreaking destruction on the ear’s
delicate chemical (pH) balance. Tinnitus roars,
vertigo swoons, and hearing levels drop. Add rising
blood pressure and increased risk of stroke---the
cause of which too often eludes the sufferer
staggering out of their local restaurant. Buffalo
wings, Cheetos, KFC Spicy, Marie’s Calendar’s,
frozen TV dinners, flavored chips…these and myriad
other “foods” have turned today’s “Taste Wars” into
hard battle against America’s good health.
#6 Aspartame/Nutrasweet
Numerous anecdotal studies and individual patient
reports point to the serious health consequences
that have been well hidden from public view for many
years. There is absolutely no clinical evidence that
this deadly toxin offers any health benefit, yet it
has shown to contribute mightily to liver damage,
kidney failure, and cochlear stroke. Sufferers of
tinnitus and cochlear-based hearing loss should
avoid this artificial sweetener at all costs. In
fact, all artificial sweeteners pose a problem for
proper hormone secretions, and can actually cause
weight gain in non-insulin dependent diabetics.
#7 Artificial Food Additivies
Artificial flavorings, colors, pesticides, hormones
and steroids used in food production today comprises
an extremely long list of potentially dangerous
substances. Some are outright poisons, which the
healthy human body is usually able to eliminate with
little difficulty. Some people, however, due to ill
health, medications, or inherent weaknesses to which
allergy is the most common response. These additives
range from petroleum-based flavors in ice cream to
plastic mixed with beef and other meats to make them
hold together during cooking. Hormones that are fed
cattle and chickens to make them grow fast and
bulkier do the same for humans, if enough is
ingested over time. Though it is nearly impossible
to totally avoid all these substances in the modern
diet, it behooves all health-conscious consumers to
minimize foods with artificial flavorings,
preservatives, emulsifiers, and binders wherever
possible. A good of thumb: The further food is
processed from its natural state, the less
nutritious and potentially more toxic it becomes to
your health.
#8 Saturated/Polyunsaturated Oils
These are found primarily in red meat products,
lard, and in some dairy cheeses, such as Cheddar and
Brie. Most vegetable oils, while claiming to be low
in cholesterol, actually trade-off that benefit with
a load of bad eicosinoides and a type of fat that
does not digest well in the body. The main oto-related
issues with the foregoing is their tendency to cause
hyperlipoproteinemia or hyperlipidemia, which can
cause a marked reduction in the microvascular
circulation of the inner ear. This is problem is
likely the greatest single contributing factor to
presbyacusis hearing loss for most sufferers.
#9 Impure water
Volumes have been published on the importance of
clean water in the diet. Free calcium, overload of
certain trace minerals, and ototoxicity are all
documented in the literature. Furthermore, are a
host of bacteria, amoeba, and protozoa that can keep
patients perpetually ill. We recommend that one’s
primary drinking water always be filtered. Range of
quality and price make it possible for all to enjoy
good, clean water as a main part of their daily
diet.
#10 Elemental Iron additives (for males)
Some years ago, federal government studies focused
on overcoming the high rates of anemia found in
babies born to mothers who were on government
assistance. The core of their studies were nearly
always with sufferers of alcoholism and drug
addiction. The notorious “crack babies” and “fetal
alcohol syndrome” were common in this group. To
allay that problem the researchers recommended the
addition of supplemental iron in the infant formulae
supplied through government assistance programs.
However, time and evidence has shown that 1) the
vast majority of infants subsequently entering these
programs were not malnourished nor were they born to
mothers with substance addiction, 2) that alarming
side-effects began showing up in many otherwise
healthy babies as a result of iron-overload
(increased allergies, otitis media with effusion---OME---,
developmental delays and severe indigestive problems
were among them), but 3) most alarming were the
later studies confirming life-long damage (primarily
cardiovascular) caused to infant males. Many of the
above symptoms have been relieved simply by stopping
use of iron-supplemented formulae. Also, at the
other end of the age spectrum, it has been confirmed
in extensive longitutudinal studies that
supplemental iron-overload, such as in certain
nutritional supplements, may also shorten the life
of older adult males, as well. Iron-poor blood was
primarily a female condition, and rarely found in
males.
Note: the above is not meant to be medical opinion
or advice, but only as a public education service.
Only you and your health practitioner can determine
your dietary and health needs. |
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