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In Good Shape - Our Ears
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LifestyleTranscript
00:00Let's be honest, sometimes it would be really nice if we could just block out some of the sounds around us.
00:14Usually, though, our ears are helpful in communication, when it comes to keeping safe, or feeling joy and pleasure.
00:24The ears are also key when it comes to balance.
00:27If damaged, we can suffer not only hearing loss, but also dizziness and vertigo.
00:33Time to take a closer look at our ears, here on In Good Shape.
00:53Athletics training at the local sports ground.
00:57That's something that Sebastian Schmitz could barely have imagined being part of a year ago.
01:02Following several episodes of sudden hearing loss, he had not only lost his hearing, but also developed vertigo, with resulting dizziness.
01:09It was like when you put a seashell to your ear and listened to it, or tinnitus.
01:17Then, a week after I was discharged from hospital, my hearing on the right side suddenly disappeared completely, and it still hasn't come back.
01:27Soon afterwards, he also lost his hearing on the left side.
01:30This exacerbated the vertigo.
01:37Even in hospital, he wasn't able to move around his room on his own.
01:44He basically couldn't do anything.
01:47Doctors still don't know exactly what caused Sebastian's hearing loss and vertigo.
01:52But he can now hear again with the help of cochlear implants, electronic hearing aids.
01:58Sebastian Schmitz trains his sense of balance at home using a balance board and balancing beam.
02:05Some exercises require help from his girlfriend.
02:08Sebastian Schmitz, I have to deal with my situation and make the best of it.
02:15I want to build a normal life for myself again, create a normal, everyday routine.
02:20And you can't do that if you have balance problems.
02:24Sebastian Schmitz has always been athletic.
02:27After having his cochlear implants fitted at the hospital, he decided to get back into track and field.
02:32I just had surgery and was looking at a list of deaf athletes to see which disciplines they were competing in
02:40at the world championships and other national and international championships.
02:45I smiled and said to myself, I can do that too.
02:51At this athletics club, Sebastian gets exactly the support he needs to reach his goals.
02:57Here, he trains together with other hearing-impaired people.
03:00Coach Guido Kluht knows what's important.
03:03The first two or three to get the distance, everything well controlled, with 30% reserve.
03:11Sebastian Schmitz has been training his sense of balance for six months now.
03:15But sticking to the white line still requires huge concentration.
03:19When we first did this exercise, it was like slalom.
03:23We did a 100-meter run.
03:25If he hit the line 30% of the time, that was a lot.
03:28In that respect, he's made impressive progress.
03:31But there's still work to do.
03:34In Germany, there are championships specifically for hearing-impaired athletes.
03:39Sebastian Schmitz is determined to take part in the next ones.
03:45Sport taught me to set myself goals.
03:47I've often thought about what it would have done to me if my balance issues had meant giving up running.
03:53I don't even like thinking about it, because for me, it's basically unimaginable.
04:01And Sebastian has clear plans.
04:03After the German championships, he wants to go on to compete internationally.
04:07Why do we have two ears?
04:13Well, there's a slight difference between how long it takes a sound to reach each of them.
04:17And the brain uses this difference to locate where the sound is coming from.
04:23Just like our ears themselves, it's a trait that originated in the oceans.
04:27In fact, scientists believe that our ability to turn sound waves into perceptible signals developed first in fish.
04:36The theory goes that over the course of evolution, the gill arches in fish developed into the ossicles of the inner ear,
04:45the malleus, incus, and stapes.
04:47These tiny bones function like an amplifier, converting vibrations from the air into mechanical movements.
04:54The comparatively large eardrum, combined with the bone's leverage, intensifies the signal,
05:01setting the fluid inside the cochlea in motion.
05:05The inner wall of the cochlea is lined with thousands of cells bearing hair-like structures called stereocilia.
05:12But unlike hair cells on your head, these cells can't regenerate.
05:17Noise can damage them permanently.
05:20The special cells act as sensory receptors.
05:23They convert the movement of the stereocilia into electrical signals.
05:28These signals then travel to the brain via the auditory nerve.
05:34Our ears are super-sensitive systems.
05:37Their biggest threats typically come from the outside.
05:40So it's worth changing some habits to protect them.
05:46Cotton swabs were invented over 100 years ago, specifically for cleaning ears.
05:51In a survey of 1,700 people in the UK, around 62% of respondents said they used them.
05:59Ear, nose, and throat doctors, however, have long warned about the risks.
06:03There are several reasons why using cotton swabs in this way can be dangerous.
06:07E.N.T. Dr. Ines Weinzierl regularly sees patients who have developed painful ear infections from cotton swab use.
06:17Earwax is important.
06:19It's not dirt, as is commonly believed.
06:21It protects the ear canal.
06:23So it makes sense for us to have it.
06:24And that's why it should stay where it's produced and not be removed.
06:30That's why she actually advises against removing earwax, unless you have specific symptoms.
06:36Symptoms like Bettina Halmf.
06:38She suffers from a persistent build-up.
06:40I can feel stuff in my ear canal.
06:45My hearing gets worse, it's more muffled.
06:48And after showering, when water enters my ears, they don't empty as easily.
06:54While most people's ears are self-cleaning, some require professional cleaning by a doctor.
07:00This could be because the wax has a particularly sticky consistency, or if the ear canal is very narrow.
07:06So Bettina Halmf visits her E.N.T., Ines Weinzierl, several times a year.
07:15Yes, quite a lot has accumulated again.
07:17I'll remove it now with a small corette.
07:20That's a small pair of tweezers.
07:22I'll fish it out with those.
07:26You remember from last time, it doesn't hurt, it might tickle a little.
07:29There's quite a lot.
07:30Alternatively, a doctor can also use microsuction, or flush the wax out with water.
07:38However, such methods can carry a risk of removing too much of it, leading to new problems.
07:44Earwax contains fats and lysozymes, antimicrobial substances that are also effective against fungi.
07:51Without them, we'd have ear infections constantly.
07:54The ear is an ideal environment for inflammation to develop.
07:57That's why earwax is a very good thing.
07:59Many people still feel a need to remove their earwax and reach for cotton swabs to do so.
08:08However, this can often cause damage.
08:12So imagine there's earwax here, and you want to twist it out with a swab.
08:16What often happens is it gets pushed deeper into the ear canal.
08:20It then gets stuck, and the eardrum is slightly tilted.
08:25The more you try to get it out, the tighter you pack it.
08:29Weinsiel regularly sees patients who in this way have developed a real plug of wax that can only be removed by a doctor.
08:39Bettina Hanf has now stopped using cotton swabs.
08:43Instead, she gets the doctor to clean her ears out for her.
08:46You notice immediately that you can hear better, that there's air in your ears again.
08:53It's a nice feeling.
08:55But cotton swabs not only lead to wax blockages deeper in the ear, the doctor warns.
09:00Inserting any foreign object can lead to micro-tears in the ear canal.
09:05The problem with using any kind of instrument, cotton buds, paperclips, etc.,
09:11is that you have no idea where you are in the ear canal.
09:14And in an attempt to get at the wax, you often mistakenly slip deeper than you want to.
09:19All ENT doctors have seen cotton swabs unintentionally rammed through the eardrum.
09:27Sometimes then there's no alternative but surgery.
09:33According to a North American study, cotton swabs are behind 45% of eardrum perforations caused by foreign objects.
09:41And that's despite the fact that in most cases there's no need to remove the wax in the first place.
09:47Sometimes it's a question of appearances.
09:50What can you do to remove visible ear wax?
09:54Ines Weinzierl recommends using a tissue.
09:59Your pinky fits perfectly into the entrance of the ear canal, so you can clean without going too deep.
10:05Your ear will look nice and clean without creating any damage.
10:08Doctors warn against other home treatments, too.
10:12It's best not to experiment.
10:15Ear candles are especially dangerous.
10:18I once saw a burn in the ear canal because the hot wax had dripped into it.
10:23And that's very difficult to treat because it's so narrow.
10:27Recovery was a very lengthy process.
10:31Bettina Hanf's ears are now clear again.
10:34She'll be back for another session in four months' time.
10:38In-ear headphones can also cause ear wax to build up.
10:46They reduce air circulation, too, trapping sweat and moisture.
10:50Perfect conditions for bacterial and fungal infections to develop.
10:55But the problems really start when they're used at too high a volume for too long.
11:01This may be putting up to 1.3 billion young people at risk of permanent hearing loss.
11:09Excessive noise in cities, clubs or at work can also take its toll.
11:15Then some people reach for earplugs, as do those who are particularly sensitive to sounds.
11:21When I'm in an acute phase, noises are extremely stressful.
11:30Because even the slightest noise is painful in a way.
11:34It's unbearable.
11:3845-year-old Angela is not alone.
11:40In Germany, around a million people suffer from what's called hyperacusis, the medical term for hypersensitivity to noise.
11:48Sufferers describe it as a form of acoustic hell.
11:51The worst sounds are repetitive, rushing, scratching ones.
11:58Washing hands, flushing the toilet, extractor fans, vacuum cleaners.
12:02But also noises like rain, a pile of leaves, the sound of the sea, waterfalls.
12:12Angela longed for peace and quiet.
12:15The answer? Earplugs.
12:16Just stick them in and silence.
12:18Or that was her hope.
12:24I quickly started using earplugs, because I realised that otherwise I couldn't do anything at all.
12:31And soon I had to wear them all the time.
12:32They were my best friends.
12:36Earplugs come in all different types and materials, and all promise the same thing.
12:41Peace and quiet at last.
12:43German consumer organisations have tested several different kinds.
12:49There are earplugs, which are placed in front of the ear canal, sealing it from the outside.
12:59Then there are the ones like these foam cones, which are inserted into the ear canal and seal it from the inside.
13:06Then there are so-called lamella plugs, made of plastic, which are also inserted.
13:10The external earplugs performed best.
13:14They seal the ear canal from the outside.
13:17That means it doesn't matter what shape the ear canal is, and you don't experience any feelings of pressure.
13:24Uzo Walter is an ear, nose and throat doctor.
13:27He regularly sees patients who are sensitive to noise.
13:31However, he is wary of the solutions on offer.
13:34Hearing is the only sensory organ that provides information around the clock, and crucially, it warns us of dangers.
13:45The brain needs acoustic input to function properly.
13:48If you block this out with earplugs or by isolating yourself from your surroundings,
13:53the brain no longer receives any information and responds by amplifying every sound.
13:59When you then remove the earplugs, everything feels much louder than before.
14:07And if the brain does this for many hours and is constantly being regulated upwards,
14:11you end up with an acute hypersensitivity to noise, even if you didn't have it before.
14:19Back to Angela.
14:20At some point, she began to find even routine household activities difficult to handle.
14:25So she started wearing earplugs every day, even at home.
14:32But that didn't solve the problem.
14:37As soon as I removed them, everything was just as it was before.
14:41They don't work like a band-aid, which protects a wound so it can heal.
14:45Instead, they drag things out, because you signal to the brain that there is something wrong, even though there isn't.
14:55When, eventually, even the sound of leaves in a wood became a threat, Angela realized that she needed to get help.
15:04Earplugs just weren't the solution she needed.
15:07I went to a clinic specializing in hearing issues, and it was a great relief to meet people who thought I was normal, who understood what I was going through.
15:21In hearing therapy, I learned to associate sounds that were stressful for me with positive stimuli or other sounds.
15:28I found the sounds of a waterfall very unpleasant, so I associated it with classical music.
15:34That allowed me to sit near the waterfall and listen to classical music.
15:39ENT Dr. Uzo Walter has written a book about the complex relationship between sounds and the feelings they trigger.
15:47He warns against using earplugs regularly.
15:49EARPLUGS protect you from acoustic stimuli, which can be important when it comes to extremely loud noises, for example.
16:00So for people who work in noisy environments, or concert-goers, or when someone can't sleep at night because their partner snores loudly.
16:08When the acoustic stimuli can potentially harm your health, then it's certainly permissible to use earplugs, at least temporarily.
16:15Angela still occasionally wears earplugs today, but the hearing therapy taught her to use them sparingly.
16:25They are, after all, only one part of the solution.
16:28The other, important part, is understanding how she feels sounds, and how she then deals with these feelings.
16:41We're waiting to hear from you.
16:43Are you always stressed and worried it's damaging your heart?
16:49Thinking about quitting smoking, but not sure how?
16:53Maybe you just want to eat healthier.
16:57Or you're looking for the right workout to ease back pain.
17:02If you've got a health question, In Good Shape has the answer.
17:06Just drop us an email.
17:07Do you have difficulty hearing?
17:13Signs could be struggling to hear your friends in a bar, needing to crank up the volume on the TV, or being told that you speak too loudly.
17:25You can test your hearing using the World Health Organization's HearWHO app.
17:31Or what about this?
17:33After a loud concert, or other excessive noise, you experience a whistling, buzzing, or ringing in your ears.
17:41Tinnitus.
17:42Usually it's only temporary, but for some people it can become a chronic problem.
17:47Today I'd like to do a few sound exercises with you.
17:54This group has met up in a park to practice consciously perceiving sounds, drawing their attention away from their tinnitus, a constant whistling or hissing in the ear.
18:05Occupational therapist Yasmin Fischer shows them various exercises.
18:10Try to block out the negative sounds and focus instead on positive ones, such as the sounds of nature.
18:20Many people find these pleasant.
18:24One difficulty for those affected by tinnitus is that you can't see anything.
18:30So relatives or colleagues might say, don't be silly, there's nothing wrong with you.
18:35That can lead to a lot of uncertainty about how best to deal with it.
18:42Birgit Martoni has had tinnitus for over 20 years.
18:46After suffering sudden hearing loss, the peeping sound in her ears grew almost unbearably loud.
18:52Stress and personal setbacks have exacerbated her symptoms.
18:57For me, it sounds like when a train pulls into a station and puts on the brakes.
19:02Imagine that noise 24 hours a day in both ears.
19:08And when stress is added to the mix, then I also start to hear my pulse.
19:14At some point, it's just awful.
19:19Searching for ways to improve her quality of life, she's come to this clinic for four weeks,
19:24where she'll learn strategies to help her live with tinnitus.
19:28Britta Weber-Eckart is also looking for ways to cope.
19:32Tinnitus has shaped her life for over three years.
19:35My tinnitus is quite high-pitched and sounds like crickets chirping.
19:46And in stressful situations, a second tone comes in, which sounds like helicopter rotor blades.
19:52Then I know I have to do muscle relaxation exercises.
19:58I've been doing yoga for quite a while and have figured out which balance and compensatory exercises can help me.
20:08The clinic offers psychological as well as medical treatments.
20:12Jürgen Blauer has treated tinnitus patients for many years.
20:15We can assume that 15 million Germans have had tinnitus at some point, have experienced it.
20:25And about 10% of those, or 1.5 million, are so affected that they really need treatment.
20:32Something to prevent them from being further drawn into this kind of vortex
20:36and to stop the tinnitus, causing even more problems.
20:44With targeted exercises, patients can learn to block out the unpleasant sounds.
20:49The doctor is keen to alleviate anxiety about the condition.
20:53We are not able to treat the problem directly in the inner ear.
20:59The inner ear is what it is.
21:02Over the course of a lifetime, its performance deteriorates and disturbances can certainly crop up.
21:08But what we can do is train the central auditory processing system to block noises out.
21:13And that includes those caused by tinnitus.
21:16This is a form of training that's done here, and for which there are very good success rates.
21:25So, although tinnitus will not disappear completely,
21:29sufferers like Birgit Martoni can gradually learn to live well with it.
21:36You can find peace here.
21:38You can ground yourself.
21:40And I can recommend it to everyone.
21:42It has really helped me a lot.
21:43And I'm almost sorry that I have to go home next week.
21:50There are also sounds that can do us good.
21:54For many people, birdsong, rain, the wind in the trees,
21:58or the sound of the sea bring a sense of calm.
22:02They can help eliminate fatigue and promote feelings of well-being.
22:06And what about a favorite tune to help work your way through a list of household chores?
22:11Watch out, though, it can get stuck in your head, even long after you've pulled the plug.
22:21It hits out of nowhere, and before you know it, you can't get it out of your head.
22:26The earworm.
22:28Stefan Koz has a background in music.
22:30He's also a psychologist and neuroscientist, and an expert on stuck song syndrome.
22:35If I were to say, think of happy, by Pharrell Williams, then it's quite possible you'll get that catchy tune stuck in your head.
22:43For me, it can be enough to hear the name of a composer or a piece of music, say, Beethoven's Violin Concerto.
23:05There are other triggers, too.
23:18I might be reminded of a certain experience, for example, which is connected to a certain song.
23:24And remembering this experience recalls the song to my mind.
23:29That can also lead to earworms.
23:30Earworms usually creep into our heads when we're busy doing something routine.
23:38When our working memory has lots of free capacity, it starts to rummage through the memory archive.
23:46Some people are especially prone to earworms.
23:48People with a so-called compulsive personality style, who are particularly conscientious,
23:56but also people living with depression or those who have a tendency towards it,
24:01who often get stuck in negative thought loops, for example.
24:04They also have earworms more often.
24:06And what kind of music is particularly well-suited to become an earworm?
24:22It has a lot to do with how catchy the song is.
24:31Basically, if we hear a song over and over again, it's more likely to become an earworm.
24:40Researchers don't yet know exactly what's happening in the brain when we experience one, though.
24:45However, we do know that a region of the auditory cortex is active in a similar way
24:54to when we are actually actively listening to music.
24:58We also know that a structure in the frontal cortex behind the forehead above the eyes
25:03becomes active, a structure that I call the subconscious.
25:06And how do you get these pests out of your head?
25:18The easiest way to get rid of a catchy tune, just like getting rid of negative thought loops,
25:24is to think about something else.
25:26Either consciously focus on what you are doing
25:29or consciously think thoughts that are as positive and constructive as possible.
25:36Because the brain can't think about the catchy tune
25:39while consciously thinking other thoughts at the same time.
25:45Eventually, the earworm will pass.
25:48Until it comes back, of course.
25:49Just like In Good Shape.
25:51In Good Shape
25:52Don't you forget about me
25:57Don't, don't, don't, don't
26:01Don't you forget about me
26:06Switch
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