The increased risk of a tumor of the auditory nerve, called an acoustic neuroma, was found to be about four times higher on the side of the head where the phone was held, and virtually normal on the other side.
Approximately one in 100,000 people develop acoustic neuromas. This type of tumor grows slowly and accounts for less than 10 percent of all brain tumors. Because these tumors do not involve invasive growth, they are not classified as cancer.
Hand-held wireless phones with built-in antennas, known as mobile phones, or cell phones, emit low levels of radiofrequency energy in the microwave range while being used. The auditory nerve is exposed to radiation during the normal use of a cell phone.

Researchers who have raised concerns say that just because science can’t explain the mechanism doesn’t mean one doesn’t exist. Concerns have focused on the heat (microwave) generated by cell phones and the fact that the radio frequencies are absorbed mostly by the head and neck.
The real concern is not older cell phone users, who began using phones as adults, but children who are beginning to use phones today and face a lifetime of exposure.

For people who are concerned about any possible risk, a simple solution is to use a headset. Of course, that option isn’t always convenient, and some critics have raised worries about wireless devices like the Bluetooth that essentially place a transmitter in the ear.

The fear is that even if the individual risk of using a cell phone is low, with three billion users worldwide, even a minuscule risk would translate into a major public health concern.
No one can say with any certainty that cell phones are either safe or not safe The main concern is that with the widespread use of cell phones, the worst scenario would be that we may get the definitive study 10 or 15 years from now, and we find out there is a correlation. And then it will be too late.
So be careful.

Blue tooth

King Harald Bluetooth ruled Denmark between 940 and 985 A.D. Bluetooth was actually “Blåtand” in old Viking language, which meant “dark complexion” - he had unusually dark hair for a Viking. His legacy was that he united Denmark and Norway and also brought Christianity to Scan-dinavia.
He left a large monument, the Jelling rune stone, in memory of his parents. He was killed in 986 during a battle with his son, Svend Forkbeard.

Choosing this name for the standard indicates how important companies from the Nordic region (nations including Denmark, Sweden, Norway and Finland) are to the communications industry, even if it says little about the way the technology works.

Ericsson hoped that the technology that bears Bluetooth’s name would similarly “unite” electronic devices everywhere by wireless technology-Personal area network

RF Radiation from the mobile phones could cut male sperm production by a third, researchers from the University of Szeged, Hungary told the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology.
Of the remaining sperm exposed to mobile phone emissions, high numbers were found to be swimming abnormally, reducing the chances of fertilization in a woman’s womb.
It was unclear whether the men were carrying their phones in their trouser pockets, belt pouch or in briefcases typically carried at waist level. Professor Evers, who headed the Hungarian study, also cautioned that executive stress might also exacerbate the effects of mobile phone radiation.

What is known is that sperm counts are decreasing sharply but less so for non users of mobile phones like farmers not carrying a mobile phone at all.

Avoid phoning your cells-”cell+phone”
It is not easy for many of us to simply stop using the mobile phone. There may be a significant financial cost related to not being able to communicate via a mobile phone. However, the risks are very real and very serious and one’s health is certainly worth protecting. The cost of using a cell phone is likely much higher in the long-term than the cost of not using one.
Humans have lived and done business for thousands of years without mobile phones. 20 years ago few people had cell phones and 5 years ago there were almost no wireless networks. We all did just fine without them then and can do fine without them now.

How to reduce the risk

• Simply don’t use a cell phone, wireless network or live near a cell phone tower. Don’t stand close to someone who is using a cell phone.
• If you must use a cell phone use it only in places with a strong signal. This allows the phone to transmit at low power .
• Minimize the length of calls.
• If you know where the nearest cell phone tower is don’t put yourself between it and your phone, otherwise the signal travels straight through your head. .
• In your car use a hands-free set , keep the phone away from your body.
• Do not use an earphone if it is made of conductive wire. Studies have shown that a metal earphone wire can act as an antenna and direct radiation into the head from the ear canal. Some earphones now use fiber optic cable or a hollow tube to convey sound.

Childhood mobile phone use may make your child senile at 30!!!
Yes premature senility can happen.

No one likes it. It is frightening. A whole generation of teenagers faces premature senility in the prime of their lives due to the over use of mobile phones and new wireless technology. It is terrifying indeed.
The thin skull of young kids allows the radiation to penetrate the brain tissues deeper and faster. Also the young brain is still in developing stage. The RF radiation can cause DNA damage, some DNA dies; some survive deformed and can be transmitted to generations ahead with defects.
It turns out that the RF radiation open up the “blood-brain barrier” in kids as well as adults, allowing toxins in the bloodstream to cross this blood vessel gateway into the skull and attack brain cells.
The cell phone exposure can also disrupt the natural electrical activity of a child’s brain for up to an hour afterwards.
Leading medical experts now question whether it is safe for children to use mobile phones at all. Doctors fear that disturbed brain activity in children could lead to psychiatric and behavioral problems or impair learning ability.

Mobile Phone Usage Disrupts Children’s Brains

A study conducted by the Spanish Neuro Diagnostic Research Institute in Marbella found that two minutes of cell phone usage disrupted brain function in children for up to an hour after the exposure ended. The abnormal brain function could result in psychiatric and behavioral problems and impair learning ability.
Scientists have discovered that prolonged exposure to radiation emitted by mobile phones, mobile phone towers can destroy cells in the parts of the brain responsible for memory, movement and learning.

What are the effects of the RF radiation?

While industry sponsored studies have failed to show a clear link between microwave radiation-RF radiation- and brain tumors, independent scientific studies show that microwave radiation does cause brain tumors and numerous other serious health problems.
Microwave signals travel through human tissue, glass, metal and plastic. Human tissue also absorbs microwave radiation.
The damaging effects of the radiation can produce a wide range of physical symptoms. Some symptoms may take years to show up. Some of the effects can be short-term while other effects are long-term or permanent.

Effects of Electromagnetic-RF radiation can result-

• open the blood-brain barrier
• heat head & brain tissue
• disrupt brain activity
• destroy brain cells
• cause gas pockets in eyes
• reverse cell membrane polarity
• alter brain waves
• alter brain chemistry
• damage DNA
• cause tumors
• speed tumor growth
• increase blood flow damage skin cells

Symptoms of Electromagnetic radiation-RF energy

• headaches
• cataracts, eye damage
• hair loss
• memory loss
• anxiety
• mood swings (rage, depression)
• fatigue
• loss of concentration
• lack of coordination
• pain & tingling in hands or arms
• nausea
• sleep disorders

Drivers using mobile phones were four times more likely to get into accidents than non-cell phone users. Six percent of drivers actively used hand-held phones. A different group, making up four percent, used a hands-free phone. Another recent study, found that cell phone users were more likely to get into an accident than individuals who were legally drunk.
Hands-free units, now being built into higher-end cars, are universally considered safer than handheld phones. In fact, like California, a growing number of states including are banning handheld cell phone use while driving.
Avoid talking while behind the wheel, let voice mail pick up calls, and pull over to a safe spot if you absolutely have to take the call.

The name “Bluetooth” was adopted from a 10th century Danish King, Harold Blatand - or Harold Bluetooth.

King Blatand played a crucial role in correcting domestic conflict in parts of Norway, Sweden and Denmark.

The technology hoped to adopt what King Blatand had done - to easily connect devices despite being products of varying manufacturers.

Harald I Bluetooth (Danish Harald Blåtand) was the King of Denmark between 940 and 985 AD. Like many Vikings, Harald considered it honorable to fight for treasure in foreign lands. By 960 he was at the height of his powers, ruling over both Denmark and Norway.
Harald Bluetooth united Denmark and Norway, Bluetooth of today will unite the worlds of computers and telecom (hopefully longer than the few years Harald’s Viking kingdom survived).
In 1994 Ericsson Mobile Communications initiated a study to investigate the feasibility of a low-power low-cost radio interface between mobile phones and their accessories.

It is when this type of noise becomes intrusive into everyday life that it can become immensely irritating and becomes known as ‘tinnitus’. The noises of tinnitus may vary in pitch from low frequency to high frequency; they maybe intermittent or permanent and they usually vary in the intensity of sound. Some people spend a long time looking around the house for whatever it is that must be making the noise, other people fear that they may be developing a brain tumor.
Sometimes people notice that the intensity of the noises can alter according to various activities such as exercise, the drinking of coffee or wine and other stimuli.
Children can suffer from tinnitus as well as adults, which can be frightening for them when they do not understand what is happening. When tinnitus is first noticed, it can be very worrying.

What causes tinnitus?

Tinnitus can arise in any of the four sections of the ear: the outer ear, the middle ear, the inner ear, and the brain. Some tinnitus or head noise is normal. If one goes into a sound proof booth and normal outside noise is diminished, one becomes aware of these normal sounds. We are usually not aware of these normal body sounds, because outside noise masks them. Anything, such as wax or a foreign body in the external ear, that blocks these background sounds will cause us to be more aware of our own head sounds. Fluid, infection, or disease of the middle ear bones or ear drum can also cause tinnitus.
One of the most common causes of tinnitus is damage to the microscopic endings of the hearing nerve in the inner ear. Advancing age is generally accompanied by a certain amount of hearing nerve impairment, and consequently tinnitus. These days loud noise exposure is a very common cause of tinnitus, and it often damages hearing as well. Unfortunately, many people are unconcerned about the harmful effects of excessively loud noise, firearms, and high intensity music, mobile phones etc. Some medications like aspirin and other diseases of the inner ear Meniere’s syndrome can cause tinnitus. Tinnitus can in very rare situations be a symptom of such serious problems as an aneurysm or a brain tumor (Acoustic Neuroma).

Investigations

A medical history, physical examination, and a series of special tests can help determine precisely where the tinnitus is originating. It is helpful for the doctor to know if the tinnitus is constant, intermittent or pulsating (synchronous with the heart beat), or is it associated with hearing loss or loss of balance .All patients with persisting unexplained tinnitus need a hearing test (audiogram). Patterns of hearing loss may lead the doctor to the diagnosis.
Other tests, such as the auditory brain stem response (ABR), a computerized test of the hearing nerves and brain pathways, CT scan or MRI scan may be needed to rule out a tumor occurring on the hearing or balance nerve. These tumors are rare, but they can cause tinnitus.

Treatment

In many cases, there is no specific treatment for tinnitus. It may simply go away on its own, or it may be a permanent disability that the patient will have to “live with.” Some otolaryngologists have recommended niacin to treat tinnitus. However, there is no scientific evidence to suggest that niacin helps reduce tinnitus, and it may cause problems with skin flushing.
Generally the treatment of tinnitus falls into two main areas: tinnitus counseling or the use of mechanical devices such as hearing aids or white noise generators to control the symptoms.
Some simple measures can be very effective. If you find that the tinnitus is loudest when you are trying to get to sleep, try putting a small radio next to your bed, turning the tuning dial to a frequency in between two stations so that you hear ‘white noise’, and turn the volume down low so that you can only just hear the noise.
This will give your ears something else to listen to and many people find it a very useful method of getting to sleep. Other people use relaxation tapes, again with the volume down so that you can only just hear it.

Tinnitus counseling

This is a system whereby the cause of the tinnitus is clearly explained and the approach to understanding and controlling its significance in the patient’s daily life is clarified.
Help is given to combat the most debilitating mental effects of such noises. Tinnitus retraining therapy is a type of tinnitus counseling which is extremely effective at reducing the threat and the intrusiveness of tinnitus and consists of a combination of explanation, counseling and controlled use of white noise generators or hearing aids.

Mechanical devices

The use of hearing aids or tinnitus maskers amplify surrounding noises so that the tinnitus is no longer heard. Hearing aids are ideal if there is an associated hearing loss with the tinnitus. Tinnitus maskers are not so commonly used any more, but worked on the idea that a continuous noise, generated in the ear canal by the masker, would mask the tinnitus and would also provide an effect for several hours after it had been switched off.

White noise generators

These are sometimes used during tinnitus counseling and as a part of tinnitus retraining. Again, they can provide a less threatening, more controllable type of noise than the tinnitus, but need to be used as part of the retraining - they are not a solution in themselves.

Other types of treatment

Multiple types of treatment have been tried for tinnitus, and although they can be helpful for some patients, none of them will help all patients. Hypnosis and acupuncture can occasionally help.
Extracts of Gingko biloba is another method, but no properly controlled study has shown a positive effect. In general, drug treatments are not very helpful. Some types of sedatives have been used, but they are not good for long-term use and do not solve the problem.
It is estimated that about 30% to 40% of the population will suffer from tinnitus at one point in their life, particularly if they have hearing loss. The vast majority will either have intermittent tinnitus which is manageable, or more persistent tinnitus which is can be controlled without any significant treatment.
A small minority will require further management and it is these patients who will require referral to an ear nose and throat surgeon or an audiological physician.

Things to do to lessen intensity of the tinnitus

It is important to realize that the hearing system is one of the most delicate and sensitive mechanisms in the body. Since it is a part of the general nervous system, it is sensitive, to some degree, by anything that affects the overall health of the individual (both physical and psychological). Therefore, in order to lessen the intensity of tinnitus, it is advisable to make every effort to-
Avoid exposure to loud sounds and noises. Control blood pressure. Decrease salt intake. Avoid nerve stimulants such as coffee,colas caffeine, tobacco and nicotine. Reduce anxiety. Try to stop worrying about the tinnitus. Often, the more you worry and concentrate on the noise, the louder it will become. Get adequate rest and avoid fatigue Avoid aspirin or aspirin products in large quantities.

Tinnitus Masking

Utilize masking noise. Tinnitus is usually more bothersome when the surroundings are quiet, especially when you are in bed. A competing sound such as a ticking clock, a radio, and a fan or white noise machine may help mask tinnitus. Small hearing aid like devices which generate a competitive sound may help reduce the awareness of the tinnitus.

Hearing and deafness

Hearing loss is common and can affect people of any age. It is thought that half the general population above the age of 60 have some hearing loss. Children are the next most common group to be affected, usually due to fluid or infection in the middle ear but also due to congenital problems or viral illness during early childhood. Hearing loss can interfere with normal communication with others on a daily basis.

How do you hear?

We are able to hear because sounds enter the ear canal and pass along it to the eardrum. The sounds cause vibrations first of the eardrum and then of the little bones, called ossicles, which bridge the gap between the drum and the cochlea (part of the inner ear).

In the cochlea the vibrations are translated into electrical signals which are passed on to the brain along the acoustic, or auditory, nerve.

Types of deafness

A problem of transmission (or conduction) of sound waves through the ear canal and middle ear is referred to as a conductive hearing loss. A problem with the translation of the sound waves into an electrical signal by the inner ear or the onward passage of those electrical impulses via the nerves to the brain is referred to as a sensorineural hearing loss.

A conductive hearing loss occurs when there is a failure of the conversion of sound waves into movements by the eardrum and the little bones of the middle ear. This can occur either because the sound waves are not reaching the eardrum, for example because of wax blocking the ear canal, or because the vibrating mechanisms of the eardrum or ossicles are not working properly, for example because of current or previous infections.

There are a great number of causes of conductive hearing loss including blockage by wax, infection, a collection of fluid, trauma or fixation of the ossicles in the middle ear (which is called otosclerosis). Fortunately, they can often be treated and hearing in the infected ear can be corrected or improved.

A sensorineural hearing loss is due to a problem of the inner ear or of the nerve that carries the signal from the inner ear to the hearing centres in the brain. Again there are many causes, the most common being that of hearing loss in old age (presbyacusis), which usually affects both ears to a similar degree and can be associated with noises in the ear (tinnitus). Other common conditions which affect the inner ear are infections (particularly by viruses), trauma, the side effects from certain medication and congenital causes.

While some inner ear problems are reversible, generally speaking the hearing loss is irreversible (i.e. permanent). Extremely rarely, but more seriously, the hearing loss may be due to a growth, otherwise known as a tumor, on the hearing nerve in the brain.

The main difficulty with sensorineural hearing loss is an inability to hear adequately in conversations, especially when there is background noise. Many people complain that they can hear the sounds of a conversation, but cannot discriminate exactly what is being said. It can lead to immense frustration and feelings of isolation.

Although frequent in older people, it is not uncommon for people to notice problems with speech discrimination whilst they are in their 30s or even earlier, especially if they have had regular exposure to loud noise, for example by going clubbing.

Whilst there is no absolute cure for a sensorineural hearing loss, hearing aids help to amplify or increase the sounds that are transmitted to the inner ear and so partially overcome the hearing loss. The technology in hearing aids is continuing to improve and they can work very well for many people.

Diagnosis

You should always see your doctor urgently if you have a sudden hearing loss, as sometimes treatment for sudden deafness should be started within 48 hours of its onset.

If you notice a hearing loss only in one ear, you should see your doctor, who will probably refer you on to an ENT specialist or an audiological physician.

Hearing aids

A hearing aid is a device that is used to increase the loudness of the sound reaching the ear of a person with a hearing difficulty. Modern hearing aids consist of three basic electronic components: a microphone, an amplifier and a loudspeaker.

The most common types of hearing aids are those that are worn in or behind the ear, but there are others, such as implantable hearing aids, which can be used in certain situations

Externally worn hearing aids

The most commonly used type of aid is the behind-the-ear hearing aid, where all the electronic components are contained in a skin-colored plastic case that sits behind the ear.

Cosmetically more popular is the in-the-ear hearing aid, which is a smaller, more compact device worn in the ear canal, but it is inappropriate for people with severe deafness because it is not powerful enough to compensate for their hearing loss. It is not suitable for those with some loss of manual dexterity, because the control switches are quite small.

Even smaller is the completely-in-the-canal hearing aid, which is virtually invisible when worn. Again, because of its small size, its casing is too small to be able to hold a very powerful amplifier and so it is only useful for mild hearing losses.

People with a conductive hearing loss may benefit from a device which is held in place behind the ear with a headband or ‘alice band’. This is known as a bone conduction hearing aid.

People tend to benefit from this type of hearing aid if they have problems in the ear canal or middle ear, for example because of recurrent ear infections, previous surgery, or anatomical abnormalities such that they are unable to wear conventional hearing aids. Bone conduction aids can work very well, but can be quite bulky and obvious, and a more sophisticated type of bone conduction aid has been developed.

Analogue and digital hearing aids
There has been a lot written in the media recently about digital hearing aids. The ‘digital’ part of the hearing aid implies that these types of aids are more sensitive and better at restoring hearing than the older type of aids, and this is often, but not always, the case.

Digital hearing aids process sound in a fundamentally different way to analogue aids, by dividing up the sound into ‘packets’ and then processing them. This means that it is possible for digital aids to be more selective in filtering out irritating background noise, but no hearing aid, digital or analogue is capable of only amplifying the sounds that you want to hear.

Cochlear implant

People who have such a severe deafness that they hardly derive any benefit from conventional hearing aids (i.e. those people with a profound sensorineural hearing loss) may benefit from a cochlear implant.
In this type of implantable hearing aid a wire electrode is surgically inserted into the inner ear (the cochlea). Intense speech and hearing therapy is required often for several years following this operation. Cochlear implants can be used for children and adults. It can be very expensive and unaffordable for the common people.

If you (or people around you) notice a gradual deterioration of your hearing you should seek advice from your doctor who will advise you of the appropriate action to be taken, and will be able to organize a hearing test.

If some one gets impaired vision, they run to the opticians and fit eye glasses at whatever cost, similarly if one is hard of hearing they are not very enthusiastic to see an audiologist or ENT doctor and get a hearing aid.