A popular from of Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT), whichis often used to stave off the changes associated with female aging, canaccelerate hearing loss. University of Rochester <http://www.rochester.edu> researchers led by Robert D.Frisina <http://www.urmc.rochester.edu/GEBS/faculty/Robert_Frisina.htm> found that women who were taking a combination of estrorogen and progestinehad hearing deficits typically expected in women five to 10 years older. Thestudy of 124 women between the ages of 60 and 86 points to progestine as theculprit, because the hearing of participants who took estrogen alone wasunaffected by the treatment.
Previous studies have also documented slight hearing loss inwomen taking birth-control pills containing progestine and in younger womenduring the stage of their menstrual cycles when progesterone, the hormone'snatural form, is at its highest level. Yet women still have better overallhearing than men up until menopause, a benefit attributed to natural estrogen. Frisina thinks that the progestine-induced damage detectedin the study may arise when nerve cell membranes are exposed to a progestinemetabolite, allopregnanolone: the cells become less excitable, or responsive,to stimulation. If that is the mechanism at work, then the nerve cells in theHRT group with hearing loss may be dampened but not dead, suggesting that theeffect is reversible. Frisina's group plans to study next what happens towomen's hearing when they stop HRT. Frisina would like to see drug companies perform similarsensory testing during development of HRT products and release any results theymay already have. "It might be valuable information," he says. In the meantime,the hearing risk "Should be a part of the conversation when a women and herdoctor discuss HRT," he adds, particularly for women who already have hearingloss. Happy Learning, Yovan P. Putra <http://primamind.blogspot.com> www.primastudy.com <http://www.primastudy.com> Explore the new world of dreaming through LUCID DREAMING!!! <http://www.lucid-dreaming-kit.com/?afl=47251> Explore the world of your mind...
