Dr. Tom Norwood is a big music fan! If you’ve had the chance to chat with him during an appointment you’ve probably heard that his musical tastes spread a vast array from current top hits to rock n’ roll oldies. When he received a recent announcement from Action on Hearing Loss’s campaign he was thrilled by the list of musicians stepping out to bring notice to the dangers of noise induced hearing loss including Coldplay’s Chris Martin, Judge Jules, Jazzie B, and Gary Numan.
The purpose of the campaign is to educate the public about tinnitus and hearing loss and encouraging people to wear earplugs.
The BBC interviewed Martin on his involvement in the campaign: “Looking after your ears is unfortunately something you don’t think about until there’s a problem,” Martin said. “I’ve had tinnitus for about 10 years, and since I started protecting my ears it hasn’t got any worse. But I wish I’d thought about it earlier. Now we always use molded filter plugs, or in-ear monitors, to try and protect our ears.”
Additional musician Gary Numan reported: “I didn’t look after my ears and I’m in trouble,” said Numan, 54. “It’s getting serious, to the point that I can’t mix my music properly anymore, so it’s majorly impacted on my career. If I’d just looked after them when I was younger then this would never have happened, so I very much regret it.”
Music buff or not, it’s important to remember that exposure to loud noises can cause permanent and irreversible damage! Don’t end up wishing you had done something earlier like the musicians listed above! Use ear protection
(foam or custom) and keep your ears in healthy shape!