Your favourite gizmo can gift you hearing loss, Hepatitis

Sharing headphones can give you Hepatitis C, iPods can leave you with a earache. iTALK tells you how to steer clear of the dark side of your favourite gizmo

Sharing headphones can give you Hepatitis C, iPods can leave you with a earache. iTALK tells you how to steer clear of the dark side of your favourite gizmo

Who? Roshni Chopra, TV Host and actor gizmo of choice: iPod listens to it: Every day for 5 hours while shooting, and 1.5 hours when at home. "Shooting involves a lot of waiting, and I'd rather listen to music. It makes for a great companion when I'm travelling. I tend to prefer soft, lilting tracks, but I play it at top volume!"

It doesn't matter what you do, who you are. Students, homemakers, professionals across urban India prefer to be plugged in, and shut out. Most individuals who make a journey, often a long and tiring one, from their
residence to their place of work, prefer to carry along a companion. They rarely leave home without their iPod, FM-enabled mobile phone, MP3 player or discman. The gizmo entertains you, relieves you of boredom, and drowns out the cacophony characteristic of stuffy trains and jammed roads. The bluetooth helps you stay connected without even holding a phone. Now, experts say, you ODing on your gizmo could affect your health.

MP3 players, iPods
Dr Sanjay Bhatia, Consultant ENT and Neuro Otologist at Wockhardt Hospital says, "If you listen to music at high volume, and over long periods of time, you could damage the hair cells in the cochlea
(auditory portion of the inner ear). You could even experience hearing loss and Tinnitus, a whistling or humming sound in the ear."

While it's safe to listen music between 80-90 decibels and for between two and three hours a day, Dr Juthika Sheodem, ENT Consultant at Dr LH Hiranandani Hospital, warns against any excess use. "Avoid listening to music while travelling, since you tend to increase volume to drown out surrounding noise. But that could harm your ears beyond repair. Early signs of hearing loss include missing out on words or being unable to hear the doorbell ring."

Cell phones and handsfree blue tooth
High radiation levels are another concern. Dr Bhatia says can lead to swelling at a molecular level. The chronic use of cell phones and heat generated from the handset, may even lead to tumour formation on the hearing nerve.u00a0

Your posture and angle of the neck while talkingu00a0 on the cell phone, can lead to muscle spasms and
stiffness.

Excessive use of the blue tooth impairs the movement of ear wax towards the open; this acts like a cleansing mechanism. "It can also lead to local friction, boils and hair follicle infection, but since the handset is far away from the body, using a blue tooth is a safer option,"
says Dr Bhatia.

iPods can cause infection and earaches: Study
A study at Kasturba Medical College, Manipal revealed that listening to iPods can raise the chance of getting an earache. The research shows how sharing earphones is hazardous to health, since bacteria can get passed from one user to another. Cheap quality ear phones or improper use can lead to abrasion, and breakage of the skin that might become a portal of infection.u00a0

Sastaa hai toh locha hai
Experts warn against falling into temptation and buying dirt cheap mobile handsets. Often, direct and constant contact with them can leave users with a skin infection.

How much is too much?

Dr Juthika Sheodem ENT Consultant at Dr LH Hiranandani Hospital
"You know that your music is too loud when the person next to you can hear it, and the one standing right in front of you, has to shout to get your attention."

4 ways to protect yourself
>>Listen to music at low volume, especially rock music.
>>Reduce the duration of usage. Playing music constantly leads to over exertion of the ear muscles.
>>Clean the handsets using a simple soap solution to prevent bacterial infection.
>>Avoid sharing headphones. It could spread Hepatitis B and C, and other viral infections, if there are abrasions in the listener's ear.

How many hours do you play music?

7 hours Abhilash Nair Media Executive
My iPod is my life. I spend seven hours of my day listening to it, while I travel from my home in Ulhasnagar to workplace at Dadar. When I am in the train, I turn up the volume to shut out the din around, crowds gossiping and the catfights.

3 hours Balamurugan, National Manager-Sales, OOH Media
I listen to the iPod for three hours every day, while commuting from my Mulund residence to office at Prabhadevi. Yes, I enjoy playing music at maximum volume. I prefer classical to rock.

5 hours Geetha Nair, Technical Writer
I listen to my iPod every day for 5 hours. I travel from Dombivli to Vile Parle, a two-hour journey that becomes a tad less tedious if I have my iPod. In fact, I lug in even when I'm working. I play rock songs at full volume.u00a0