Illustration by Tavis Coburn
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Sensational Tune-Ups
By Sid Kirchheimer, September & October 2005
Fifteen ways to improve your vision, hearing, taste, and sense of smell
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Are people around you mumbling more often these days? Does food seem to need
an extra splash of Tabasco to please the palate? Would the newspaper be easier
to read if your arms were just a few feet longer and the print a bit
bigger?
Welcome to the club. By the time we hit middle age, most of us suffer from
some decline of the senses. But don't despair. There are ways to
protect—and even improve—your ability to see, hear, smell, and
taste all of life's offerings. Experts we consulted recommend the following
senses-sharpening strategies:
Sight
Only reading glasses or other special eyewear can foil the common cause of
weakened vision: presbyopia, the so-called aging eyes that result when the lens
of the eye loses its flexibility, making it harder to focus clearly on close
objects. But you can take measures to stave off some of the leading causes of
age-related blindness. See if these work for you:
Pop five a day A National Eye Institute study shows that one of the best
ways to arrest macular degeneration is by following a simple five-pill
supplement regimen: daily doses of 500 mg of vitamin C, 400 international units
of vitamin E, 15 mg of beta carotene, 80 mg of zinc oxide, and 2 mg of cupric
oxide. "You really need to take these in supplement form because there is
no way you could get these amounts from food alone," says National Eye
Institute researcher Emily Chew, M.D.
Loosen up A study in the British Journal of Ophthalmology finds that a tight
necktie may increase risk of glaucoma by constricting neck veins, boosting
fluid pressure inside the eyes to dangerous levels. "No one says you have
to strangle yourself," says study author Robert Ritch, M.D., of the New
York Eye and Ear Infirmary. "If you can't get your finger in between
your neck and your collar easily, it's too tight."
Keep your specs on The mainstay material in prescription
eyewear—polycarbonate lenses—helps block harmful ultraviolet light,
a key cause of cataracts, says ophthalmologist William Lloyd, M.D., of UC Davis
Medical Center. So keep your glasses on whenever you're outdoors (or don
prescription sunglasses). And if you're 20/20, look for nonprescription
sunglasses at the drugstore or mall that are labeled to protect against both
UVA and UVB rays.
Plow into power plants Some of the disease-protecting chemicals naturally
found in fruits and vegetables also shield these plants from UV rays and other
environmental pollutants that can damage your vision. While most types of
produce are beneficial, peas, peppers, and green leafy vegetables such as kale,
romaine lettuce, and spinach stand out because they're rich in lutein and
other key vision-protecting nutrients.
Get an early start Eye-harming environmental pollutants—smog, in plain
English—are at their lowest levels early in the day. To limit your
exposure to toxins in the air, Lloyd suggests doing yard work, exercise, and
other outdoor activities early in the morning.
Hearing
While illness, injury, overuse of certain drugs, and genetics can all lead
to hearing loss, the primary reason most aging Americans go deaf is their past
exposure to noise. With every noise that is loud or long enough, some of the
16,000 or so tiny hairs inside each ear that allow sound waves to be heard are
permanently damaged, causing a gradual hearing loss that becomes noticeable in
middle age and beyond. Some sound advice:
Plug 'em Wearing ear protection is the obvious way to protect these
sensitive hair cells, but you don't have to look like an airport baggage
handler while doing it. Small foam plugs that discreetly fit in your ear may
actually be better than the bulky, padded earmuff types, says David Nielsen,
M.D., of the American Academy of Otolaryngology—Head and Neck Surgery.
These plugs reduce noise by about 20 decibels compared with the 15-decibel
protection you get from more expensive padded earmuffs. "Plus, the plugs
are cooler," he points out.
Work out in silence Regular exercise keeps hearing sharp by improving or
maintaining good blood flow to the inner ear. But during exercise, when more
blood is feeding muscles, less may get to nerves that control hearing, making
them more vulnerable to noise-caused damage. Some studies indicate that loud
music or noise heard during exercise may be more damaging than noise heard at
the same volumes when you're sedentary. Researchers are not unanimous about
this, "but unless you need to listen to loud music while you exercise, you
probably shouldn't," says Nielsen.
Don't be a blowhard Strenuous nose blowing can cause temporary or
permanent hearing loss by rupturing the delicate structures inside the eardrum.
To relieve nasal congestion, advises Nielsen, gently blow one nostril at a
time.
Get screened If you have diabetes, you're more likely to suffer earlier
and faster hearing loss, probably because of impeded blood flow to nerves that
control hearing. "If you have diabetes in particular, you really should
consider getting a yearly hearing test, just as you get annual tests for
vision, kidney function, and other possible diabetes complications," says
Nancy Vaughan, Ph.D., a researcher at the National Center for Rehabilitative
Auditory Research in Portland, Oregon, who has investigated the
diabetes-early-hearing-loss link. Those with high blood pressure or high
cholesterol could also benefit from regular hearing screenings, she adds.
Watch your aspirin Aspirin is among the 200 or so medications that can cause
hearing loss by damaging hearing hair cells and nerves that carry sounds to the
brain. This is not to say you should ditch your daily aspirin therapy. But it
does mean you should be diligent about following the typical recommended
dosages for heart health and pain—and not take much higher doses.
You'll know you're taking too much aspirin if your ears
"ring" but the ringing stops when you stop taking aspirin.
Smell and Taste
When smell is impaired, an inability to taste usually follows. This not only
makes eating less pleasurable; it can also lead to other problems. "Smell
and taste get the digestive process rolling by triggering saliva and gastric
juices to help digest food," says Marcia Levin Pelchat, Ph.D., a scientist
at Monell Chemical Senses Center in Philadelphia, the nation's leading
institute for smell and taste research. "Before food is even eaten, these
senses allow the body to anticipate food and make absorption more
efficient." And when you can't smell or taste food, you're less
likely to eat it, risking malnutrition. Chew over the following strategies for
preserving the flavor in your life:
Breathe in If you're sitting down for a hot meal, says Alan Hirsch,
M.D., director of the Smell and Taste Treatment and Research Foundation in
Chicago, take advantage of the cool fact that "it's good to sniff food
before you eat because heat aerates odor molecules that you'll perceive as
taste."
Hit the showers A less practical but equally effective variation on the
above principle: "The heat and humidity of a warm shower clears sinuses
and helps dissolve molecules that facilitate the ability to smell," says
Hirsch. Plus, you'll be nice and clean for dinner.
Manage your sniffles People with recurrent colds or allergy problems are
more vulnerable to smell and taste impairment because they often develop nasal
polyps that block the sense receptors inside the top of the nose, Hirsch adds.
"It's most noticeable while they have a cold or allergies, but
frequent nasal or sinus problems can lead to chronic problems in the ability to
smell."
…But rethink that cold remedy A zinc deficiency is one suspected
cause of smell problems, but that doesn't mean cold remedies containing
this nutrient are a cure-all. "Zinc lozenges such as Cold-Eeze and zinc
nose sprays that you can buy over the counter actually cause a temporary
distortion in smell and taste, especially in sweet sensations," says
Pelchat. "When you stop using them, your normal senses of smell and taste
usually return."
Buckle up The single most common cause of a complete smell impairment?
"Head injury, like that sustained in a car accident," says Hirsch.
"Perhaps the easiest thing you can do to protect your senses of smell and
taste is to always wear a seat belt while driving."
Sid Kirchheimer last wrote for AARP The Magazine about scams ("Rip-off
Alert," July & August 2004). He is also the author of a
forthcoming action guide that collects hundreds of tips on how to avoid
consumer rip-offs (AARP Books/Sterling, spring 2006).
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