You are sitting at Sunday dinner with the people you love most. Someone at the other end of the table says something and everyone laughs. You smile too, but quietly.
You missed it. You're not sure if it was the noise in the room or something else. And somewhere in the back of your mind, a small worry surfaces.
Is this just getting older? That moment, that small hesitation at the dinner table is something many of my patients have described to me over the decades. And I always tell them the same thing.
What you felt was not simply aging. It was your body sending a quiet signal. And when your body sends a signal, that means there is still something you can do.
>> Welcome to the Best Life Seniors podcast. I am Dr Dr Howard Tucker, a longevity physician and educator with decades of experience working alongside seniors who are determined to live their fullest, sharpest, most connected lives. And today we are talking about one of the most overlooked issues in senior health.
The slow creeping difficulty of hearing conversations clearly. Not dramatic deafness, but that subtle fog. that muffled muted feeling that makes every conversation just a little harder than it used to be.
And I am so glad to be here for this conversation. I am Dr Shigaki Hinohara. I practice medicine in Japan for well over 60 years.
And I continued seeing patients and writing and teaching well into my late 90s. I have always believed that the body does not simply decline. It adapts.
It responds. And the ears are no exception. In today's episode, we are going to walk through three things together.
First, we'll clarify the most common misunderstanding seniors have about hearing changes after 60. Second, we will look at what is actually happening inside the ear and the nervous system. And third, Dr Hinahara will guide us step by step through a simple 90-cond daily ear, seven specific steps that any senior can do at home starting tonight.
So let us begin with the misunderstanding because I think it is holding a lot of people back. >> Yes. And I want to address this directly because it matters so much.
The misunderstanding is this. Many seniors believe that struggling to hear conversations is simply a fixed part of aging. That once it begins nothing can be done except waiting for a hearing aid.
But that is not the full picture. Age related hearing change what doctors call prespecus is real. And yes, the tiny hair cells deep inside the cookia do become less sensitive over time.
But much of what seniors experience daytoday, the muffled sounds, the difficulty in noisy rooms, the sensation of pressure in the ears is driven by reduced blood circulation to the ear, tension in the neck and jaw, and an undertrained auditory nervous system. And those things respond beautifully to daily attention. >> That is so important to hear.
I want to stay on that point for a moment before we go to the steps because when I explain this to my own patients, I often see their faces change. They come in expecting me to confirm their fears and instead we find that circulation, tension, and nerve engagement are all workable. Can you say a little more about the circulation piece because I think that surprises people.
It surprises almost everyone and yet it is well established in the research. The inner ear is extraordinarily sensitive to blood flow. The coccleia is fed by a single small artery with almost no backup supply.
Which means that even minor reductions in circulation from tension, from inactivity, from mild cardiovascular stiffness can noticeably reduce hearing clarity. Studies have found that seniors with better cardiovascular fitness consistently score better on hearing sensitivity tests. This is not a small finding.
It means that the ear is not isolated from the rest of the body. It is deeply connected to it and that is really the philosophy at the heart of what we do on this podcast. The body is one system.
When we care for circulation, for the nervous system, for the muscles around the head and neck, we are also caring for our hearing. So with that foundation, let us move into the routine. Seven steps, 90 seconds.
Tell us how this was developed and then walk us through it. I want to be honest with our listeners that this routine is not magic. It is a synthesis of what the research tells us combined with what I have seen work in real patients over many years.
It draws on findings from aiology on traditional Japanese practices of ear stimulation that have been used for centuries and on modern neurological understanding of the vagus nerve and sensory activation. It takes less than 90 seconds when you know the steps and it can be done sitting in a chair, in bed or at the kitchen table. You do not need equipment.
You do not need to be flexible. You simply need your two hands and a quiet two minutes. >> I love that.
Accessible for everyone. Let us go through each step. Take your time.
Speak clearly because our listeners are going to want to follow along and perhaps do this while they listen. Step one is what I call the warm arrival. Before you touch your ears at all, place both palms gently over your ears, cupping them fully and hold them there for 10 seconds.
Just breathe. This gentle warmth and light pressure begins to increase local blood flow and signals the nervous system that attention is coming. Many seniors notice a soft muffled hum or a slight sense of warmth.
That is exactly what we want. It is the body responding. >> That first step is beautiful in its simplicity.
Just warmth and breath. And already the nervous system is paying attention. >> Step two is the gentle pull.
Using your thumbs and index fingers, take hold of the outer rim of each ear, the helix, the curved outer edge, and very gently pull outward and slightly upward. Hold for 5 seconds. Then pull slightly downward.
Hold again. This stretches the fascia and connective tissue around the outer ear, which connects to nerve endings that run all the way to the vagus nerve. Research has confirmed that vagus nerve stimulation is linked to reduced inflammation, improved balance, and better auditory processing in older adults.
The Vegas nerve connection is something more and more doctors are paying attention to. It is not just about hearing. It is about how calm and regulated the whole body feels.
Keep going. Step three, the behind the ear massage. Place three fingers from each hand just behind each ear where the mastoid bone sits.
Using gentle circular motions, massage this area for 10 to 15 seconds. This stimulates the lymphatic tissue around the ear, encourages drainage, and helps relieve that subtle pressure or fullness that many seniors feel, especially in the morning or after sleeping. If you notice that one side feels more tender than the other, give it a few extra seconds of attention.
>> I have had patients describe that pressure feeling for years and not know there was something they could do about it each morning. Something this simple. Please go on.
Step four is the ear rub. Using all four fingers, rub the full surface of each ear vigorously but gently front and back for about 10 seconds. You are stimulating dozens of acupressure points located on the outer ear which in traditional medicine are understood to correspond to organs and systems throughout the body and in modern neuroscience are linked to reflex zones that connect to the audiary cortex.
Think of it as waking up the entire ear from the outside. We are now at step four and already less than a minute in. This is genuinely something a senior can do while the kettle is boiling.
Go ahead. Step five is neck release. Slowly tilt your head to the right, bringing your right ear toward your right shoulder.
Hold for 5 seconds, then to the left. Hold again. Then slowly drop your chin to your chest and hold 5 seconds.
The muscles and fascia of the neck surround the arteries and nerves that supply the ear. when they are tight from sleep, from desk posture, from stress, they can gently compress those pathways. This stretch is not dramatic, but daily it keeps the channels open.
>> And what I appreciate about step five is that it also helps with neck pain and morning stiffness, which so many of our listeners deal with regardless of hearing. It is a two for one. >> Exactly.
Step six is the hum. Close your mouth. Take a slow breath through the nose and produce a gentle low hum for about 10 seconds.
Feel the vibration in your jaw, your throat, your skull. This is internal ear stimulation. The vibration activates the coccleia from within and also engages the tensor tmpony muscle inside the ear which helps regulate how the eard drum responds to sound.
There is research showing that regular vibrational stimulation helps maintain auditory neural pathways, the communication lines between the ear and the brain, which can become underused when hearing starts to diminish. >> I have to say that step always surprises people the most. The idea that something as simple as humming can be part of ear care.
But the science is really there and it is one of those steps that feels wonderful while you do it. And step seven is the listening pause. After completing all six steps, simply sit quietly for 15 seconds with your eyes closed.
No humming, no movement. Just listen. Not for anything in particular.
Simply open your awareness to the sounds around you. Birds outside, the hum of a refrigerator, your own breath. This is not mystical.
It is neurological training. You are asking the auditory cortex to actively process sound immediately after stimulation which reinforces the neural pathway between the ear and the brain. Aiologists call this auditory engagement and it is one of the simplest forms of hearing rehabilitation available.
Seven steps, 90 seconds and that last one cost nothing, just stillness. I want to bring together what you have described because I think it is worth naming clearly for our listeners. This routine addresses circulation to the ear, nerve stimulation through the vagus pathway, lymphatic drainage, muscle tension in the neck and jaw, internal colear activation through vibration and finally the brain connection through attentive listening.
That is a complete picture >> and that completeness is the point. The ear is not a box sitting on the side of your head. It is embedded in a living breathing system that benefits from care just as the heart and the joints do.
What I have seen in patients who commit to daily routines like this is not always a dramatic return of hearing. But what they do describe is clarity, less straining conversations, less fatigue at the end of the day from working so hard to follow what people are saying. that quality of life change is real and it matters.
>> And I want to be transparent with our listeners because this is important. This routine is not a replacement for a hearing evaluation by a qualified aiologist or your own doctor. If you've been noticing changes in your hearing, if conversations are regularly difficult, if you hear ringing, if one ear feels significantly different from the other, please bring that to your doctor.
What this routine does is support and maintain the health of the systems around hearing. It is daily ear care the same way you have daily routines for your teeth or your joints. That is the right way to frame it.
Daily care, not a cure, a commitment to the body. I practiced medicine until I was 98 years old. And one of the things that kept me well was this belief.
The body responds to attention. Every small act of care accumulates. That is not a metaphor.
That is physiology. >> Before we close out today, I want to ask you one final question because our listeners live this every day. The social side of hearing.
The worry about missing something, about asking people to repeat themselves, about withdrawing from conversations because it is too tiring. What do you say to someone who is at that point right now? I say this the difficulty you are feeling is not a sign that connection is over.
It is a signal that your body is asking for attention. The ear is asking. And the fact that you are listening to this podcast that you stayed with this conversation tells me that you have not withdrawn.
You are still reaching. That reaching that that curiosity is itself medicine. A person who has something to look forward to tomorrow will find a way to get there.
Your next conversation, your next dinner table, your next moment of laughter with someone you love, those are worth 90 seconds of care each morning. That is a beautiful place to rest. So here is your one action for today and you can do it right now if you like.
Cup your hands gently over your ears. Breathe slowly and hold for 10 seconds. That is step one.
You have already started. Tomorrow morning add the next step. Within a week, you will have the full routine in your muscle memory and you will be giving your ears the daily attention they have been quietly asking for.
Thank you so much, Dr Hinhara, for bringing your wisdom, your gentleness, and your extraordinary perspective to our listeners today. >> Thank you. And to every person listening, you're you are not behind.
You are exactly on time. The body heals in response to care and it is never too late to begin. Take good care of your ears.
They are still listening. And if today's episode resonated with you, in our next conversation, we are going to look at another sense that quietly changes after 60 and one that almost no one connects to brain health until it is pointed out. Stay with us on the Best Life Seniors podcast.
We will see you there.
