68 health The Mail on Sunday October 16 • 2016 Health if you do one thing From today...Do the TEDDY BEAR ROLL By Nick Cowan OSTEOPATH Band Aid to In childhood we’re often capable of extreme levels of flexibility and balance. This is not something we take much into consideration at the time, but once we get older and become unable to move as well as we once used to, we realise we took it for granted. Tapping into certain childlike or ‘primal movements’ is a great way to fire up those dormant neuromuscular hearing aid! pathways, engage the core and take steps to a healthier and more fun and active lifestyle. Doing ‘teddy bear rolls’ Ultravox, Visage, feeding the world...Midge might look silly – but they do have serious benefits! 1 Before you start, ensure you Ure was a pop legend for years. But now he have a big enough space and are on a relatively soft and forgiving surface – a big bed or a mattress is ideal – as that way you is paying a cruel price – growing deafness minimise any risks of injury.

2 Sit with your legs out E helped master­ straight and mind Live Aid, Band By Olivia Buxton as wide apart Aid and the second as comfortably biggest-selling single able in really loud places possible, in British history trying to talk to people. gripping the back of each thigh with Do They Know The voice just blends from the outside with your hands. HIt’s Christmas? And the songs he in with the background wrote for his bands Ultravox and as opposed to being in 3 Without Visage made them chart stars in the foreground.’ letting go of the 1980s. He also played guitar for While the cause of his your legs, rockers Thin Lizzy. hearing loss might be fall to the Today, Midge Ure is still very ­unusual, Midge is far from right and as much a working musician, currently alone in his plight. you land, in on a solo tour of America with Euro­ There are more than the same pean dates planned later in the year 11 million people in the motion roll before heading back to the States, UK with some form of hear­ on to your and then on to Australia in 2017. ing loss – that’s one in six back, and in For a man who so clearly loves of the population – and about the same music, it seems particularly cruel, one in every ten UK adults motion roll on then, that he is losing his hearing. has tinnitus. to your left Scotsman Midge, 62, who lives in Research into hearing loss side. Then, finally roll back to the Bath with second wife, Empire in the latest Health Survey starting position. Of The Sun actress Sheridan Forbes, for England found that one 50, and their three daughters Kitty, in six women and almost one 4 Repeat this roll four times, then 22, Ruby, 19, and Flossie, 17, says in four men over 55 reported repeat, but changing direction. he feels ‘lucky to have good health’ no hearing difficulties, but despite the decades of rock ’n’ roll were subsequently found to To make the exercise more excesses. But the years spent play­ have some hearing loss. challenging, sit in the start ing arenas at deafening volumes It’s not a surprise since, position with the soles of your have taken their toll. on average, it takes ten feet together and grip them Midge also suffers from tinnitus. years for people to address instead of your thighs. Try the Though he doesn’t wear a conven­ their problem. exercise with a friend – and roll tional hearing aid, he uses custom- Midge, who also has an absolutely crazy.’ He adds: ‘I could around and giggle like children! made ear-plugs while performing elder daughter, Molly, 29, with his I just became aware of this tone and wear a hearing aid but I don’t have that help protect his ears and still first wife, actress Annabel Giles, it never went away. one. For the past ten years, I’ve had l nickcowanosteopath.co.uk allow him to follow the music. says: ‘I noticed the tinnitus first ‘I have been standing on stage in an earpiece that is specifically made He knows the damage cannot be when we were doing the Ultravox front of speakers for years and it for me that provides ultra-high undone, saying: ‘I have a constant album six years ago, when the band has taken its toll.’ ­definition – meaning what I hear is ringing in my ears. If I think about got back together. Tinnitus is a medical term to des­ what I need to hear.’ it, I can hear it and sometimes I can ‘There was no loud explosion or cribe the perception of noise either Loudness of a sound is measured blog me hear it more than others.’ anything I remember that caused it. in one ear, in both ears or in the in decibels (dB). Normal conver­ His deafness affects him most We were in the studio recording and head, when there is no corre­ sation is about 60dB, while a lawn­ better... in places where there is a lot of sponding external sound. mower is about 90dB and a loud background noise. ‘I find HONOURED: Most people with tinni­ rock concert about 120dB. As a THE BLOG: wellnessmama.com it hard to sit in noisy Midge with tus describe it as a ring­ ­comparison, a military jet taking THE BLOGGER: Katie Spears, restaurants, where family collecting ing sound, but others off will generate around 130dB of right, a full-time the acoustics are his OBE in 2005 talk about buzzing, whis­ noise, while a riveting machine mother and food bad and I strug­ tling, humming, whoosh­ will manage a mere 110dB. blogger with six gle to distinguish ing and hissing. In general, sounds above 85dB children under the the difference Midge tells me: ‘I can be harmful to the delicate age of ten – and between the can hear the ringing ­structures responsible for hearing thousands of loyal human voice when it is silent, inside the ear, depending on dura­ online followers. and back­ when I am not tion and how often a person is WHAT IS IT g r o u n d ­listening to music. exposed to them. ABOUT? Katie overhauled noise. There is this high- Some earplugs – those worn by her diet after the birth of her ‘I do find pitched, constant industrial workers or bikers, for first child, and now runs a myself lip- tone – I can hear instance – work by simply blocking hugely popular ‘natural living reading, try­ it now as we all sounds entering the ear. How­ and health food’ blog with tips ing to work are chatting. ever, modern earplugs for musi­ on everything from how to out what ‘I think it must cians (or music fans) can filter out make grain-free fishfingers to people are be dreadful for or ‘occlude’ certain tones that cause where to find chemical-free saying, and some people damage while still allowing the user cleaning products. I have been because it can to hear and enjoy music. uncomfort­ d r i v e t h e m Midge says: ‘Maybe you don’t need