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CHECK HEARING LOSS DURING BACK-TO-SCHOOL CHECK-UPS

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Contributed by: Corey Drent on 7/21/2009

Giving Sound Advice to Parents --
CHECK OUT HEARING LOSS DURING BACK-TO-SCHOOL CHECK-UPS
With one in eight students now suffering from hearing loss, health advocate Kathlyn Maguire is giving sound advice to parents to include hearing screenings in their back-to-school health checks.
Maguire is founder and president of Empowerment Through Hearing, a not-for-profit organization dedicated to raising awareness that Noise Induced Hearing Loss (NIHL) is epidemic. She points to the fact that 35 million Americans now suffer from hearing loss, many as a result of high volume in headphones and iPods as well as exposure to other loud noise at concerts, construction sites and even movie theaters.
With normal conversation at 60 decibels - the measuring units for sound - parents and teachers alike should make hearing health part of young Americans' annual health regimen.
"Most people don't realize that noise can cause permanent hearing loss," Maguire explained. "Prolonged exposure to any noise at or above 85 decibels can cause gradual hearing loss. At 110 decibels and one minute of exposure, the hearing loss can be permanent, but also preventable."
Ms. Maguire wants students to protect their ears and know which noises can cause damage. She wants them to wear ear plugs when they are involved in a loud activity.
How loud is too loud? Among those noises causing damage are:
• At 105 decibels, personal stereo system at maximum level
• At 110 decibels, chain saws and rock concerts
• At 120 decibels, ambulance sirens
• At 150 decibels, firecrackers
The American Academy of Audiology backs her up and has begun a "turn it to the left" (the volume dial, that is) awareness campaign in hopes of protecting current and future generations from unwittingly damaging their hearing.
According to Dr. Thomas Balkany, Hotchkiss Professor and Chairman of the Ear, Nose and Throat Department as well as Professor of Neurological Surgery and Pediatrics at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, student hearing loss is a growing epidemic in 21st Century America.
"Hearing loss will profoundly affect your life forever, but it can often be prevented if you know how to take precautions," he noted. "Hearing loss is the most prevalent chronic defect in newborns. It is no longer a condition of aging. It can happen to anyone at any age. But every person has the ability to do something about it: By reducing noise, you can reduce hearing loss. It's that simple."
Those precautions include eliminating elevated sounds and high volume iPods and music players, close proximity to amplifiers at concerts, IV antibiotics, high-dose pain relievers, quinine or aspirin, viral infections and head traumas.
All of these can cause permanent damage, noted Dr. Balkany who conferred with Ms. Maguire when she commissioned the book, "Listen Up!," an entertaining piece with graphics and amusing dialogue and trivia questions to educate kids about the ear and causes/prevention of hearing loss.
"Much like using sun block to prevent skin cancer down the road, protecting yourself from loud noises can greatly protect your hearing in the future," explained Maguire who underwent surgery for a cochlear implant several years ago.
"We could all carry foamies - or ear plugs - with us to concerts, movies or on airplanes," she concluded. "Without hearing, people can't communicate with the other people in their lives. Teachers, if you have a student who doesn't follow directions, maybe there is a hearing problem. Parents, make certain your children have annual hearing tests. And students, don't wait until you have persistent ringing in your years to turn the volume down on your iPods and MP3 players. Let this summer and the new school year mark the beginning of good hearing health for all American students."
More information on Ms. Maguire and Empowerment Through Hearing as well as excerpts from "Listen Up!" can found at www.hearingconnection.org. More information on hearing loss: www.nidcd.nih.gov.
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