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Take Care of Your Ears:
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Your ears are delicate organs, and you only get one set. Once damage
occurs it is almost always permanent.
If you don't take care now you will develop a permanent hearing loss
that may otherwise have been prevented.
There are two primary causes of permanent hearing loss. By far excessive
exposure to loud noise is the most common. The second is the intrusion
of foreign objects.
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Advice
and Preventing Hearing Loss:
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Be aware of loud
noise on the job. The sound level must not exceed 85dB (about
the level of loud conversation) for an 8 hour period of time.
If it does, reduce the noise level or wear ear protection. As
the noise increases in 5 dB steps the amount of time spent
exposed to it must decrease by half. So 90 dB is safe for only 4
hours, 95 dB only 2 hours, ect. |
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Reduce the
volume of your television, home stereo or Walkman. Don’t turn
up the volume too loud and take special care if you use
headphones as they direct the sound into the ear canal. You must also take care when using the car stereo.
It is common to turn up the volume in the car because of noise
from the engine and the wind as you drive. |
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Car stereos can
be very dangerous. Don't fall into
the trap of the "BOOM BOOM CARS", like the ones you
hear a block away. Every one of those drivers WILL develop
a hearing loss by the time they are 45. We see them every day in
our practice often starting as young as 25. |
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Wear ear
protection
if you go to rock concerts or night clubs. Give your ears a break
part way through the night, and do not stand too close to loudspeakers.
One normal rock concert (about 120 dB) will age your
hearing by 5 years. |
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Wear headphones
if you use noisy equipment like chain saws, lawnmowers, drills, etc. |
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Do not use
Q-Tips, they can pack the wax and cause a blockage or in severe
cases force it onto your eardrum. They also will increase the production of wax.
A little known side effect from using cotton swabs is they can
remove the thin protective layer of oil from the canal. This can
dry the ear canal making them itch and eventually allowing bacteria
to form. |
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Then there is
the case of the young woman who was cleaning her ears and
answered the phone with the cotton swab sticking out of her
canal forcing it through the eardrum. Few things are more painful
than that, it has been compared to third degree burn. |
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Do not put keys,
tooth picks, fingers or other small objects in your ears. They can also push wax
onto or through your eardrum and can damage the sensitive skin
that lines the ear canal. |
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Dirty water
can cause external ear infections also known as swimmers ear, which may result in hearing
impairment if left untreated. Swimming in cold water with out
the use of water plugs can cause Exotosis, a bony growth deep in
the ear canal. |
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Warning Signs:
Here are a few warning signs you should watch out
for if you are exposed to loud noise.
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Notice that your
hearing has been reduced for a short time. It may seem only
temporary but is the beginning of a permanent loss. |
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Hear ringing
sounds in your ears after noise exposure. Since there are no
pain receptors in the the inner ear it's the bodies way of
screaming QUIET!!! |
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Experience an ear
ache. |
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Become use to loud sounds so they
don't seem to bother you. |
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Notice you have become
(more) sensitive to loud noise. |
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