SUMMERTIME, and the noise can be deafening. So says the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association in cautioning that loud noises, from fireworks to power boats, can damage hearing.
Permanent hearing loss can occur from prolonged or repeated exposure to sounds at 85 decibels and higher, including some rock concerts, stereo headphones, jet engines, lawn mowers, motorcycles, chainsaws and power boats.
As many as 28-million Americans suffer hearing loss, about half of them as a result of damage from excessive noise.
Noise is hazardous when:
-- You have to raise your voice to be heard.
-- You can't hear someone who is less than 2 feet away.
-- Others' speech sounds muffled or dull after you leave a noisy environment.
-- You have pain or ringing in your ears after exposure to noise.
ASHA represents more than 100,000 audiologists, speech pathologists and scientists. For more information, call ASHA's Action Center toll free at 1-800-638-8255 or go to its Web site at www.asha.org
A FREE PROGRAM for people who care for a family member with Alzheimer's disease is scheduled this month.
Practical tips to help caregivers understand the disease's progression, information on current research, and strategies for communicating and managing troublesome behavior will be shared with participants. Information about resources in the community also will be provided.
The session is 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. May 20 at Freedom Square, 7800 Liberty Lane, in Seminole, and is sponsored by the University of South Florida Suncoast Gerontology Center.
For advance registration or information, call the center toll free at 1-800-633-4563.
IF EATING FIVE servings of fruits and vegetables a day seems hard to do, nine will be almost impossible.
But the National Cancer Institute wants men to increase their consumption to nine servings a day and is launching a publicity campaign to reach them. Although past campaigns have touted five servings a day, health experts say five is the bare minimum. U.S. dietary guidelines have always called for men to eat nine servings.
Many haven't gotten the message. A recent NCI survey found that 97 percent of men don't have a clue about the recommendation of nine and the vast majority think four servings is enough for good health. The average man eats only three.
While men are the focus of the campaign, guidelines call for women to eat seven servings a day and children at least five. More than one-third of the U.S. population eats only one or two servings.
The good news is that servings are smaller than you think: a 6-ounce glass of fruit or vegetable juice, a medium-size orange or a portion of salad greens about the size of your fist or a baseball.
The payoff? A Harvard School of Public Health study of 120,000 healthcare workers found those who had very high intake of fruits and vegetables had the lowest risk for heart disease. Each additional serving may cut the risk another 4 percent.
