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Simple precautions can prevent hearing loss
ROCKVILLE, Md.
Although summer is a time for
~fun with friends and for family
celebrations, many summertime
activities can endanger your hear
ing health. The American Speech-
Language-Hearing association
(ASHA) warns that exposure to
extremely loud noises, such as
lawn mowers, fireworks, rock con
certs, power boating, and other
loud recreational activities can
.‘permanently damage hearing.
i~ “Noise-induced hearing loss is
_usually gradual and painless, but
“unfortunately, permanent,” said
£¥icGladstone, Ph.D., ASHA’s as
.Sociate director for audiology.
“¥However, even a one-time expo
spure to extremely loud noise, like
gufirecracker for example, can
¥Ppause permanent hearing loss.”
§aKnowing what noises can
Summer offers variety for better health
. W7o 2 T
The old saying may be that an
réippleaday keeps the doctor away,
ut the real prescription for bet
r health and nutrition may be a
“Mmango on Monday, tomatoes on
ITuesday and some watermelon
i,on Wednesday. Why? Recent
studies have emphasized that di
i.etary variety may be a key factor
=in determining the healthfulness
- of your eating habits. !
¢ With summer’s bounty of fresh,
ttocally-grown fruits and veg-
Detables, there’s no better time to
zincrease the amount and types of
rproduce you eat. Not only will
nyou gain wonderful flavor in your
diet, but fresh, in-season fruits
tand vegetables will provide the
ngreatest amounts of the cancer
fighting nutrients in plants
known as phytochemicals.
i~ Knowing a variety of fruits and
\vegetables is good for you isn’t
‘necessarily incentive enough for
|some people to take the risk and
‘buy less familiar items. One
'simple way to expand your culi
'nary horizons without a lot of
'time and effort is to add unfamil
‘iar fruits and vegetables to some
Help with health insurance
For better or worse, staying healthy
today means taking care of body,
mind—and insurance company. Learn
ing to work with the ins and outs of your
health insurance can be the key to get
ting the treatment you need. Often the
place to start is with the person at your
place of empioyment who deals directly
with the insurance company. This per
son typically has the inside contacts to
get the information you need, including
the names of people with power to help
you. Before you call, organize all the
materials you have to support the re
quest you are making. Also, keep a
written record of the names of the in
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ADULT SERVICES AVAILABLE 4 -
cause damage is important. Pro
longed or repeated exposure to
any noise above 85 decibels can
cause hearing loss. Personal ste
reos may account for the high
est sources of noise-induced
hearing loss—sound from per
sonal stereos has been measured
at levels as high as 110 decibels.
Permanent hearing loss can oc
cur from exposure to impulse
noise at or above 140 decibels,
this includes some rock concerts
and firecrackers.
To protect your hearing this
summer, ASHA recommends the
following tips: .
*Wear hearing protectors such
asear plugs during fireworks and
when attending concerts. Using
cotton in your ears does not block
sound.
¢Turn down the volume on ste
of your mealtime favorites. By
doing so, you can easily add excit
ing new flavor to dishes that may
have become unexciting or rou
tine.
Summer fruit salads are often
made up of chunks of better
known melons like cantaloupe,
watermelon and honeydew. Dare
to be different and add chunks of
succulent Persian melon to the
usual mix. Thisgray-green melon
looks like cantaloupe, but is
larger, rounder and more finely
netted, with flesh that is firmer
and deeper orange. A ripe Per
sian melon should weigh about
five pounds, have good aroma and
ends that give slightly to gentle
pressure.
For extra fiber, vitamins and
minerals, you may have switched
from iceberg to romaine lettuce
in your salads. Add even more
nutritional value, texture and a
dose of peppery flavor when you
mix in one or more of the many
other lettuce varieties now avail
able at your supermarket or
farmer’s stand. Arugula, water
cress and radicchio are just a few
N Synergic Health Centre
“ Gerald D. Oliver, M.D.
Internal Medicine and Pediatric Medicine
surance representatives and their de
partments with whom you speak. All
insurance companies have set appeal
procedures. If your request is rejected at
first, be polite—but persistent!
For all your health care needs, call
SYNERGIC HEALTH CENTRE at 648-
3500. We represent a modern concept in
health care in this age of specialization. We
treat pneumonia, allergies, cuts, burns,
diabetes, congestive heart failure and asth
ma attacks. Located at 1055-A Silver Bluff
Road, our office hours are by appointment.
When you're going the distance...you
shouldn’t have to go it alone. Let’s work
together!
reos and personal listening sys
tems.
*Use hearing protection when
engaging in noise-producing ac
tivities, such as lawn mowing,
power boating, using power tools,
or other loud household appli
ances.
eLimit the length of time of
iexposure to loud noise during your
summer festivities.
Twenty-eight million Ameri
cans have a hearing loss, ac
cording to ASHA. Nearly half
are the result of damage from
excessive noise. Individuals with
a hearing loss or who suspect
they might have a hearing loss
should consult a certified audi
ologist. Audiologists are hear
ing health care professionals
who specialize in preventing,
identifying and assessing hear
varieties that can turn a tired
summer standard into a warm
weather classic.
Summer’s variety for better
health
Instead of bringing the same
potato salad or cole slaw to your
next barbecue, take advantage of
the season and grill a combina
tion of sweet peppers, par-boiled
leeks and summer squash to make
acolorful, great-tasting side dish.
Toss the sliced peppers and
squash with a bit of olive oil and
rosemary and grill over medium
hot coals for 15 - 20 minutes. Add
the leeks to the grill for the last
five minutes of cooking time.
When making summer pies,
fruit tarts or shortcakes, do you
reach for the same fruits each
time? Make your next mealtime
finalereally grand by experiment
ing with a different fresh fruit in
each recipe, or by mixing a new
one in with the old favorites.
Peach-blueberry pie, apple-plum
cobbler and mango fruit tart will
wake up your taste buds and con
tribute to your diet each fruit’s
unique cancer-fighting
ing disabilities as well as pro
viding audiologic treatment in
cluding hearing aids and other
assistive listening devices.
For a free brochure about noise
and hearing loss or for referral to
a certified audiologist in your
area, call ASHA’s HELPLINE at
1-800-638-8255 or write to ASHA,
Information Resource Center,
10801 Rockville Pike, Rockville,
MD 20852. ;
ASHA is the national profes
sional, scientific and credentialing
association for more than 87,000
audiologists, speech-language
pathologists, and speech, lan
guage and hearing scientists.
Speech-language pathologists are
the professionals who identify,
assess and treat speech and lan
guage problems including swal
lowing disorders.
phytochemicals.
Fresh fruits and vegetables
have been recognized as a vitally
‘mportant part of our diet, con
tributing nutrients, fiber, cancer
protective phytochemicalsand an
intriguing variety of tastes and
textures. Health authorities, in
cluding the American Institute
for Cancer Research and the Na
tional Cancer Institute advise
eating atleast five servings daily.
That’s not a hard thing to do with
the many produce options that
have recently been introduced by
specialty growers and grocery re
tailers. Whenever you think
you’ve run out of fruits and veg
etables to try, just think about
this. Produce industry experts
report that of the 20,000 to 80,000
edible plants available in the
world, Americans are exposed to
less than 250. So, get going.
You've got a lot of great-tastes
ahead of you!
For a free brochure with hints
how you can feast on fruits and
vegetables for lower cancer risk,
write AICR, Dept. FF, Washing
ton, D.C. 20069.
T
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~ | .f
POST-TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER
“I can’t get it off my mind!”
Have you experienced a traumatic event?
* troubling memories of the event
* unpleasant dreams or nightmares of the event
* emotional numbness
* difficulty falling or staying asleep
* irritability or outbursts of anger
* difficulty concentrating
* jumpiness with sudden noises or movements
* afeeling that something bad is going to happen
* excessive worry ;
We are studying investigational medication for post traumatic stress
disorder. Participants must be 18 or older and medically stable. All
research care is provided at no cost to those who qualify. For more
information, please call our 24-hour message line. T
(N
Medical College of Georgia ) mm
Department of Psychiatry and Health Behavior \\NGRARS j
(706) 721-7835 Lo’ T 4
¥ i
00 tO us r your
next %tmt/y reunton.
Group Rates » Complimentary Hot Breakfast Bar
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AN
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Leaving For The Summer?
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¢No Credit Check e E-Z Payments
3108 Peach Orchard Rd. 13th Street at Jones
796-8599 722-1664
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AUGUSTA FOCUS JUNE 12,1997
11A