Hearing health
Were you (or are you still) an avid rock concert-goer? Hopefully you stay away from the speakers. Sadly, a rigorous study by the British Medical Journal between 2000 and 2021, involving around 19,000 people globally, discovered more than one billion young adults could be damaging their hearing through listening to loud music and using headphones.
Mild hearing loss
Mild hearing loss can be common as people age, but can have an impact on their quality of life. People may struggle to hear others in loud environments or on the ‘phone. An audiologist can help in preventing, identifying and treating hearing problems in children and adults.
Prevention
Over-the-ear headphones are actually better than earbuds as they give more distance between loud noises and the eardrum. Booming music can damage hearing over time so, at the risk of being a killjoy, turn down the volume! It is also a good idea to wear earplugs when regularly using power tools, lawnmowers or leaf blowers.
Researchers have discovered that the use of cotton buds to remove earwax can harm our ears. They can push earwax deeper into the ear canal. Trained ear nurses can safely and gently remove earwax by micro-suction and see clearly into the ear canal as they work. Swimming is a wonderfully beneficial form of exercise but water can, of course, enter the ear canal and cause bacterial problems if it sits there for a long while. The simple solutions include buying earplugs especially for swimmers, tilting your head to one side so that the water drains out, or carefully using a small towel to soak it up.
Sign language
A fruity summer
This summer there will be a tangy trend in jewellery, and it’s fruit. Look out for colourful, fruit-shaped earrings such as melon slices, lemons, strawberries or juicy cherries. The earrings are stud, drop or dangle and can be custom or handmade; you may even find iconic kiwifruit amongst the collections. This is a fun, creative and adventurous way to jazz up your summer clothes this season.
