| Loud noises create hearing loss
Dear Dr. Gott: I have had the big "T" noise in my ears for many years. I attribute it to not using protection against loud noises when I was young and stupid -- the big guns on the ship when I was in the Navy, hunting and many hours of firearms practice. I tried ginger treatment for a number of months, and it has not helped me. The twice-a-day capsules gave me heartburn, so I quit taking them. Can you help me? Dear Reader: Alas, no. Here's why. Our hearing mechanism contains "hair cells" that are attached to the inner ear. Each cell has a hair on one end that is submerged in fluid. When a noise is transmitted to the ear, we hear it because certain cells are activated, depending on pitch, and we can perceive music, speech and so forth. Unfortunately, if the noise is loud -- on the order of a subway train or more, the ears' fluid vibrates violently.
Get smart: Lose the heart myths
Test your "heart smarts" with Dr. Molly Szerlip, a cardiologist at the Medical College of Georgia Cardiovascular Center. Myth: Breast cancer is the No. 1 killer of women. Truth: Heart disease — not breast cancer — is No. 1. More than 500,000 women die every year from heart disease, stroke and other heart-related conditions. Myth: Heart disease is a man's disease. Truth: Heart disease kills more women than men. Studies show women are less likely than men to survive heart attacks. Perhaps women aren't as likely to seek or receive treatment, or their smaller hearts and arteries make them more susceptible. Myth: Women and men experience the same symptoms when having a heart attack. Truth: Common signs in men include pain, squeezing or pressure in the chest, profuse sweating, pain or numbness in the left arm, fatigue, feelings of indigestion or heartburn, or nausea and vomiting.
Relief from Heartburn without the Risk
(ARA) - If you're one of the more than 100 million Americans who suffer from symptoms such as heartburn, nausea, flatulence or burping and irregular bowel movements, maybe it's time to take a natural approach to digestive health.In addition to causing discomfort that can range from annoying to debilitating, digestive disorders keep your system from absorbing and assimilating nutrients, which means you're not getting adequate protein, fats, minerals, vitamins and antioxidants which your body needs to sustain optimal health.Digestonal is a natural digestive aid that relies on time-tested traditional remedies like artichoke leaf extract, mastic gum, DigeZyme and Lactospore to boost the body's ability to absorb and assimilate nutrients without harmful side effects. .
Nigeria: Militancy - Echoes From the Niger Delta
THIS week I present one of many testimonies that constitute the realities of living out one's life in the rural Niger Delta where hunger, hopelessness and anger have defaced and replaced the ancient traditions of a dignified people who once knew peace and a predictable existence. Under the Coconut tree: IT is our last patrol for the week having put in six days of vigil, reconnaissance, engaging in manoeuvres and skirmishes with the enemy. Whose enemy really? These soldiers are dispensable pawns trussed and thrust into an alien territory by the policy makers of Nigeria to protect interests in a property appropriated legally but unjustly. They are not our enemies but victims as we are though of different circumstances. On several occasions, they have displayed camaraderie and exchanged professional courtesies; our commanders have reciprocated so that every platoon knows first to define the 'enemy' before engagement.
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