Reader\'s Digest Canada - 05.2020

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Sudden Hearing

Loss: Don’t Delay

Going to the Doctor

It’s not unusual for

hearing to decline grad-

ually with age. But if

you notice a change in

one ear over less than

three days, get it

checked as soon as pos-

sible. It could be some-

thing temporary, such

as an earwax buildup,

but there’s a chance it’s

sudden sensorineural

hearing loss, which can

become permanent.

“Sensorineural” means

that something has

gone wrong with the

inner ear, and it occurs

most among people in

their 50s and 60s. Many

cases don’t have a clear

cause but can be treated

with steroids. “The ear-

lier a treatment is begun,

the better your chances

that your hearing comes

back,” says a newly

updated guideline from

the American Academy

of Otolaryngology–

Head and Neck Surgery

Foundation.

The Fast-Acting Benefits of Cleaner Air

Air pollution affects nearly everyone in the world.

Children, seniors and lower-income people (who

often live in places with poorer air quality) tend to

suffer the most. Although it’s hardly news that reduc-

ing air contamination improves public health, the

size and speed of those improvements can be sur-

prisingly dramatic. Analysts based in Germany,

Korea, South Africa and elsewhere recently

reviewed what’s happened in cases where pollu-

tion has decreased.

For instance, when Atlanta hosted the 1996 Olym-

pic Games, parts of the city were closed to private

cars for 17 days, and 24-hour public transportation

was made available instead. The goal was to help

athletes and spectators get to events on time, but the

air quality improved during that period, as well. In

the next four weeks, kids’ medical visits for asthma

decreased by over 40 per cent. A similar effect was

recorded during the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

Another example: in 1990, Hong Kong passed

stricter regulations for the content of fuel oil used

for power plants and cars. The annual rates of

respiratory and cardiovascular deaths then

dropped by two and four per cent, respectively.

Overall life expectancy lengthened.

The economic benefits

of an air-quality interven-

tion usually outweigh the

costs, the authors said,

whether it’s banning public

smoking, reducing traffic,

expanding green spaces or

generating clean energy.

“Air pollution is largely an

avoidable health risk,” they

emphasized.

reader’s digest

24 may 2020