Food For Your Ears

Oily fish including salmon, tuna, sardines, etc. are chock full of Omega 3 Fats and Vitamin D! Studies have shown that adults who ate fish twice a week had a 42% lower chance of facing age-related hearing loss than non-fish eaters. In the recipe below, the chili powder will also act as a circulatory stimulant further enhancing hearing.

Sweet and Savory Salmon

(a Nurture Your Family Recipe)

• 5-6 oz of salmon per person
• Chili Powder
• Brown Sugar
• Salt and pepper (optional)
• Oil or cooking spray

 Directions:

1. Let fish sit out at room temperature for about 15 minutes.
2. Sprinkle chili powder on each piece.  Add  1-2 tsp. of brown sugar  per filet using the back of the spoon to press into the fish.  
3. Heat a  pan over medium heat.  Coat the pan with cooking spray or oil.
4. Cook skin-side up for 90 seconds to 2 minutes, skin side down for 90 seconds to 2 minutes, and on each of the sides for 30-60 seconds**.
5.  Remove from heat and let rest for 5 minutes.

**Cooking times vary depending on the thickness of the cut; the internal temperature should reach at least 140 degrees.

Sofia 2013 Deafalympics

The 2013 Deafalympics are scheduled to start in less than 24 hours in Bulgaria.  Events will include Bowling, Wrestling, Table Tennis and many others similar to the Olympics!  For a complete list of events visit www.sofia2013.com

The Summer and Winter Deaflympics are among the world's fastest growing sports events. More than 4,000 deaf athletes and officials from 77 nations participated in the 21st Summer Deaflympics in Taipei, Chinese Taipei, in September 2009. 

The games are built on 85 years of tradition. Organized since 1924 by the Comité International des Sports des Sourds, CISS (The International Committee of Sports for the Deaf), the first Summer Deaflympics were held in Paris. Winter Deaflympics were added in 1949. The Summer and Winter Deaflympics are sanctioned by the International Olympic Committee, IOC.

The need for separate games for deaf athletes is not just evident in the numbers of participants. Deaf athletes are distinguished from all others in their special communication needs on the sports field, as well as in the social interaction that is an equally vital part of the games.

Coverage of the games can be found at http://www.h3.tv/shows.php?show_id=6

I am going to try and check it out.  If you watch, we'd love to hear your thoughts and comments!

Have a great weekend!!!!

What is Pulsatile Tinnitus?

Pulsatile Tinnitus is a rhythmical noise that usually has the same rate as the heart.

The most common causes of pulsatile tinnitus include:

• Conductive hearing loss. This type of hearing loss intensifies internal head noises — sounds such as breathing, chewing, and blood flowing through the ear. Conductive hearing loss makes it easier to hear blood flowing through two large blood vessels that travel near to each ear. 
•  Carotid artery disease. The accumulation of fatty buildup (plaque) inside the carotid arteries can create turbulent blood flow. This can cause a pulsating sound.
•  High blood pressure. When blood pressure is high, blood flow through the carotid artery is more likely to be turbulent. That turbulence generates the pulsatile tinnitus.
•  Blood vessel disorders. Many blood vessel disorders can cause pulsatile tinnitus. These include an abnormal connection between an artery and vein, twisted arteries, or a benign blood vessel tumor behind the eardrum.
•  Ear muscle disorders. Tiny little muscles that attach to the bones inside the ear can sometimes go into spasms, and this can cause pulsatile tinnitus.

Ear anatomy and hearing Conductive hearing loss makes it easier to hear blood flowing through two large blood vessels that travel through each ear. These are the carotid artery and the jugular vein, which circulate blood to and from the brain.

Most of the time, pulsatile tinnitus is nothing to worry about. If it doesn’t go away on its own or becomes really bothersome, talk to your doctor.

Your doctor will likely examine your ears and listen to the blood flow through the arteries in your neck. He or she will listen for an unusual sound that blood makes when it rushes past an obstruction. If your doctor hears this sound, you’ll likely need a test to look for a narrowing or malformation in your carotid artery — and possibly surgery to correct the problem. Otherwise, you may need a hearing test or other additional testing.

Top 20 Deaf Friendly Cities in the U.S.

We are getting addicted to Top 10 lists and found that there is actually a website, of course, devoted to identifying top 10 of everything!  Top 10 min golf courses, top 10 diners - everything you could ever want!

A couple of weeks ago we found and republished the list of the Top 10 noisiest cities around the world. Today, we are presenting the Top 20 Deaf Friendly U.S. Cities - good information to know as you make your late Summer and Fall travel plans.

Here is a graphic which lists the Top cities by region:

Deaf411 surveyed 3,700 deaf Americans by asking if they considered the current city they live in is “Deaf-Friendly.” The survey also included questions about accessible recreational activities, community events, resources in these cities for deaf people, etc. 

An analysis of the data indicated that there are common characteristics of a deaf friendly city. For example, the presence of a nearby school for the deaf with many local residents.  Another characteristic is that businesses, hospitals and emergency workers are sensitive to the communication needs of deaf residents.

Availability of captioned movies and sign language interpreters serve as a good marker of a deaf friendly city although there are cities with a large population of deaf residents with inadequate accessible services. 

The following summary graphic for the West region shows a simple checklist of service availability in select cities for the deaf populations which helped determine the final top 20 list:

West	Denver, CO	Fremont, CA	Los Angeles, CA	Seattle, WA	Tucson, AZ
Education
Deaf residential school
Deaf day school
Mainstreamed Deaf Program
Recreation
Deaf sports team/events
Deaf Club
Deaf Coffee/Chat social
Festivals/Trade Shows
Deaf Senior activities
Captioned movies
Accessibility
Interpreted events
Religion services
Enough interpreters
Community
City/state government sensitive to deaf needs
City prepared help deaf in emergency
Local hearing good attitude to deaf
Resources
Employment or VR service for deaf
Social service agency help deaf
Local deaf directory/phone book/website
NOTES        Yes (one or many). All data is based on survey responses, and is verified for accuracy whenever possible. Some responses may be considered as opinion rather than factual.