by Dr Mecherl Lim MD (MA) Naturopath (ND) , Holistic Kinesiology
Two things have become increasingly apparent:
We are exposed to a more complex array of toxic compounds in our air, water, and food than ever before.
It has been recognized that an individual’s ability to detoxify or bio-transform and excrete toxic substances is of critical importance to overall health.
Detoxification (Detox) in the context of alternative medicine consists of the approach to rid the body of accumulated harmful substances that allegedly exert undesirable effects on health in the short and long term.
Smartphone users spend an average of two to four hours per day hunched over, reading e-mails, sending texts or checking social media sites. That’s 700 to 1,400 hours per year people are putting stress on their spines, according to the research. High-schoolers might be at the worst risk. They could conceivably spend an additional 5,000 hours in this position.
Recent research, done by Dr. Kenneth Hansraj, chief of spine surgery at New York Spine Surgery and Rehabilitation Medicine, suggests that when you have continuous and aggressive strain on the neck, you get wear and tear on the spine, straightening the natural curve of the neck and placing the discs under abnormal pressure. This increased pressure can create tears within the disc, resulting in a herniation of the disc itself and subsequent pain and neurological symptoms, like neck, upper back and arm pain, pins and needles and numbness. Some people may call this a “slipped disc” or a “pinched nerve”.
If you suspect that you have a pinched nerve in your neck, it is important to consult with your chiropractor. Some pinched nerves can lead to other, more serious conditions so it is a good idea to have a chiropractor evaluate you and monitor your recovery.
Some of the worse culprits of “text neck” are young people. With this excessive stress in the neck, we are starting to see young people needing spine care from a really early age. It is very important that parents start showing guidance and leading by example.
While it is nearly impossible to avoid the technologies that cause these issues, individuals should make an effort to look at their phones with a neutral spine and to avoid spending hours each day hunched over. Here are a few tips on how to better manage your neck and your smart phone use:
• Hold your phone at a proper reading angle, rather than looking down. Your phone should be held directly in front of your mouth, a few inches across from your chin. Your eyes should look down rather than having to bend your neck down. Your shoulders should feel relaxed while you’re typing. Download a Text Neck application for your smart device allowing you to monitor your head tilt whilst using your device.
• Use a text-dictation program if you have one. Hold the phone in front of your mouth.
• Set a timer and take breaks.
• If using your device in bed, avoid flexing your neck too far forward with pillows that are stacked too high, thereby decreasing the stress on your neck.
• Build strength and range of motion. In your workout routine, include exercises and stretches that strengthen your neck and upper back.
• Drink water and maintain hydration.
• Use other forms of communication. Try the “old school” method of calling your family and friends or seeing them in person to chat.
By Poh Boon Fong Audiologist, B. Audiology (Hons) UKM, MASH (M’sia), AAA (USA)
Prevalence of Hearing Loss
As many as 3 of every 1,000 babies are born with hearing loss and another 3 will acquire hearing impairment in early childhood due to illness, infection or accident. Babies can’t tell you if they can’t hear. Babies who do not hear our voices, a lullaby or a nursery rhyme may have problems learning to talk. As for the elderly population, about 1 in 3 individuals over the age of 65 years old have some degree of hearing loss.
What is Cochlear Implant Programme?
Cochlear implant is an alternative which provides greater access of hearing to those suffering from severe to profound hearing loss. A cochlear implant is an electronic device that restores partial hearing to the deaf. It is surgically implanted in the inner ear and activated by a device worn outside the ear. Unlike a hearing aid, it does not make sound louder or clearer. Instead, the device bypasses damaged parts of the auditory system and directly stimulates the hearing nerve, allowing individuals who are severely hearing impaired to receive sound. Cochlear Implant Programme involves the expertise of an Ear, Nose & Throat Surgeon, audiologist and speech-language therapist/auditory verbal therapist and other allied health professionals such as occupational therapist and psychologist.
Who can benefit from a cochlear implant?
Individuals who are
severely or profoundly deaf
who receive little or no benefit from hearing aids
who communicate through hearing and/or speech-reading
who want to be part of the hearing world
are the best candidates for cochlear implantation.
LSC Cochlear Implant programme
The Cochlear Implant programme was initiated by LohGuanLye SPECIALISTS CENTRE (LSC) in 2005. It was then, the only centre in the northern region providing cochlear implant surgery including the full rehabilitation programme.
Cochlear implant provides a sound beginning to the deaf children and new light of hope for the deaf adults. This programme entails a lot of planning, counselling, long rehabilitation process following the operation, hard work, dedication and commitment from the team.
Since then, the LSC cochlear implant programme has successfully helped 62 children and 4 adults to hear again. We have conducted 84 surgeries and rehabilitation programmes with 48 unilateral and 18 bilateral cochlear implant recipients.
Helen Keller once said,
“Deafness is worse than blindness.”
She felt she could compensate for her lack of eyesight by learning Braille, but there was no getting around her inability to hear. She found deafness to be a much greater handicap than blindness.
Our breakthroughs…
We have the first bilateral cochlear implant recipient in Malaysia.
We have the oldest cochlear implant recipient in Malaysia who was implanted when he was 78 years old.
Our youngest patient was implanted at the age of 13 months
LSC Cochlear Implant Parents’ Support Group
The LSC Cochlear Implant Parents’ Support Group was established in 2006, to serve as a platform for sharing information and experiences among parents and professionals. LSC is offering a comprehensive cochlear implant programme which focus on the success of the children by working closely with their family members. With this support group, we hope to bring involved parents together to share their experiences, success stories, and discuss concerns or problems with the team.
We have also conducted educational sessions and workshops for parents to learn about devices trouble-shooting, home practice, behavioural training, welfare card application and various parent-child development.
Current situation in the country
There is a lack of awareness among the public that hearing impairment can be now surgically treated.
Early diagnosis and intervention is crucial for the success of cochlear implant patients. Therefore, patients should not wait for too long without getting any help. For example, the golden age to learn language is from 0-3 years old. Children implanted after 3 years old might have developed behavioural problems, cognitive and speech language delayed.
Adults who acquire hearing impairment due to accident, aging or medication were not aware that cochlear implant will be able to restore their hearing so that they can be functional in society again.
LohGuanLye SPECIALISTS CENTRE (LSC) will continue to provide more speech and hearing services to the needy community in the hope that those with hearing and speech problems will be detected early and receive appropriate intervention. Without appropriate opportunities to learn language, children who are hard of hearing or with speech disorders will fall behind their hearing and speaking peers in language, cognition, and social-emotional development. Such delays may result in academic under-achievement, lower educational level, unemployment or lower lifetime earning and thus they will be unable to contribute optimally to the socio-economy of the country. We hope the government and NGOs will consider funding the Cochlear Implant Programme and subsidise the cost of hearing devices because the money needed to support a hearing impaired child in the long run, is much more expensive. We urge the government to revise our educational programme to help these children to learn better in the mainstream class. We also hope the society will help these children to grow and be successful in life. Together, we provide the gift of hearing to the community.
Cochlear Implant 1. The Sound Processor captures sounds and converts them into digital signals. 2. The Processor sends digital signals to Internal Implant. 3. The implant turns the signals to electrical impulses and sends them to an array inside the Cochlea. 4. The Electrodes stimulate hearing nerve, and the signal is sent to the brain.
EZ MALAYSIA.NEWS 