Noise

Noise is one of the leading causes of hearing loss in the 28 million people with impaired hearing in the United States, and health statistics suggest a trend that the incidence of hearing loss is occurring at younger and younger ages. If you have to shout to be heard three feet away, then the noise is too loud and is damaging your hearing (Center for hearing and communication, 2012).

I chose noise as a stressor because the school I am currently working at in the West Chicago suburb is located a block away from a railroad, and about three blocks apart from the intersection of FOUR railroads. I talked to some student’s parents about any way they have been affected because of that loud noise, and no one has been affected in any way, maybe they are used to it, as I already am because when I am in the classroom I don’t notice the train is passing by. One dad, who works for a landscaping company, told me they have soundproof windows at home, with specific thickness and some separation in between two layers in each window. He also told me people who have enough land can use some noise barriers, like earth berms, walls, fencing, or landscaping.

Noise is one of the leading causes of hearing loss in the 28 million people with impaired hearing in the United States, and health statistics suggest a trend that the incidence of hearing loss is occurring at younger and younger ages (Center for hearing and communication, 2012).

I found that noise can be related to high blood pressure, peptic ulcers, cardiovascular deaths, strokes, suicides, degradation of the immune system (Center for hearing and communication, 2012), language acquisition, reading and learning skills, and social interactions(The Franklin Institute Online, 2004), like an increase in aggression and a decrease in cooperation.

In New York City, there are thousands of children attending to schools near elevated train tracks, and studies have found that some preschoolers attending day-care centers, near this noisy area, did poorer on tests on psychomotor skills. After some studies showing that children were being affected in their reading and learning abilities, the Transit Authority was convinced by parents and local public officials to install rubber pads on the tracks to lower the din, and the Board of Education installed acoustic ceilings in the noisy rooms. The result was a drop in the decibel level (Center for hearing and communication, 2012), which helped children to improve their learning and reading abilities.

The Center for Hearing and Communication (2012) establishes that there are some noises that can be avoided, like:

NOISY TOYS: Certain rattles, squeaky toys, toy telephones, and musical toys measure over 110 decibels (comparable to power tools). Children play with these toys close to their ears and manufacturers do not warn parents that sounds emitted from toys may be damaging to hearing. Parents must listen to toys before buying them and if the toy sounds too loud, don't buy it!

VIDEO ARCADES: Noise levels at video arcades can exceed 110 decibels (the level of factory machinery). Parents should limit their children's time at these arcades.

COMPUTER GAMES & STEREO SYSTEMS: Children should be cautioned to keep the volume down. Some systems are as high as 135 decibels (the level of a jackhammer).

PERSONAL STEREO SYSTEMS WITH HEADPHONES: These systems have been known to produce sound levels as loud as 105 - 110 decibels. Children, who listen to music this loud, for several hours a day, face an inevitable hearing loss.

LOUD MOVIES: Action movies have the volume turned up well beyond 90 decibels, exposing young ears to exceedingly loud sounds. The message sent out by these loud movies that "loud is cool" is a risky one. Parents should ask movie distributors and theater owners to lower the decibel level.

Remember that quiet times foster an environment where parents and children can spend time together reading, talking and listening to each other. The Center for Hearing and Communication recommends (2012):

BOOKS: Reading to young children helps develop their reading skills and serves to forge closer relationships between parents and children. Children of all ages should be encouraged to read.

EDUCATIONAL TOYS: Low-volume, educational computer games, puzzles, construction sets, and card games allow children to learn while playing in quiet, creative settings.

QUIET MOVIES: Family oriented films that focus on warm interpersonal relationships are a nice way to spend time with your children.

VISITS TO LIBRARIES & MUSEUMS: Quiet outings spent together with family and friends can be a fun way to enjoy the family.

For more information about noise and its effects on children's health, learning and behavior, visit http://www.chchearing.org/noise-center-home/facts-noise

References
-Center for hearing and communication. (2012). Noise and hearing. Retrieved from http://www.chchearing.org/noise-center-home/facts-noise/noise-hearing

-The Franklin Institute Online. (2004). The human brain. Retrieved from http://www.fi.edu/learn/brain/stress.html

Clean water

When people have spent their life in comfortable places, where all kind of services are just a hand movement or a click away, sometimes they do not value the facilities they have at home, and it might be because they haven’t experienced the lack of any service.  Since human body is made up with a high percentage of water, depending on person’s age and health, access to clean and healthy water is a necessity that not everybody can satisfy.  

I found that close to half the population of the developing world is suffering from water-related diseases, over one billion have no source of drinking water (Watkins, 2006), and the “lack of safe water and sanitation is the world’s single largest cause of illness” (UNICEF, 2006).  In rural Mozambique or Ethiopia, as well as other developing areas in the world, women and young girls have to carry back from rivers and lakes around 5 to 20 liters a day for miles in the backing sun (Watkins, 2006). Women are seen as the “water haulers of the world” (UNICEF, 2006), and this obligation reduces their time for other productive activities, and for girls to attend to school.

UNICEF has a program called WASH, which stands for Water, Sanitation and Hygiene, that equips schools with latrines, sinks with running water from a well, and education materials in the classroom about best practices for hygiene.

If we have been blessed with the opportunity to get clean water with just a hand movement away, it is our responsibility to take care of it, because “Water is not just a commodity. It is a source of life, dignity and equality of opportunity” (Watkins, 2006, para. 10).

Here are some effective ways to save water “in and around home:

• Stop Leaks.                             

• Replace Old Toilets with models that use 1.6 gallons or less per flush.

• Replace Old Clothes Washers with EPA Energy Star certified models.

• Plant the Right Kind of Garden that requires less water.

• Provide Only the Water Plants Need” (United States Environmental Protection Agency, 2009, pp.11-12).

References

- UNICEF. (2006). Children and water: global statistics. Retrieved from http://www.unicef.org/wash/index_31600.html

- United States Environmental Protection Agency. (2009). Water on tap what you need to know. Retrieved from http://water.epa.gov/drink/guide/upload/book_waterontap_full.pdf

- Watkins, Kevin. (2006, March 7). We cannot tolerate children dying for a glass of water. The guardian. Retrieved from http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2006/mar/08/water.comment

Birthing Experience

Being the first woman who got married in my family and with no children on my own, I have no experience with childbirth, only my own birth, and some I have watched on television.  About my own birth, my mom told me that she felt when her water broke and told my dad it was the time. My dad took her to the doctor’s office, in the nearest city to my hometown, about 15 miles away.  The doctor told them something was wrong with my hearth because the hearth beat was unstable. He sent them to the private maternity hospital and I was born through cesarean surgery. After born, everything was fine with my hearth. Because neither my mom nor I had complications at all after the surgery, we went home the day after.

I have a student whose parents are indigenous Tzeltales, an ethnic group from Chiapas, Mexico, and mom delivered her baby about a month ago. As soon as I knew about this blog assignment, I interviewed Ms. Ahuatzi about the birth practices in their village. She told me that Tzeltales live in Los Altos, located in the mountain region in Chiapas, and due to the impassable roads, they deliver their babies on their shack, squatting down, or with midwife assistance.

The Tzeltal midwife is responsible for prenatal care, and she accommodates the baby for the birth, rubbing and massaging the mother’s abdomen. She attends in the traditional manner with the pregnant woman kneeling and holding from her husband. The midwife also cares for the newborn, washing the baby in a certain way, to avoid the loss of his or her soul. “Midwives do their work with the help of medicinal herbs, home remedies [like chamomile tea], massage, and in some cases, prayer” (Luna Maya. 2011). When the midwife wants to make the delivery quick, she bathes the pregnant woman with water infused with sour orange leaves, as hot as she can stand it.

Some midwives don’t charge at all, because they say midwifery is a spiritual gift that God gave them through a dream, and it is their service to the community. Some others charge a kilogram of sugar, a few eggs, or coffee, when it comes to checkups; after the delivery they may charge $50 to $100 Mexican pesos.

I find amazing the different birth practices around the world, especially when they take place in a non-sterile environment.

Reference:

Luna Maya. (2011). Luna Maya, Casa de Partos. Retrieved from http://www.lunamaya.org/

(This website is available in English too)