Just an Earache…? Sore Throat…?
A child’s earache or sore throat should be worrisome for any parent.
Clinical epidemiologists have long known that the six most common infectious diseases affecting children are recurrent ear infection, repeated tonsillitis, pneumonia, frequent diarrhea or colitis, bladder or urinary tract infection, and mononucleosis. Two of these disorders (ear infections and tonsillitis) attack the inter-connected passages of the ear and throat, including the upper respiratory tract, and are the most common reasons that children visit a physician.
The National Center for Health Statistics reports at least one in four children younger than 10 will have repeated ear infections (recurrent otitis media) at some time in their lives. If untreated, temporary and even permanent hearing loss can occur, setting back the educational and speech development of the young patient.
Myth: Sunscreens with high SPF's will block all UV light
Although UVB rays are more powerful and considered more dangerous than UVA rays, the atmosphere filters out most of them. UVB rays are the most energetic of UV radiation but they penetrate only into the epidermis (the superficial layer of the skin). With exposure to UVB rays, people experience redness and feel a burning sensation. UVB radiation stimulates the tanning response. With excessive exposure to the UVB spectrum, the skin dries and wrinkles which imparts a prematurely aged appearance.
UVA rays are more insidious
Facts About Acute Otitis Media
The outer ear, the part you can see, collects sound waves; the middle ear passes these sound waves on to the inner ear. Key parts of the middle ear are the eardrum, three delicate bones (hammer, anvil, and stirrup) that conduct sound to the inner ear, and the auditory (Eustachian) tube, which, when healthy, keeps air pressure the same in the middle ear and the outer ear. The most common problems of the middle ear are infections and damage to the eardrum.
Acute Infection of the Middle Ear