Published: February 28, 2007 10:03 pm         

Health matters: Listen in comfort with custom-made ear buds

TERRE HAUTE — Do you have trouble with your ear buds falling out while you’re listening to your favorite music? AP&S Clinic’s audiology department has a solution for you: Custom-made ear molds for your iPod, MP3 player — “or almost anything off the shelf” you can use earphones with, says audiologist Beth Waywood.

“They’re more comfortable [and] the ear buds won’t fall out of your ears when you’re working out,” adds her fellow audiologist, Polly Sumansky. Another feature? “It helps reduce background noise so you don’t have to turn up the volume to hear the music over whatever else is in the environment,” she added.

To get a start on acquiring your custom-made ear buds, make an appointment with the audiology department at AP&S. “It should take about fifteen minutes,” Waywood says. During the fifteen minutes, we’ll do an audioscopic exam and ear mold impressions. We’ll also look into the ear to make sure there’s no problem with the ear canal. Any problem issues will be referred to a doctor.”

About two weeks after that, you’ll have your custom buds, Sumansky says. A follow-up visit to ensure everything is comfortable and working well is also included in the $120 total cost. You shouldn’t need separate ear buds for each application, because they’re interchangeable.

III

Grandma and Grandpa didn’t have to concern themselves with exercising while they worked: Their work was exercise.

Today, however, most of us have sedentary jobs and work takes up a significant part of the day. What can you do to increase your physical activity during the workday? The American Heart Association recommends that you:

n Brainstorm project ideas with a co-worker while taking a walk.

n Stand while talking on the telephone.

n Walk down the hall to speak with someone rather than using the telephone.

n Take the stairs instead of the elevator. Or get off a few floors early and take the stairs the rest of the way.

n Walk while waiting for the plane at the airport.

n Stay at hotels with fitness centers or swimming pools and use them while on business trips.

n Take along a jump rope in your suitcase when you travel. Jump and do calisthenics in your hotel room.

n Participate in or start a recreation league at your company.

n Form a sports team to raise money for charity events.

n Join a fitness center or Y near your job. Work out before or after work to avoid rush-hour traffic, or drop by for a noon workout.

n Schedule exercise time on your business calendar and treat it as any other important appointment.

n Get off the bus a few blocks early and walk the rest of the way to work or home.

n Walk around your building for a break during the workday or during lunch.

III

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has warned physicians to carefully consider fracture risk before prescribing the insulin-sensitizing drug rosiglitazone (Avandia) to women for newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes. The warning cites a report by GlaxoSmithKline, which makes the drug, saying there is an increased risk of arm, hand and foot fractures among that population.

During a review of safety data, GSK found that “significantly more female patients who received rosiglitizone experienced fractures than did female patients who received either metformin or glyburide.” Metformin, or Glucophage, increases the sensitivity of liver, muscle, fat and other tissues to the uptake and effects of insulin. Glyburide, which is sold under the brand names Micronase and Diabeta, stimulates the pancreas to make more insulin.

The fracture rate was 2.74 per 100 patient years for women taking rosiglitizone, compared to 1.54 per 100 patient years for women taking metformin and 1.29 per 100 patient years for those taking glyburide.