(SOURCE: NPR, BY LINDA POON)

The current record holder for loudest crowd in history are the fans of the Seattle Seahawks, who cheered so loud that they induced a mini-earthquake. But that level of noise can permanently damage fans’ hearing. (Scott Eklund/AP)

For diehard football fans, nothing beats screaming your lungs out in the stadium alongside tens of thousands of other fans.

There is, however, a downside: hearing loss.

With the battle among fans to be the loudest crowd getting almost as competitive as the NFL itself, hearing experts say it’s time for a serious conversation about the damage caused by crowd noise.

Noise, not age is the leading cause of hearing loss. Unless you take steps now to protect to your ears, sooner or later many of you — and your children — will have difficulty understanding even ordinary speech.

Tens of millions of Americans, including 12 percent to 15 percent of school-age children, already have permanent hearing loss caused by the everyday noise that we take for granted as a fact of life.

“The sad truth is that many of us are responsible for our own hearing loss,” writes Katherine Bouton in her new book, “Shouting Won’t Help: Why I — and 50 Million Other Americans — Can’t Hear You.” The cause, she explains, is “the noise we blithely subject ourselves to day after day.”

Joyce Hill Cooley, Kyle Griffin and Cynthia Bradley were recognized in the December 2013 issue of the Hearing Review as being among the best Hearing Healthcare Professionals in the nation. The determination was made by some of the industry’s top hearing healthcare professionals; a review panel chosen by the Hearing Review. Mrs. Cooley is a registered nurse, national board certified hearing instrument specialist and certified occupational hearing conservationist, Mr. Griffin is a National Board Certified Hearing Instrument Specialist, and Mrs. Bradley is a National Board Certified Hearing Instrument Specialist; they are all employed by Miracle-Ear Center located in the different branches including Jackson Medical Center, 2387 Jackson Blvd, Jackson, MO. 1465 N. Kings highway in Cape Girardeau, MO and in the Farmington Wal-Mart. They all have years of service  in the hearing health field were mentioned in the recommendation to review board.

Have you had your hearing checked recently? Stop by our offices today for a FREE hearing test!

And while you are contemplating when you should stop by, read this inspiring article about a boy with hearing loss who defied odds and won a scholastic reading award!

http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/bronx/hearing-impaired-bronx-boy-12-kids-nation-win-scholastic-system-reading-award-scholarship-article-1.1066589?localLinksEnabled=false

May is Better Hearing Month across the nation and that means we here at Miracle-Ear in Southeast Missouri are gearing up for an exciting month of educating school children about how they can keep their hearing safe.  We are kicking off our campaign with a coloring contest, open to children under the age of 10.  This contest will highlight the benefits of practicing healthy hearing in a fun and exciting setting!

Thursday, Feb. 16th marked the first day of service for the new Miracle-Ear Service Center at the Sikeston Rural Health Clinic. The office, now under new management, will be staffed by National Board Certified Hearing Instrument Specialist Kyle R. Griffin of Cape Girardeau.

The Sikeston center brings authorized Miracle-Ear hearing aids to the local area. Miracle-Ear hearing aid users can receive free cleaning and services, annual hearing tests, free programming of Miracle-Ear Hearing Aids and free Hearing Assessments for those with questions about hearing difficulty. The Miracle-Ear franchise, owned by Lisa and Ken Swindford and Joyce Hill-Cooley, currently services offices in Cape Girardeau, Farmington, and Perryville.