Forgetting It

Sometimes an intense sound heard only once is enough to cause hearing loss. Being near fireworks or target shooting can cause this type of hearing loss if proper safety precautions are not used. These explosive sounds can both rupture your eardrums and cause damage to your middle ear bones. Use ear protection when you will be around loud, explosive sounds.

There are many chronic diseases that have been associated with hearing loss. Many of these are common diseases. Whether a disease causes or just worsens hearing loss can be difficult to determine, and much research remains to be done to understand the connection in many cases. Here are some chronic diseases with known associations with hearing loss:

This can be a sign of an ear infection, throat infection, a buildup of earwax or fluid, an abscessed tooth, or you might grind your teeth. See your doctor if you or your child has an earache that doesn't get better in a day or so, or comes with fever, vomiting, throat pain, discharge from the ear, or swelling around it. You also should call the pediatrician if your child is younger than 6 months and you think he might have an earache.

This is usually caused by something directly related to your ears -- like wax buildup or being around loud noises. But it also can be a sign of a problem with the joint where your jawbone meets your skull (the temporomandibular joint, or TMJ), or an injury to your neck or head, among other things. If you hear ringing, buzzing, roaring, clicking, or hissing sounds, see your doctor to find out what's going on.

What does it mean when your ears look a little different or hurt, ring, or itch? It could be a sign of something you might not think of when you think of your ears.

If air quality in your area is so bad that it turns your snot brown, it's probably a good idea to stay inside and avoid exercising outdoors. You can find out what the air's like from your local weather report. Heavy to***co use might also turn your mucus dark. So can dried blood.

It might be an early sign of this or another brain condition, like Parkinson's or Huntington's disease, multiple sclerosis, or motor neuron disease. It's best to catch these conditions early. See a doctor right away if you don't notice smells as much as you used to or can’t tell one from another. Though it's hard to treat illnesses that attack the nervous system, your doctor may be able to slow or ease some symptoms.

Put root vegetables like carrots, parsnips, radishes, turnips, and beets in the refrigerator. Carrots and parsnips will stay fresh in the fridge for up to 3 weeks. Radishes, turnips, and beets will last about 2 weeks. Instead of the fridge, it's best to keep potatoes and sweet potatoes in the pantry or a cool, dark place. Potatoes that you store in the fridge may darken when you cook them and taste sweet.

The best way to keep avocados depends on whether they are ready to eat. You don't want to eat avocados that are hard. Ripe avocados will feel soft, but not mushy. Keep hard avocados on the counter to let them ripen at room temperature. Once they're ripe, you can keep them fresh a little longer by putting them in the fridge. A ripe avocado will keep for 3 to 4 days when stored in the refrigerator.

You should keep lettuce and other leafy greens such as kale, spinach, or collards in the refrigerator. Lettuce should keep for a week or two. Spinach won't last for more than a week. Other greens will stay fresh for up to 4 days in the refrigerator. If your greens were pre-packaged or bagged, they'll keep for less time -- about 3 to 5 days. Don't hang on to bagged greens for more than 2 days after opening them.

Broccoli, broccoli raab (rapini), and cauliflower will keep in the refrigerator for 3 to 5 days. It's best to put them in a drawer away from other produce.

Tomatoes will keep until they are tender, ripe, and ready to eat. Once ripe, they'll last for another week on the counter or in the pantry away from sun or heat. You shouldn't put tomatoes in the fridge. It changes the way they taste and makes them go bad faster. But one exception to that rule: put tomatoes in the fridge if you've cut them.