Sight & Hearing

April 2001

International Noise Awareness Day, April 25
Take the "Quiet Diet" challenge Free hearing screenings statewide on April 25 ST. PAUL, Minn. - Diets abound for those who want to lose weight - Atkins, Grapefruit, Sugar Busters, The Zone, Cabbage Soup, Three-Day, Mayo Clinic. But there's one diet that could change your overall health: The Quiet Diet. On April 25, deemed International Noise Awareness Day, the Sight & Hearing Association encourages Minnesotans to follow the "Quiet Diet" - a simple plan dedicated to reducing the dangers of noise to hearing and health. Noise has been shown to affect not only hearing but health. It can trigger high levels of stress, changes in heart rate and rhythm, a rise in cholesterol and blood pressure, headaches, sleep deprivation, and even heart attacks. As part of the "Quiet Diet" plan for International Noise Awareness Day, the Sight & Hearing Association is sponsoring the following activities: Free hearing screenings - In the Twin Cities metro area and greater Minnesota, audiologists will provide free hearing screenings to the public. Screenings will be held in Burnsville, Edina, Forest Lake, Maplewood, Minneapolis, Minnetonka, Robbinsdale, Roseville, St. Louis Park, St. Paul, Stillwater and Woodbury, as well as in Brainerd, Duluth, Moorhead, Northfield, Rochester, St. Cloud and Willmar. (See attached location list or call Sight & Hearing Association at 1-800-992-0424.) Dissemination of free ear plugs and information - Ear plugs, donated by 3M, and fact sheets on noise-induced hearing loss will be distributed at all screening sites. 60-Seconds of Silence - From 2:15-2:16 p.m., the public is encouraged to experience a minute of silence. Noise is the leading cause of hearing loss, affecting an estimated 10 million Americans and putting 30 million more at risk. One out of ten 30-year-olds already has a hearing loss and doesn't know it. The best way to ward off noise-induced hearing loss is to wear hearing protection in noisy environments and to have your hearing checked regularly. International Noise Awareness Day, which began in 1996, is a joint effort of numerous hearing-related organizations worldwide. Locally in Minnesota, the Sight & Hearing Association (a nonprofit organization) is dedicated to preventing vision and hearing loss through screening, education and research.
Screening Sites	Recipe for a "Quiet Diet"