ADHD Confused with Hearing Problems ...

When my daughter first started school she was a bright learner, but very soon into Grade 2 the teachers picked up "problems" . People nowadays with no formal training are very quick to prescribe any child that does not act "normally" as an ADHD child. However in my daughters case ( as with many kids)  this was not the "problem" .She had had many serious ear infections as a child which unbeknownst to us had caused hearing damage. On several doctors visits I requested a process to prevent reoccurring ear infections not merely treat them once they had occurred.

So this is how I came to bring Cirrus Healthcare into SA- they have a range of specialized and medicated ear plugs which actually solve and treat day to day ear problems in a simple ear plug format.
We have 9 different earplugs -each with very unique attributes.

Earplanes: Equalize pressure during take off and landing in a plane or even whilst driving from PMB to Durban. They work simply by causing an impedance of flow. These plugs have been successfully used in the USA for over 30 years and locally in SA for 5 years. They are performance guaranteed if  used correctly. Children from 8 months onwards can also use them to alleviate  pain associated with changes in air pressure.

Cloudsoft: Is a soft foam earplug used for noise protection in adults (not Children) and students. It assist in causing restful sleep and can be used whilst studying to amplify the learners concentration level by removing the distracting noise around the learner. It can also be used in a open work environment  to increase productivity in workers as it limits distractions.

BioEars: The first medicated earplug infused with Active Aloe which makes the earplug anti- bacterial, anti-fungal and anti- viral. It prevents germs from hands and the water from getting into the ear and causing secondary problems. It also prevent cross contamination for suing in an infected ear. It is used for any type of water exposure not just swimming. This is a BIG misconception when using earplugs that they are only for swimming, but when a toddler bathes they are essentially interacting and learning from the experience by splashing around and putting their heads in the water and enjoying the whole experience. I have never seen a child sitting still and upright in a bath- they enjoy wetting the whole room which includes their ears. So this is key to ear protection. Protect your ears from water whilst bathing, swimming, showering and washing hair. If a parent of a baby starts applying these rules early on the child will then learn to accept the plug in their ears and should then experience very few water associated ear infections.

Earhurts: Earhurts is a medicated earplug which infuses natural healing properties into the ear easing pain, inflammation and infection in the ear. If applied early it helps sooth and relive pain associated with ear discomfort from many sources such as teething, teeth grinding (stress), headaches, sinus congestion and middle ear infection. The active ingredients work - Tea Tree oil, Eucalyptus, Mullein extract, Echinacea, within minutes to relive ear pain and discomfort. They are safe to use with grommet and antibiotics. These are my families favourite as I keep them in my emergency kit and use when I grind my teeth from stress, or go for a walk on the beach and the cold wind aches my ear or when my kids get snotty during spring and autumn ( sinus and hay fever) to prevent ear infections. They also lubricate the ear and alleviate the symptoms of eczema and itchy ears.

Clearears: A water absorbing earplug- really!! yes. This earplug works so simply to absorb any water trapped in the ear canal after showering, swimming or any form of water exposure. I find men need this earplug the most as they do not protect their ears during water exposure and then get secondary ear problems such as swimmers ear or eczema from the trapped water in the ear canal. Its safe to use with grommets as it doesn't clog the grommet.

TinniteX; Earplug infused with Aloe, B12 and Zinc - key ingredients which are shown to be lacking in a person suffering from tinnitus or any noise in the ear. They are a slower acting earplug which works to introduce more blood flow to the ear problem to alleviate the symptoms of tinnitus- however this in not a cure merely a treatment process.

Sponge Bob and Hello Kitty: Why make earplugs with cartoon characters? we are trying to encourage kids to wear ear protection. These earplugs are not only for water exposure but offer a good quality level of sound protection for babies, toddlers and kids.

When I started this whole process i didn't realize how little people ( including myself ) knew about ear care.

Firstly noise pollution is increasing at an alarming rate- all messages directed at kids are frenetic and loud causing them to be unsettled as loud noise cause fight or flight responses in individual people. Let me explain depending on the child's character they will either become aggressive from noise or withdraw. In my option this is one of the major causes of an increases in ADHD in kids. And have you ever considered the long term damage those ear phones are causing your kids. It may not be evident yet but in the next 10 years we are looking at a serious hearing impaired youth - all due to bad earphone usage. Control the duration they are,listening to earphones and the volume level.
Golden Rule: low to medium volume for a maximum of 15 minutes.

Secondly: Water exposure causes secondary ear problems so protect your ears from water.

Thirdly: COTTON BUDS and FOREIGN OBJECTS are not allowed in your ear. Firstly they can break off and leave things lodged in the ear. Cotton buds are truly bad for our ears as they strip the ear from the natural wax which is NOT dirty but in fact anti-bacterial. It protects the ear from water and dust. They also push all excess wax back into the ear causing a plug on the ear drum which in turn lowers hearing.

So what do we know now:
Don't clean your ears with cotton buds or pencils or car keys.
protect them from Noise
Protect them from water.

I hope that every mom reading this will learn and become more aware of how to care for their families ears, I write this as I learnt the hard way as hearing impairment is permanent- no pill can fix it.
I write this from my heart to every mom out there who has rocked a child screaming with ear infection late into the night.

Love
Penny
Penny Fatsilidis
Chief Executive Officer


Tel: +27 12 548 5745
Fax: +27 86 639 6446