A cochlear implant is an electronic device that is used to restore hearing ability in people who suffer from hearing loss due to inner ear damage. Unlike hearing aids which amplify sounds so people with hearing loss are better able to perceive them, cochlear implants directly transmit electronic sound signals to the auditory nerve. They work by compensating for damaged cochlea, the part of inner ear that converts sound waves into neural impulses which are perceived by the brain. 

A child who cannot hear will also never be able to speak. 
Inability to hear and speak puts a person at disadvantage in society. 
Simple tasks like talking on the phone which we take for granted become impossible. 
Conventional methods of learning like attending a classroom lecture become impossible. 
Brain development and intelligence is closely linked to development of speech and language. 
Inability of parents to communicate with child leads to emotional distancing. 
Integrating a hearing disabled person in to society becomes a frustrating experience for all involved. 
Cost of integration per capita in much higher when compared to cost of Cochlear Implant. 
Children with Cochlear Implants are fully integrated in society with normal hearing & speech. 
Children with Cochlear Implants can attend regular schools & colleges 
Early identification of hearing impairment gives children a better chance of developing speech and language skills, and of making the most of social and emotional interaction from an early age. 
Cochlear implants offer a multitude of benefits to people experiencing hearing loss, especially infants and children with severe hearing loss who are just starting to process language and speech. Some of these benefits are: 

Hearing and communication   Cochlear implants improve hearing significantly, especially to a level where normal communication can be restored. It enhances the person s ability to hear speech without relying on visual cues such as lip reading or hand signs. It makes telephonic conversation a lot easier. Cochlear implants also help people regulate their own voice and volume so that it is easier for others to understand them. 
Quality of life - It can help people with hearing loss listen to and enjoy music and also watch television with sounds. It helps people listen to sounds in a noisy environment and differentiate soft sounds from loud ones. 
Safety   Cochlear implants enhance the individual s safety as it allows the person to be able to hear warning sounds like honking cars or ambulance sirens. This will allow people to navigate public spaces in a much safer way. 
Society - For children with hearing loss, cochlear implants can help them adjust a lot better to regular schools instead of requiring special institutions. 
Brain development - It can help infants with cochlear damage develop their speech recognition and speaking skills much faster. 
Cochlear implants 

Only device of its kind that can restore a special sense.
Consists of 2 parts-
One part is surgically implanted in the body 
Second part is worn behind the ear and communicates with internal part using wireless signals 
Persons of any age can get a cochlear implant, from less than one year old children to 90 year old persons have received implants all around the world. 
Cochlear implants can be done for partial hearing loss also, know as Hybrid implant that preserves the residual natural hearing and augments hearing only in certain sound frequencies in which hearing loss is present. 
Are being used for indications other than hearing loss also like Tinnitus. 
Surgery is a day care procedure for most patients. 
Consult a doctor to get a clear assessment of whether you would be an eligible candidate for a cochlear implant and what to expect from the procedure.

Cochlear Implant - The Many Benefits Of It

Adenoids refer to the mass of lymphatic tissue situated at the intersection of the back of the nose and throat. They are a part of the body's immune system and play a noteworthy part in battling infections in kids. Adenoids fight off the microbes and infection that enter the body through the nose. They typically occur in children of five to seven years of age and from that point, they begin to decrease. They vanish when the child gets older. This is the physiological development and relapse of the adenoids. However, permanent adenoids are an issue in view of a number of annoying symptoms they show in a child. The major among these are breathing through the mouth and wheezing because of nasal blockage.

Homeopathic medicines are a very safe option than surgery in kids with extended adenoids. It has been noted that adenoids, when surgically removed, tend to regrow. Homeopathic medicines focus on strengthening the child s immune system. The cures are as follows:

Baryta Carb: Baryta Carb is one of the top recorded homeopathic medications for swollen adenoids. It is likewise the medicine to endorse where both tonsils and adenoids are broadened. The child feels sensitive to ice in extremes. The tiniest exposure to icy air causes cough. Cough also shows up at the slightest change in climate. Sneezing and thick yellow nasal release may be seen. Pain in the throat increases on gulping.
Calcarea Carb: Calcarea Carb is another brilliant homeopathic medicine for amplified adenoids with the tendency to get infected. Calcarea Carb will be recommended where the youngster is exceptionally helpless to cold and falls sick after each such introduction. This weak immune system for diseases brings about broadened adenoids or tonsils.
Agraphis Nutans and Merc Sol: Agraphis Nutans and Merc Sol are extremely helpful homeopathic medicines for treating ear grumblings because of expanded adenoids. Agraphis Nutans is the best treatment for deafness because of expanded adenoids. Homeopathic prescription Merc Sol is highly used in case of an ear infection connected with swollen adenoids.
Kali Sulphuricum: Kali Sulphuricum is among one of the top recorded homeopathic solutions for adenoids that regrow after surgery. The symptoms controlling utilisation of Kali Sulphuricum are a blocked nose, mouth breathing and wheezing. Yellow coloured nasal release is also common.
Ammonium Carb and Sambucus Nigra: Ammonium Carb and Sambucus Nigra are incredibly helpful homeopathic medicines for developed adenoids. A youngster that needs these drugs will have an increased nasal blockage. The nasal hindrance is most set apart around evening time. Breathing through the mouth because of a blocked nose is also very common. Ammonium Carb is likewise used for a seeping nose, particularly in the morning.

Contemplating Adenoid Surgery - Try Homeopathy First for Your Child?

Speech therapists are known by different names but most commonly, they are referred by people as speech therapists, who make children undertake different speech therapies to make them recover from their problem in talking or in their attempt to express their thoughts. These therapists work with children having a range of disorders and delays from minor articulation delays to more complex kind of disorders such as hearing impairment, motor speech disorders and other developmental delays.

We will now look at some of the ways through which speech therapy can help in the better development of a particular child:

Articulation skills and speech intelligibility: The physical ability to get the tongues, lips, jaws and palate moving in order to produce sounds of speech individually, which people call as phonemes. For instance, in order to articulate the /b/ sound, one needs to inhale, then at the time of exhaling, one has to turn their voice on by bringing the slightly tensed lips together to pause and build the airflow up, then finally release the airflow by getting the lips parted.

Intelligibility is all about how well people can understand a child s speech. A speech therapist can work along with the child to teach them on ways to produce particular speech sounds or certain patterns, he or she is having difficulty with, which in turn is affecting his overall speech intelligibility.

Expressive language skills: On one hand, where speech requires physical motor ability for talking, language refers to a symbol or a definite rule-governed system used for conveying a message. In the English language, the symbols could be in the form of words, either spoken or in written form. There are also certain symbols in the form of gestures like shrugging of shoulders to give the impression that he doesn t know a certain thing or a wave to indicate bye-bye or getting their eyebrows raised to indicate that one is surprised by an event or by hearing something.

So, basically expressive language is referred to something which a child says through signs and gestures. Speech therapists can let a child learn new words and teach them how to put the words together and hence form phrases and sentences, hence allowing them to communicate with others.

Receptive language or development of listening skills: Receptive language is nothing but a child s ability to listen and understand a particular language. Often, children tend to have stronger skills for receptive language than the skills required for expressive language. Hence, understanding becomes easier for them than their ability to express whatever they have understood. A speech therapist can help in teaching a child new words and the way they should be used to follow particular directions, reply to questions and thus take part in simple conversations with peers and other people.

Speech fluency: Speech fluency is affected by stuttering, which refers to the breaks in the flow of speech. This hampers one s ability to talk freely. Through speech therapy, a child can come across different strategies on how to control this behavioral pattern and lead to an increase in speech fluency.

How Speech Therapy Can Help Develop Your Child Better?

Tonsillitis, in the easiest terms, is the swelling of tonsils in our throat that is accompanied by symptoms like throat pain, difficulty in swallowing/ drinking, altered voice and fever etc.

As in the case of most infections, the occurrence of tonsillitis is more common in children due to relatively lower immunity and habits that invite infections. Let's take a look at the first line of defence when you have a cranky child with swollen tonsils.

1. Make your child gargle with salty warm water: This treatment is most helpful in any infection in the mouth. Add half teaspoonful of salt to a glass of warm water and make the child gargle with the mixture as many times in the day as possible (to a maximum of 5 times). Continue till the condition prevails.

Make sure the child spits out the water and not drinks it.

2. Antibiotics: Consult the ent specialist and have the antibiotics if it is a bacterial cause as per the doctor. Take the alternative treatment prescribed in case of other causes. The entire course of medication should be completed even if the kid gets better sooner to eliminate all traces of bacteria.

3. Painkiller/numbing lozenges: Painkillers that are prescribed by the doctor can be given to ease the pain. Same is the case with lozenges but care should be taken that he/she should not have too many of these.

4. Allow him/her to take rest: It does help in a betterment of the condition!

5. Give warm (not hot) soothing food: Soup, ginger honey mixture, ginger tea can help soothe the inflamed tonsils in most cases. The condition, more often than not, gets better within 7-10 days.


Best Ways to Deal With Tonsillitis in Kids

Has your child been coughing frequently? Is the cough chronic in nature, making your child breathe rapidly and does he/she complain about a tightened chest? These symptoms signify that your child is having asthma. Asthma is a medical condition characterized by paroxysmal wheezing respiration dyspnoea. It is common in children and an affected child experiences difficulty in breathing, and a whizzing sound is produced, especially during expiration. Asthma may lead to severe health complications and needs immediate diagnosis and treatment.

Diagnosis: The diagnosis of asthma is based on the symptoms, medical history and a physical examination of the child.

The different modes of asthma diagnosis are as follows:

    Medical history and symptoms: You must tell the doctor about any history of breathing trouble with your child or whether there are chances of other inherited health conditions. You must explain your child's symptoms properly, which may include coughing, wheezing, chest pain or tightness and others if observed.
    Physical examination: A physical exam will be carried out in your child where the doctor will listen to his heart and lungs, and look for eye or nose allergies.
    Medical tests: A chest X-ray of the child has to be carried out, along with a simple lung function test known as spirometry. This test measures the amount of air present in the lungs and determines how fast it can be exhaled. Spirometry enables a doctor to determine the severity of the asthma. Some other tests are also carried out for the identification of asthma triggers. They include allergy skin testing, blood tests and X-rays to know if sinus infections are affecting the asthma. An asthma test determines the amount of nitric oxide in your child's breath.

Treatment: Based on your child's severity of asthma symptoms and his medical history, the doctor will provide you with an action plan to treat the same. This action plan explains all the medications your child requires, the dosage and schedule of the medicines. The plan also includes points on what to do when the asthma worsens and when an emergency treatment is required. Anti-inflammatory drugs are prescribed to children who require bronchodilator medication. All asthma medicines used by adults can be used in case of children but in lower dosages.

You should give the asthma medications to your child using a home nebulizer or a breathing machine. A nebulizer delivers asthma drugs by transforming them from liquid to a mist. The child gets the drug by breathing it via a face mask.

In order to control and manage asthma in children, they must avoid the triggers and should keep away from any source of smoke. A doctor must be consulted to know about the best diagnosis and treatment methods.

Asthma in Children: Diagnosis and Treatment

Infestation on the skin caused by a tiny insect called sarcoptes scabiei, which live on the skin up to 2 months, is called scabies. Reproduction occurs on the surface of the skin and later they tunnel into the skin and lay eggs. This forms an extremely irritated, pimple-like rash structure on the skin.

Despite the fact that scabies can be troublesome, the infestation can usually be dealt with successfully. Treatment commonly comprises of drugs that eliminate the scabies parasites and their eggs. Since scabies is so infectious, specialists usually prescribe treatment for a whole gathering of individuals who come in successive contact with people having scabies.

Symptoms
Typical symptoms such as rashes and intense itching, appear up to 6 weeks since initial exposure. Infected sores, which may require additional treatment, are formed due to continuous scratching. Common sites for occurrence in babies are head, neck, face and hands while in adults, it occurs on the wrist, elbow, waist, penis, armpits, etc. The rash comprises of small blisters or pimple-like knocks which are the tunnel tracks of the mite apparent on the skin.

A more severe form of the condition, called crusted scabies may be developed in some people. This condition which is highly contagious is marked by thick crusts containing thousands of eggs and mites which developed on the skin. It usually occurs in people with weak immune systems. The mites are capable of overpowering the immune system and multiplying at a higher rate.

Treatment

Typical treatment includes disposing of the infestation with medicine balms, creams, and moisturizers. It is advisable to apply the cream all over the body and at night, when the mites are active.
Amid the main week of treatment, it might appear as though the symptoms are worsening. Nonetheless, after the initial week, you'll see less tingling and you should have recovered by the fourth week of treatment.

Precautions should be taken to prevent re-infestation as the mites are capable of living up to 72 hours after being abolished from the body. All clothing must be washed with hot water (122f). This should be followed by drying of the items at a high temperature for half an hour. Finally, the dried items should be vacuumed.

Symptoms and Treatment of Scabies

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