Ask any parent and they’ll probably tell you nothing equals the pain of a child gone missing. And what about the child? What could be more painful than to be ripped from his or her family?

The Office of Justice Programs (OJP) initiative educates people on how to react when a child goes missing and how to identify a missing child. It works by disseminating state-of-the-art knowledge and practices, plus provides grants to implement these strategies.

Most of the responsibility for child safety falls to law enforcement at the state and city level. Our best defense is to encourage parents, guardians and others involved in day-to-day child care to work with these agencies as closely as possible.

There are many people, both individuals and those in law enforcement, who make exceptional efforts to rescue and protect our children. It’s why Ronald Reagan proclaimed May 25^th as National Missing Children’s Day.  Each year there’s a ceremony to honor those who go beyond the call of duty.

Check www.ojjdp.gov/missingchildrensday to learn more about this award program.

We wanted to share this excellent article from Banner Health about bee stings. The chances of having an allergic reaction are low but it’s best to be prepared. And there are several ways to lower your chances of a battle with a bee!

Click here to read the whole article.

How often do you ask people to repeat what they just said? Or get asked to repeat something yourself? If you find yourself in either situation, the cause could be either the speaker or the listener.

The month of May is dedicated to promoting better hearing and speaking, both of which are affected by medical conditions. First, let’s look at speech.

Dysphonia, commonly called hoarseness or raspy throat, is a common complaint affecting nearly one-third of our population at some point in life. Causes range from history of tobacco use to patients who are professional voice users. A more serious cause is head and neck cancer.

The other side of the conversation is hearing. Throughout the world, otolaryngologists (surgeons who do head and neck surgery) are recognizing the importance of hearing loss prevention with early detection and intervention.

Conversations are tough when there’s a lot of background noise or you’re interrupted frequently. However, if you or whoever you’re talking to requires repetition under quiet circumstances, it’s time to see if medical intervention is needed.

We are social animals and conversations are one of the best ways to enjoy each other’s company.

For more information, visit www.entnet.org It’s the site for the American Academy of Otolarngology.