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Roger Miller wears protective headgear when he plays with Alloy--good for him! But why isn't the audience warned? As a tinnitus victim, I knew to keep my fingers in my ears for through much of Alloy's clamorous accompaniment to Metropolis this summer, when I was seated in one of the front rows at a MassMOCA performance. The performance was stunning, but seriously, dangerously loud to anyone in the front half of the auditorium. I don't understand how an artist who has suffered as much as Mr. Miller has can fail to consider the effect his work on others. OK, so he went public about his condition on Soundcheck. Nice start, thank you. Next, please consider issuing ear protection to your fans!

I work as an audiologist at a non-profit agency in NYC called The Center for Hearing and Communication (it used to be called the League for the Hard of Hearing) and we have an entire tinnitus and hyperacusis center here; check out http://www.chchearing.org/services/audiology.Thanks!

Unlike most tinnitus sufferers, I have stress/anxiety induced tinnitus. I have ringing in my right ear. I have had multiple audiology tests done and I have perfect hearing on my right year; no hearing loss. I bring earplugs to most concerts I go to. I'm very protective of my hearing. I have no vertigo, dizziness, head trauma or chronic headache.

Mine began a half a year ago, and disappeared within a week. It began again 3 months ago (intermittent whistling), only after about a week of poor sleep (waking up in the middle of the night for no reason). It got worse 2 weeks later with a second ringing (the same pitch/tone, but constant instead of intermittent).

I believe this is directly related to my quality of sleep but every neurologist/ENT/sleep specialist say they never heard of such a thing. I know there's a relationship with my sleep; just because it's not documented in medical texts/history doesn't mean it's not true. I know other people who have also had this happen to them for a day, a week, several months, all of them happened to them suddenly, with no physical cause whatsoever.

I really think more research should be done on the subject of stress-induced tinnitus. I really resent all these "specialists" that just shrug and tell us to go home and live with it without bothering to find the root cause.

<<< I just found this link to a story about a University of Texas research team that may have found a possible . . . solution to the problem . . . http://www.utdallas.edu/news/2011/1/13-8021_Findings-Show-Promise-in-Battle-Against-Tinnitus_article.html >>>

Sara from Brooklyn:

I'm all for successful treatment of (or cures for) tinnitus, but some skepticism about this article is warranted because of the primary researcher's association with a medical device company (i.e., a commercial concern) and because of the expressed claim to having eliminated "the physiological and behavioral symptoms of tinnitus."

Except in some types of 'pulsatile tinnitus,' the actual condition of tinnitus is, as far as I'm aware, completely subjective. So I don't see how a study based on 'physiological' and 'behavioral' symptoms in rats can be taken as convincing evidence that the treatment eliminated the experience of tinnitus. One would have to ask the rats to be certain.

Oops...I shouldn't have used the word "permanent" in my post...after re-reading the article, it looks like the potential treatment would give long-term results. (I'll take it!) Also, it seems unlikely that it would reverse hearing loss (if that was the cause of tinnitus), just the nervous system's response to the damage.

I have had tinnitus since I went to a Bellrays show at a club in Brooklyn 8 years ago. Looking back, I realize I had had very mild tinnitus for many years and the show was probably just the "straw that broke the camel's back", so to speak. Anyway, I just found this link to a story about a University of Texas research team that may have found a possible (and permanent) solution to the problem. Hopefully it pans out. I thought some of you might be interested:
http://www.utdallas.edu/news/2011/1/13-8021_Findings-Show-Promise-in-Battle-Against-Tinnitus_article.html

I have had Tinnitus pretty constantly for over a year. I meditate every morning. I had some TMJ work done on my jaw. I took steroids (no effect) early on.

The ENT I go to is NYOG and they are terrific. Very caring doctors. It's mind over matter. You put the Tinnitus 'away' and it's minimized. I was re-tested last week at NYOG and I knew my hearing had gotten better and indeed it had. They were astonished.

<<< I def. went to a lot of loud rock shows in my twenties and early thirties, but it doesn't seem remotely connected to the condition. >>>

Stefanie Weiss, how can you possibly determine that your tinnitus is not related, at least in part, to your having listened to loud music?

Although it's possible that in your particular case the cause lies elsewhere, the association between exposure to loud music and hearing loss and/or tinnitus has long been documented.

While the connection can't be said to have been proven, the circumstantial evidence is just too strong for someone exposed to loud music over a decade or longer not to suspect a connection.

I'm with you margo620!!!! Otherwise VERY informative show.

I developed "white noise" tinnitus and hyperacusis 7 years ago after years of listening to a pocket radio with earphones. At age 55, my hearing tested as very good.

I underwent Tinnitus Retraining Therapy at the NY League for the Hard of Hearing (now called something else), which was very successful - the hyperacusis is completely gone (I could hear my hair when I touched it) and I've learned to ignore the tinnitus.

Working with my audiologist, I listened to Gregorian chants (my choice) 24/7 to help me stop listening to the tinnitus.

I still sleep with "soothing music for sleep" CD very low on repeat.

I found that I listened to the repeat in the nature sounds and it was distracting. I also bought white noise CDs "soothing shower" "air purifier" etc. but prefer the other CD.

I no longer use headphones - ever - because they make me too aware of the tinnitus, which is in my left ear, and they sort of make my ear ache. This is transient, but why risk it? I wear special ear plugs for listening to music whenever I'm at a concert - or even a very loud restaurant.

The worst thing that happened during all of this was having the first ENT I saw walk into the examining room and say "there's nothing that can be done" - which led to a panic attack. Fortunately, I went to someone else, took the retraining and now cope just fine.

I've had Tinnitus for as long as I can remember. I did not even know it was a problem until a conversation with my mom (after staying at a remote cottage, I mentioned to her how strange it was that things "get louder the quieter it is." Similar to one caller, I will never know the sound of silence. To me, it is deafening.

about a week ago I joked to my mom and best friend over dinner that I had noticed with in the past week my ears were constantly ringing with a steady high pitched ring. I thought that its because I'm a musician and I was just having early onset hearing loss, so sad. But then I realized that perhaps it is the form of birth control that I started taking, coincidentally with in the past two weeks. You mentioned certain medications might cause tinnitus. should i be worried that this is toxic to my ears?

I developed "white noise" tinnitus and hyperacusis 7 years ago after years of listening to a pocket radio with earphones. At age 55, my hearing tested as very good.

I underwent Tinnitus Retraining Therapy at the NY League for the Hard of Hearing (now called something else), which was very successful - the hyperacusis is completely gone (I could hear my hair when I touched it) and I've learned to ignore the tinnitus.

Working with my audiologist, I listened to Gregorian chants (my choice) 24/7 to help me stop listening to the tinnitus.

I still sleep with "soothing music for sleep" CD very low on repeat.

I found that I listened to the repeat in the nature sounds and it was distracting. I also bought white noise CDs "soothing shower" "air purifier" etc. but prefer the other CD.

I no longer use headphones - ever - because they make me too aware of the tinnitus, which is in my left ear, and they sort of make my ear ache. This is transient, but why risk it? I wear special ear plugs for listening to music whenever I'm at a concert - or even a very loud restaurant.

The worst thing that happened during all of this was having the first ENT I saw walk into the examining room and say "there's nothing that can be done" - which led to a panic attack. Fortunately, I went to someone else, took the retraining and now cope just fine.

If I have a sinus infection I seem to get tinitis. Is this common?

I have had tinnitus for over a year now and it's gotten progressively worse. Like most, I hear it more when there's little ambient noise, like at night, although I feel it's always lurking. But right now, with my husband playing a rather loud video game to my left, the tinnitus in my left ear is as bad as it's ever been. One thing I tried recently - acupuncture - actually provided temporary relief. Unless I imagined it because I wanted it to work. :-)

Good program about an annoying problem!My onset was 15 yrs. ago after using Naprosyn - very high loud ringing in left ear. M.D. prescribed short term Prednisone which was a success. Later I have had tinnitis after long road trips. Most amazing instant cure on one severe recurrence was entering the great hall at the Met. Mus. of F.A. Level went from a 9 to a 1 in a few seconds. Also helped by singing in church or group singing or good conversation.

I've had it as long as I can remember, and though I've been seeing otolaryngologists for years for a chronic sinus condition that has required three surgeries, they've never asked whether I suffered from something like this, and when I volunteer it on occasion, the response is something like "oh." My hearing is okay, though slightly asymmetric (one ear does better on lower wavelengths and drops on the high, and vice versa for the other ear). This has not been related to tinnitus, so it just goes on and does its thing, sometimes not noticeable, and sometimes unbearable.

I've had tinnitus for many years which I attribute to TMJ. I believe I developed TMJ by too much tension in the jaw area TMJ also left me with an "ability" to pop my ears (raise the soft palate at the back of the roof of my mouth). My tinnitus is high tones in what I perceive to be both ears. Sometimes at night the tones appear to be in sinc with my heartbeat/blood pressure. I always have something on th mask the sounds--white noise machine/fans. I'm fortunate to have a very supportive family, etc..

Marv Slatkin, any good ENT doctor can tell if you have a tumor or not just by examination without having to see an MRI. In fact, there is some risk in having an MRI, so I'd try to steer clear of them. One of my doctors suggested I have an MRI just because he was interested in my brain. He already told me I didn't have a tumor. I thought he really wanted it for his research. I went to another doctor for a second opinion. I got a third opinion as well, and I was convinced I didn't need to have an MRI. So you shouldn't worry about that.

When I think about it that's when it seems to increase. I believe the best remedy is to keep your mind off it. Not easy. I was in a Drum Line at a younger age and have had tinnitus for 22 years and still from time-to-time gets the best of me.
Someone gave me a piece of advice a while back that seemed to help me. She said " make it your friend". It's true accept it and don't resist it. Resisting makes it worse. I often say to myself - it's way better than Cancer.

I'm almost at my two year anniversary since my tinnitus started. At first I thought it was a sound coming from my new TV, but then realized I heard it when it wasn't turned on. It got worse pretty quickly, and I went to many ENT doctors. I found out I had some hearing loss probably due to getting older (at the time I was 58), but never found out why some people with hearing loss have tinnitus, while most don't. Now I wear hearing aids, which help pick up sounds I otherwise wouldn't hear, so therefore work to mask the tinnitus a bit during the day, but it never goes away. I've heard of the therapies talked about on this program, but from what I've researched, they only have a chance of working for people who hear a single tone, and I hear various sounds. I've tried listening to nature sounds to sleep, but find it only adds more noise when what I want to hear is nothing. During the day I have to have the radio, music or TV on. Mainly what works is to try to think good thoughts, and sometimes that's hard to do. Most people really can't understand how I feel, so it's interesting to read and listen to others who experience more or less what I'm going through.

My tinnitus was noticed when my new sound suppressing headphones resulted in a loud hiss disturbing my consciousness. I first blamed it on a defective headphone, until I became aware of the hiss when not wearing them.
I just want to rule out at tumor as the cause. Is there any way to do this, short of an MRI?
My doctor is reluctant to prescribe one without some supporting evidence, such as increased hearing loss.
My tinnitus IS loud, but I am not usually aware, until it becomes the subject. I do have problems understanding low and ambiguous speech, because I undoubtably block the offending frequencies.

I've suffered from tinnitus in my left year for many years. I attribute to plugging in a defective communications headset. The headset had a short circuit which resulted in loud squealing. since then I'ver suffered with ringing that varies from barely noticeable to screaming. Mostly I notice it in quiet environments and use white noise to mask it for sleep. It becomes worse when my sinuses are clogged. It has affected my hearing so I no longer can mix live sound. I hope they find a cure someday!

My brother-in-law has had trouble first with tinnitus then from hyper-acuity for many years. He has long worn white noise hearing aid type devices but now can barely tolerate normal conversation and other "life" sounds. Is this normally connected? He is so miserable we worry he'll become suicidal.

I had a freaky accident in late October 2010 from a cell phone. An extremely loud explosion sound came out from the cell phone while it was next to my year. Since then, I lost some hearing on my right ear and also started suffering from tinnitus. I have seen several ENTs in NJ/NYC area, all told me nothing can cure it. I bought half a dozen small heater fans to put one in every room in my apartment and also on my office desk. The 'white noise' from the fan sort of help me to get by with the constant hissing noise in my right ear.

My tinnitus is particularly loud this afternoon--maybe because I'm thinking about it, though.
I could hear the loud hissing in my ears even while "Nature Sounds for Tinnitus" was playing!

Some of our patients report symptomatic relief from tinnitus when treated with a Class IV laser. It reduces inflammation so that maybe something to do with it.
Full disclosure, I work for the manufacturer of a Class IV laser, so may not be entirley objective, simply passing on anecdotal reports

I am 75, have listened to radio almost every day for my whole life, but not loud rock music. Have had tinnitis for at least 5 years. Mostly a "cricket" sound, and a good deal of the time I am oblivious to it unless something - such as listening to this show - reminds me, but the sound is always there, in both ears equally, and louder in the evening. Does not disturb sleep, however. Have experienced Epstein Barr, and one of the other comments suggested that that virus might be an underlying cause. Your program and comments lead me to include that this may not be just one malady.

Kevin from SoHo: I agree and confirm: regulating the caffeine works for me.

margot620: If you have the condition, I wish for you that the only agony you suffer is the non-intuitive pronunciation of the term.

I would say that for me, I have learned to accept the condition to such a "depth" that indeed it does appear that my neurology masks it. When I leave a situation where the real sounds matched my Tinnitus 'sound', I notice that my ear sound does for a short while resemble a noise-canceling "antisound", then that clears up. Not a bad thing for me anyway.

I find that marijuana makes my tinnitus much worse. Anyone else?

RE:questions about alcohol and coffee and medications

I have read that B complex vitamins can help. Alcohol and coffee and some medications deplete those vitamins, so perhaps there is a connection.

My cousin who was born with hearing loss and has been partially deaf his entire life.(he's in his late thirties now) developed tinitis a year or so ago and it hasbbeen debilitating to the point that he is not able to work. Since he had minimal hearing before the onset of tintitus I assume it couldn't be attributed to sound exposure. I believe his birth hewing loss was attributed to infection . Could renewed infection cause the tinitus? He has found no solution and is very depressed

I've suffered from tinnitus for as long as I can remember. One thing that aggravates it is excess use of aspirin. More recently I learned excess use of Advil is also an issue. What is excessive? I suffer with back problems so took 12-16 Advils a day. Now use a script for meds instead of Advil.

I seem to get tinnitis after swim workouts.

Is swimming a contributor to tinnitis? Is the sound of water hitting the eardrums enough to actually affect/damage my hearing, especially during long swims?

What can I do to minimize or eliminate any issues with swimming? I've tried earplugs and moving my swimcap, and neither seem to help.

I developed tinnitus in my mid-thirties at the same time I developed eye-floaters. Some Googling around has revealed that others have gotten both at the same time as well. Also read that some believe the Epstein-Barr virus may be related. Has anyone else had a similar experience? I def. went to a lot of loud rock shows in my twenties and early thirties, but it doesn't seem remotely connected to the condition. Incidentally, it gets better for me when I drink less coffee, and worse when I take too much Advil.

My husband, 54, has had it in his left ear since his 20s. I think that the pure white noise sound near the end is what he hears.

He is a very mind-over-matter kind of guy and knows how to deal with it.

I think that it could be quite claustrophobia-inducing for some personality types, mine included.

I sympathize!

I was diagnosed with TMJ - after treatment with a night guard type appliance - orthodontics was recommended. I agreed...trusted the doctor, they never warned me about side effects.... wore braces for a few years (I am over 50) it did not help my TMJ but it did cause severe ear ringing. And i am really upset about it. Its *loud* its in both ears and I am a visual artist and want my quiet head back. It affects my breathing.

What about ear sensitivity? I’ve played rock music for over 25 years and for the past 10 years I’ve had hissing in my ears. But most painful are my ears sensitivity to loud noise. From subway trains to even dishes being placed in the sink cause me pain. It’s an acute sharp pain. I often where earplugs when walking around the city and I always wear them while playing music. Is THIS Tinnitus or something else?

Thanks so much for this wonderful segment. I work for the American Tinnitus Association, and we greatly appreciate the fact that more and more people are becoming aware of the problem. In addition to musicians and music lovers, tinnitus is the #1 service connected disability for veterans in Iraq and Afghanistan, and it is now the #1 service connected disability for veterans of ALL service periods! Fortunately we feel that researchers are closer than ever to finding a cure, and we are focused on helping bring that to fruition. You can learn more at ATA.org, and find support from others on our ATA facebook page.

I've always been wary of loud rock concerts and now bring earplugs. At times there's a throbbing in my thyroid (?) or whatever it is behind the hollow in the base of my throat. My friends say I'm making it up. I'm not!
Have you heard of this? What is actually happening?

Thank God John stopped noting the different pronunciations of tinnitus—almost made me turn him off!

I co-directed a movie about Lemmy from Motorhead - one of the loudest bands in the world, and now have permanent ringing in the ears, regardless of all the ear protection I wore during our shoot. I guess standing on stage with Lemmy has its hazards.

Greg

Number 1 question for me:

Will I, in having Tinnitis now at a relatively early age, be more likely to go on to have advanced hearing loss in my later years?

thanks for the show.

I've had tinnitus since 1996 when a faulty smoke alarm sounded at full alert while I was changing the batteries. Fortunately, I don't have hearing loss.

However, I can rarely tolerate silence for the high-pitched ringing I experience. Fortunately, I love music and talk radio. At night I use a small fan so I can sleep.

Would you ask your guest if certain medications can cause/contribute to tinnitus?

I am a musician and I have a periodic ringing of the ears that comes out of nowhere, lasts for 10 seconds and then vanishes. Is that considered tinitis? If so, can tinitis develop over time? Could this get worse?

I developed tinnitus when I lived in NYC. It seemed to be centered in the middle of my head rather than one ear or the other. I've had lifelong allergies and they grew worse in the city. I wonder if that could contribute to tinnitus?

I have tinnitus - which I attribute to listening to loud music through stereo speakers as a kid.

However, I only notice it when things are very quiet. Its always there, but thankfully 98% of the time my brain seems to be just filtering it away. If I ever focus on it, its plainly there, but most of the time I just forget about it - so no big deal.

I do notice it can act up when operating on low sleep.

I've definitely heard the second, high tone you played earlier before, but only once in a blue moon. Is this something I should be concerned about or can this occasionally happen without the need to worry?

do caffeine and alcohol and fatigue contribute to level of tinnitus? I notice that when I'm tired, or have had a couple of drinks or a lot of coffee, the ringing seems stronger.

I've had ringing for about 8 years, I think. I've been checked out; nothing wrong other than the ringing itself.

My tinnitus is bearable, though I understand some find it otherwise.

I also find it increases when I am stressed or have eaten or drunk something very cold.

If I meditate or relaxe, I find the level decreases and sometimes I am more aware of when it is not there, than when it is.

I blame Act Up for my tinnitus - after a march where all were blowing whistles, I turned to my friend and said, we are deafening our own people.. the ringing lasted in my ears until the following day. 15 years later,I have had tinnitus for the past 11 years, and now wear hearing aids for hearing loss caused by nerve damage. Oh, and the rock & roll boyfriend contributed plenty, too.

The loadest band ever was Blue Cheer, 1968

I was a stock car racing announcer for many years at oval speedways both in New Jersey and on Long Island and many of them had open (not glass enclosed) announce booths facing the track and, to this day, I have a ringing only in my right ear. The reason: The race cars would pass in front of me from left to right which exposed me to the very loud, unmuffled exhaust pipes. Doesn't bother me too much but I can hear the ringing when I'm in a very quiet place.