Posted on 02/07/2023 1:18:24 PM PST by Red Badger
Tinnitus Awareness Week is observed the first full week of February and the purpose of it is to educate the public about the symptoms of tinnitus and how it affects people. Tinnitus is the perception of noise or ringing in the ear and 15 to 20 percent of people experience it. It’s not actually a condition, but a symptom of an underlying condition. These can be age-related, related to hearing loss, ear injury, or a circulatory system disorder. The symptoms include ringing, buzzing, clicking, roaring, hissing, or humming in the ear and it varies depending on the person.
HISTORY OF TINNITUS AWARENESS WEEK Tinnitus isn’t a new condition by any means. The Ancient Egyptians referred to it as the bewitched ear and humming in the ear and used remedies in hopes of curing it. They’d infuse the oil, frankincense, herbs, tree sap, and soil administered with a reed stalk in the external ear. There was also Egyptian art called “ear stelae” that depicted scenes of the left and right ears alongside images of devout worshipers. Their intention was to call upon their gods to hear their prayers and cure them of their symptoms.
The first people to equate the treatment of tinnitus as a symptom rather than a condition itself were the Early Greco-Romans. Depending on where the tinnitus originated from determined how they would treat it. When it was from a cold, they’d clean the ear and hold their breath until humor frothed from it. When it originated from the head, then exercise, rubbing, and gargling was used to cure it. Later, Aristotle and Hippocrates used a technique called masking, which silenced the tinnitus with a countervailing sound to drive it out.
In the Middle Ages, they experimented with different methods. They continued to pour liquids into the ear and they’d throw wet wood in a fire and the crackling and rustling would lull afflicted people to sleep. Another method was called ear candling where they’d take a burning candle and put it up to the ear to draw out wax and debris. Proponents of candling say that it’s is also good for other sinus problems.
French physician Jean Marie Gaspard Itard advanced the study of tinnitus in the nineteenth century. The Frenchman associated tinnitus with hearing loss and described early versions of objective and subjective tinnitus. He used masking methods with limited results, but as time went on, new advancements in tinnitus research came. Germ theory, anesthesia, and technology all became more accurate. Today, tinnitus is more manageable thanks to all the continued work and research, but there’s still much to be done as it’s still under-researched.
TINNITUS AWARENESS WEEK TIMELINE
21st Century
Tinnitus Today
Tinnitus has become more manageable as a result of years of technological advancements and research after French the work of French physician Jean Marie Gaspard Itard.
15th Century
Experimentation
More experimentation leads to more liquids poured into the ear and a method called candling to alleviate tinnitus.
4th Century B.C.E.
Condition Versus Symptoms
Tinnitus is treated as a symptom and different methods are used depending on how the tinnitus appeared.
3100 B.C.E.
Ancient Origins
Ancient Egyptians call tinnitus the bewitched ear and use natural remedies in hopes of curing it.
On a related note, after decades of various family and friends badgering me to file a VA claim for my trashed hearing, i did about a year ago. VA staff told me about VSO service to help with the paperwork. Dit it and flew to Oahu for a test.
When the tech saw my age, said “waited a while didn’t you?”
Told him my one and only episode dealing with the VA for a home loan left me very bitter.
Anyway, they gave me 50% disability and a small monthly payment.
Should have done it a long time ago, after i could not pass the LAFD physical hearing test in my 20’s.
I have had a ringing in my ears ever since I can remember and I am in my 60’s, I just thought it was normal. I suppose it could have something to do with the dozen surgeries I had in each ear before I was 2? but hard to say. Still pretty normal for me
Same here....................
More manageable???? Maybe in a relatively small number of cases . they can’t do jack about mine nor does anyone try. It’s a shrug of the shoulders.
I seen a youtube vid that I wish I had saved. It showed an MRI of the brain in a sound controlled environment and found 3 tiny parts of your brain that should be shut down when you are awake are also awake (probly 24/7).
If anyone has a linky I would appreciate it.
Man - Oh man do my ears ring. Everything from turbine engines to 2 strokers and screaming turbochargers. The main hydraulic pump on m-60 and M-1 tanks. And of course, gun fire of every sort. The VA is sending me to local hearing aid /Ear Dr. place next Thursday to see whats what.
SPEAK UP!! I CAN’T HEAR YOU!! YOU’RE MUMBLING!!
If I want to revisit the joys of tinnitus, all I have to do is to take two ibuprofen tablets. One tab won’t do it, two does it every time.
Most of your historical remembrances are days - National Frozen Yogurt Day, National Tater Tot Day.
But Tinnitus requires an entire week because you have to keep repeating yourself to be understood...
Aw, heck no! When you plug your ears you remove the ambient environmental noise and you can just hear all the ringing and roaring more clearly. Tinnitus is not in your ears. Its in your brain. Constant short circuit or feedback that manifests itself as perceived sound and pressure.
I hear the tinnitus newsletter is called The Daily Buzz.
Tinnitus disability tops out at 10%. Must have had hearing loss in the pay zone.
Tinnitus is worse in quiet surroundings. Can diet help
make it better?
I hear cicadas in my ears continuously, more so at night. I sleep with wave sounds to try to shut them up.
Tinnitus is one of the many sypmtoms of CFIDS, so when it becomes more prevalent, I know a relapse of the disease won’t be far behind. All I can do is wait it all out.
I get everything from a low-toned buzz to a high-pitched screech that can go on for days. And then it comes back again in a different order.
At this point, it’s no better or worse than any of the other multitudinous symptoms of CFIDS. They all suck.
‘Face
;o]
“tinnitus awareness”
LOL...I’m not aware of it until somebody tells me to be aware of it. Then it refuses to go back into its closet.
Thanks for nothing!
Why do all the minorities get their own week or month, and all I get is “Tinnitus Awareness Week”? It doesn’t seem fair.
My Tinnitus mainly comes at twilight and is gone in about an hour after sunset. It reminds me of an invasion of cicada in the DC area decades ago. Except, no one hears the cicada/buzzing except me.
My wife’s hearing is getting worse as she ages, and she doesn’t hear my Tinnitus.
Since, I’m not in the Navy anymore, and I don’t hunt anymore nor shoot skeet/trap, my hearing is improving. I wore ear protection gear when doing the above.
By bedtime, fortunately, my Tinnitus has faded away to zero.
My wife’s hearing gets worse when she goes to bed. When we had our big earthquakes, she never heard the sound effects just before the quake hit us.
I don’t need a week in which to be aware of tinnitis. I am aware of it all the time.
I also have a condition called “visual snow.” It is called that because it resembles the appearance of a weak TV signal, where the picture is covered with tiny dots. I thought everyone sees like this until I tried looking up “pixellated vision.” I was only trying to learn how vision is processed in the brain. In the process, I discovered that not everyone sees like this.
I’ve had the visual snow and tinnitis ever since I can remember. When will there be a visual snow week?
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