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.
Say again... I didn’t hear that the first time.
What…Johnnie Unitas was a great quarterback?
Major hearing loss, the tinnitus was what the tech wanted to ask about after the test. one ear useless, the other severe high freq loss
After working for the same uncle my entire adult life in places that gunfire is prevalent, my tinnitus is brought to me by the letter “EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE”
RLTW
Max disability for tinnitus from the VA is 10 %.
I fought the bastards for years and finally won my 10% with 9 years of back pay for it.
HEY, honey! We got our own week?
many drugs cause tinnitus.
sometimes it takes weeks to start or stop.
this makes cause and effect correlation difficult sometimes.
...interesting posts....I have had this damned ringing in my ears for at least the past 2 years...it comes and then it goes...right now it is driving me nutz....BTW, according the ENT physicians I have dealt with over the years, the correct pronuciation is “TINN-i-tus” not the more commonly heard “Tinn-EYE-tus”.....
Eh? What’s that ya say, sonny boy?
I figure there is one guaranteed plus about dying.
The damn noise will finally stop.
I got my Tinnitus from the Vioxx medication that they were forced to withdraw because of heart attacks and strokes. My doctor said I’d just have to learn to live with it. She smiled. That was in 2000.
Not everyone knows that NSAIDs can cause tinnitus, so I always post to FR tinnitus threads.
Good for you but they gave you 50% rating for tinnitus? I thought the max was 10%, which is what I received after waiting 35 years.
I did not know about ibuprofen specifically.
But I hope someone reads this and it helps them.
They just asked about tinnitus, seemed to be a check box.
Real problem is severe hearing loss. Considering the trouble it has caused me for decades, about time they gave me something.
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Interesting. I have tinnitus that comes and goes. I haven't been tested in years, but I cant't hear squat in the upper range range of spoken frequencies. If I go to a crowded event, it is a total mess. I cant hear anything. It is all white noise..
Ahh, ok. That is very unfortunate.
Have moderate to severe hearing loss, one is worse than the other. Had it for years, Finally got hearing aids last November. Hoping to help with the ringing in my ears. Am somewhat use to it now. Quiet times are when it is very apparent.
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