Quite frequently, John Bloom gets a peculiar sensation of several crickets chirping right inside his head. Sometimes it sounds like a high frequency whistle blowing at a distance. At other times, the sound is similar to bleats from an electronic gadget There is a funny sensation when it sounds something like a hiss.
Tinnitus, which affects the inner ear and brain, seems to have got the better of this man from California who says he hears a constant hammering of sounds that he cannot make sense of, thereby making his life miserable. Each day poses a dreadful situation for him.
This disorder results in a gradual and irreversible hearing loss caused by frequent exposure to loud noises whether at home or at the workplace or even during recreational activities. Ageing is the leading cause of tinnitus.
Temporary or permanent tinnitus has affected more than 50 million Americans as per the recent data available with the American Tinnitus Association. Tinnitus has completely disabled about 2 million people and an additional 12 million are facing severe problems.
Bloom is one of those people who have been severely affected. Tinnitus is really trying his patience to no end and has made him very weak. Medical opinion suggests that a rock concert that he attended two years ago seems to have been the starting point for his tinnitus.
Bloom emphatically states that his presence at a particular concert damaged his hearing beyond repair, but does not want to name the band or the venue. At the concert, he says he was indeed wearing foam ear plugs all the while. The music was so loud that he felt like adjusting his earplugs and while he was doing so, a screeching sound that hit him permanently damaged his ear.
The first thing he noticed was a really bad and nonstop earache accompanied by acute sensitivity to noise.
The next chapter in his loss of hearing was that he started hearing a nonstop background noise. A few days was all the time it took to for doctors diagnose him as having tinnitus.
His doctor informed him that there was no cure for tinnitus, and an ear, nose and throat specialist was able to confirm this diagnosis. Despite some treatment that has a nominal effect, almost all patients are required to learn to cope with level of discomfort that still remains.
The stress that builds up because of tinnitus and the ringing sensation are both reduced to some extent by sleeping pills and antidepressants. Bloom is a firm believer in naturally occurring substances. He believes in zinc, magnesium and Vitamin B12 supplements for recovery from his condition, and melatonin for helping him sleep well.
One line of treatment acts on the brain to make it believe that the body never suffered from tinnitus.
Neuromonics brings into play electronic circuits to produce a wonderfully soft white sound to counterbalance the annoying noises. Although some tinnitus patients get marginal relief and start feeling better, the list keeps increasing because new patients keep coming. Tinnitus is too stubborn to go away so easily with currently known treatments.
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