Do You Have This in Common with Rock Stars?

What do Chris Martin, Jeff Beck and Bono have in common? Yes, they are indeed all famous rock musicians but they also all suffer from tinnitus. While I am not a rock star (just a fan), I too suffer from ringing in my ears, most likely caused by listening to music too loudly at concerts and via earbuds.

In a health blog post by Amy Nelson, doctor of audiology at the Palo Alto Medical Foundation, I learned that tinnitus is one of the most common clinical conditions in the U.S. At some point in our lives, many of us experience a ringing, buzzing, hissing or other similar sound in our ears that isn’t audible to anyone else.

The American Tinnitus Association reports that approximately 50 million people have tinnitus.

Dr. Nelson explains that, “While it’s difficult to determine all tinnitus causes, the most common one is noise exposure, such as listening to loud music, or being around explosions or firearms. In these cases tinnitus may occur with or without hearing loss.”

In her blog, she also details other possible causes of tinnitus including impacted earwax, high doses of aspirin, certain antibiotics, jaw misalignment, Ménière’s disease (a disorder of the inner ear that can affect hearing and balance), head injury or, in rare cases, a tumor on the auditory nerve (which carries signals from the inner ear to the brain).

“Some tinnitus or perceived noise is normal. For example, in a soundproof booth a person would likely become more aware of these ‘head sounds’ because they aren’t drowned out by outside noises,” says Dr. Nelson.

The cause and extent of tinnitus can be tested in an audiology sound lab. Many tinnitus treatments are available, and they differ depending on the cause of the condition. These range from medication to electrical stimulation and surgery. These treatments offer varying degrees of success in addressing the neural component of tinnitus.

There’s more detail about tinnitus in Dr. Nelson’s blog.

Locally, the PAMF Dublin Center offers state-of-the-art audiology testing and care.

How is your hearing? Turn off your iPod and take PAMF’s Hearing Self Quiz.