Tinnitus Awareness Week Increases Understanding of Unacknowledged Condition
Westminster, CO (PRWEB) May 21, 2014 -- Have you heard? It’s Tinnitus Awareness Week.
The American Tinnitus Association is setting aside the week to raise national public awareness, knowledge and understanding of tinnitus, and the need for increased tinnitus research funding. Tinnitus is the condition often described as buzzing, ringing, hissing, humming, roaring, whistling or “ringing in the ears” that someone hears in the absence of any external sound.
Globally, tinnitus affects an estimated 10-15 percent of the population. In the United States alone, more than 50 million people suffer from the condition, according to the ATA. Usually brought on by exposure to loud noise, tinnitus is especially significant in the military, with more than 34 percent of returning veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan suffering from the condition.
Is it tinnitus?
Some people “hear bells ringing” when they fall in love. Others, though, hear the bells much more often. Whether or not they have tinnitus is difficult to assess, says Curtis Amann, vice president of marketing and sales for Neuromonics, Inc., which manufactures and distributes clinically proven, FDA-cleared medical devices to treat tinnitus. The symptoms of tinnitus are different for everyone, he says.
Determining whether someone has tinnitus – and the degree to which the condition is present – is best left to professional audiologists, says Amann. But the following questions can serve as a guide to help individuals assess their conditions and decide if the time is right to make an appointment with an audiologist trained in tinnitus.
1. Do the sounds make it hard to concentrate?
2. Do the sounds make it challenging to relax?
3. Do the sounds interfere with sleep?
4. Do the sounds induce frustration or anger?
5. Do the sounds lead to refraining from engagement in certain social situations?
Tinnitus sounds
“Many people find others don’t believe them when they explain their symptoms,” says Amann. “Once sufferers – and their family, friends and associates – understand what tinnitus is, they can take proactive steps to obtain relief. To help, Neuromonics also offers a short track of tinnitus sounds.
“The reality is that tinnitus does exist, and that there are devices and treatments now available to relieve the symptoms,” offers Amann. With more research, development, devices and treatments available, people no longer have to suffer.
Determining whether or not one has tinnitus, and if so, what level, is the first step in obtaining relief.
Neuromonics, Inc. (http://www.neuromonics.com)
Based in Westminster, Colo., Neuromonics, Inc., manufactures and distributes clinically proven, FDA-cleared medical devices to treat tinnitus. The patented and clinically proven Oasis, working the Neuromonics Tinnitus Treatment, provides long-term treatment and significant relief for those with severe tinnitus. The Haven, with the ability to program and individualize hearing profiles, is a management tool offering situational relief for tinnitus symptoms. The Sanctuary, also a management tool, works with pre-programmed profiles for on-demand relief.
With research and development beginning in the early 1990s, Neuromonics has helped thousands of tinnitus sufferers improve their quality of life and overcome the daily life challenges associated with tinnitus. More than 400 licensed, trained audiologists across four continents administer the Neuromonics Tinnitus Treatment. Neuromonics news includes segments on national media including “The Doctors” and CNN.
(end)
Aimee Bennett, Neuromonics, http://www.neuromonics.com, +1 303-843-9840, [email protected]
Share this article