To be presented by Dr. Carol Bauer

Currently, about 50 million Americans have tinnitus and an estimated 10 to 12 million of them suffer enough to seek treatment for the condition, according to a study by researchers at Gallaudet University, Washington, DC. What’s more, the number of Americans suffering from tinnitus is expected to grow significantly in the years ahead. American military personnel returning home from duty in Iraq and Afghanistan are being diagnosed with tinnitus more often than any other medical condition.  Those figures are expected to rise in the years to come.  On the home front as well, more and more younger Americans are expected to experience symptoms of tinnitus and other forms of noise-induced damage, in part because of the constant use of iPods and other MP3 players. A recent study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that one of every eight children between the ages of 6 and 19 suffers from noise-induced hearing damage.  Thus, now more than ever, audiologists are needed to help treat patients with tinnitus, says David Fagerlie of the American Tinnitus Association (ATA). “Training is important because there is a state of the art, which has been developed over time, and there are techniques that need to be known,” the ATA leader says. “There are directive counseling, sound therapies, and electrical stimulation. But you can’t just give someone a device with sound in it and send them home. There are also new treatments worth looking at.”  Traditionally, three general types of treatments have been most commonly used: masking, hearing aids, and sound therapy combined with counseling. While those management plans still are widely used, this article will focus on some of the newer therapies being introduced. It will also examine studies under way that are paving the way to better results down the road for patients who cannot simply ignore the incessant buzzing noise in their heads.