Monday, June 3, 2013

Charlotte tinnitus sufferers warn of ear damage from loud music


Christy Beth Kluesner feels she's been "robbed of silence."

For 32 years, Kluesner, 64, has suffered from tinnitus, also known as ringing in the ears.

No matter where she is, she hears a "cacophony of unpleasant sounds."

Sometimes it’s like crickets that won’t stop chirping. Other times, it’s like the non-stop buzzing of a fluorescent bulb.

To compensate for this and her hearing loss, she wears digital hearing aids that produce calming music designed to reduce the din of tinnitus.

"It’s a tremendous life adjustment," she said.

Tinnitus (TIN-it-us) is the medical term for the perception of sound in one or both ears when no external sound is present. The different sounds – hissing, roaring, whistling, chirping or clicking – can be intermittent or constant. The perceived volume ranges from subtle to shattering.

For Kluesner, the problem came on after years of hearing abuse. As a child actor in New York City, she fired a loud pistol eight times a week for eight months during performances of “The Power and the Glory.” For two decades, she was a Big Band singer, performing nightly in front of the orchestra’s trumpet section.

Today, she and other members of the Charlotte-area Tinnitus Support Group are trying to bring awareness to the condition, raise money for research and encourage businesses to turn down the sound to under 80 decibels – the level that can cause irreversible hearing loss and damage.

Recently, Kluesner and her husband, a saxophone player who has mild tinnitus, saw the IMAX 3D movie, “Star Trek Into Darkness.” Both wore ear plugs as they watched ads promising “Earth Shaking Sound.”

With an app on her iPhone, Kluesner documented the decibels – 80 most of the time and up to 94.

"Our world has really gotten much louder," she said. "We’ve got to calm it down."

Tinnitus affects about 50 million people, especially men and women in the military, according to national estimates.

The Charlotte-area support group has more than 70 members, said leader William Hunt, 67, who developed the condition in 2009, after firing a pistol on his Shelby farm.

“I went completely deaf for 10 or 15 seconds, and then my hearing came back,” he said. Some weeks later, he began hearing a scratchy sound in both ears, and in days, it became “intolerable. I couldn’t sleep at night. If I did fall asleep from exhaustion, it woke me up within an hour.”

There’s no cure. Doctors typically refer patients to audiologists, but therapies are “unpredictable,” Hunt said.

Some people try Tinnitus Retraining Therapy, using electronic devices in the ears, producing sound in an attempt to trick the brain into ignoring the tinnitus. Hunt chose a metabolic treatment created by a practitioner in Israel.

“The concept is that the body can heal itself if you remove the barriers to healing and bring metabolic indicators into normal range.” Hunt spent three months in Tel Aviv, taking “special treatment capsules,” which he still takes today, at $100 a month.

“I can’t say it was a cure (but) I got 90 percent relief.”

Hunt’s recommendation? “If I were you, I would protect my hearing as I do my eyesight. Don’t go to any loud concerts. Wear ear plugs.”

###
The Charlotte-area Tinnitus Support Group is sponsoring its first annual walkathon Sunday at 1 p.m. at Freedom Park. Contact: William Hunt, 704-567-6860, williamrhunt@att.net.

American Tinnitus Association, www.ata.org

13 comments:

Unknown said...

These guys are spot-on. Every single place you turn today....everything is loud. We need to tune in, turn down, and burn one!

Anonymous said...

I have had tinnitus for thirty years. starting when I was in the military. I just have to cope, but it has affected the quality of my life. I can no longer teach, communicate on the phone, and I often have to get close to a person to hear them. So yes, tell your kids to turn the noise down.

Jenny hunt said...

the problem came on after years of hearing abuse. As a child actor in New York City, she fired a loud pistol eight times a week for eight months during performances of “The Power and the Glory.” Jenny hunt


Abdul bari said...

Tinnitus retraining therapy (TRT) is a treatment commonly known as, habituation therapy, whereby a patient uses a combination of tinnitus retraining and sound. tinitus miracle

Unknown said...

Healing sounds are the most effective, affordable and easy alternative to release pain and perilous diseases. Tinnitus healing sound formula is an alternative treatment with no side effects. Healtone's healing technology is one of the most advanced methods available today for dealing with diseases/disorders.

Anna Schafer said...

Given melatonin is a relatively benign supplement that can be purchased over-the-counter, it can't hurt to give it a try!Stop Tinnitus Ringing

Shelley Michele said...

I am Shelley from Los Angeles,California, I want to testify on how i got cured from tinnitus, I have suffered from ringing ears since the year 2011 with so mush pain,that i have to spend so mush money getting pain relief in the hospital, and I have visited several doctor ,but all to no avail, my world was gradually coming to an end because of the buzzing sound in my right ears, until i saw a post in a health forum about a herbal Dr Williams who use herbal portion in curing people from different kind of diseases including tinnitus, at first i doubted if it we be able to cure me, but i decided to give it a try, when i contacted this herbal doctor via his email, he prepared a herbal portion and sent it to me via courier service, when i received this herbal medicine, he gave me step by step instructions on how to apply it, when i applied it as instructed, i was completely free from tinnitus just for 1 months of usage,i we recommend this to all my friend family in the world today who still suffering from tinnitus you can contact him through his email on drwilliams098675@gmail.com for help.

devansh said...

Thanks to Dr Williams I am so happy today, I have been suffering from tinnitus for the past 2 years now, and i have spent a lot on western drugs which has all proved abortive, i have tried all means in life to become tinnitus free , but there was no answer until i decided to try herbal solution and i found Dr Williams online and i contacted him and after I took his medication as instructed, i am now tinnitus free within those week of usage, i am so much happy, thanks to Dr Williams for helping me get my life back again without any form of crisis, i promise to tell your name and good deeds to the whole world,if you have tinnitus you can email him on drwilliams098675@gmail.com for more information .

devansh said...

Thanks to Dr Williams I am so happy today, I have been suffering from tinnitus for the past 2 years now, and i have spent a lot on western drugs which has all proved abortive, i have tried all means in life to become tinnitus free , but there was no answer until i decided to try herbal solution and i found Dr Williams online and i contacted him and after I took his medication as instructed, i am now tinnitus free within those week of usage, i am so much happy, thanks to Dr Williams for helping me get my life back again without any form of crisis, i promise to tell your name and good deeds to the whole world,if you have tinnitus you can email him on drwilliams098675@gmail.com for more information .

Sophie Lewis said...

I am sophie from Canada, I once suffered from a terrible and Chronic tinnitus ,in 2016, the doctor told me it has no permanent cure i was given medications to slow down its progress, i constantly felt my health was deteriorating as i constantly go out of breath,and this noise was really terrible especially when am sleeping, i have this constant ringing in my ears for about 8 months, this was really a terrible noise ,on thin one day that i was going through the internet,and i came across a post of Mrs Kate on how she was been cured from tinnitus through dr Williams herbal product, I contacted this herbal doctor via his email and explain everything to him and make purchase of his product,few days later he sent me the herbal medicine through courier service, when i received the herbal medicine i used it for 3 weeks as prescribed and i was totally cured of tinnitus within those week of usage,on thin now i have not hear anything ringing in my ears.if you need his help you can Contact this herbal doctor via his email drwilliams098675@gmail.com for help

Leonardo DiCaprio said...

SPECIAL THANKS TO DR WILLIAMS FOR THE TINNITUS CURED HE
RENDER TO ME.
I'm giving a testimony about Dr. WILLIAMS the great Herbal man, he has
the herbal cure to tinnitus, he cured my Tinnitus Ear problem,
though I went through different website I saw a testimonies about this
Dr Williams, I was like: 'Dr Williams have the Tinnitus cure why are
people still suffering from it?' I thought of it, then I contact Dr Williams, I didn't believe him that much, I just wanted to give him a try, he replied my mail and Needed some Information about me, then I sent them to him, he prepared the (CURE) and sent it to me through Courier Service he gave my details to the Courier Office, they told me that 1-3 days I will receive the package and i took the medicine as prescribed by Dr Williams and I went for check-up 1 week after finishing the medicine, then the Tinnitus was not there, if you are suffering from Tinnitus virus you can contact him on his via email address: drwilliams098675@gmail.com for his herb

Shelley Michele said...

I am Shelley from Los Angeles,California, I want to testify on how i got cured from tinnitus, I have suffered from ringing ears since the year 2011 with so mush pain,that i have to spend so mush money getting pain relief in the hospital, and I have visited several doctor ,but all to no avail, my world was gradually coming to an end because of the buzzing sound in my right ears, until i saw a post in a health forum about a herbal Dr Williams  who use herbal portion in curing people from different kind of diseases including tinnitus, at first i doubted if it we be able to cure me, but i decided to give it a try, when i contacted this herbal doctor  via his email, he prepared a herbal portion and sent it to me via courier service, when i received this herbal medicine, he gave me step by step instructions on how to apply it, when i applied it as instructed, i was completely free from tinnitus just for 1 months of usage,i we recommend this to all my friend family in the world today who still suffering from tinnitus you can contact him through his  email on drwilliams098675@gmail.com for help.

Sophie Lewis said...

I am sophie from Canada, I once suffered from a terrible and Chronic tinnitus ,in 2016, the doctor told me it has no permanent cure i was given medications to slow down its progress, i constantly felt my health was deteriorating as i constantly go out of breath,and this noise was really terrible especially when am sleeping, i have this constant ringing in my ears for about 8 months, this was really a terrible noise ,on thin one day that i was going through the internet,and i came across a post of Mrs Kate on how she  was been cured from tinnitus through dr Williams herbal product, I contacted this herbal doctor via his email and explain everything to him and make purchase of his product,few days later he sent me the herbal medicine through courier service, when i received the herbal medicine i used it for 3 weeks as prescribed and i was totally cured of tinnitus within those week of usage,on thin now i have not hear anything ringing in my ears.if you need his help you can Contact this herbal doctor via his email drwilliams098675@gmail.com for help