On Sunday, July 21st the support group met in the afternoon for “Show & Tell.” Over hot dogs & other yummies, we shared some of the doo-dads we use. A summary with links embedded:
EARPLUGS Over The Counter:
Deftget - 2-in-1 (green/yellow) decibel reducers with stronger/less-strong options
Earplanes – pressure-equalizing and noise reduction
HEARING AIDS WITH MASKERS – through your audiologist & vetted by ATA:
The ones with the chimes – Widex, great for some people
The ones with white noise - Phonak, very common
SOUND THERAPY - Over The Counter:
The pillow with 2 binaural speakers, variety of natural sounds/music tracks included - vetted by ATA; call Scott Armbruster & ask for discount.
Cube-shape external speaker can play the soundpillow tracks
Single under-pillow speaker – with soft cover, inexpensive, portable
Wide/flat-shaped Pillow Sleep Sound System by Serene
Dream Egg D1 White Noise Machine - for bedside
Ear Pajamas for sleep - wearable earphones inside a soft headband
Have a great August and see everyone in the fall!
Reminder to DC/MD support group members:
A week from Sunday, on Sunday July 21st (we had to change it from the 14th some time ago -- this is by way of confirmation, to be extra sure no one thinks the meeting is THIS Sunday the 14th) from 3 to 6 pm we will meet at a member’s residence, for our annual open house/picnic style “show and tell”. We’ll catch up with one another, welcome new members, and share our helpful apps and gadgets — so bring your favorite ear-plugs, sound devices, relaxation aids, etc., etc., so show off. We can also make CDs of tracks that people would like to have.
If it’s not too hot we’ll go out on the patio. Menu is hot dogs, beans, cole slaw, potato salad, chips, sodas, and cookies (already have contributors). If there’s anything you’d like to eat or drink that’s not on the menu, please bring it along… :-)
Date: Sunday, July 21st from 3 to 6 pm
Location: xxxx
Land line: xxxx
Questions? - our email is: TinnitusDC@gmail.com . See you then!
A week from Sunday, on Sunday July 21st (we had to change it from the 14th some time ago -- this is by way of confirmation, to be extra sure no one thinks the meeting is THIS Sunday the 14th) from 3 to 6 pm we will meet at a member’s residence, for our annual open house/picnic style “show and tell”. We’ll catch up with one another, welcome new members, and share our helpful apps and gadgets — so bring your favorite ear-plugs, sound devices, relaxation aids, etc., etc., so show off. We can also make CDs of tracks that people would like to have.
If it’s not too hot we’ll go out on the patio. Menu is hot dogs, beans, cole slaw, potato salad, chips, sodas, and cookies (already have contributors). If there’s anything you’d like to eat or drink that’s not on the menu, please bring it along… :-)
Date: Sunday, July 21st from 3 to 6 pm
Location: xxxx
Land line: xxxx
Questions? - our email is: TinnitusDC@gmail.com . See you then!
Announcing July 21 support group meeting
Dear DC & MD Tinnitus Support Group,
Our next meeting is coming up Sunday, July 21, and will be an informal gathering/open house “Show & Tell.” This is a chance for old and new members to share ideas, tips and tricks – and demo our favorite gadgets. From phone apps to ear-plugs, meditation CDs to soundpillows – bring what works for you! We can make copies of CDs, share Web links, etc., on the spot. Bring a pal/spouse if you’d like.
We already have one volunteer to bring snacks, and the host will provide hot dogs (meat & meatless), soft drinks, blank CDs & a CD burner – as well as many tracks & gadgets to show. If you want a special food or drink, bring it along (optional). Please respond to TinnitusDC@gmail.com so we can get a head count. We’ll go out on the back patio if it’s not too hot.
Date: Sunday, July 21 from 3 to 6 pm
Location: xxxxx
Cell/text: xxxxx
NOTE: If you haven’t already, think about signing up for AmazonSmile with ATA (American Tinnitus Association) as your selected charity. A small donation goes to ATA with every Amazon purchase you make. It adds up! No cost - here’s how: https://blog.aboutamazon.com/community/how-to-sign-up-for-amazonsmile
Our next meeting is coming up Sunday, July 21, and will be an informal gathering/open house “Show & Tell.” This is a chance for old and new members to share ideas, tips and tricks – and demo our favorite gadgets. From phone apps to ear-plugs, meditation CDs to soundpillows – bring what works for you! We can make copies of CDs, share Web links, etc., on the spot. Bring a pal/spouse if you’d like.
We already have one volunteer to bring snacks, and the host will provide hot dogs (meat & meatless), soft drinks, blank CDs & a CD burner – as well as many tracks & gadgets to show. If you want a special food or drink, bring it along (optional). Please respond to TinnitusDC@gmail.com so we can get a head count. We’ll go out on the back patio if it’s not too hot.
Date: Sunday, July 21 from 3 to 6 pm
Location: xxxxx
Cell/text: xxxxx
NOTE: If you haven’t already, think about signing up for AmazonSmile with ATA (American Tinnitus Association) as your selected charity. A small donation goes to ATA with every Amazon purchase you make. It adds up! No cost - here’s how: https://blog.aboutamazon.com/community/how-to-sign-up-for-amazonsmile
Write-up from May 16th support group meeting
“Between the stimulus and the response is a space. In that space lies our ability to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and freedom.” —Viktor Frankl
Training in Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction is one way to help ourselves lower our reactivity, and thereby reduce the intensity of tinnitus & hyperacusis symptoms. For those of us for whom other approaches are not working or who are open to additional, self-directed methods, these techniques can be well worth a try. MBSR is neither expensive nor invasive.
As Rebecca Hines shared with our group this last week, the MBSR course introduces a number of practices, from which the learner can select the most effective to continue. More than a relaxation program, MBSR is a proven approach to addressing chronic, intractable conditions, which teaches us to live in the moment, without ruminating over the past or fearing the future.
The ‘father’ of MBSR is Dr. Jon Kabat-Zinn, author of “Full Catastrophe Living” and many other related works. Trained in his methods, Rebecca introduced us to MBSR theories, and also led us in a couple of experiential exercises during the meeting. Rebecca pointed out that the Chinese translation for “mindfulness” is “present heart” - emphasizing that mindfulness, despite the name, is about more than just the mind - it’s about the whole self.
For more information and resources on MBSR, Rebecca gave us a hand-out, which is downloadable here . Other resources mentioned during the meeting: www.soundpillow.com and also Dr. Stephen Nagler (see Tinnitus Today 2018).
Stay tuned for next meeting announcement! In the meantime, we have received this request from a journalist that you may be able to respond to: “Hi everyone! I have an assignment from the Washington Post involving local restaurant music. I am looking for a real person to quote on the subject. This person must have hearing loss and/or tinnitus, and be willing to talk about a bad experience trying to get the volume lowered in a restaurant - for example, you asked for the music to be durned down and the restaurant refused, so you left. The person will be quoted by name and some identifying information in this format: ‘Pat Smith, age XX, a butcher/baker/candlestick-maker who lives near Anytown.’ Please sent me a PM on Facebook or write me a joycehohen@verizon.net. Thanks!”
Training in Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction is one way to help ourselves lower our reactivity, and thereby reduce the intensity of tinnitus & hyperacusis symptoms. For those of us for whom other approaches are not working or who are open to additional, self-directed methods, these techniques can be well worth a try. MBSR is neither expensive nor invasive.
As Rebecca Hines shared with our group this last week, the MBSR course introduces a number of practices, from which the learner can select the most effective to continue. More than a relaxation program, MBSR is a proven approach to addressing chronic, intractable conditions, which teaches us to live in the moment, without ruminating over the past or fearing the future.
The ‘father’ of MBSR is Dr. Jon Kabat-Zinn, author of “Full Catastrophe Living” and many other related works. Trained in his methods, Rebecca introduced us to MBSR theories, and also led us in a couple of experiential exercises during the meeting. Rebecca pointed out that the Chinese translation for “mindfulness” is “present heart” - emphasizing that mindfulness, despite the name, is about more than just the mind - it’s about the whole self.
For more information and resources on MBSR, Rebecca gave us a hand-out, which is downloadable here . Other resources mentioned during the meeting: www.soundpillow.com and also Dr. Stephen Nagler (see Tinnitus Today 2018).
Stay tuned for next meeting announcement! In the meantime, we have received this request from a journalist that you may be able to respond to: “Hi everyone! I have an assignment from the Washington Post involving local restaurant music. I am looking for a real person to quote on the subject. This person must have hearing loss and/or tinnitus, and be willing to talk about a bad experience trying to get the volume lowered in a restaurant - for example, you asked for the music to be durned down and the restaurant refused, so you left. The person will be quoted by name and some identifying information in this format: ‘Pat Smith, age XX, a butcher/baker/candlestick-maker who lives near Anytown.’ Please sent me a PM on Facebook or write me a joycehohen@verizon.net. Thanks!”
Reminder for May 16 support group meeting
Reminder for DC/MD support group members:
This Thursday, May 16 at 7 pm we will meet at our usual location in Rockville. We’ll catch up with one another, welcome new members, and hear from our guest speaker, Rebecca Hines, a Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction instructor.
According to a 2015 tinnitus study by the National Institutes of Health, participation in a Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) program is “associated with decreased severity in tinnitus symptoms and depression.” Additionally, study participants with tinnitus displayed “connectivity changes in neural attention networks” that improved with practice. NIH concluded that MBSR is “a promising treatment option for chronic, bothersome tinnitus,” one that is neither invasive nor expensive.
MBSR was developed by Dr. Jon Kabat-Zinn of the University of Massachusetts medical school to help their patients with chronic pain and other intractable conditions. Rebecca, who was formally trained in Dr. Kabat-Zinn’s methods, will introduce us to MBSR and how to access the full MBSR course, as well as find drop-in classes and other helpful resources. During our meeting, she will lead us in a brief mindfulness exercise. Rebecca provided a helpful reading selection by Dr. Kabat-Zinn (optional): download it here.
Date: Thursday, May 16th, at 7 pm
Location: Potomac Audiology, 11300 Rockville Pike, Suite 105, Rockville, MD 20852 (the practice of Dr. Gail Linn)
Office tel: 240 477 1010
Speaker: Rebecca Hines teaches with the Insight Meditation Community of Washington. She completed her training in Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) in 2006 and has been teaching the eight-week MBSR course in the Washington DC area since then through her organization, Mindfulness Training. She is also a graduate of the Spirit Rock Mindfulness Yoga and Meditation Training Program.
Getting there: See the map here. If you drive, turn onto Security Lane off of the Pike, across from White Flint mall. Building is One Central Plaza, and parking is free in the structure adjoining the building or on the street. Via Metro, take the Red Line to White Flint and walk south on Rockville Pike past the Whole Foods sign and turn right on Security Lane. Enter at One Central Plaza and office is on the 1st floor.
Refreshments will be provided.
Questions? - our email is: TinnitusDC@gmail.com. See you then!
This Thursday, May 16 at 7 pm we will meet at our usual location in Rockville. We’ll catch up with one another, welcome new members, and hear from our guest speaker, Rebecca Hines, a Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction instructor.
According to a 2015 tinnitus study by the National Institutes of Health, participation in a Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) program is “associated with decreased severity in tinnitus symptoms and depression.” Additionally, study participants with tinnitus displayed “connectivity changes in neural attention networks” that improved with practice. NIH concluded that MBSR is “a promising treatment option for chronic, bothersome tinnitus,” one that is neither invasive nor expensive.
MBSR was developed by Dr. Jon Kabat-Zinn of the University of Massachusetts medical school to help their patients with chronic pain and other intractable conditions. Rebecca, who was formally trained in Dr. Kabat-Zinn’s methods, will introduce us to MBSR and how to access the full MBSR course, as well as find drop-in classes and other helpful resources. During our meeting, she will lead us in a brief mindfulness exercise. Rebecca provided a helpful reading selection by Dr. Kabat-Zinn (optional): download it here.
Date: Thursday, May 16th, at 7 pm
Location: Potomac Audiology, 11300 Rockville Pike, Suite 105, Rockville, MD 20852 (the practice of Dr. Gail Linn)
Office tel: 240 477 1010
Speaker: Rebecca Hines teaches with the Insight Meditation Community of Washington. She completed her training in Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) in 2006 and has been teaching the eight-week MBSR course in the Washington DC area since then through her organization, Mindfulness Training. She is also a graduate of the Spirit Rock Mindfulness Yoga and Meditation Training Program.
Getting there: See the map here. If you drive, turn onto Security Lane off of the Pike, across from White Flint mall. Building is One Central Plaza, and parking is free in the structure adjoining the building or on the street. Via Metro, take the Red Line to White Flint and walk south on Rockville Pike past the Whole Foods sign and turn right on Security Lane. Enter at One Central Plaza and office is on the 1st floor.
Refreshments will be provided.
Questions? - our email is: TinnitusDC@gmail.com. See you then!
May Meeting Announcement
Hello DC/MD Tinnitus Support Group & Happy Spring!
Our next meeting is Thursday, May 16, when we’ll get to catch up, learn about a helpful therapy from an experienced practitioner, and support one another. Snacks will be provided. Our topic will be Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction, or MBSR. According to the American Tinnitus Association, MBSR is:
“A therapy that emphasizes 'mindfulness' — an acute and non-judgmental awareness of one’s physical sensations, sensory perceptions, emotional reactions and cognitive processes. Rather than struggling (often in vain) to ignore tinnitus, MBSR teaches patients to wholly accept, embrace, and control their experience. In doing so, patients put themselves in a better position to manage their condition. It can also addresses negative feelings of anger and apathy that so often accompany tinnitus.”
Date: Thursday, May 16th, at 7 pm
Location: Potomac Audiology, 11300 Rockville Pike, Suite 105, Rockville, MD 20852 (the audiology practice of Dr. Gail Linn)
Office tel: 240 477 1010
Speaker: Rebecca Hines teaches with the Insight Meditation Community of Washington. She completed her training in Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) in 2006 and has been teaching the eight-week MBSR course in the Washington DC area since then. She is also a graduate of the Spirit Rock Mindfulness Yoga and Meditation Training Program. More information on Rebecca's work can be found on her website.
Getting there: See the map. If you drive, turn onto Security Lane off of the Pike, across from White Flint mall. Building is One Central Plaza, and parking is free in the structure adjoining the building or on the street. Via Metro, take the Red Line to White Flint and walk south on Rockville Pike past the Whole Foods sign and turn right on Security Lane. Enter at One Central Plaza and office is on the 1st floor.
Questions? - our email is: TinnitusDC@gmail.com. See you then!
Our next meeting is Thursday, May 16, when we’ll get to catch up, learn about a helpful therapy from an experienced practitioner, and support one another. Snacks will be provided. Our topic will be Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction, or MBSR. According to the American Tinnitus Association, MBSR is:
“A therapy that emphasizes 'mindfulness' — an acute and non-judgmental awareness of one’s physical sensations, sensory perceptions, emotional reactions and cognitive processes. Rather than struggling (often in vain) to ignore tinnitus, MBSR teaches patients to wholly accept, embrace, and control their experience. In doing so, patients put themselves in a better position to manage their condition. It can also addresses negative feelings of anger and apathy that so often accompany tinnitus.”
Date: Thursday, May 16th, at 7 pm
Location: Potomac Audiology, 11300 Rockville Pike, Suite 105, Rockville, MD 20852 (the audiology practice of Dr. Gail Linn)
Office tel: 240 477 1010
Speaker: Rebecca Hines teaches with the Insight Meditation Community of Washington. She completed her training in Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) in 2006 and has been teaching the eight-week MBSR course in the Washington DC area since then. She is also a graduate of the Spirit Rock Mindfulness Yoga and Meditation Training Program. More information on Rebecca's work can be found on her website.
Getting there: See the map. If you drive, turn onto Security Lane off of the Pike, across from White Flint mall. Building is One Central Plaza, and parking is free in the structure adjoining the building or on the street. Via Metro, take the Red Line to White Flint and walk south on Rockville Pike past the Whole Foods sign and turn right on Security Lane. Enter at One Central Plaza and office is on the 1st floor.
Questions? - our email is: TinnitusDC@gmail.com. See you then!
Write-up from February 21st support group meeting
If you are reading a book and you are wearing glasses, you have large rims around your area of vision. Are you distracted by those glasses frames? So severely that you can’t read? No – because your brain has habituated to them. You focus on the words on the page, and the rims fade into the background.
This is one of the ways psycho-therapist Virginia Lindahl illustrates to her tinnitus patients the goal of habituating to the sound they hear in their heads.
Dr. Lindahl addressed our support group on February 21st. Years ago, she explained, she developed hearing loss and tinnitus herself. Her doctors told her they could treat her hearing loss. But the ringing? No. “I wasn’t happy with that answer,” she related. “The doctors said – you’re a psycho-therapist, so use the tools you know.” Dr. Lindahl settled on CBT (Cognitive Behavior Therapy) and treated herself. This is still her main tool for her tinnitus patients. “To habituate, we have to get out of our own way,” she told us. “The ringing is a false alarm, and the more we pay attention to it, the more our brain thinks it’s important. We need to convince the brain that the opposite is true.” Negative emotional responses only raise anxiety and worsen our symptoms.
Make no mistake – CBT is an incremental healing process, and re-training ourselves from the inside out is no mean feat. “We are hard-wired to react to sudden noises,” Dr. Lindahl said. “For our ancestors living in trees, it could have meant life or death.” Some of her tinnitus patients arrive severely distressed, and may require referrals to specialists to get on medications (for pain or anxiety). She might work with patients for months to relieve their panic attacks, insomnia, related depression, and other issues. On the other hand, some tinnitus patients are less distressed and may only need a couple of sessions to internalize that: A) they are not going crazy, and B) they can improve their symptoms with CBT methods in her office or at home.
She finds hyperacusis to be the other side of the tinnitus coin. Whether distressing sounds are coming from without or from within, for those in a state of hyper-vigilance, the way out is de-sensitization, which CBT promotes. She helps her patients challenge their catastrophic thinking, so they can turn around avoidance-type behaviors. If a patient thinks she will be fired from her job if she doesn’t sleep tonight – is that really true? If a patient is terrified that engaging in some former activity will make his tinnitus get worse, is that a fact? What small step can he take to try it again? With CBT, Dr. Lindahl helps her tinnitus patients to make steady progress toward habituation.
Dr. Lindahl addressed our support group on February 21st. Years ago, she explained, she developed hearing loss and tinnitus herself. Her doctors told her they could treat her hearing loss. But the ringing? No. “I wasn’t happy with that answer,” she related. “The doctors said – you’re a psycho-therapist, so use the tools you know.” Dr. Lindahl settled on CBT (Cognitive Behavior Therapy) and treated herself. This is still her main tool for her tinnitus patients. “To habituate, we have to get out of our own way,” she told us. “The ringing is a false alarm, and the more we pay attention to it, the more our brain thinks it’s important. We need to convince the brain that the opposite is true.” Negative emotional responses only raise anxiety and worsen our symptoms.
Make no mistake – CBT is an incremental healing process, and re-training ourselves from the inside out is no mean feat. “We are hard-wired to react to sudden noises,” Dr. Lindahl said. “For our ancestors living in trees, it could have meant life or death.” Some of her tinnitus patients arrive severely distressed, and may require referrals to specialists to get on medications (for pain or anxiety). She might work with patients for months to relieve their panic attacks, insomnia, related depression, and other issues. On the other hand, some tinnitus patients are less distressed and may only need a couple of sessions to internalize that: A) they are not going crazy, and B) they can improve their symptoms with CBT methods in her office or at home.
She finds hyperacusis to be the other side of the tinnitus coin. Whether distressing sounds are coming from without or from within, for those in a state of hyper-vigilance, the way out is de-sensitization, which CBT promotes. She helps her patients challenge their catastrophic thinking, so they can turn around avoidance-type behaviors. If a patient thinks she will be fired from her job if she doesn’t sleep tonight – is that really true? If a patient is terrified that engaging in some former activity will make his tinnitus get worse, is that a fact? What small step can he take to try it again? With CBT, Dr. Lindahl helps her tinnitus patients to make steady progress toward habituation.
Reminder! – Thursday February 21st support group meeting
We’ll meet on Thursday, February 21st, at 7 pm at Potomac Audiology.
Address: 11300 Rockville Pike, Suite 105, Rockville, MD 20852 (near White Flint Metro) Refreshments will be provided.
Office phone: 240 477 1010
Map is here.
Our guest will be Licensed Clinical Psychologist Virginia Lindahl, PhD. She runs an Alexandria-based therapy and psychological testing practice for adults and children, volunteers with the American Red Cross Disaster Mental Health team, and is a Silver sponsor of the American Tinnitus Association. Having struggled herself with the symptoms of tinnitus, she helps her patients with tinnitus to deal with the condition.
Have you experienced anxiety, depression, or other negative emotions as a result of tinnitus?
Come and meet Dr. Lindahl.
Questions, RSVPs: TinnitusDC@gmail.com
See you then!
Address: 11300 Rockville Pike, Suite 105, Rockville, MD 20852 (near White Flint Metro) Refreshments will be provided.
Office phone: 240 477 1010
Map is here.
Our guest will be Licensed Clinical Psychologist Virginia Lindahl, PhD. She runs an Alexandria-based therapy and psychological testing practice for adults and children, volunteers with the American Red Cross Disaster Mental Health team, and is a Silver sponsor of the American Tinnitus Association. Having struggled herself with the symptoms of tinnitus, she helps her patients with tinnitus to deal with the condition.
Have you experienced anxiety, depression, or other negative emotions as a result of tinnitus?
Come and meet Dr. Lindahl.
Questions, RSVPs: TinnitusDC@gmail.com
See you then!
Now! FaceBook group for members
Announcing:
DC/MD Tinnitus/Hyperacusis support group now has a private FaceBook Group! Members can ask questions, share advice, notify each other of resources or events, post videos – whatever you like. Your posts won’t be visible to anyone who's not in the group. We’ll continue to make meeting announcements on the existing Blog site as well as on the FaceBook page. We hope this new platform will facilitate conversations and interactivity amongst our members.
So let’s get this going - join today using this link: https://www.facebook.com/groups/353002085496089/
While we’re on the subject of social media – if you like to use Twitter, these are some great feeds to follow: @Tinnitus_USA ; @BritishTinnitus ; @TinnitusHub ; @TRI_TinnitusRes .
See you on line!
DC/MD Tinnitus/Hyperacusis support group now has a private FaceBook Group! Members can ask questions, share advice, notify each other of resources or events, post videos – whatever you like. Your posts won’t be visible to anyone who's not in the group. We’ll continue to make meeting announcements on the existing Blog site as well as on the FaceBook page. We hope this new platform will facilitate conversations and interactivity amongst our members.
So let’s get this going - join today using this link: https://www.facebook.com/groups/353002085496089/
While we’re on the subject of social media – if you like to use Twitter, these are some great feeds to follow: @Tinnitus_USA ; @BritishTinnitus ; @TinnitusHub ; @TRI_TinnitusRes .
See you on line!
Write-up from December 6, 2018 support group meeting
We met on a cold Thursday night last month (December 6th ) at Potomac Audiology, where we heard via call-in from Bryan Pollard, President of Hyperacusis Research Limited. His organization is in Boston: https://hyperacusisresearch.org/
Bryan's specific area of study is hyperacusis and related pain/discomfort. He gave a slide presentation to explain the nature of hyperacusis and how severe it can be. He introduced a couple of case studies that might be familiar (the young girl who got it from an air horn, and the young violinist who now composes only quiet music). He also updated us on promising scientific experiments with medications and devices. Download his slides here: http://www.mediafire.com/file/2tf923t8kjey5ic/2018-12_ATA_SupportGroup1.pdf/file
A recent article of his explains much of the science covered by his slides: http://www.mediafire.com/file/i5n2e044nbyk6k6/Unravelling_the_mystery_of_hyperacusis_with_pain_%257C_ENT_%2526_Audiology_News.pdf/file
Bryan himself suffers from hyperacusis, which he believes is due to sound he was exposed to from a loud wood chipper several years ago. Read his story on page 9 of a prior Tinnitus Today issue, here: http://www.mediafire.com/file/wg9gru6rcgucx18/Tinnitus_Today.pdf/file
From the Q & A with him: His organization has raised $200,000. NIH has increased its Tinnitus research funding from $1.5 a few years ago to $4 million now. The two young ladies in the case studies both found that taking a “hiatus” from annoying sound to be useful. Bryan himself uses ear-plugs as needed, and manages his symptoms while leading a busy life. He worked with NIH (NIOSH) to develop a decibel-measuring “app" to determine safe sound exposure levels for OSHA (it’s in the App Store, look for “NIOSH Sound Level Meter”) to help determine when/if you need to put in ear-plugs when out in public. He also finds an anti-inflammaatory dietary regimen helpful, as well as the use of Benzodiazepine medications in low doses (such as Xanax, Valium).
Bryan started and runs Hyperacusis Research Limited exclusively to raise funds for ongoing scientific research work to alleviate hyperacusis. He would appreciate it if our members with hyperacusis (probably most of us) would participate in his hyperacusis survey, here: https://hyperacusisresearch.org/hyperacusis-research-survey/
Coming up!
-A FaceBook “secret group” for us is in the works.
-Our next meeting is February 21st at Potomac Audiology with guest Dr. Virginia Lindahl (psycho-therapist). See you then.
Bryan's specific area of study is hyperacusis and related pain/discomfort. He gave a slide presentation to explain the nature of hyperacusis and how severe it can be. He introduced a couple of case studies that might be familiar (the young girl who got it from an air horn, and the young violinist who now composes only quiet music). He also updated us on promising scientific experiments with medications and devices. Download his slides here: http://www.mediafire.com/file/2tf923t8kjey5ic/2018-12_ATA_SupportGroup1.pdf/file
A recent article of his explains much of the science covered by his slides: http://www.mediafire.com/file/i5n2e044nbyk6k6/Unravelling_the_mystery_of_hyperacusis_with_pain_%257C_ENT_%2526_Audiology_News.pdf/file
Bryan himself suffers from hyperacusis, which he believes is due to sound he was exposed to from a loud wood chipper several years ago. Read his story on page 9 of a prior Tinnitus Today issue, here: http://www.mediafire.com/file/wg9gru6rcgucx18/Tinnitus_Today.pdf/file
From the Q & A with him: His organization has raised $200,000. NIH has increased its Tinnitus research funding from $1.5 a few years ago to $4 million now. The two young ladies in the case studies both found that taking a “hiatus” from annoying sound to be useful. Bryan himself uses ear-plugs as needed, and manages his symptoms while leading a busy life. He worked with NIH (NIOSH) to develop a decibel-measuring “app" to determine safe sound exposure levels for OSHA (it’s in the App Store, look for “NIOSH Sound Level Meter”) to help determine when/if you need to put in ear-plugs when out in public. He also finds an anti-inflammaatory dietary regimen helpful, as well as the use of Benzodiazepine medications in low doses (such as Xanax, Valium).
Bryan started and runs Hyperacusis Research Limited exclusively to raise funds for ongoing scientific research work to alleviate hyperacusis. He would appreciate it if our members with hyperacusis (probably most of us) would participate in his hyperacusis survey, here: https://hyperacusisresearch.org/hyperacusis-research-survey/
Coming up!
-A FaceBook “secret group” for us is in the works.
-Our next meeting is February 21st at Potomac Audiology with guest Dr. Virginia Lindahl (psycho-therapist). See you then.
HOLD THE DATE! – Next group meeting FEB. 21ST at Potomac Audiology
For this coming meeting, Alexandria-based practitioner, Virginia Lindahl, PhD, Licensed Clinical Psychologist will come and speak to our group. Dr. LIndahl treats Tinnitus/Hyperacusis patients for related psychological issues such as anxiety, depression, insomnia, sound phobia, etc. Highly pertinent to us is that Dr. Lindahl is a supporter of the American Tinnitus Association, and has tinnitus herself.
She, too, experienced panicky feelings and concerns about her ability to cope. After learning how to address these emotions, she is able to share this knowledge with others. Dr. Lindahl finds that negative emotional reactions to tinnitus can inhibit our adjustment to the condition. Fortunately, with the right tools to manage our reactions, we can help our brains adapt, and speed along our own process of habituation. “I no longer notice the whine in my ears. I’m back to living my normal pre-tinnitus life,” she says. “You can rejoin your life!”
Date: Thursday, February 21st, 7 pm
Location: Potomac Audiology, 11300 Rockville Pike, Suite 105, Rockville, MD 20852 (near White Flint Metro)
Office phone: 240 477 1010
Map: http://www.potomacaudiology.com/location.html
Refreshments will be provided.
Questions, RSVPs: TinnitusDC@gmail.com
(Some of you may recall she was scheduled to join us previously but had to cancel due to a family emergency and we are very pleased to welcome her next month.)
Location: Potomac Audiology, 11300 Rockville Pike, Suite 105, Rockville, MD 20852 (near White Flint Metro)
Office phone: 240 477 1010
Map: http://www.potomacaudiology.com/location.html
Refreshments will be provided.
Questions, RSVPs: TinnitusDC@gmail.com
(Some of you may recall she was scheduled to join us previously but had to cancel due to a family emergency and we are very pleased to welcome her next month.)
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