Our final blogs have been posted, but we shall keep the blog open for a while so please feel free to keep contributing if you wish to.
I’d like to say a very big thank you to our three bloggers, Kate, John and Gemma, who have put a considerable amount of time and effort into producing their blogs and joining in the chat. I hope their tinnitus settles down again after all the attention it’s been getting!
I have been reading the postings with great interest and I guess the week has confirmed what I sort of knew, that tinnitus is a very individual experience. John for example has told us that whilst he relishes being fit, exercise temporarily cranks up the volume of his tinnitus, whereas Nick H describes exercise as a ‘Big T reliever’. Pleasant though experiments with red wine may be, the results remain inconclusive about its impact on tinnitus. At least, hopefully, research funded by Deafness Research UK will in due course ease the debate about caffeine by revealing whether it aggravates tinnitus or not.
I hope our bloggers have given you some ideas on how to cope with your tinnitus. Further information is also available from Deafness Research UK. Just click onto our website: www.deafnessresearch.org.uk/?lid=3861. You can read more personal stories from people who live with tinnitus at: www.deafnessresearch.org.uk/?lid=2858.
Our helpline is open 9.00 a.m. to 5.00 p.m. Monday to Friday (a message can be left at other times) to answer specific questions about tinnitus. If our Information team cannot answer a question directly, we will refer it to one of our scientific or medical advisers. Contact the helpline on telephone 0808 808 2222.
Alternatively email info@deafnessresearch.org.uk or click the ‘ask a question’ option at the top of our website: www.deafnessresearch.org.uk
For certain, we need better treatments for tinnitus and indeed, because of its complexity, we are likely to require a range of solutions rather than a single cure. I think it's clear from our blog that more research into tinnitus is an urgent priority. Supporting more and high quality research is a key goal for Deafness Research UK.
Geraldine Oliver
Head of Information
Deafness Research UK
Monday, 16 February 2009
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How come Deafness Research UK do not reply to letters?
ReplyDeleteDear John
ReplyDeleteI was rather surprised by your comment as, unless a sender does not want a reply, we make it a rule to respond to letters, particularly if someone has a question about deafness or tinnitus. I apologise if there has been a problem at our end. If you can email us at the address given in my blog, giving a summary of what was in your letter, or ring our helpline, we'll respond accordingly.
Geraldine Oliver
Deafness Research UK
One difficulty is that no one really knows about the impact of tinnitus other than those who suffer from it. There is a need to collate such information to identify the things that cause difficulty most commonly and, from this devise some strategies that sufferers can try. While acknowledging that it is an individual experience
ReplyDeletethere may well be some common features that can then be studied. Some people will say that information of this nature is available but sifting the 'genuine' from the 'rubbish' is difficult for many of us with the condition. How do we know what might help what doesn't stand a hope in hell of making a difference?
Having that information available could only be helpful to people with the condition.
I agree with the afore anonymous comment, has a questionaire been done to try and identify common traits in peoples symptons etc ?? Maybe you could put on eout with the ATR e-mail ??
ReplyDeleteCheers, the BLOG was very useful.
This is a very great blog! Much appreciated. I have my own blog, http://mylifewithtinnitus.blogspot.com/ , that documents my experiences with tinnitus. I encourage everyone to check it out, it would be much appreciated. I blog so that other people can read it! Thanks.
ReplyDeleteFrom Geraldine Oliver, Head of Information, Deafness Research UK
ReplyDeleteThis is reply mainly to Nick and Anonymous above to say that we have thought of doing a kind of guide to what treatment or other strategies do help tinnitus as opposed to those that are ineffective or unproven. It would be quite a tricky assignment, but we'll try to give it a go. We know quite a lot about the common traits of people with tinnitus, but being able to develop a standard treatment for tinnitus is perhaps unlikely.
Kind regards.
This may be too late but, although a guide such as that above would be useful, there is a great need for better understanding among health care professionals about the impact tinnitus can have on our lives. Hpw about a guide for such professionals - npot those who do understand - but the others who may come across patients with tinnitus in any area of their practice? Just because a patient has another condition doesn't mean that their tinnitus is not important! We really do need to understand tinnitus better.
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