Tinnitus Is An Increasing Problem For Veterans
Although people from all walks of life get tinnitus, veterans are turning up with tinnitus symptoms more often than the general population. Sadly, for more than one reason effective tinnitus treatment has been lacking for veterans. First of all, the money simply isn’t there for it, because other more serious problems among veterans have to be taken care of first. Moreover, tinnitus is difficult to diagnose properly because the symptoms can only be detected by the afflicted person himself or herself. As a result this serious condition is being neglected, and our veterans who have sacrificed so much to serve our country deserve better.
For the most part our veterans are developing tinnitus caused by acoustic trauma, often called noise-induced tinnitus. Veterans have been subjected to very loud noises often, both in training exercises and in war zones. They may not have been exposed to prolonged loud noise, but repeated subjection to sudden bursts of intense sound can do real harm to the hearing receptors located within the inner ear. It is clearly known that, by far, the majority of tinnitus cases today are brought on by acoustic trauma. Usually, in other areas of life people can wear ear protection such as ear plugs or ear muffs when subjected to extremely loud noise, for instance in factories, airports, or loud night clubs or rock concerts. Military personnel, however, usually are not able to use protective devices to prevent ear damage. In training and in combat they must maintain optimum awareness of what is going on around them. The outcome is that veterans are experiencing a rate of incidence for tinnitus that is higher than for the population at large.
This difficulty that our veterans find themselves in needs to be taken seriously, because it will not go away by itself. Although tinnitus may be subjective, for the victim the symptoms can really take their toll. Living with perpetual ringing or other unwanted ear noise can rob one’s zest for greeting each day, spoil relationships, impair sleep, and deteriorate one’s life overall. People who have never had it usually have difficulty appreciating how terrible tinnitus can be. Our veterans need not resign themselves to just existing with tinnitus, because remedies are available for alleviating symptoms in most circumstances.
Numerous forms of treatment are possible for tinnitus today, some more desirable than others. In some instances, anti-depressants, anti-convulsants, or anti-anxiety drugs are prescribed. These have been shown to mitigate symptoms in many cases, but they often have undesirable side effects. Sound therapy is sometimes used, by which white noise is used to mask tinnitus. Many persons have been helped by using certain herbal or homeopathic formulas. Several other alternative remedies can also be tried. Natural holistic treatment, which can be combined with a variety of other remedies, very often yields the best outcomes for noise-induced tinnitus, as demonstrated in the book Tinnitus Miracle. To get a good introduction, check out this Tinnitus Miracle review. By building up and improving the immune defense system, holistic treatment helps by encouraging the body to heal itself, thereby reducing or eliminating the ringing in ears or other tinnitus symptoms.
Veterans should have access to such treatment possibilities when required. However, at this moment the problem of tinnitus among veterans is largely overlooked. Since many of the health problems that veterans face are perceived to be more serious, in effect tinnitus often falls through the cracks. Still, our veterans who have given so much for their country deserve tinnitus treatment to improve their quality of life.
September 7, 2010 | Posted by Stew
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