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Pronounced either tin-night-us or tin-nit-is, tinnitus is theperception of sound when no external sound is present. Forsome people, tinnitus is just a nuisance; for others, it is alife-altering condition.

There is no cure for tinnitus. ATA exists tocure tinnitus through the development ofresources that advance tinnitus research.However, insome cases, tinnitus can bemanaged by treating the underlyingcause or by altering reactions to it. It is

important to note that treatment outcomes vary dependingon the specific cause of tinnitus, how long a patient has hadtinnitus and other competing health factors.

The exact mechanisms of tinnitus are unknown butscientists are working hard to understand the condition andare making a lot of progress. There are several sources, allof which are known to trigger or make someone's tinnitusworse: Exposure to loud sounds or noise; head and necktrauma; certain disorders like Lyme Disease andfibromyalgia can have tinnitus as a symptom; certain typesof tumors like an acoustic neuroma; wax build-up in theears; jaw misalignment; cardiovascular disease; certainmedications

The simple answer is yes, there are tinnitus managementstrategies that are available to tinnitus sufferers. However itis important to note that these options, do not work foreveryone and do not work to the same degree for eachindividual patient. This is why we stress the importance ofdiscussing your particular tinnitus situation with a qualifiedhealth professional. Join ATA and receive a listing of tinnitustreatment specialists in your area.

Regardless of the characters I portray on TV

and on the big screen, my tinnitus once buriedme in a negative place where many of you arenow - or have been. Believe me when I say,Ive been there.

My tinnitus began while I was filming the StarTrek episode Arena. I was standing too close

to a special effects explosion and it resulted intinnitus. There were days when I didnt know how I would

survive the agony. I was so tormented by the screeching in myhead I really thought I would not be able to go on. But then aray of light burst into my life the American Tinnitus

Association. The help they gave me literally saved my life.

The harsh reality of tinnitus has robbed silence from the livesof nearly 50 million Americans. Whether you hear it in yourears or in your head tinnitus means the same thing: noisethat does not go away. You do not suffer alone.

ATA works with the best and the brightest scientiststhroughout the world who are investigating this terriblecondition. Whats unique about ATA is that they give us all the

opportunity to do something about tinnitus; they make it pos-sible for anyone to contribute and support research that ismoving us toward a cure.

I believe we can achieve this goal! I encourage you to join mein making a generous donation to the American TinnitusAssociation. Its dedicated staff and volunteers are here for ustoday, helping us live with our tinnitus and supportinginnovative research. Eventually, they will bring the good newsof silence back into our lives.

We must band together on this journey to help fund ourcritically-needed association so that one day, not one singleperson will ever have to bear the agony and distress oftinnitus. From the bottom of my heart thank you for your

help.

ATA TINNITUS NEWSATA TINNITUS NEWS

ATA has a strong and highly active presence on Facebook, with nearly 8,000 friends thatparticipate on a daily basis, sharing their personal stories and connecting with others strugglingwith tinnitus. ATA posts breaking research news and developments, support group meetingannouncements and quickly answers the communities questions about the condition.

ATAs YouTube channel is filled with helpful videos created by the association,

professionals in the field, veterans, musicians, ATA members and celebritysupporters like William Shatner and tennis star Jennifer Capriati.

http://www.ata.org/sites/ata.org/files/pdf/Drugs_and_Tinnitus_Bauman_April_09.pdfhttp://www.ata.org/sites/ata.org/files/pdf/Drugs_and_Tinnitus_Bauman_April_09.pdfhttp://www.ata.org/sites/ata.org/files/pdf/Drugs_and_Tinnitus_Bauman_April_09.pdfhttp://www.ata.org/sites/ata.org/files/pdf/Drugs_and_Tinnitus_Bauman_April_09.pdf

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In 2008, ATA funded a 2-year research grant to Fan-Gang Zeng,Ph.D., Director of the Center for Hearing Research at theUniversity of California, Irvine (UCI). Zeng and the UCI team hadrealized a significant clinical breakthrough using amplitudemodulation.

The sounds are first customized to the patients unique tinnitus bydoing a frequency pitch matching process. Then with thisapproach, the amplitude (loudness) of the tones is very rapidlymodulated, or altered, so quickly that the listener cannotconsciously detect the changes. Modulated tones seem to keepthe brains interest more than constant tones. Researchers

believe that rather than masking, orcovering up the tinnitus, these sounds areinterfering with or suppressing it.

The results showed that the amplitudemodulated sounds were four times morelikely to offer a reduction in tinnitusperception than white noise, and were themost effective out of all the testedtreatment sounds. Overall, the short-termeffect showed that 35% of patients receivedgreater than 70% reduction in tinnitusperception, 35% of patients experienced a 30% to 50% reduction,and 30% of patients experienced less than 30% reduction.

Many scientific breakthroughs never make it out of the universitylab. Fortunately in this case, the firm Allied Minds learned of theUCIs work, licensed the technology, created a company called

SoundCure and in September 2011, the company began offeringthe Serenade Tinnitus Treatment System to audiologists along

with comprehensive training in tinnitus evaluation and tinnitus

management.

Interested in participating in a tinnitus

research study? Check out the latestopportunities at ATA.org/clinical-trialsfor studies that you may be able to bepart of.

Visit the Support Network section of ATA's website tofind an active group or contact in your area at ATA.org/support. Check out ATAs online calendar for upcomingmeetings and special events: ATA.org/calendar.

ATA has been all over the national news in the past fewmonths if you missed these exciting articles aboutthe forward progress of research, you can read themanytime on ATA's website at ATA.org/news.

ATA has a brand new feature on its website Podcasts!To listen or download to helpful tinnitus information atthe click of a button, visit our ATA.org/podcasts.

ATA members have exclusive access to a treasuretrove of 20-years worth of archived Tinnitus Todayarticles in the online Information Archive located atATA.org/members.

Becoming a member of ATA

allows us to expand awarenessof the condition and fundnecessary research. For only$40 ($55 outside U.S.) as a fullmember or $35 as an onlinemember, you will join a caringcommunity and also receivegenerous benefits such as:

Subscription to ATA s magazine, Tinnitus Todaypublished in April, August and December ANDthree supplemental electronic issues of theATANewsletter.

Access to a downloadable version of the

Progressive Tinnitus Management Program, aneducational workbook that will guide you throughdifferent ways of using sound to help give youvarying levels of relief for tinnitus.

A listing of tinnitus health care professionals andsupport contacts in your area that can help you.

Discounts on a variety of high-quality products andpublications available in the ATA Store.

Exclusive access the ATA Members Section onlineand access our 20+ years of archived TinnitusTodayarticles.

Students from the 6th, 7th and 8th grade classes at Niu ValleyMiddle School in Honolulu, Hawaii contacted ATA this pastDecember to see if we could help them with their project for theFirst LEGO League competition. The goal of the program wasto have students create an innovative solution to a real medicalproblem, and the students chose tinnitus as their topic.

The students put on a presentationthat included information from ATAon current treatments and researchfor tinnitus, an informative andcomedic skit and written materials.Their hard work paid off and thegroup won 2nd place in thecompetition!

ATA sends our congratulations to the students and thanks themfor helping do their part in spreading awareness of the conditionin their community.

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