Action Alliance

Tinnitus Awareness Week

Moving the World Toward A Cure!
May 18 - 24, 2008

Tinnitus Talking Points

The five short, direct talking points noted below are useful when speaking to others about tinnitus and Tinnitus Awareness Week. They will help you accomplish a number of things:

  • Validate that tinnitus is a noise that many people hear, even though others around them do not.
  • Communicate that many treatments available today can provide relief.
  • Explain that increased funding will help us raise the profile of tinnitus and the necessity for effective treatments and cures.
  • Remind people that they can take easy steps to reduce their risk of developing or worsening tinnitus when they are around loud noise.
  • Convey basic information and give people hope that their condition can improve.

Important talking points

To help these messages really sink in, it’s useful to repeat the most important points more than once. For Tinnitus Awareness Week – Moving the World Toward a Cure! May 18-24, 2008, we recommend the following talking points:

  • The American Tinnitus Association (ATA) funds and supports research projects focused on finding successful tinnitus treatments and cures. The organization is a valuable, nonprofit resource for people who are seeking help and gathering information about their condition.
  • ATA advocates for government funds for tinnitus research and is a clearinghouse of tinnitus awareness and expertise.
  • You can reach us by calling (800) 634-8978 or going to www.ata.org.
  • Tinnitus and ringing in the ears is the same thing.
  • Tinnitus is a real condition. Properly trained healthcare professionals can help. There is no reason to just “live with it.” Today, relief is available to millions of Americans.
  • Tinnitus research is ongoing. The scientific community believes that cures are possible and that we will find them.
  • If you don’t have tinnitus now, protect yourself from developing it by avoiding exposure to loud noise. A little common sense and awareness can spare many of us from this often-devastating condition. Three simple guidelines include:
    • Turn down the volume.
    • Walk away from loud noise.
    • Use earplugs.

    Printer-friendly PDF of tinnitus talking points.

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    What you should know about tinnitus

    We define Tinnitus (ti-NIGH-tus or TIN-i-tus) as the perception of sound where no external source is present. People who have tinnitus often describe it as ringing, hissing, roaring, buzzing, pulsing, whooshing, and even as crickets or music. They hear these sounds in one or both ears and/or in their head.

    Some important facts about tinnitus:

  • Nearly 50 million Americans experience tinnitus.
  • 10-12 million people in the United States have chronic tinnitus and seek medical attention for their condition.
  • Tinnitus debilitates 1–2 million Americans; they experience compromised cognitive abilities, depression and anxiety and a diminished quality of life.
  • Between all public and private funding in the United States, a mere $4 million is available for tinnitus research.
  • In 2001, The Centers of Disease Control (CDC) reported that nearly 13 percent of children between the ages of 6 and 19 have some form of noise-induced hearing loss that can cause and/or lead to tinnitus.
  • In a 2007 study of 900 musicians, at least 60 percent reported occasional tinnitus.
  • Tinnitus is most commonly caused by noise exposure; according to the National Institutes on Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), maximum allowable noise exposure is 85 dBA (decibels) for eight hours.
  • 30 million workers are at risk for tinnitus and noise-induced hearing loss and tinnitus from hazardous, on-the-job noise.
  • Industry experts recommend that for every three-decibel increase above 85 dBA, a person should cut their time exposure in half. For example, if 85 dBA is “safe” for eight hours, then 88 dBA is “safe” for only four hours.
  • Even though there are recommended maximum allowable exposure times, cumulative noise exposure even at “safe” levels can cause tinnitus over the years.
  • We are living in the age of amplified sound where many everyday noise sources produce decibel levels that can be hazardous to our auditory health, causing tinnitus and/or hearing loss.
  • Check out some examples of everyday noise sources and their respective decibel levels.

Write a Letter to your senator and/or representative to share your personal story

One primary focus of ATA is to encourage federal elected officials in Washington, D.C. to discuss the need for additional public funding for tinnitus research. Here is a sample letter (link goes to a Word .doc) that you can use to send to your senators and representatives in support of ATA's mission to cure tinnitus.
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