Enjoying Live Music. Responsibly.

[Mike in PA]

I've been to many live show's in my time from stadiums to small bars. I love live music. Maybe this is how my T came about although mine started after a sinus infection. Anyway...if I travel or I know I'm going somewhere where there might be live music or even a DJ, I always bring ear plugs with me. If I forget or end up somewhere with live music I pay the price.

One time I was at a small bar with live music that was part of a music festival, and met a woman. She wanted to get up closer to the band. I was a bit reluctant but went up anyway. I proceeded to put my ear plugs in. She witnessed this and from the disgusted look on her face probably thought I was some uptight prude because about a minute later she walked away .

HA! Oh well,whatever, her loss.

 

[Karl]

Mike -
She has no idea about the danger of getting tinnitus.

Tinnitus seems to be something that is actually quite common, but something no one talks about. People don't understand the risk of listening to ear buds at high volume or going to concerts standing next to speakers. Young people, especially, tend to think they are invincible.

I was clueless about tinnitus when I got it. My knowledge of tinnitus was limited to reading about one character with tinnitus in a book, "The Emmigrants". That was it: Zip.

 

[jazz]

Karl,

I agree with ignorance being a problem; and Mike's observation illustrates why this problem remains hidden. Musicians are at high risk for developing tinnitus. One might think, therefore, that they would be leading the fight for a cure. But musicians are quiet on the issue. Why? They probably fear that by publicizing tinnitus they might loose fans. I've often wondered by musicians did not advocate "responsible listening" until it occurred to me this was not in their self interest—or perceived self-interest.

 

[Louise]

Chris Martin from Coldplay has it and also Plan B. They support the Action For Hearing Loss Campaign.

http://www.mirror.co.uk/3am/celebrity-news/coldplay-chris-martin-reveals-tinnitus-817716

 

[DezDog]

Someone posted a list of musicians on here a while back , or perhaps it was a link to an article. They are legion.

 

[jazz]

Louise, that's great information!! Hopefully, this catches on. I believe musicians could do much to approach responsible listening.

 

[Louise]

I think there should be a government campaign about the dangers of noise, like there is with the dangers of alcohol. There should be adverts and music venues should be forced to put up warning signs and be regularly checked for decibel levels. Speakers should be cordoned off so people cant get too close. Why this isnt already in place just baffles me. Maybe once the NHS has to spend millions on hearing problems then all the above will happen.

 

[jazz]

Louise,

Your suggestion for concerts sounds great. Why not offer ear plugs too? Or ear muffs? If you give people the option, some might do it. And, in time, the behavior might even become cool--if it's handled correctly.

Jazz

 

[Louise]

True Jazz but if they didnt have the music so loud and stop people being able to get too close to speaker then they wouldnt be necessary.
In past years I've been to so many normal pubs/clubs where the music (not live) was so loud you couldnt hear the person at the side of you speak. Crazy, what's the point of going out with people if you cant speak to them! Why they have to play music so loud baffles me. There have to be public health laws that are enforced.

If there does come a cure for T then the government (UK) are going to have to spend so much money giving people the treatment that they will eventually clamp down on loud music.

By the way, the ANM device is being put forward as a treatment on the NHS.

 

[Karl]

...By the way, the ANM device is being put forward as a treatment on the NHS.

Brits are lucky to have tinnitus treatments subsidized. In the U.S., tinnitus isn't covered by insurance. Insurance companies aren't exactly jumping up-and-down over the possibility of treating roughly 16 million Americans with tinnitus who seek help!

Getting back to music: Until you have tinnitus, there is no way to imagine what it's like. But if people read about celebrities who have it and hate it, then maybe people will have second thoughts about cranking up the volume.

It's not just loud music, either. Ever hear men grinding up trees into sawdust with these unbelievably loud machines? I don't know how they can stand a job like that. Or at the front of parades, policecars/firetrucks wailing away on their sirens!

 

[Louise]

There are no tinnitus treatments on the NHS though Karl because there are no tinnitus treatments
The ANM will be the first thing if they get it approved.

We can get drugs of course and counselling (if we wait long enough).

There is noise connected to jobs as you say but there's a lot of awareness about that now as there have been a lot of lawsuits against companies who havent protected their employees. If that happened in the leisure industry then that music would be turned DOWN for sure. Money talks sickeningly enough.

 

[jazz]

Louise,

Hope the NHS approves ANM soon. I live in the US, and I believe the company started trials this month. It'll be a year or more before the FDA approves it. I'm guessing at least three to four years as the FDA will want a few trials before approval. (Why couldn't they just use the trials in the UK and Germany? But I know they won't.)

In the US, the PHS (Public Health Service) doesn't seem to do anything. I'm sure they are involved in collecting data on influenza, etc. And they have a nice website where they talk about all types of issues, including protecting your ears from loud noises--including music. But what kid is going to visit the PHS website to look up hearing issues? You need commercials. Billboards. Celebs talking about their problems, etc. Just like your original link on the Action for Hearing Loss Campaign. That campaign looks like it could be effective. But you have to keep the message before the public. And in the schools. In a recent news piece about a nearby vocational school where people where learning the trades (drilling, welding, etc.), there wasn't one person--including the teacher--who was wearing hearing protection. That says a lot about public ignorance.

 

[Louise]

I totally agree Jazz. This message should be in schools so that its complete common knowledge when kids grow up. Its disgusting those kids & teacher werent wearing protection when drilling etc.

I honestly think that more isnt done (at least in the UK) because, so far, T is not costing the government any money. Because there are no treatments for them to shell out on. As soon as there are then the attitude will change. Just like it did with smoking. Yeah, they woke up then when they realised the cost of treating people with smoking related disease out-weighed the tax they were raking in from tobacco sales. The advertising campaigns against smoking started then and the ban in public places.

I mailed about the ANM being on the NHS a few months back and its a few years away yet. There's been results posted very recently of one trial (its still 70% effective) and I think there's another trial going ahead soon too.

I'm glad ANM is coming to the US. I know it cant help everyone, the T has to be tonal so you can pitch-match, but at least some people will get help.

And I agree, they should use the Germany & UK test results. Why wouldnt they? Are American ears different to European ones?

 

[joejunior]

whats anm, neuromodulation? i thought that was flavour of the month some time ago.

 

[Louise]

Its Acoustic (Coordinated Reset) Neuromodulation. Its still the flavour I think as there's nothing else much at the moment.

 

[Lisa Lindel]

I think there should be a government campaign about the dangers of noise, like there is with the dangers of alcohol. There should be adverts and music venues should be forced to put up warning signs and be regularly checked for decibel levels. Speakers should be cordoned off so people cant get too close. Why this isnt already in place just baffles me. Maybe once the NHS has to spend millions on hearing problems then all the above will happen.

They should have campaigns. Most people are just plain ignorant over hearing lost and tinnitus. When I sub for a music class I try to educate school kids about their hearing. I let them hear my hearing aid that mask tinintus. I tell them that's what they will hear 24/7/365 if they don't protect their ears. That sinks in pretty good for the kids and I have kids turning down the volume on their iPods. Does the NHS cover hearing aids? The US hearing aid industry is big business and probarly like having people with bad hearing. Most US insurance plans don't cover hearing aids. My mother paid $5,000 for a pair of hearing aids that don't work!

 

[Louise]

Hi Lisa, I love your education method

The NHS does cover hearing aids but not for tinnitus specifically. There's a hearling loss criteria that has to be met for you to qualify, something like x db loss over x number of frequencies. I didnt qualify as I have a 25db and a 40 db at 2 frequencies but I made them give me them anyway. In my area they dont have combination aids with the maskers or even wearable WNGs so whilst hearing aids are available on the NHS (to the criteria) they have NOTHING for T. Its more than disappointing.