[t-faq logo] Tinnitus FAQ www.bixby.org/faq/tinnitus.html in memory to Susan Moreland a resource for understanding tinnitus, not a substitute for a health care provider --------------------------------------------------------------------------- For first time visitors, please take the time to read the t-faq Background Topic. This topic will provide navigation notes for the Tinnitus FAQ web site, information about the Tinnitus FAQ, disclaimers regarding use of the Tinnitus FAQ information, and contributors to the Tinnitus FAQ. Be advised that this web site is the companion FAQ for the tinnitus newsgroup - ALT.SUPPORT.TINNITUS. For previous visitors to the Tinnitus FAQ, visit the What's New topic for quick summary updates to the Tinnitus FAQ web site. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- t-faq Topics Resources Information t-faq Background . Discovering and Understanding Tinnitus What's New at t-faq . Diagnosis of Tinnitus Treatment and Research Centers . Treatment Possibilities Offline Resources . Coexisting with Tinnitus by Masking Online Resources . Prevention/Protection Glossary/Index . Related Symptoms and Conditions Miscellanea . Adjusting to Tinnitus --------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Citizen 1 Healthcare Site Award Logo and Link] | [Site Award from American Academy of Audiology] --------------------------------------------------------------------------- top of page t-faq Background Quick Directory - This Web Page About the Tinnitus FAQ * Welcome to the Tinnitus FAQ * Precautionary Advisory * Origins of t-faq * Where Did Medical Advice Come From? * t-faq Revision Important Disclaimers * Medical Advice * Informational Content * Web Site Links About the Tinnitus FAQ Maintainer Locating the Tinnitus FAQ Who contributed to Tinnitus FAQ --------------------------------------------------------------------------- .top of page t-faq Background About the Tinnitus FAQ Welcome to the Tinnitus FAQ At the present time, there are many questions about tinnitus, but few definitive answers that apply to all sufferers. The Tinnitus FAQ is the result of contributions of many people, who submitted information via private e-mail and indirectly via public postings to the tinnitus newsgroup - alt.support.tinnitus. The Tinnitus FAQ Maintainer will always try to answer questions via private e-mail, however it is suggested you contact people with better expertise by posting publicly to the newsgroup: alt.support.tinnitus or visiting a health care provider specializing in tinnitus treatment. return to Quick Directory Precautionary Advisory Be advised/warned that the alt.support.tinnitus newsgroup has received obscene postings and you might be repulsed by them! PLEASE, do not respond to their postings! return to Quick Directory Origins of t-faq After polling many other relevant newgroups and receiving overwhelming positive responses, Mark Bixby created the alt.support.tinnitus newsgroup on January 27, 1994. Seeking to organize a mountain of information, the Tinnitus FAQ was published to the World Wide Web in the Spring of 1994. His motivation behind the creation of the alt.support.tinnitus newgroup was to find information for his mother, who has a severe case of tinnitus. Lee Leggore assumed responsibility for the Tinnitus FAQ in September, 1995 and maintained it until August, 1996. Lee has had tinnitus and hyperacusis since 1982. In 1985, he became a member of and contact person for the American Tinnitus Association. He became involved in computer science at Tacoma Community College in 1993, where he had previously earned a diploma in Management. Other than a course in Basic First Aid and CPR, Lee does not have any medical training. return to Quick Directory Where did the Medical Advice Come From? With few exceptions, the contributors to this FAQ are not physicians. Contributor advice that cannot be confirmed in published tinnitus resources written by medical doctors and researchers is labelled anecdotal. Use of any of the t-faq information, anecdotal or not, is strictly at your own risk. return to Quick Directory t-faq Revision If you have any additional insights not covered in the Tinnitus FAQ, please help your fellow tinnitus sufferers by contacting the new Tinnitus FAQ Maintainer, Lee Easter, at rleaster@aol.com. Access to the Tinnitus FAQ will be through this Tinnitus FAQ home page. The Tinnitus FAQ is now organized into 14 t-faq topics, which means there are 14 separate pages on the Tinnitus FAQ Web site with interactive navigation links. Navigation links consist of return to Quick Directory (meaning the Quick Directory of the current page) and top of page (meaning return to the top of the current page). Because of these revisions, access to topics is faster and more interactive. The Treatment Possibilities Topic remains the largest page (approximately 85 kb) and requires longer access time. The t-faq logo is the only graphic added to the Tinnitus FAQ. The HTML code for the tables may not work in pre-1995 Web browsers. If you want to see the Tinnitus FAQ with all of its coding intact, consider downloading a copy of Netscape Navigator or Internet Explorer. A recent check showed that America Online's web browser is now capable of showing colored backgrounds. Future revisions to the Tinnitus FAQ will be indexed by topic and date and posted in What's New, with the new information linked to the applicable topic. return to Quick Directory --------------------------------------------------------------------------- top of page t-faq Background Important Disclaimers Medical Advice The Tinnitus FAQ should not be used as a substitute for advice and treatment from a competent health care provider specializing in tinnitus. Many of tinnitus's underlying medical conditions can be serious, if not fatal, and several of the listed treatments may have dangerous side-effects. Contact one of the tinnitus organizations listed in the t-faq if you are seeking referral to a skilled health care provider. Be advised that the Tinnitus FAQ may contain material contrary to opinions and treatments offered by tinnitus health care providers. The information contained in the t-faq Web site is presented by the sysop purely for informational purposes. The information presented here is not meant to be a substitute for professional medical care or attention by a qualified health care provider, nor should the information be inferred as such. Always check with your health care provider if you have any questions or concerns about your health. return to Quick Directory Informational Content Where did the medical advice in the Tinnitus FAQ come from? It came from contributors who suffer, or know individuals suffering, from tinnitus. Except for some, the contributors to the Tinnitus FAQ are not physicians. Contributor advice that cannot be confirmed in tinnitus books written by medical personnel (doctors, researchers) is labelled anecdotal. Use any of information in the Tinnitus FAQ, anecdotal or not, is strictly at the reader's own risk. The t-faq Maintainer coordinated and prepared the t-faq Web site using the best efforts possible and makes no warranty of any kind, expressed or implied, with regard to the informational content contained in the t-faq Web Site. The t-faq Maintainer or the t-faq sysop shall not be held liable in the event of incidental or consequential damages in connection with, or arising out of, the use of technical or informational content provided throughout the t-faq Web Site. return to Quick Directory Web Site Links The t-faq Maintainer has visited other Web sites and has determined their content may be of interest to the t-faq reader. Links from the t-faq Web site are provided as a courtesy to the t-faq readers. It is the reader's responsibility to determine the validity and applicability of the content provided in the linked Web sites. The t-faq Maintainer assumes no responsibility or liability for the editorial content, nature, or objectives of the authors and publishers of any linked Web site content. return to Quick Directory --------------------------------------------------------------------------- top of page t-faq Background About the Tinnitus FAQ Maintainer Lee Easter is a technical writer and consultant. Trained as an architect, Lee journeyed into technical writing over 20 years ago. He and his wife, Susan Barnett Wood, began their writing, editing, and publishing business for print and visual media in 1980 using early desktop computers. Lee's discovery of the Tinnitus FAQ was timely. Earlier in 1996, Lee began hearing intermittent ringing in his left ear and is currently receiving assistance at Lahey Hitchcock Clinic in Burlington, MA. Susan has suffered from a severe case of vertigo since 1987 (now diagnosed as FMS), and his brother had surgery in 1996 to relieve pain and ringing in his ears. Lee hopes that past visitors appreciate the reorganization of the t-faq Web site into a topic-oriented, interactive resource. He looks forward to receiving new tinnitus medical discoveries and information from old and new visitors. return to Quick Directory --------------------------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------------------------------------------------------- **** in memory **** September 26, 1997 From almost the beginning of the tinnitus newsgroup - alt.support.tinnitus in 1994 until her death July 7, 1997, no one provided more support or caring advice to tinnitus sufferers than Susan Moreland. She was an audiologist in Columbus, OH and was always ready with her medical books or a Medline search to root out an answer for anyone who needed help. Although Susan's usual public answers involved guiding folks with great empathy toward the medical professional they needed, she also helped many people privately. Susan was always professional and straightforward with her responses. She was very positive and encouraging - almost no one ever heard of her struggles with tinnitus, bi-polar disorder, or worsening Lupus. Her warmth made tinnitus easier to bear and she will be greatly missed. Peace, John Kenney return to Quick Directory --------------------------------------------------------------------------- top of page t-faq Remember, the t-faq is a resource. For medical care, visit your health care professional. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- t-faq maintainer, rleaster@aol.com t-faq page address, http://www.bixby.org/faq/tinnitus.html