ANCHOR LEAD IN:
EVER HEARD A RINGING IN YOUR EARS?LIKE THE SOUND YOU HEAR AFTER A LOUD CONCERT OR SPORTING EVENT. FOR MANY OF US IT USUALLY GOES AWAY. BUT FOR MILLIONS OF AMERICANS, IT DOESN'T. IT'S A CONDITION THAT CAN MAKE EVERYDAY A CHALLENGE. IN TODAY'S HEADS UP____________EXPLAINS WHAT IT IS, WHAT CAUSES IT, AND WHAT YOU CAN DO ABOUT IT.

TRACK ONE Length: 06
IT'S A NOISE THAT CAN DRIVE YOU CRAZY! AND ANNETTE MESKIN (MISS-KIN) SAYS SHE'S BEEN HEARING IT FOR THIRTEEN YEARS!

SOT
KEY @ : 10 Annette Meskin, Tinnitus Sufferer
"It sounds like there are crickets in your head, sometimes it's like birds chirping, sometimes it sounds like there's a hollowness."

TRACK TWO Length: 06
AND DOCTORS SAY...MORE PEOPLE THAN EVER ARE COMPLAINING ABOUT THOSE SAME SOUNDS! IT'S A CONDITION KNOWN AS TINNITUS.

SOT
KEY @ : 23 ( SHORT)Dr. Michael Seidman, M.D., FACS, Tinnitus Expert
"There's about 50 million Americans that have tinnitus."

TRACK THREE Length: 07
DR. MICHAEL SEIDMAN IS ONE OF THE NATION'S FOREMOST EXPERTS. HE SAYS THERE'S A REASON PHYSICIANS ARE HEARING MORE AND MORE COMPLAINTS!

SOT
NO KEY
"Noise exposure."

TRACK FOUR Length: 06
OUR ENVIRONMENT IS LOUDER THAN EVER…WHETHER YOU'RE AT WORK, OUT WITH FRIENDS...OR AT HOME. AND IT'S LEADING TO HEARING LOSS!

SOT
KEY @ : 41 Dr. Michael Seidman, M.D., FACS, Tinnitus Expert
"We think because of the hearing loss, it sends up a signal back up to the brain that we perceive as a noise in our ears or in our head."

TRACK FIVE Length: 07
OTHER TRIGGERS? CERTAIN ANTIBIOTICS...ASPIRIN, AND UNHEALTHY DIETS THAT ARE LACKING CERTAIN KEY NUTRIENTS.

SOT
NO KEY
"For example low levels of zinc, low levels of B vitamin."

TRACK SIX Length: 13
Source: American Tinnitus Association.
FOR THE NEARLY 2 MILLION SUFFERERS WHO HEAR TONE 24/7...IT CAN BE DEBILLITATING. IT CAN INTERFERE WITH WORK, PREVENT SLEEP, CAUSE HEADACHES, AND DEPRESSION ANNETTE SAYS SOMETIMES...SHE HAS TROUBLE READING THE PAPER!

SOT
KEY @ : 1:11 Annette Meskin, Tinnitus Sufferer
"I'd think oh, just want to get rid of this noise!"

TRACK SEVEN Length: 05
DR. SEIDMAN SAYS THERE'S NO SURE FIRE CURE...BUT THERE ARE WAYS TO MANAGE THE CONDITION.

SOT
KEY @ : 1:20 Dr. Michael Seidman, M.D., FACS, Tinnitus Expert
"These range from dietary modifications, salt, caffeine, alcohol, simple sugar avoidance."

TRACK EIGHT Length: 09
HE ALSO RECOMMENDS DIETARY SUPPLEMENTS LIKE VITAMIN B AND GINGKO BILOBA. ANNETTE IS STILL TRYING TO FIND THE PERFECT REMEDY FOR SILENCING THE SOUNDS....

SOT
NO KEY
"I just work around it and some days I don't know it's there
for a few hours. When I'm busy, I don't hear it."

ANCHOR TAG:
DR. SEIDMAN SAYS THE BEST WAY TO PREVENT TINNITUS IS TO PROTECT YOUR HEARING. KEEP HEADPHONE VOLUMES LOW ENOUGH THAT YOU CAN STILL HEAR CONVERSATIONS. ALSO AVOID LOUD NOISES, WEAR EAR PLUGS IF YOU'RE HEADED TO A NOISY PLACE, AND EAT A HEALTHY DIET.

SOURCE INFORMATION
FOR CLIENT-STATION USE ONLY
The information provided below is for client-station use only. It is provided to help you obtain answers to any additional questions you may have and to help you localize a story. This private contact information, including phone numbers, addresses and email addresses, cannot be given to viewers nor posted on your Website. It is for internal station use only. Any exceptions to this will be clearly noted. Thank you.

Dr. Michael Seidman, M.D., FACS
2799 West Glen Blvd
Detroit, MI 48202
PR Contact:
Synthia Bryant
(313) 874-4036

Dr. Michael Seidman is an ear and facial nerve surgeon, and a skull-based and aacoustic neuroma surgeon. He is the Co-Editor for the International Tinnitus Journal and is on the Editorial Review Board for eight major Otolaryngology (ENT) Journals. Seidman is also the Director of the Henry Ford Hospital's Center for Integrative Medicine. He says more and more people are reporting problems with tinnitus. Seidman believes higher numbers are due to more noise exposure, diet, and an overall aging population.