Nothing like a fancy-schmancy medical diagram to get your morning going.

Today I want to put a warning out there to all of the youngins that are jamming in their rooms or listening to their iPods at maximum volume. You know, earth-shattering levels of your favorite Lady GaGa song that blocks out everything and completely dulls your senses.

I have news for you; keep that up and you’re in for some major hearing trouble down the road.

There is a real threat out there to the well-being of your musical enjoyment, and it comes in the form of a medical condition called tinnitus.

What Is Tinnitus?

Simply put, tinnitus is noise that originates inside the ear without any external sound source. Most people call it “ringing in the ears.” I’m sure you have all experienced it in some form or another, probably right after that incredible Beyoncé concert you went to a few months ago.

For most people, the occasional ear-ringing is not much of a big deal, as it goes away in a day. For those of us who are musicians and are often playing with other instruments, tinnitus has a real chance of becoming a permanent problem. Back in the 1990′s I played in a progressive metal band called Amsterdam. At that time, earplugs for guitarists meant that you were a pussy. (I really wish I had listened to my drummer, who always wore plugs.) I would always face the amp on my left side and played very loud. (What guitarist doesn’t?)

Well, at the time it seemed alright, but twenty years later I’m paying the price. I won’t go so far as to say that I’m having problems like Pete Townsend; then again I don’t look at kiddie porn, either. But I have enough tinnitus and hearing loss that my wife will frequently ignore me after I’ve said “huh?” to her question for the fifth time.

Is There a Cure?

Well, yes and no. There has been nothing concrete in terms of one be-all solution for tinnitus. One of the major problems is that tinnitus is very subjective. In other words, most of the time the problem cannot be diagnosed since it’s a phenomenon unique to each person. Wikipedia has an extensive list of treatments, but as mentioned on the page the statistics on their efficacy is varied.

The best “cure” you can have is, quite simply, to turn the music down and also wear earplugs. Yes, wearing earplugs can be a pain in the ass, and you will lose some overall sonic quality when doing so. Perhaps you don’t want to wear them while mixing your new CD, but you should absolutely be wearing them during one of your Slayer tribute band gigs.

I don’t know about you, but I think earplugs is a much better alternative to surgery.

There is a product that I’ve been using for a few months now which has helped me a lot. Before I get into the details, however, I want to put the disclaimer out there: I sell this product! Yes, if you purchase this product using the link I am providing, I will make money. I try very hard not to push product on you, and this blog doesn’t exactly pay for itself. I have had success with this product and figured if it works for me it can also work for others. The product is called “Prime Hearing – Tinnitus and Ear Health Formula.”

This is not a cure for tinnitus, so let’s get that out of the way quickly. I have, however, noticed that after taking this product for a while some of the ringing sensation has subsided and, more importantly, I have gotten some of the depth of sound back. The first time I noticed significant improvement was when I was listening to some music in my car and was getting the sound behind my head back. A bit hard to explain, but it took me by surprise because it had been so long since I had that range of hearing. Your mileage may vary, but it worked for me, so perhaps it will work for you, too. Again, there is no substitute for turning the volume down and wearing earplugs.

Details on the product, including ingredients and case study information can be found by following the product link.

Parents, if your children are up-and-coming guitarists, please do them a favor and get them in the habit of practicing/playing at lower volumes. If they wear headphones, make sure they aren’t blasting the volume. I cannot stress this enough.

Do yourselves a favor, folks, and take care of your ears. You only get two of them, and if you plan on being a musician for a while you’re going to have to keep them in good working order for a long time.