Happier Abroad Forum Community

Guys

Since 1996 I have had bad tinnitus and progessively worse hearing..It takes very little noise to increase either condition..I have been to SE Asia many times and want to relocate there but the excessive and unexpected noises in Asia are a real stumbling block for me..Even with good ear plugs many like myself are still prone to noise or genetically induced hearing loss..

I have worked with some of the leading hearing and tinnitus doctors in the world including one who treats USA presidents and folks like William Shatner....But there are limits as to what even they can do..

Hearing loss is not as correctible as vision is with glasses..,With glasses or contacts or lasik vision can be 100 % restored..Hearing is another matter..Hearing aids will never replicate your hearing, are a pain to use, are not as cosmetically or as socially as acceptable as glasses and not easy to use..and the in the ear canal ones suck....

BTW-How do all these old guys sit in loud bars all day in Asia ? They are destroying their bodies with loud noise and booze..Don't get it..i'd rather be in the gym, taking a yoga class, eating healthy food, be in nature, at the beach, meditating, taking college classes, attending a Buddhist event, be at a wat, etc. etc,

Anyhow I have massive restrictions as to where I can go--no movies, concerts, clubs, most bards, many resteraunts, noisy boats, fireworks, shooting ranges, noisy streets, motorcycles, athletic events, dances etc etc

Anyone else here living in Asia got the delicate ears and how do you work around it ?

Thanks ! Dave

I have tinnitus also, though it's not that bad. Mine hovers between 12-14,000khz. I regularly watch the Tinnitus Talk forum and there's always drug trials going on there but not many have proven effective. At this point I don't have any hearing loss.

I would like to know the contact details of the leading Tinnitus doctors you know. Would you be willing to PM the details?

Between China and Japan, Japanese people seem a lot quieter in their airport. China is horrible for noise.

I've had it in my right ear for over a year. At first I hated it but I usually don't notice it much most of the time since it's not that loud so I'm used to it. It can be irritating though. As long as it doesn't get worse I think I could live with it. And I'm sure there is a way to make it go away despite what doctors say.

newarrior is a Facebook friend of mine, introduced to me by a former poster here.

He's really struggling hard with this and some other issues and really could use some help from bright creative types who might be able to put themselves in his place and perhaps figure out a way to a much better life.

Please reach out to this guy. Perhaps there is a Happier Abroad plan which would serve him well and new ways to manage the hearing problem and psychological issues he's dealing with.

I've had tinnitus since I was a teenager, probably due to using firearms without hearing protection. At some point I decided that if I focused on the ringing in my ears I would kill myself, so I willed myself to simply ignore it. It was a day to day struggle, but after a couple of months I would usually no longer hear the ringing, although if I consciously focused on it I could hear it instantly. So I am living with it perfectly well. Even on occasion when one of my ears blocks up with wax and the tinnitus massively increases I am able to zone it out without any effort. But perhaps your tinnitus is worse than mine.

Hi David,
Welcome to HA. Why can't you wear ear plugs? I'm sensitive to noise too, but in a different way. It interrupts my brain wave process which makes me stop and forget what I was doing. I heard a lot of deep thinkers and geniuses are like this, super sensitive to noise. The great German philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer wrote about this in his essay "On Noise".

Btw all, David (newarrior) is a friend of me and Rock's. We all hung out together in Thailand. He is from LA and a part time actor and likes to explore different countries.

Have you looked into noise cancellation? The theory behind this is straightforward, the hard part is the ergonomics and power supply issues.

Winston wrote:Hi David,
Welcome to HA. Why can't you wear ear plugs? I'm sensitive to noise too, but in a different way. It interrupts my brain wave process which makes me stop and forget what I was doing. I heard a lot of deep thinkers and geniuses are like this, super sensitive to noise. The great German philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer wrote about this in his essay "On Noise".

Btw all, David (newarrior) is a friend of me and Rock's. We all hung out together in Thailand. He is from LA and a part time actor and likes to explore different countries.

Thomas Edison lost a large percentage of his hearing during a train mishap in his youth and said it was one of the best things that happened to him cus he could barely hear noise which made it a lot easier for him to think and perform his work as a creative genius.

But newarrior's issue is different. He says that he often hear's constant ringing in his head, esp. after being exposed to noise, and it drives him crazy.

Has David been to an ear doctor? If so, what did they say? Maybe Chinese doctors have some remedy. He should try acupuncture too. The BBC recently vouched for acupuncture as an effective treatment.

Why doesn't he just wear ear plugs? They sell them in hardware stores. Or he can put headphones on from a walkman and listen to music all day, even when outside.

Btw, David has had trouble logging in recently. I wrote him back by email and told him his account has no problems so he should be able to log in now. If not, he may just have to reset his password if he forgot it.

Tinnitus tends to be a stress related condition - I get all kinds of stuff like this.

Try cutting calcium (less dairy) and boosting magnesium (Epsom bath salts or the magnesium sprays you can get - food supplements are difficult to absorb and can give you stomach problems).

Early days yet but my brain's response to higher levels of magnesium has been nothing short of incredible.

xiongmao wrote:Early days yet but my brain's response to higher levels of magnesium has been nothing short of incredible.

I also take lots of magnesium (magnesium citrate powder mixed with water). Maybe more than I should.

What kind of effects have you noticed?

I am an audiologist. I would recommend having an evaluation first by an otolaryngologist/ENT physician before purchasing hearing aids. They may sell hearing aids at am ENT office. Check your insurance to.see if there is coverage for hearimg aids. If so you.may have to go so!e where that is part of a network. If you have no coverage Costco is a decent option. If per chance you are a vet het them from the VA

wow, Cornfed, that's what I call concentration and meditation

Ohh sorry to hear that. And how are u today? My grandfather has the same problems so wondered about how can I help him