Tinnitus: Non-Thermal Radiation Source

A non-thermal radiation source is typically defined as any electromagnetic radiation source other than atomic or heat generated. Microwave radar systems, Smartmeters, chordless phones, cellular phones are some examples of non-thermal radiation sources. As such these objects are considered non-hazardous to human health because they, in the minds of many regulating organizations, fall under the category of non-ionizing radiation.

The idea that non-thermal radiation may be harmful to human cells has been hotly debated by scientists from WWII to modern times.

The important question is not whether non-thermal radiation is harmful to humans. The important question is: How does non-thermal radiation harm humans? The answer, in my view, is that non-thermal radiation does exactly what thermal radiation does when humans are overexposed, it ionizes human water molecules.

Ionizing simply means that DNA, suspended in body fluid, is broken apart by the heating of the fluid that the DNA is suspended in. In short, it is an internal heat related DNA death or damage. People who are ionized have three kinds of DNA, first from mom, second from dad, and third from the ionizing source.

There is a modern test called F.I.S.H. that is performed by the NIH that can detect human ionization. This test should be provided for anyone who worked in close proximity to microwave radar systems.

Atomic veterans are assumed to be ionized due to the excessive gamma particles that bombarded them while they stood and watched detonations occur in the 1950s. Radar operators and police officers experience similar health issues as the atomic veterans.

I am going to prove that non-thermal (a.k.a. non-atomic) radiation does indeed ionize and therefore must have a biological effect on any object or living organism containing water molecules. The proof lies in the history of how microwave ovens were invented. The following quote is from Ratheon's History website, paragraph seven, page one (click the blue wording to go to the website):

"Raytheon engineer Percy Spencer discovered microwave cooking when, as he stood in front of an active magnetron, a candy bar in his pocket began to melt. Intrigued, he sent out for popcorn kernels – and they began to pop. With that, a new appliance was soon on its way."

We must ask the right questions. Why did the candy bar melt? Why did the popcorn pop? Both items were exposed to non-thermal non-atomic radiation. The answer is that the H2O molecules converted to H + OH and in the process released internal heat which altered the state of the candy bar and signaled the popcorn to pop. There was no external heat generated to make these items react.

I'll say it again, the magnetron was a non-thermal (non-atomic) external source of electromagnetic radiation that released internal heat. In addition to the candy bar melting, the water molecules inside of Percy Spencer, the human, must have also ionized and cause some degree of cell damage to him.

My point is that if electromagnetic radiation is conducted by the cochlear bone and the fluid inside of the cochlea or auditory pathway ionizes then it would be entirely possible for the heat that is released, through ionization, to damage the cilia cells causing tinnitus. This could especially happen in the use of microwave radars operating in E Band (2000-3000MHz), which is a similar frequency range to Spencer's magnetron, the source of exposure.

One way to test my theory is to place geckos in a terrarium and wait until they cling to the glass. Recreate the Percy Spencer chocolate bar incident but instead of melting a candy bar look to see if the geckos fall off of the glass when exposed to similar electromagnetic conditions. I believe that the tiny hair-like cells on the feet of geckos would react very similarly to how human cilia would react to electromagnetic stimuli (especially when exposed to the 2000-3000Mhz frequency).

There is a group of researchers at Berkeley called the Ciber group that focus on studying geckos and other animals for the development of consumer products (e.g. robots). I believe that they would be the perfect lab to conduct such a study on the electromagnetic field radiation effects on gecko hands to determine whether electromagnetic field radiation would disrupt human cilia cell signals and cause tinnitus.

I asked Ciber if the hair-like cells on gecko hands are in any way structurally similar to the hair-like cilia cells found in the human cochlea. I have not yet heard a response from them. It is not generally accepted in the scientific community that non-thermal radiation has any affect on biological systems. It takes a great deal of convincing to get an expert to take the idea seriously.

They should take the idea seriously though because, if I'm right, then future service members, military, police and radar operators can be spared the agony of a lifetime of tinnitus. I'm sure that no one took the idea of a radar magnetron melting a candy bar seriously, yet it happened and it was true. A candy bar was ionized by what we still consider today to be non-ionizing radiation. Cilia cells, in a similar way, may be ionized, die off, and never grow back.

If you are a researcher and you are interested in researching this topic further, feel free to contact me by leaving a comment with your email address.

Tinnitus: Ozone

Some laser printers have been identified as having possible health risks associated with the emission of ozone that can be inhaled deep into the alveoli of the lungs and enter the bloodstream. This can create all kinds of acute and chronic health issues like respiratory problems, heart problems, central nervous system issues, behavioral changes, asthma, cancer, and tinnitus. The National Institute for Health has deemed laser printers to be genotoxic (e.g. DNA killers).

As far as I know, scientific researchers have not offered any specific information about a possible link between the ozone released by some laser printers to tinnitus. My theory is that because certain drugs exist that are known to be ototoxins, it is possible that the ozone released by some laser printers are acting like ototoxic drugs once inhaled.

Most people with asthma use an inhaler. The inhaler usually immediately arrests the asthma attack. Now imagine sitting next to a laser printer that is releasing ozone particles that you are breathing. It would be like using an inhaler full of toxin for hours or like sitting next to a car exhaust.

Plug-in ionizers can also produce ozone. Never purchase an ozone ionizer if you have tinnitus, it could cause your tinnitus to flare-up or get permanently worse. Never purchase a "positive" ionizer if you have tinnitus. The National Institute for Health has determined that ozone treatment for tinnitus is not valid. A "negative" ionizer that is not ozone producing may be somewhat beneficial to human health. The problem is that the company's that sell ionizers don't often share whether the ionizer is ozone producing or positive or not, in their marketing literature. We've been marketed to believe that ions are good. It is not true. Positive ions are bad.

I believe F.G. Sulman was right to point out that ozone triggers the pineal gland to produce excess serotonin in some people leaving them with a kind of euphoric mood and may improve sleep in the short term. In the long-term breathing ozone is harmful.

Here is an example of an ozone producing ionizer:
http://www.amazon.com/AAP-50-Plug-In-Adjustable-Purifier/dp/B007Y9RBX4/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1383973536&sr=8-2&keywords=Adjustable+Plug+In+Air+Purifier

Researchers, please look into this issue. If it is true, and I'm right, then there may be people suffering from tinnitus who were exposed to laser printer ozone. The patient would have had no sudden noise induced event or traumatic brain injury as the cause yet would have had long exposure to laser printer ozone.

More information:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22095199
http://www.news.qut.edu.au/cgi-bin/WebObjects/News.woa/wa/news_item?ni=10855
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23100082

Tinnitus: Noise Canceling Headphones

If you are suffering from subjective tinnitus and or hyperacusis, Bose Noise Canceling 20i Headphones may help you to recover some of your quality of life. If you are avoiding movies, airplanes, trains, long car trips, sporting events, general staff meetings, wedding receptions, etc. then you may want to try these headphones. You do not even need to plug these headphones into a device. You simply press a button and the headphones quiet down annoying background noise and may prevent your tinnitus from getting worse.

You can try the headphones for 14 days if you purchase them from your local Apple store.

There's only one problem. The battery in the headphones may not last for longer than an hour and a half or so. You may want to consider purchasing a mini-usb charger to keep the headphones powered for hours.

This link will give you an idea of the type of charger that I'm talking about:
http://www.amazon.com/Duracell-Instant-Charger-Includes-Universal/dp/B002FU6KF2/ref=pd_bxgy_cps_img_y

If you purchase both you may find some much needed quality of life improvement. You can go to that wedding, special event, movie, the county fair, etc. Drop me a note if this works for you.

More information:
http://store.apple.com/us/product/HB764VC/A/bose-quietcomfort-20i-acoustic-noise-cancelling-headphones?fnode=3d

Tinnitus: Hyperbaric Treatment vs. SCUBA Diving

I tried a hyperbaric chamber yesterday for one hour. I was unaffected by the pressure. The tinnitus was as loud coming out of the chamber as it was when I entered the chamber. I do get some relief when I SCUBA dive in the open ocean and I am now even more perplexed as to why that relief happens in the ocean.

It is only logical that pressure or temperature would be the source of relief. I've tried ice vests, cold water, and now the hyperbaric chamber...I'm stumped. Perhaps the brain just shifts gears while diving. Perhaps the salt water environment somehow alters the brainwaves or EEG levels at depth. Who knows? It is an odd phenomena. Divers with tinnitus, please comment and let me know if you experience relief while SCUBA diving.

Tinnitus: Cars That Cancel Traffic Noise

A noisy car, squeaky brakes, and traffic background noise can amplify subjective tinnitus and or hyperacusis. As a result, a long drive can be very difficult for people who suffer from these conditions.

Good news! According to Consumer Reports (April 2013) the automobile industry has begun to sell cars that have noise cancellation technology built-in. The technology is similar to modern noise cancellation headphone technology. Here is a list of vehicles that have the technology built-in.

Acura (ILX, RDX, and TSX)

Chevrolet Impala

Honda Accord

Crosstour

Odyssey

Cadillac 

Lincoln

Ford (C-max, Fusion Hybrid)

If you are considering purchasing a new vehicle then you may want to research this topic further. Here's the link: http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/news/2013/02/cool-car-features-you-can-buy-now/index.htm

Tinnitus: Discrimination

Yesterday I heard a BBC radio report about a man with Parkinson's Disease and how he was detained by police because he looked as if he was fidgeting and showed hardly any facial emotion. It was his non-verbal communication that the police perceived as suspicious behavior.

I started wondering about tinnitus sufferers and how we may be inadvertently sending similar non-verbal communications signals to people around us. If we lack sleep we may appear lazy, bored, fatigued, uninterested, and distant.

After a few evenings of total sleeplessness we could be more easily agitated and fidgety. If the tinnitus is very loud we may not know that we are talking over it and so what we perceive to be normal speech may be misperceived by other people as shouting or aggressive behavior. People with hyperacusis and tinnitus may begin to slur words due to grogginess. Slurring words could be misperceived as being drunk.

A friend of mine was accused of being drunk at work, as a flight attendant, and she was placed on administrative leave until, after some tests, it turned out that she was suffering from early signs of muscular dystrophy (a non-visible disability at first). The false accusation really was a stressful ordeal for her.

Tinnitus, like Parkinson's Dissease, is a non-visible disability. Discrimination is typically just a misinterpretation of unintended non-verbal communication. This is why I make sure to communicate my condition during important situations where the stakeholders need to know. Think of police as stakeholders. If, hypothetically, I get pulled over for a broken tail light I would immediately communicate to the police officer that I sometimes speak over my auditory condition and that it can be misunderstood as nervousness, shouting, and anger.

Other stakeholders (people who need to know about your tinnitus) may include:
Spouse
Family
Friends
Medical Practitioners
Supervisor
Co-workers

Tinnitus: Aspirin

According to the National Institute for Health aspirin does cause tinnitus. Since I already have tinnitus, I learned that aspirin increases the volume and annoyance level. Usually the volume will come back down in a day or two.

I realized that, for me, a major headache that lasts for hours is more endurable than major tinnitus that lasts for days. I now avoid aspirin. I use an ice pack applied to the back of the neck as a natural remedy for headache and I simply go outside and walk. You'd be amazed at how a quick change in environment can cure a headache. I try to take a ten minute walk twice per day.

If you have heart problems and your doctor says that you must take aspirin then you should follow your doctor's instructions.

More information:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18225604