A useful and helpful look into the issue of tinnitus. Gave me relevant details and facts about the condition and how to deal with it.

I have been suffering from this problem since my teen years from an eye problem. Now in my sixties, I thought maybe a book would have some answers for the consent ringing I have had for most of my life. The answer is no. I will say now Hearing aids help somewhat but I really don’t think that there is a solution. Me, it has been able to adjust and live with it for the last 53 years. There is a lot of information in this book and it could be helpful for others just because it was not for me.

This book is an extensive review of coping/treatment strategies for sufferers of hyperacusis.
Tinnitus treatments are discussed but the focus seems to be on more severe disorders like hyperacusis. The author has done a great deal of work in her research but there are a few times in which she oversteps her reach (I believe she warned against Kava Kava but without the necessary caveats as to its general safety if the correct preparation/plant parts are used). If I had hyperacusis I doubt I could find a better book than this.

Having been diagnosed with both tinnitus and hyperacusis within the last year, I was interested in researching advice to help adjust to living with them. I found this book contained some very useful information with some great tips and coping mechanisms. Admittedly I had similar ideas from my hearing therapist, but sympathise that not everyone gets access to one or is on a waiting list so in the meantime it’s worth having a look at this book. Having said that, I do have to admit that it’s not the most user friendly layout as a “handbook” and getting to the relevant sections means wading through a lot of non-relevant material. All in all worth a look if you are a fellow sufferer, but don’t expect miracles.

Tinnitus Toolbox has everything you could possibly want to know about tinnitus in it and more. I gave 3 stars since I did find some of the book informative. But I felt as if it went beyond what interested me. I have to say some of the scientific studies and such were borderline boring.

The author jumps around to various disorders in which she uses T for tinnitus and other abbreviations. It was confusing at times and did take me quite a while to read. It's a big book and I just kept losing interest in it.

* I was provided an ARC from NetGalley and the publisher. It was my own decision to read and review this book.

Having suffered from tinnitus since I was 7, I am somewhat used to it. I still wonder what silence sounds like and haven't given up hope of a cure in the future. It probably won't happen in my life time, but I still have hope. If ever I see anything having to do tinnitus and coping with it, I look in to it immediately. So, this book caught my eye and I had to take a peek. Covers a lot of territory...much of it I've already covered with various ENT's and GP's. Still it was a worth a read. It's pretty long and inclusive. I don;t think anyone will want to read it cover to cover in one or two sessions. I found it to be ore of a read at leisure and what interests one at any given moment. If you are new to tinnitus, you have my sympathy- there is no cure- only various coping suggestions. I can tell you that once you accept that fact, it gets easier to deal with it, mostly. Good book with lots in information.

I was excited to read this book since my husband and most of my kids suffer from chronic tinnitus (ringing of the ears). While the author has clearly done years of research, it was nearly impossible to get through the book and I ultimately gave up without finding out if anything can help them. I suspect there isn't anything, as the author herself doesn't sound very encouraging in the book. She says that some tools work for some and after all of the years that she's suffered with tinnitus (to the point where she considered suicide because of it), she has merely learned how to deal with it better.

The book is filled with research, but it often reads like hastily written college notes, interspersed with lots of personal anecdotes and then lots of technical segues. Mayes uses abbreviations for the various conditions (T, H, M, P, DST, EHF) instead of ever writing the words, and paragraphs often aren't even comprised of complete or grammatically correct sentences.

Here are some sample paragraphs, to give an idea of the writing style and if it would be a good match for you:

"H can be reversed. For chronic T, the goal is not to get rid of it. That's a cure. And there isn't one. Yet. The goal is less distress."

"Except in 1969, professional hearing tests of Kalahari bushmen age 10 to 60 found by age 41 to 50, they had mild high frequency HL starting at 8 hKz. Over time, the HL spread to adjacent mid to lower frequencies as expected with age-related HL."

"HL severity definitions should be age neutral to reflect real world impact of HL > 15 dB for understanding speech in quiet no matter how old a person is. If you have T-H and normal hearing, is it still normal if you use age neutral HL severity definitions?"

I read about a third of the book but still hadn't found anything that seemed relevant to my husband and kids in terms of actually helpful information. It's a very difficult book to read, especially as there are 450 pages.

While the author clearly knows a monumental amount about these topics, the book really could have used a good editor and copywriter to put it in a format that would be accessible and useful for the average layperson with these tinnitus and related conditions.

My rating system:
1 = hated it
2 = it was okay
3 = liked it
4 = really liked it
5 = love it, plan to purchase, and/or would buy it again if it was lost

I read a temporary digital ARC of the book for the purpose of review.

as a sufferer of tinnitus, I have researched cures , (Which there are not any). This book was a repeat of many treatments that are already talked about in many other books, and articles., Not impressed.

Tinnitus Toolbox by Jan L. Mayes is an owners manual for people suffering from Tinnitus. It provides facts and data on the latest research as well as treatment options. Tinnitus Toolbox is quite thorough and will give hope to an affliction which previously was hopeless.

Thorough and readable Tinnitus Toolbox Hyperacusis Handbook covers all the bases for anyone looking for information about this condition. It helps to explain the condition and what the treatment options are so that you know where to go to get help, what questions to ask, and what you can do to help yourself. I would recommend this book to anyone who is suffering from "hearing crickets" like I did for years!

I was really excited to read this book because I suffer from tinnitus quite often and wanted to get some resources to deal with it. It is very informative and I am going to definitely take a lot of this advice into account. I would recommend this book for anyone suffering from tinnitus to find out some common causes and remedies.

Tinnitus Toolbox Hyperacusis Handbook by Jan L. Mayes – 4 Stars
Publisher: Jan L. Mayes
ISBN: 9781775270515

The author clearly states there is no magic cure for tinnitus in this book or anywhere. So, up front I continued on to read about all the ways to live with it and minimize its impact on my life of living with tinnitus for over 25 noticeable years so far. The book did not disappoint from the aspect of comprehensiveness and good advice. I really enjoyed the first half of the book that introduced a lot of personal attempts to overcome tinnitus and the straight and concise facts to live more enjoyable given tinnitus. The author provides an excellent toolbox to fight the lows, introducing most of the therapies available today which the reader could find self-research. Her introductions were very complete and included sound, mental, physical, and distraction techniques to help understand and address the noise we tinnitus suffers have to endure, along with readable scientific definitions, facts, additional research articles available. The second half of the book did become a bit overdone though with possibly everything one can search for on the Internet and a more merely listed rather than discussed.

What did I specifically take from this book’s toolbox? DISTRACTION techniques. I could not find any pure sound techniques that worked so far, but I did learn to associate the sounds I am hearing to a more pleasant event via imaging – I am practicing and can now sometimes turn one of the most annoying sounds, the continuous solid upper pitch into an other sound that sounds like the night insects I enjoyed back on top of the Appalachians. My low and pulsating motor humming sound is also no longer the neighbor warming up his truck, but a gentle wind working its way around barriers. Hey, I’ll take it!

I’d classify this nonfiction books as a reference document, as well as a readable guide to managing tinnitus. One can either play with the Internet and do their won research, or quickly learn most everything about tinnitus by reading the first half of the book. Missing though is an index, which could provide quick access to your pertinent questions. I’d like to see an index in the back to give the reader this advantage. Without an index, but because of the great information, I’ll be rating this 4-star. Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity to review this book.




Reviewer: Rich

I'm 66 and I've been suffering from tinnitus since the age of 12.

I've found this book interesting for 2 reasons. It helps to differentiate the different kinds of tinnitus and to know what can be the causes of each of them, as well as how to relieve them, if not heal them completely.

I learned that my tinnitus is getting worse because of high blood pressure. When I don't have hypertension, my tinnitus is limited to a very bearable hiss. Otherwise, it's thunder in my ears and it's hellish. It's impossible to sleep when it seems that a drummer is playing his drums beside your ears.

I suggest that all oto-rhyno-laryngologists take a look at it. They could discover how to be more useful to their patients than they usually are at this time.

Thanks to the author, the publisher and NetGalley for an eCopy of this excellent book.

Could be better organized:
The book is meant to be a toolbox from which a tinnitus sufferer can choose and try the best options available for the individual to make tinnitus less noticeable. For that purpose it could be better organized. In each chapter, the author lists tools that work and tools that have no benefit for tinnitus sufferers at all in no specific order. Why bother the reader with sifting through things that do not work? It would have been better to put ineffective tools into a separate chapter in order to raise awareness about what is on the market.

This book sounded good, however is very scientific and I don't feel is accessible for untrained self help. I have given this 4 stars as I think it's a fantastic research piece but too complex for me.

Tinnitus Toolbox Hyperacusis Handbook
by Jan L. Mayes

Having Tinnitus I thought this book would be helpful and informative. But, I found this is not your everyday reading material. It presented itself as a more scientific journal than an self help guide. It did offer some suggestions on dealing with the Tinnitus for sleeping, that can be useful. But overall this book is a difficult read for the average person.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

#Netgalley

This book is incredibly comprehensive; basically a lifetime's worth of hard work studying. It's a compilation of every fact of the matter, as well as personal insights. My father has a serious tinnitus problem (he calls it head-noise), and we have been looking for help for many years. This toolbox is really helpful.