Book Review - Tinnitus Treatment And Relief by Jack A. Vernon
Category Book Reviews
Being a tinnitus sufferer to a small degree, I picked up a copy of Tinnitus Treatment And Relief by Jack A. Vernon at the library the other day. This is one of those books you could either think is absolutely great or something that you shouldn't read unless you have a medical degree.
On the good side, this book doesn't attempt to push a single treatment option or tout some specialized treatment routine of the author. It's a series of chapters written by doctors and researchers that cover a range of techniques that have been studied and found to have varying levels of effectiveness. Since little is known about tinnitus and there are no fool-proof or totally effective treatments, it may well be that what works for one person only serves to exaggerate the problem for someone else. Also, tinnitus is highly subjective in the level of discomfort to the patient. As measurement of the extent of the problem can be difficult, placebo treatments often offer some level of relief just because the patient expects it to help. If you're a sufferer looking to find out about a range of treatment options, this book will help.
What I didn't like about the book is that the content varies greatly in its readability. Some of the chapters are written with the patient in mind, and it's easy to understand what the doctor is trying to convey. Other chapters are nothing more than research papers targeted at other researchers, complete with technical statistical analysis and research jargon. Although each chapter ends with a "question and answer" section from a patient perspective, far too much of the writing will be heavy going for the average reader.
I think the best I can do is give this an average rating with the caveat that your results may vary. Depending what you're looking for, this may be an important read to deal with your condition or it may offer even more frustration of a condition you don't understand...
Being a tinnitus sufferer to a small degree, I picked up a copy of Tinnitus Treatment And Relief by Jack A. Vernon at the library the other day. This is one of those books you could either think is absolutely great or something that you shouldn't read unless you have a medical degree.
On the good side, this book doesn't attempt to push a single treatment option or tout some specialized treatment routine of the author. It's a series of chapters written by doctors and researchers that cover a range of techniques that have been studied and found to have varying levels of effectiveness. Since little is known about tinnitus and there are no fool-proof or totally effective treatments, it may well be that what works for one person only serves to exaggerate the problem for someone else. Also, tinnitus is highly subjective in the level of discomfort to the patient. As measurement of the extent of the problem can be difficult, placebo treatments often offer some level of relief just because the patient expects it to help. If you're a sufferer looking to find out about a range of treatment options, this book will help.
What I didn't like about the book is that the content varies greatly in its readability. Some of the chapters are written with the patient in mind, and it's easy to understand what the doctor is trying to convey. Other chapters are nothing more than research papers targeted at other researchers, complete with technical statistical analysis and research jargon. Although each chapter ends with a "question and answer" section from a patient perspective, far too much of the writing will be heavy going for the average reader.
I think the best I can do is give this an average rating with the caveat that your results may vary. Depending what you're looking for, this may be an important read to deal with your condition or it may offer even more frustration of a condition you don't understand...
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Posted by Duffbert At 04:21:43 On 13/06/2005 | - Website - |
Posted by Stan Rogers At 19:48:42 On 12/06/2005 | - Website - |