Jastreboff cast the Lord out of William Shatner's ears.

Audiologists have a specific term for Shatner's affliction: tinnitus. Pronounced tin-NIGHT-us or TIN-it-us, the term refers to ringing or other noises in the ears or head. Tinnitus is one of the most widespread disorders of the auditory system -- and with a battery of recent studies demonstrating that our aging ears are paying the price for noisy lives in a world that keeps getting noisier, tinnitus is on the increase. According to the American Tinnitus Association, 50 million Americans suffer from "annoying" tinnitus. Of these, 12 million find their tinnitus so distressing that they seek medical intervention.

You probably have tinnitus. More than 90 percent of us have some level of it. If you put yourself in a very quiet place (Jastreboff would recommend an anechoic chamber, but a closet full of coats will do) and concentrate, you will likely detect a high-pitched whine, a soft seashell roar or perhaps chirping crickets. Unless you're one of the 50 million people for whom it reaches the level of annoyance, however, the white noise of everyday life is probably enough to mask your tinnitus. The trouble begins when this threshold shifts. We've all been to a loud concert or ballgame and left with our ears ringing. Now imagine if that sound never left, and kept intensifying. A relentless little demon, tinnitus announces itself in the ears but frequently extends its residence to the spirit, where it can have debilitating emotional effects. It can, quite literally, drive you crazy.

"It just takes over your life," says Patsy Clark, a 52-year-old piano teacher from Bowling Green, Ky., who was forced to resign her position as church organist last year when tinnitus made it impossible for her to hear the music she was playing. "It makes you feel desperate and frustrated, and your whole outlook is bleak. Sometimes I couldn't eat." Frustrated after fruitless trips to medical doctors, Clark found a librarian who put her in touch with the ATA, who in turn put her in contact with Dr. Jay Hall, an audiologist and director of the Vanderbilt Balance and Hearing Center in Nashville, where Clark is currently under treatment.

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