Finding a Cure for Tinnitus?

Finding a cure for tinnitus?

I wrote a post a while back titled: Answers to Hyperacusis and Habituation, and in it mentioned two of the most common questions asked about tinnitus are: How long does it take to habituate and how do I know if I have hyperacusis? Anyone that wants to read it, please click on my profile and look under started threads.

I think finding a cure for tinnitus is asked just as often by people that have difficulty coping with it. The same question was always at the forefront of my mind and on the tip of my tongue whenever talking to someone that had the condition and was prepared to listen to my outpourings, because I believed they would understand what I was going through.

However, this belief was to be short lived and I was soon brought back to stark reality when told: “Mine doesn’t bother me at all” or “I just ignore it” “It only affects me at night”. Some people jokingly said: “ Mine plays a funny little tune and then it’s gone”. I would see a smile creep a across their face. I remember thinking what can possibly be wrong with me? There I was living in torment daily with this cacophony of noise for company swirling around in my head and ears and these people are casually dismissing it as nothing. I thought what I’m going through has to be completely different and indeed it was.

The Internet at that time wasn’t in full flow as it is now but I managed to research the condition bought books and joined a tinnitus forum and learned from people more experienced with tinnitus, who informed me there was different levels of intensity that each person felt and no two people experienced it the same.
While it was comforting to know that I was experiencing something unique and totally different to what my friends and family had, it didn’t stop me asking that question, when will a cure for tinnitus be found?

Whilst I was going through my treatment of TRT (tinnitus retraining therapy) and having regular counselling sessions with my hearing therapist, this didn’t stop my quest for finding a cure. I was going to prove the medical profession and the tinnitus books wrong that said there wasn’t one at that time. I tried alternative medicines that many of you have heard of so wont mention them here.

Youtube was like a god send for I sat listening to a Physician in a white coat that seemed to know what he was talking about when mentioning tinnitus, and for a price my condition could be cured with his treatment plan or, send off for medications specifically designed to treat the condition.

All I had been going through was a learning curve and I thank my Doctors and tinnitus mentors at forums for helping me to stay on track and not parting with huge sums of money for medications that were supposedly the silver bullet to cure my ails. At best they would probably do nothing and the worst-case scenario I don’t want to think of now, since they were probably unregulated but at the time I was prepared to try anything but glad I didn’t.

Fast-forward to 2016 and type into any Internet search engine a cure for tinnitus and you’ll get over 4000 hits. Youtube is saturated with over 78,000 videos all-pertaining to do the same and yes, you’ve guessed it for a price. It seems over the years nothing much as changed for there will always people ready to tap into other peoples misery and claim they are able to cure them. Isn’t it strange they always say they are able to cure the conditions that the medical profession has none for?

I read a newspaper article many years ago that helped change my perception of tinnitus and looking for a cure. It read: 19 out of 20 medical conditions cannot be cured. That statement brought home a reality. My GP told me when I asked him about pursuing private medical healthcare, as I was so desperate. He explained that I would get the best help and long term aftercare by staying on my current medical programme. I have to say, in the twenty years that I’ve had tinnitus which is variable in intensity and can be quite severe at times, I been treated very well by my healthcare providers and have no complaints.

Everyone’s situation is different. Where one lives in the world plays an important part and their access to medical treatment and what this might cost, will also have some bearing on how they are able to be treated. My advice is to pursue the route of going to your GP and getting referred to a tinnitus clinic or hospital and have tests done. This is usually a hearing test and MRI scan. If the results come back normal the next step is to be referred to a Hearing Therapist or Audiologist to learn tinnitus management.

Tinnitus treatment comes in a variety of forms but one of the best is still TRT (tinnitus retraining therapy) It is wearing white noise generators and having tinnitus counselling. It is a tried and tested treatment that has good results and it will treat hyperacuis (sensitivity to sound) if it is present.

There are other treatments available that will be suitable for a particular person but the important thing is to be under the care of a Hearing Therapist /Audiologist for tinnitus management if your hearing tests and MRI scans are normal. Try not to be tempted into going it alone and spending copious amounts of money on tinnitus cures and remedies that at best do nothing. Following the proper medical avenue via your GP and being referred for treatment is the best in my opinion.

Michael

 

We are in 2016 we still talking about this shit therapy

 

Indeed Stakovic. That's why I advised, people go to their GP and asked to be referred to hospital to be treated and not spend lots of money for cures and remedies that we are not certain they will work.

 

I have seen 15 to 20 Gp since 1998, they have same answer :" what's ringing in the ears !!!! Ohhh it's just a sound you shall habitute it and then you will live a normal life wit it. 18 years later I am not habituate it

 

@Stakovic 18 years?! Holy hell that's a long time. Has been the same pitch/volume the whole 18 years?

 

got worse these two last years , T is my last healt issues.

 

@Stakovic,
For some people tinnitus is mild or moderate or sever or cronic and in one ear or both and head.
The sound itself plays a big part if its bearable or debilitating ,pulsitile or mental torture.
Most people in there own time can habituate but for some it can be a life long problem especially if their is hearing loss or a ear condition like Menieres....lots of love glynis

 

We are in 2016 we still talking about this shit therapy

That shit therapy actually helped me. But it doesn't help everyone, which is something some practitioners don't tell you (although mine did). And it doesn't make your tinnitus go away. Still, am glad I did it, even if it was expensive and not covered by insurance.

 

how do you get menieres? I got mine from loud noises over time from headphones, but does menieres causes tinnitus or does tinnitus cause menieres? Sorry confused

 

I a

I am glad that TRT helped you may be beacause your T is mild . but what are you doing here?

 

@LadyDi The best that we can do is to see our Drs and be referred to a clinic or hospital for treatment for our tinnitus which is what you have done and was the right thing to do.
Michael

 

@DDD,
For me Menieres gave me tinnitus...lots of love glynis

 

her T is not mild; read her post history.

some people have relatively loud tinnitus and do not suffer badly; others have quiet T and suffer terribly.

 

Michael,
Thanks for sharing your story and personal view.
i cant not imagine how difficult it could have been dealing with tinnitus 20 years ago.
Honestly i think the internet and forums like this can help a ton.

for me acceptance is something hard to swallow but also very helpful and releasing.
when we acquired this conditions i guess its total normal to feel down, negative and search for a possible cure.
6 months ago i tried everything... chi kung, craneosacral, CTB, Acupuncture, etccc
when it didnt went away i would feel very disappointed,
at this point... im feeling very good, lately im very adjusted and habituated to the sound, and i focus on things i can do, and i dont feel sad about the things "i can not longer do"

there is something that got a my attention,
about the article you read in the newspaper "19 out of 20 medical conditions cannot be cured"
i would have to disagree.
science is very advance, nowadays a pregnant woman with HIV can have an hiv free child.
there are better treatments for cancer, there are diseases that can be cured or treatable.
Crohns disease for example and i heard Herpes too.

in the past 7 months since my tinnitus onset i think science and studies are going faster than ever.
check out the studies by Charles Liberman, Marcelo Rivolta and also Kyoto University.
there are GREAT stuff going on right now.

the key is not to give up, i think some "tinnitus (mild) suffers" make the big mistake claiming that tinnitus only bothers are night and that you get over it after a few months.
we need to stick together and fight for each other.

 

Mario,
Thank you for airing your views.
Medicine and cures for conditions are improving all the time and that’s a good thing. Indeed, we must stick together and fight for each other, which many people at Tinnitus talk do well. However, I believe it’s prudent to fight the fights that we can win. One of the best ways of achieving that in addition to following some of the good advice given here, is to seek help via one’s GP and ENT healthcare professionals. I know some people have had an unpleasant experience with a particular Dr, but my advice is try for another referral and don't give up.

Michael.

 

No baby with severe tinnitus and hyperacusiss and reactive can enjoy or habituated,like me, STAKOVIC you are 100% right.

 

It's very likely that you will habituate to low to moderate tinnitus. But loud tinnitus which I have impossible.

 

The only cure I found was TINNITUS TERMI....I meant no cure. Thinking of doing TRT. I will see a tinnitus Dr. on Wednesday.

 

@just1morething . Good luck my friend let us know how you get on.

 

@Richard zurowski, I will update. I've seen him in the past. I have a very recent audiogram so won't have to do that again I hope.

 

I seen a ENT Dr. today that specializes in tinnitus and about all he had to say was to take magnesium 400mg daily for 3 months. Also he preferred Zantac to proton pump inhibitors as he said PPI's take out magnesium from your body. About treating people at the VA with tinnitus he didn't really say anything. I mentioned TRT also, but he just said that it was a long process.

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It kinda saddens me that you're still seeing ENTs about tinnitus. Haven't you had it for years now? Wouldn't that convince you that you just have cochlear damage and that ENTs just can't help you anymore?

I'm sorry if that's a depressing realization, but I know that habituation doesn't occur until you've accepted the reality of your condition. It's really scary to have found people still suffering years after their onset of tinnitus.

 

Yeah well that's the sad fact and I'm stressed out and desperate so what do you do? I thought he could tell me what he used at the VA. I do have a quiet day once in awhile but they are few and far between. You list anxiety as your cause, do you believe that? I don't think habituation is possible for me as my noise is very loud.

When your limbic system is affected it's very difficult to know what to do. I had very stressful events in my life this past year so that could be why my noise has escalated so high.

 

Why not head to that tinnitus clinic just northeast of Southdale and get yourself some TRT treatment?

 

I found a new one. http://androsaudiology.com/tinnitus/ No TRT here though.

You probably meant this one: http://www.tinnitusclinicminnesota.com/

Are you from MN?

I have some neck issues that I thought could be contributing to my noise....possible muscle spasms or upper cervical instability.

 

My ent sent me to get an Mri done a while back and this is the findings. I had a bad fall years back,not sure if that is related to this problem. I have ct scan of the spine at the end of this month. Plus going to neurologist and spine specialist early next year. Fingers crossed.

 

hey dude, you mentioned you have inner ear spasms. I have them too, high pitched. Wonder if you know whats causes them? cochlea, one of the nerves, ear drums, inner ears muscles.. seems reactive to sound and neck movement too.