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
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