Global Perspective — Which Country Has the Best Tinnitus Doctors?

[hermes]

I can go anywhere in the world and have a modest budget. I am asking for opinions on which countries have...

1. medicine: highest % of physicians actually familiar with tinnitus treatments
2. science: most promising researchers
3. value: cheapest treatments that actually work (reduce volume by 25%+)

On the face of it it looks like it is not taken seriously, and everything is experimental. Guys go to USA, Germany, Israel and Japan, and *maybe*, maybe, just possibly get treatments that sort of work. "Yeah, I think it reduced my volume by about 10%" or "I don't notice it as much as before." Sorry, not good enough after spending $50,000 plus airfares and hotels - maybe finding something that *helps*. "Learn to meditate or hypnotize yourself, it's your attitude!" Sorry, you don't paint a happy face on a bandaid on a broken knee. You take an image and repair the damaged part of the body. The brain and ear has a physical reality. Fix it.

This is like Alzheimers. Almost every person over 55 that I know has a relative with dementia. Likewise. most people over 40 have or have had tinnitus in varying degrees. 'Oh, I have that too'. Geez... But they don't have it so bad that they can't sleep or even read without playing a tape of rain. They don't have nightmares because subconsciously they hear it in their dreams. They don't dread the future where it'll probably get worse.

I am a Canadian citizen (and resident half of the year). Unlike in UK, or so I am told, for tinnitus we are told by doctors in Canada (after going through the steps to see an ENT, which can take months due to medical rationing), 'go home and live with it, there is no cure.'

After decades of this (and getting worse) I am getting fed up. I will not bore you with all my medical history. Is there nobody who actually understands tinnitus? In my fantasy, I go to a clinic, they do some tests and determine, 'oh, your triple brain concussion/ear infection/emotional stress/audio trauma (yes, I had a quadruple whammy over many years) and create an investigation in order to create a treatment plan: 'Your tinnitus is caused by X, not Y. For your type of tinnitus there are number of treatments. Let's start with number one. If that doesn't work, go to number two. After four everything is just waste of time and money and we suggest giving up.'

 

[Luca]

go home and live with it, there is no cure.'

This is universal, and ultimately true, all around the world.

It is however, inappropiate and harsh for those in bad mental shape due to T.

Keep in mind that only a select few can be treated where a treatable cause is identified....even by experts.

 

[linearb]

If you have infinite time and money, then you can spend both searching down a unicorn.

If I had infinite time and money, I'd be more focused on meditation and habituation, so that I could spend that time and money enjoying the world in spite of T, rather than spending all my time fixated on a cure that doesn't exist.

I do not have infinite time, or money, but that is still my strategy, because there is time that I have, and I want to put my money into things that I enjoy.

The clinicians most familiar with T, are the ones who are most likely to say "this is not that big a deal and you can live a good life in spite of it, rather than putting it towards chasing a dream".

 

[MattK]

If I had infinite time and money, I'd be more focused on meditation and habituation, so that I could spend that time and money enjoying the world in spite of T, rather than spending all my time fixated on a cure that doesn't exist.

Exactly, and many don't seem to get that. Some even seem to resent the idea that we can habituate and enjoy life in spite of T.

I've said many times before that if habituation isn't the answer, then what? As of this moment, a universal cure simply isn't available. So what else is there?

I'd much rather habituate and enjoy life again rather than wait for decades to pass hoping for a cure that may never come.

 

[Dr. Nagler]

I can go anywhere in the world and have a modest budget. I am asking for opinions on which countries have...
1. medicine: highest % of physicians actually familiar with tinnitus treatments ...

Hermes, I think you might be asking the wrong questions. Judging from the entirety of your post, I don't think you need to find which countries have this, that, and the other thing. All you need to do is find one individual in one country who can with a reasonable degree of certainty help you achieve the relief you seek.

stephen nagler

 

[hermes]

Thank you Dr

Hermes, I think you might be asking the wrong questions. Judging from the entirety of your post, I don't think you need to find which countries have this, that, and the other thing. All you need to do is find one individual in one country who can with a reasonable degree of certainty help you achieve the relief you seek.

stephen nagler

Exactly so.

Just finding one therapy that reduces T, that I can afford, guided by a professional. I have my eye on India as that country has some top notch doctors at a fraction of the price of more developed countries. Plus I love the food!

 

[Fairy]

What he is saying, that there is no medical services. He wants help. I got the same problem. What is wrong with the Health Care. It is B.S. You might thailand, but have to into it for tinnitus. It is pretty good.
Also some of those retirements that retires travel too. Have very very good medical services. I used to read travel blogs. Don't go to Mexico. My opinion. To many drugs there.

 

[rzhang]

There are some TT members from the Philippines

 

[threefirefour]

If you have infinite time and money, then you can spend both searching down a unicorn.

If I had infinite time and money, I'd be more focused on meditation and habituation, so that I could spend that time and money enjoying the world in spite of T, rather than spending all my time fixated on a cure that doesn't exist.

I do not have infinite time, or money, but that is still my strategy, because there is time that I have, and I want to put my money into things that I enjoy.

The clinicians most familiar with T, are the ones who are most likely to say "this is not that big a deal and you can live a good life in spite of it, rather than putting it towards chasing a dream".

I'm glad this psychology is on it's way out. We need actual answers. If one has infinite time and money then help fund research. Fuck getting used to it when there's research to be done.