Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy

[Lane]

There is plenty of hard evidence that a timely application of HBOT can help with sudden severe hearing loss.

There's also ample evidence timely application of HBOT is very helpful for any kind brain injury or trauma, such as stroke, aneurysm, concussion, etc. If anybody's tinnitus is even remotely connected to any of these kinds of brain traumas, it would seem that HBOT would likely be helpful for that tinnitus as well.

 

[Mark Foster]

I've started HBOT 2 days ago, i had noise induced T for about 2 months.
I'll be doing another 8 33ft sessions, and see whether to continue from there.
I don't have high hopes but i'm desperate for any kind of improvement.

Is 33ft enough though? My facility doesn't offer more than that.

 

[JohnAdams]

I think HBOT should be administered ASAP from initial acoustic trauma.

 

[Sevv]

Quick question: Can hyperbaric oxygen therapy also support the healing of damaged nerve cells? I had another hearing test today and had perfect results and reached 15 kHz and 16 kHz with my ears. So I can only conclude that my damage stems from hidden hearing loss that couldn't be detected.

This is more for confirmation. My tinnitus seems mild to very mild currently and I can't clear my ears, so I am basically guaranteed to get barotrauma with HBOT.

 

[JohnAdams]

If you can get HBOT immediately I think your chances of recovery are greatly improved.

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/oxygen-therapy-revives-brain-of-toddler-who-almost-drowned-in-pool/

 

[Lane]

My tinnitus seems mild to very mild currently and I can't clear my ears, so I am basically guaranteed to get barotrauma with HBOT.

Hi @Sevv -- I'm such a big believer in HBOT therapy, I purchased a home unit for myself. HBOT pressure in clinical settings can be adjusted, but it's normally between 1.5 and 2.0 ATMs. Units that are sold retail to the public cannot exceed 1.3 ATM, and are commonly referred to as "Mild" HBOT, or mHBOT. As such, I would think the possibility of experiencing barotrauma would be that much less with mHBOT, just because of the pressure differential.

When I was doing clinical HBOT sessions, we started out at 2.0ATM, and I found that to be too much for my ears. But because we increased the pressure gradually, and backed off when I felt any discomfort, it did feels safe. With my home unit, I have even greater control of the pressurization, as I have a remote inside the chamber that can turn the compressors on and off. Whenever I feel any kind of discomfort (usually in my sinuses), I immediately stop the pressure, and release some of it. After a couple of minutes, I resume, and the initial discomfort has either gone away, or is greatly diminished.

Here's my bottom line on the possibility of suffering from barotrauma: I think the odds of that happening (for me and with my protocol) are really pretty negligible. So I don't have concerns about it. In addition, I have done some acupuncture and Gua Sha around my ears, TMJ, and auditory cortex areas, and I feel that has given those areas a lot more "breathing room" (for lack of a better word). I've especially noticed since doing the Gua Sha, that my Eustacian Tube function seems to be much better.

I do the Valsalva technique about a half a dozen times when my chamber pressurizes, and I've noticed it's become far easier to do since doing the Gua Sha (an ancient Chinese technqiue that resembles deep massage). It's possible however, that this improvement is from my ear drums being "freer" than previously. I mention this because I did the Valsalva technqiue while my Osteopath was looking in my ears, and he said my ear drums were "frozen up". He did a quick technique, and "unfroze" them. But the Gua Sha seems to have unfrozen them even more.

I've often wondered what percentage of people on this forum who report fullness in the ears (and TTTS) could benefit from doing some of these things I'm mentioning. My guess is quite a few. I feel these techniques I use has made my daily mHBOT sessions even more safe, which is on top of a very safe profile to begin with. -- Best...

The Mechanisms of Barotrauma in Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy

 

[hopedeferred]

I did 10 or 20 (I think, been a while) HBOT sessions two weeks after developing tinnitus (triggered by acute acoustic trauma - accidental gun shot w/ no ear pro). One week after the event (happened over the weekend and then New Year's holidays), I saw an ENT and he prescribed a week's worth of prednisone - but it didn't help (but did increase ear fullness, as the ENT said it would). Prior to the trauma, I had never had an ear problem in my life (e.g., no popping in flights, etc.).

During the HBOT, which spanned a month or so, I had a lot of pressure, clicking, popping… but never any pain. HBOT doc advised those symptoms should resolve within a week or two after I conclude my HBOT sessions. That was three months ago. The popping and clicking has gotten worse and worse, and is essentially constant. It has somehow developed into an audible phenomenon – meaning my wife can even hear it at night when things get a little quieter in the house… or while sitting next to me at church. It's quite maddening. ENT is stumped – didn't notice any tears or ruptures in the drum in initial visits (and didn't bother to look the last time or two). He was concerned with it potentially being something related to vessels initially given the recording I played him was somewhat rhythmic (e.g., potentially pulsatile), even though it's generally random, and had me get an MRA. The MRA showed no anomalies.

None of this is intended to dissuade anyone from HBOT, and I don't have any evidence my ear pressure/popping challenges are directly from the HBOT. Simply providing as a data point. My quality of life went from a 9 to a 5 when the tinnitus came on and rocked my world, and now probably a 3 with the constant pressure/popping/clicking on top of the tinnitus.

Like most of you I'd do just about anything to relieve these symptoms. I've tried tons of supplements, intermittent fasting, 2 month ketogenic diet, 2 week carnivore diet, 5 day water fasting, even one of those cranial therapy sessions – nothing has done much for the tinnitus or clicking. Praying for a cure!

 

[Sevv]

Sorry to hear about your situation. Considering this whole thread we're now at 2-3 people with improvements, many with no effects at all and 2-3 with worsening. Since my tinnitus is fortunately low and seems to fade on its own, the gamble isn't worth it for me (especially since I have difficulty popping my ears at the moment). I hope I get some more fading in the next days to keep me convinced...

 

[Mark Foster]

Currently on my 8th session. I believe I'm getting a good improvement. It's hard to say for sure as psychology (and spontaneous healing) plays a huge role in tinnitus and I'm aware of it but the last 3 days it's been bothering less and less and there has been loads of moments when it was quiet, and I now have a hard time hearing it if there is noise around.

I think i'll extend to do 15 or 20 sessions if i'm 100% sure it has helped after the 10th.

 

[Lane]

Like most of you I'd do just about anything to relieve these symptoms. I've tried tons of supplements, intermittent fasting, 2 month ketogenic diet, 2 week carnivore diet, 5 day water fasting, even one of those cranial therapy sessions – nothing has done much for the tinnitus or clicking. Praying for a cure!

Hi @hopedeferred -- Sorry to hear about your situation. Regarding your wife being able to hear the popping and clicking, I would actually look at that as a good sign. As I mentioned in my above post, my Osteopath was able to do a subtle technique which "unfroze" my eardrums. Perhaps there's some kind of technique that could address some of the mechanisms behind your ear noises.

I'm very much into alternative therapies, and think for the most part they have better potential than most standard conventional therapies or approaches. I noticed you did all those supplements, etc., so you might find the following thread I started of interest. I realize most people aren't interested in these kinds of approaches, but I just go ahead and post them anyway, for even that one person that might find something of value in it. Below is the link. -- All the Best!

DMSO & Magnesium Oil for Tonic Tensor Tympani Syndrome (TTTS)
I've used a combination of DMSO & Magnesium Oil for several years now, mostly applying it to any muscle or area of my body that was tender or...
Thread by: Lane, Apr 8, 2019, 0 replies, in forum: Alternative Treatments and Research

 

[hopedeferred]

Hi @hopedeferred -- Sorry to hear about your situation. Regarding your wife being able to hear the popping and clicking, I would actually look at that as a good sign. As I mentioned in my above post, my Osteopath was able to do a subtle technique which "unfroze" my eardrums. Perhaps there's some kind of technique that could address some of the mechanisms behind your ear noises.

I'm very much into alternative therapies, and think for the most part they have better potential than most standard conventional therapies or approaches. I noticed you did all those supplements, etc., so you might find the following thread I started of interest. I realize most people aren't interested in these kinds of approaches, but I just go ahead and post them anyway, for even that one person that might find something of value in it. Below is the link. -- All the Best!

DMSO & Magnesium Oil for Tonic Tensor Tympani Syndrome (TTTS)
I've used a combination of DMSO & Magnesium Oil for several years now, mostly applying it to any muscle or area of my body that was tender or...
Thread by: Lane, Apr 8, 2019, 0 replies, in forum: Alternative Treatments and Research

Thanks for the reply Lane.

So, you just mix up that solution and then rub it in the skin around your ears?

I'm thinking I may have MEM tinnitus, but not quite sure... still digging into it a bit.

 

[Mark Foster]

So after my 9th/10th session I got really positive about it and I felt like I had a really good improvement, but then on the weekend the tinnitus got worse again, as it was before. I've done 14 sessions in total and I've decided to stop now.

So I don't know if I got any improvement from HBOT, or if I just had a good week because of other reasons and then a bad week after that, but comparing it to the sound of the fan of my PC, it seems to be pretty much unchanged.

As of now (almost 3 months from the onset), I can cope with it much better, I don't really mind it anymore. I guess it won't help in moments of depression, but overall I feel good, I accepted it, no point in being sad if nothing can be done about it...

 

[Frédéric]

Utility of Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy for Acute Acoustic Trauma: 20 years' Experience at the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force Undersea Medical Center

Abstract

Introduction Acute acoustic trauma, which is a kind of sensorineural hearing loss, is caused by acoustic overstimulation. Hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) is reported to be effective against acute acoustic trauma.

Objective We aimed to evaluate the efficacy of HBOT against acoustic hearing loss based on our 20 years of experience with such cases.

Methods Patients who were treated with HBOT for acute acoustic trauma between April 1997 and August 2017 were evaluated in this study. Thirty-five patients with a mean age of 25.7 ± 9.2 (range: 16–48) years were included. Thirty-nine out of 70 ears (35 patients) were damaged. We investigated the initial level of hearing loss; the extent to which hearing recovered; subjective symptoms, such as tinnitus and aural fullness; and the treatment administered.

Results The planned HBOT was completed in 37 of 39 ears. Twenty-six of the 37 ears (70.2%) displayed improved hearing, and 31 of the 37 ears (83.9%) exhibited symptom improvement. Twenty-three (76.7%) and 26 (86.7%) of the 30 ears treated with steroids demonstrated improvements in hearing and subjective symptoms, respectively.

Conclusion A combination of HBOT and steroids should be considered as a treatment for acute acoustic trauma in cases involving symptoms such as tinnitus and aural fullness.

Full text: https://www.thieme-connect.com/products/ejournals/html/10.1055/s-0039-1688433

 

[Mathieulh]

I am trying a 90 minutes HBOT at 1.3ATA session on Monday, I will be at the one month mark for my Tinnitus, I'll keep you posted, if I notice any improvements I will book further sessions for sure.

 

[Lane]

I am trying a 90 minutes HBOT at 1.3ATA session on Monday, I will be at the one month mark for my Tinnitus, I'll keep you posted, if I notice any improvements I will book further sessions for sure.

Good luck with this @Mathieulh. -- Just to mention, I've noticed there are some businesses in the U.S. that rent out mHBOT chambers by the month for approx. $600 or so. If this goes well, you may want to see if there's any rentals available in Paris. Could save you plenty of money, and be far more convenient for you. -- I've had my own mHBOT chamber for about 6 months now, and can hardly imagine not having it, it's been so good for me. Best!

 

[Arseny]

Does anyone know if HBOT is beneficial in ototoxic scenario without steroids?
Meaning is it going to be useful by its own without steroids in treating hearing loss caused by ototoxic medication?

 

[Mathieulh]

Here you go, undertaking my first mHBOT session.

It's only 1.3ATA for 90 minutes right now, but there is only one 2.0ATA hospital grade HBOT in the entire Paris area (which, if you ask me, is a travesty), so unless I happen to be dying and requiring emergency care, I am not getting in it.

 

[Mathieulh]

No change in my tinnitus so far. I will see how it goes in the next 24 hours.

 

[Alue]

Question for those that have undergone HBOT. Did they pressurize the chamber with oxygen rich air, or did they pressurize the chamber with normal air while you breathed oxygen through a face mask?

 

[sakrt]

I tried to get HBOT when I began developing progressive intermittent tinnitus/hyperacusis (mild then) and was turn down by insurance. Doctors who worked in HBOT field, had no ENT knowledge to assist to answering any concerns to do w/ tinnitus/hyperacusis, as it's primarily used for wound care. ENTs and Neurology had no clue *shrug* They did state they read "somewhere" that it may be useful for sudden SNHL;acoustic trauma. Tried that route too; insurance denied. Much later, I learned that HBOT may actually be harmful for those who have nasal/ear equalizing problems (unless you have P.E tubes). An implosive outcome? which to me is a scary concept to happen while inside a coffin- tube. *splat* This is a common issue for unfortunate divers who have dove while having a cold. resulting in hearing loss, tinnitus and some dizziness.

I still think this would be great for overall health by encouraging circulation to the brain and body. Is it required to be in a pressurized chamber for full benefit? Is it to do with absorption through the skin of the body overall? What's the difference between this and inhaling via a mask?

 

[Mathieulh]

Question for those that have undergone HBOT. Did they pressurize the chamber with oxygen rich air, or did they pressurize the chamber with normal air while you breathed oxygen through a face mask?

I breathed through a facemask.

 

[Lane]

Did they pressurize the chamber with oxygen rich air, or did they pressurize the chamber with normal air while you breathed oxygen through a face mask?

@Alue -- One place I went to did not have supplemental oxygen. They said they were getting good results using just normal air. Most places however do have supplemental oxygen. Having done both, I feel the supplemental oxygen was more effective, and I would say relaxing as well.

 

[Alue]

@Alue -- One place I went to did not have supplemental oxygen. They said they were getting good results using just normal air. Most places however do have supplemental oxygen. Having done both, I feel the supplemental oxygen was more effective, and I would say relaxing as well.

I wasn't saying supplemental vs normal air, but supplemental vs oxygen rich air being pumped in. There is an added fire risk with the latter, but I do wonder if it's better in some way.

 

[Robert Aleman]

My ears got blocked for months after trying HBOT 2 years ago.

 

[Mathieulh]

Well, still no change on tinnitus, not that I thought there would be after one session, I booked 6 additional ones, so time will tell.

 

[RaZaH]

I tried, did nothing for me, however I went because a friend of mine did and it worked for him, however he only had T for a few weeks when he went.

 

[GregCA]

I tried, did nothing for me, however I went because a friend of mine did and it worked for him, however he only had T for a few weeks when he went.

Chances are he would have recovered without HBOT too (if we believe spontaneous recovery stats). We'll never know.

 

[RaZaH]

Indeed.

 

[Mathieulh]

A small update, after 3 sessions, it looks like HBOT is indeed working to lessen my T, (keep in mind that I am only one month after onset, so still in the acute stage), I am not sure if it's the placebo effect or HBOT had something to do with it, or if the effects are temporary, but my T has gone from moderate to mild today, it's the first time that happened since I stopped taking Prednisone, so I will take this as a good sign. I just hope it lasts or improves further. Either way, I will keep protecting my ears.

My next session is tomorrow, I still have 4 booked and paid for. I may book additional sessions if I see further improvements, after all, all it can't hurt anything but my wallet.

 

[Mathieulh]

A small update, there is definitely a change, right after I did my 4th mHBOT session today, I noticed my tinnitus has gone from moderate to mild. I do not know whether or not that is temporary at this point, but I would say it's a pretty significant improvement. I still have 3 sessions booked and paid for, so I will see how it goes, I won't hesitate to book additional sessions if I notice further improvements.