When you come across absolute negative statements, remind yourself that they are born out of anger and rage and will only serve to hurt people. I understand the frustration, I have metastatic cancer with no cure after 5 years of surgery, radiation and chemo as well as tinnitus, hyperacusis and ear pain but please don't destroy the hope of people who are suffering that still want to seek and to receive help. Some of the negative people here are suffering too and I am sorry for that but this is not helping them or the people that come here asking for help. Hurting others helps no one.
Let's break down some of the comments I've seen.
Are people doing research and working on treatments? Yes and there are many threads here keeping tabs on these efforts such as Susan Shore at Michigan University. Will there be a cure some day? I don't know. Tinnitus does not have just one cause. Sound exposure, medications, deficiencies, nerve issues, tumors (rare), ... Because of this treatments and cures do not all have the same approach. The TMJ sufferer may get relief in a different way than the military munitions operator with hearing damage or the person with a severe vitamin B12 or glutathione deficiency. Some cases involve nerve damage, referred pain, hair cell damage, limbic system imbalance, deficiencies, etc. It's not one disease.
In the meantime do we get dismissed by doctors, friends, relatives, other members here? Sure. Is there this constant judgement of yours is better or worse than mine, get over yourself, "man" up and stop being a cry baby? Sure but so what. There are haters everywhere in life, I just ignore them. Their opinion of me is none of my business. Suffering is suffering and let's get on with whatever help is available. I don't subscribe to the theory discussed here on occasion that we cannot discuss treatments that can help people like Back to Silence, mindfulness, CBT, TRT, etc because then nobody will do research and find a physical cure. I also do not believe that every success story is a cry baby with a minor case of tinnitus and that something that worked for them cannot translate to someone with a high level of suffering. Knowledge is power. I celebrate every person who came here and found something that helped them, even if it did not help me. This forum is a great resource with many knowledgeable and helpful people.
Is there at least some relief available now for many if not most of the people here? Yes there is. Relief described by one sufferer may not translate to you. Some trial and error, testing or research into your total symptom complex may be needed to find out what works for you.
Supplements, snake oil or helpful? That depends. If you have a deficiency of a substance that can cause tinnitus/hearing loss or a broken process needed to convert something necessary for protection of your hearing system then yes that supplement may help you or prevent further damage. If not then that supplement may be a waste of money. We are not all the same. A research paper that I read recently stated that participants experienced a 50% reduction is perceived tinnitus volume if they were supplemented with vitamin B12 BUT only if they were deficient to start with. NAC only helps you if you have insufficient glutathione stores. Glycine only helps you if you don't have enough to convert the NAC to glutathione, etc. So are some supplements a waste of money for some people? Sure, it depends on what you need.
The effect on our lives is a combination of the sound levels, sound types, pain, sensitivity and our reaction to it. We all have different personalities and emotional make up so we all handle this differently. There are hundreds of stories shared here with people that have gotten significant, sometimes total relief by addressing the emotional component of their suffering, how they relate and react to their tinnitus. Back to Silence, mindfulness, TRT, CBT somatic tracking, DNRS, etc. Will everyone get the exact same response? Of course not. Can everyone get some measure of relief, I believe that the answer is yes. I have experience with these techniques in chronic pain, adrenal system problems and now tinnitus. If these methods have not helped you or you are not ready to try them OK but that does not mean that the OP or any others will not get relief from these techniques. I am an electrical engineer by education and a General Manager by work experience so I am trained and conditioned to doubt any proposed solution to a difficult problem until proven and these techniques have helped me, for 35 years.
@Ringingwontstop, please do not be discouraged by the people here that have given up and are filled with anger. There are hundreds of uplifting stories here of kind people who have found relief and have shared what worked for them.
All the best,
George
Member
