Points for How Tinnitus May Be Healed

[Everyloop]

These are just some thoughts I had.

First, I figure there are two ways to repair tinnitus. Either change the way the brain interprets the sound so that even though the components in the ear may be damaged, the brain doesn't actually experience tinnitus. The other way would be to undo the damage to the ear so it stops giving the wrong signal to the brain. Obviously this way would be better but might not be easier.

I am talking about loud noise as the cause here. As far as actually repairing sections that are damaged, the fact that some people seem to notice their volume goes down may indicate that some repairing is taking place. Everyone says once the parts of the ear are dead they are dead, but they might not be. What if they are just slow to heal? I had tendinitis in my arm and it took nine months with treatment to heal. Some people get tendinitis and it doesn't go away because it doesn't heal correctly. When you get tendinitis, it takes a while to heal because tendons don't have much supply of nutrients, so whatever is going to them does so very slowly. With treatment it can heal, but the treatment has to be right, and you have to rest it in the meantime.

Tinnitus could be like that. If it seems to get quieter over time, maybe the damage is being undone. Maybe it is a very slow process and takes time. And if you protect your ears in the meantime that could keep it from being injured again.

 

[Atlantis]

That would have been discovered already if it were the case. Tinnitus is way more complicated.

 

[PaulBe]

Tinnitus could be like that. If it seems to get quieter over time, maybe the damage is being undone.

I think Tinnitus goes through continuous change over its cycle however long that may be. "Healing" is simply a value we place on the outcome of any change that feels better to us than how it was before. It doesn't follow that actual "healing" has taken place because we simply don't know. Ask anyone who has suffered new spikes and recurrences about "healing".

I really want to agree with you though.

 

[DebInAustralia]

Generation and maintenance of tinnitus involves maladaptive plastic changes in the brain...how do u figure on *healing* that?

 

[erik]

Right now they are just trying to find a drug to block the signal. Not necessarily heal it or fix it (I don't believe that can be done); however blocking it would be just as good as long as the side effects were not too bad.

 

[Blujay]

Generation and maintenance of tinnitus involves maladaptive plastic changes in the brain...how do u figure on *healing* that?

Possibly, by "rearranging" or jamming or otherwise affecting neurons.

 

[RB2014]

The fact that we can have really good days and really bad days makes me believe that something can be done. I am at a 1 today and its barely noticeable. I could have a long normal life like this. On days when its bad, I don't let it bother me and grin through the day knowing that I will have another good day, but it does suck. I would settle for a 1 every day so if they can't block it then just bringing it down a bunch would be huge.

The authors point might be valid though, maybe it is a healing taking place. Once you get over the few months you start to notice it less and less. Maybe it is some type of healing going on that brings it down. Maybe anxiety, stress and lack of sleep are like picking at a wound. A wound won't go away if you do that. Maybe once you let it be and accept it, the brain starts a repair process that takes time until it reduces in volume or you habituate.

 

[Path Maker]

@RB2014 Well said! And as for plasticity, it can go in both (or multiple) directions! What if SOME of the neuroplastic changes are not so much related to the acoustic damage to physical ear structures as they are related to the stress "syndrome" that occurs in tandem with tinnitus. This collection of stress symptoms, anxiety, poor sleep, etc. might also play into that maladaptive neuroplasticity, and once we calm and settle a bit, that part might back off. This is just an intuitive theory I'm thinking. But it makes some sense.

 

[RB2014]

I agree with Eric, though that if you have some type of damage to the ear there is no way to block it or if there was it would be something you would have to take every day. I had T for a long time and didnt notice it until I had a bunch of anxiety. The only time I ever noticed it was a few times with headphones in a hearing booth that created complete silence. The cool thing is if you don't know to look for it, you don't know its there. My hearings slowly dropped over time so I think my brain just adjusted as time went on. My hearing was shot and I had no knowledge of tinnitus. It would be cool to find a way to forget again, but once you find it, it is very difficult to stop looking for it.

Agreed its an interesting theory and maybe there is something to it. The healing process can't begin though until the stress and anxiety are gone.