Quieten — App by Julian Cowan Hill — Scam? Reviews?

[Damocles]

I have spent far more on "fully qualified" ENTs, audiologists, and doctors, and have been far worse treated by them than any less-scientific "tinnitus therapists" or whatnot. Wish I had read this forum beforehand, because I can hardly afford to be spending that money! (Desperation does things to you.) At least the more new-agey therapists spent a bit of time with me and didn't make me feel like crap. I usually got an hour of somewhat greater peace than before. (And I came into all the private ENT appointments with clear notes, politely, and with low expectations - near to onset. These apparent professionals still managed to go even lower and act more dismissively than those low expectations - no Prednisone or ideas offered, of course!)

ENTs fall under the category of surgeons, and surgeons - if you didn't already know - are psychopaths.

This isn't me insulting them, I'm being deadly serious; they have to be in order to perform their job.

Do you think you could spend 10 years of your life studying and training, to end up in a career where you have absolutely no time for a personal life?

Do you think you could cut another human's tonsils out of their throat? Or slice pieces of septum out of the inside of their nose?

No?

That's because you're probably not a psychopath. But just think what characteristics a person who could do those things would have to have.

Some traits of a psychopath:

• Amoral.
• Superficially charming and charismatic.
• Unempathetic and callous.
• Pathological liars.
• Impulsive.
• Bullying and abusive (even to those they're close with).
• Have a small range of emotions.
• Self-victimizers.
• Directly blame others for their misfortunes.
• Manipulative.
• Narcissistic and susceptible to superiority complexes.
• Vengeful.

Any of those (perhaps the highlighted), stick out to you as fitting the persona of some of the ENTs you might have met?

At the end of the day, what you have to realise is, these guys aren't there to sympathise with you, or make you feel better emotionally (that's what therapists do; why therapists aren't surgeons and vice versa). They're problem solvers (like robots), and all they see when they look at you, is a problem that can't be solved, hence the dismissal.

ENTs/surgeons also aren't creative thinkers (if they were they wouldn't be in that line of work; they would be working in research or cinema) which is why they aren't malleable when presented with conflicting information by patients, that challenge tenets they have learnt to be unquestionable from published research and/or training (like micro-suction and syringing being perfectly safe and effective).

So, you've just got to know what you're working with.

Hard truth: ENTs are of pretty much no use to us (at this moment in time).

 

[AfroSnowman]

all they see when they look at you, is a problem that can't be solved, hence the dismissal.

True that.

 

[Robert Logan]

ENTs fall under the category of surgeons, and surgeons - if you didn't already know - are psychopaths.

This isn't me insulting them, I'm being deadly serious; they have to be in order to perform their job.

Do you think you could spend 10 years of your life studying and training, to end up in a career where you have absolutely no time for a personal life?

Do you think you could cut another human's tonsils out of their throat? Or slice pieces of septum out of the inside of their nose?

No?

That's because you're probably not a psychopath. But just think what characteristics a person who could do those things would have to have.

Some traits of a psychopath:

• Amoral.
• Superficially charming and charismatic.
• Unempathetic and callous.
• Pathological liars.
• Impulsive.
• Bullying and abusive (even to those they're close with).
• Have a small range of emotions.
• Self-victimizers.
• Directly blame others for their misfortunes.
• Manipulative.
• Narcissistic and susceptible to superiority complexes.
• Vengeful.

Any of those (perhaps the highlighted), stick out to you as fitting the persona of some of the ENTs you might have met?

At the end of the day, what you have to realise is, these guys aren't there to sympathise with you, or make you feel better emotionally (that's what therapists do; why therapists aren't surgeons and vice versa). They're problem solvers (like robots), and all they see when they look at you, is a problem that can't be solved, hence the dismissal.

ENTs/surgeons also aren't creative thinkers (if they were they wouldn't be in that line of work; they would be working in research or cinema) which is why they aren't malleable when presented with conflicting information by patients, that challenge tenets they have learnt to be unquestionable from published research and/or training (like micro-suction and syringing being perfectly safe and effective).

So, you've just got to know what you're working with.

Hard truth: ENTs are of pretty much no use to us (at this moment in time).

Thanks for this. I especially resonated with the last paragraph. A while after tinnitus onset, I had some ear wax issues for the first time - and knew instinctively microsuction or syringing would not be a good idea. A highly recommended, expensive ENT seemed extremely visibly irritated when I politely requested an alternate method to wax removal and kept insisting these methods would do nothing to the tinnitus. I was practically forced into it on another session while lying down and having my ears inspected; without asking he just called a nurse over to perform microsuction. I lasted about a few seconds before repeatedly asking to stop - they didn't stop, until I got more firm and louder (maybe I'm too British and nice about these things, though I had made it clear I didn't want it on multiple occasions) and he said, angrily to the nurse "you'll have to stop - he says he can't handle it." What ensued after that was 3 weeks of the most hellish spike ever, though I am thankful that particular incident didn't lead to a permanent increase.

I've had other experiences like that, but most of the time they just looked bored and recited a bunch of tinnitus cliches quickly, and seemed to want me out of the door and made no attempt to hide that fact. So I agree with you...

I did see an ENT in Berlin who was an exception to all of that. He wanted to microsuction my ears, I said I have hyperacusis and can't handle it, and it spikes the tinnitus - he said "no problem" and got out some tools and did it manually. He was also 20% of the price of the London ENTs I've seen. Why couldn't they all have done that?

So much more to say, but thanks again for your post. Of course these people serve a very useful purpose, but it is true they are of no help to us.

 

[Peter Q]

I have to come in here. I have been twice to see him in Paddington about 10 years ago. Trust me, in my job you suss out bullshitters very easily. He is a decent well meaning bloke who actually told me after the second treatment that I would be better off going away and using my chi kung knowledge than spending money with him. His premise is too much adrenaline in the body. That is his idea, it seemed to work for him. It certainly may be a waste of time for many but I would defend him as a decent human being every day of the week and twice on Sundays.

Julian's premise about too much adrenaline in the body is certainly correct. It is a factor in many conditions.