Solsaem Clinic (Dr. Minbo Shim) Experience

[GlennAz]

I see from the audiogram there is room for improvement. I hope you will get that!

I do so want improvement too.

I noticed yesterday and today, that when I was running the sink, I could lightly hear the water splashing and tinkling in the sink with my right ear. My right ear is much worse than the left. I think it's been a long time since my right ear picked up something like this. This is new.

Understanding conversation is still terrible.

 

[GlennAz]

It's really good to see you reporting so much about your experiences, Glenn!

I'm glad I am too.

I'm going to share something...
For a few weeks before I went to Dr. Shim's, on April 1st, I read the posts but didn't post myself. I watched the battles... attacks...
But I found John credible. I contacted Dr. Shim, and found him easy to talk to, very very knowledgeable, and decided to go. And I did.
I had no intention of being involved in this war of words on Tinnitus Talk, and wasn't planning on posting anything about my experience when I got back.

But I realized that many people on Tinnitus Talk truly wanted info, and were not caustic and toxic to John and Dr. Shim, so I didn't think it would be right not to post.

I'm glad people can benefit from this.

 

[GlennAz]

May I ask, did you also take an independent audiogram before leaving?

Oh, yes I did.

From three different places.

My regular audiologist, that I've been going to for the last five years, has done an audiogram every summer...

I will be by again this summer for another audiogram.

I'm very familiar with her testing, her equipment.

I will post the new audiogram when it's done.

 

[JohnAdams]

So we have Otonomy and Frequency Therapeutics going through FDA trials with some drugs that may help us. It will be YEARS before their products get approved and move to market. We should be generating demand for bone marrow and PRP ear injections. This is basically an open source and unregulated procedure that could be helping us now. The AIDS patients in the early 90's that protested for early access to experimental medicine had the right idea. That's what we should be doing. The beauty of this is that PRP and bone marrow eardrum injections don't even need government approval, we just need ENTs that are willing to do it. Willing ENTs. That's all we need. I am open to share as much as I know about it.

 

[jay777]

The AIDS patients in the early 90's that protested for early access to experimental medicine had the right idea.

AZT.

 

[just1morething]

Willing ENTs.

That's the problem. I mentioned Shea or Silverstein both whom have done many IT injections before. And what is it about Dr. Shim's patent in Russia? What is that all about?

First of all we need more testimonials that his procedures have a high success rate. We only know some of his prices is all, which seem awfully high with no guarantees.

I don't like my high volume noise in my left ear atm. Still confused if it could be TMJ related or inner ear damage. I woke up with it mainly in my left ear after a nap today (my left TMJ crunchy one) I'm still not convinced that's the cause of my noise though as I have very little pain.

 

[Bndsmheowqhe]

So we have Otonomy and Frequency Therapeutics going through FDA trials with some drugs that may help us. It will be YEARS before their products get approved and move to market. We should be generating demand for bone marrow and PRP ear injections. This is basically an open source and unregulated procedure that could be helping us now. The AIDS patients in the early 90's that protested for early access to experimental medicine had the right idea. That's what we should be doing. The beauty of this is that PRP and bone marrow eardrum injections don't even need government approval, we just need ENTs that are willing to do it. Willing ENTs. That's all we need. I am open to share as much as I know about it.

The AIDS epidemic received an enormous amount of attention because the people that were most affected by it were EXTREMELY vocal in their attempts to draw attention to the problem. In less than 30 years it's gone from doomsday scenarios to essentially cured. The tinnitus community could learn a lot from that model.

 

[Ray552]

So we have Otonomy and Frequency Therapeutics going through FDA trials with some drugs that may help us. It will be YEARS before their products get approved and move to market. We should be generating demand for bone marrow and PRP ear injections. This is basically an open source and unregulated procedure that could be helping us now. The AIDS patients in the early 90's that protested for early access to experimental medicine had the right idea. That's what we should be doing. The beauty of this is that PRP and bone marrow eardrum injections don't even need government approval, we just need ENTs that are willing to do it. Willing ENTs. That's all we need. I am open to share as much as I know about it.

Would you say this procedure drastically improved your quality of life? And subjective clarity of sound?

 

[Damiano]

Re: why hasn't the doctor presented his results at TRI2019. I don't know. Is the conference by invitation only or can you submit a paper? Is there a committee that scrutinises the submitted papers? It could be that this doctor is good and well meaning but outside the academic loop and doesn't have the type of connections to get to speak at the conference? After all he runs a relatively little operation, is not affiliated with a research centre / university or large hospital and he does not write papers apparently. A conference could be a little off kilter for him and there are hierarchies in academia. Having said that I know little to nothing about the TRI conference.

 

[JohnAdams]

The AIDS epidemic received an enormous amount of attention because the people that were most affected by it were EXTREMELY vocal in their attempts to draw attention to the problem. In less than 30 years it's gone from doomsday scenarios to essentially cured. The tinnitus community could learn a lot from that model.

Too bad all the big tinnitus orgs are habituation goons.

 

[ajc]

Too bad all the big tinnitus orgs are habituation goons.

The ATA aren't habituation goons.

https://www.ata.org/sites/default/files/TinnitusToday-Spring2018.pdf

 

[ajc]

@GlennAz

Do you have more pictures to show! I liked those!

 

[Telis]

We should be generating demand for bone marrow and PRP ear injections.

Why generate demand if we don't even know if it works?

 

[GlennAz]

Do you have more pictures to show! I liked those!

Hi ajc, I do have a couple more from inside the clinic. I will send them.

 

[JohnAdams]

Why generate demand if we don't even know if it works?

Seems to have worked wonders for me. Maybe we should be generating demand for further studies on it. Or I guess we can just sit around and wait 100 years for FX-322 to come out and seek habituation.

 

[GlennAz]

Here are his two nurses again. My better half said she took this pic on the last Saturday that we were there. We flew out the next day.

This was one of the 7x that he took out bone marrow for the PRP. I was laying on the yellow bed to the left, in this room. Dr. Shim had already given me some injections. There's still more for me sitting on that cart.

I just didn't want to look at those bloody things before getting them stuck in my ear. It was better that way.

A lot of fluid gets injected. I didn't realize we had so much capacity there to take all this. Dr. Shim knows what he's doing. My head wasn't hanging and tilted from the extra weight on one side.

Maybe the idea is more growth factors will enter the cochlear window? Maybe it helps with the osmosis or active transport across the membrane, when there's some pressure in the middle ear? John might understand more about this.

You can also see other beds. There were 3, I think, with separating curtains. I think people got IV's in here.

I'm not sure of a lot because when we went to Korea, my purpose was not to study and take detailed pictures of Dr. Shim's operation. I wanted to be treated, so I didn't pay attention to a lot of things.

Some things Dr. Shim did were uncomfortable, but to get help that will be successful, will be well worth any discomfort.

There's a white counter over one of his nurses right shoulder, you can just see a piece of. I recognized a centrifuge on that counter and maybe other things were on it. That must be where they got the syringes ready for me.

Maybe you can see how clean the cart, floors, and everything was there. Dr. Shim has a spotless place. He is anything but a slob.

I'm pointing out what I did see and experienced. I suppose if anyone wants to think very negative things about Dr. Shim, and call him names, you can, but that's not the way it is when you're there.

 

[Robert Aleman]

What about Orthokine injections into the ear? That may work better than PRP. Dana White healed his Meniere's disease with Orthokine and it wasn't even injected into his ears.

 

[Jazzer]

The AIDS epidemic received an enormous amount of attention because the people that were most affected by it were EXTREMELY vocal in their attempts to draw attention to the problem. In less than 30 years it's gone from doomsday scenarios to essentially cured. The tinnitus community could learn a lot from that model.

The Tinnitus community could learn a lot from that model!
Quite So.
Why was it that out of a known number of 25,000 members on Tinnitus Talk only two members were prepared to make an Awareness video.
I also also posted it all over various of my Facebook pages.
Surely we all need to promote awareness of this condition, and particularly regarding the severity it can reach.

 

[lymebite]

@GlennAz - thanks for sharing these pics, really interesting and helpful.

Attached is another one of mine - the label from my bone marrow extraction needle.

 

[lymebite]

And here is the awful needle itself. Though really it did not hurt much at all with the local pain killer. The main sensation was a feeling of lot of pressure on my bone when they did the stem cell extraction.

 

[JohnAdams]

What about Orthokine injections into the ear? That may work better than PRP. Dana White healed his Meniere's disease with Orthokine and it wasn't even injected into his ears.

"Orthokine differs from a similar procedure with platelet-rich plasma (PRP),[6] where platelets are targeted instead of the interleukin antagonist. Also, PRP does not require the blood to be heated as Orthokine does."

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Autologous_conditioned_serum#Process

The growth factors from platelets are a required ingredient for this treatment, namely IGF-1 and perhaps EGF. I'm not aware of any effects that interleukins could have on cochlear nerves or hair cells. I am interested in researching in to that however.

 

[JohnAdams]

Maybe the idea is more growth factors will enter the cochlear window? Maybe it helps with the osmosis or active transport across the membrane, when there's some pressure in the middle ear? John might understand more about this.

I'm sure the extra pressure helps, it would have to. Also, he tries to get as much in there as possible because some of it flushes down the eustachian tube. His goal is to have it coagulate in there so that your ear stays full, even after the time you're in the clinic. Sometimes I would leave the clinic and go immediately pass out in my apartment and wake up with my ear still feeling full and when I would tell him that he seemed pleased.

 

[GlennAz]

Attached is another one of mine - the label from my bone marrow extraction needle.

Four labels. Did they take out a lot?

Dr. Shim liked it fresh, I think. He took what he needed for that day.

 

[GlennAz]

And here is the awful needle itself.

Ugh! You got that thing screwed into your back??
I am now really sooo glad I didn't look at anything on his cart.

 

[JohnAdams]

Ugh! You got that thing screwed into your back??
I am now really sooo glad I didn't look at anything on his cart.

Yeah I never looked either.

And here is the awful needle itself. Though really it did not hurt much at all with the local pain killer. The main sensation was a feeling of lot of pressure on my bone when they did the stem cell extraction.

View attachment 30083

Sorry I missed it, but why did you have your marrow taken out?

 

[lymebite]

Sorry I missed it, but why did you have your marrow taken out?

Here's my story at the link. It sort of fits with what you and @GlennAz have done with Dr. Shim. But not as innovative and did not produce results.

Really appreciating the posts by you and @GlennAz because as you can see from my post at the link, I was on a similar track as both of you, but it was long before you had done your procedures with him.

https://www.tinnitustalk.com/thread...nbo-shim-experience.33543/page-41#post-440742

 

[lymebite]

Four labels. Did they take out a lot?

Just one stem cell extraction. The physician said it was about 10 million stem cells. Probably not enough to make a difference, especially since it just went back into my bloodstream by IV, not directly to the middle ear like with you and @JohnAdams. But remember I was doing all this in primitive times before I knew about Dr. Shim.

I was waiting for a while in the procedure room by myself, and took a few photos of the equipment I saw laying around on the table. Those labels were just some kind of a bulk printout I think. But things move so fast when you are a patient for something like this, it is hard to absorb what is going on, so when I had the chance and the presence of mind, I took some pictures.

 

[lymebite]

Ugh! You got that thing screwed into your back??
I am now really sooo glad I didn't look at anything on his cart.

Oh yes! Thankfully I was lying face down on my stomach for the extraction, eyes closed and buried into a pillow, and I did not see any of it actually happen when they screwed that thing into my back.

By not looking at anything on his cart, you were much wiser than me!

 

[Telis]

Seems to have worked wonders for me. Maybe we should be generating demand for further studies on it. Or I guess we can just sit around and wait 100 years for FX-322 to come out and seek habituation.

The problem is, all treatments seem to work for some, so which treatments do you demand further research on?

@Ed209 had some success with changes in his audiogram through taking certain vitamins etc. Maybe we should be pursuing this as well? I read stories about people fasting and getting their hearing back, I've heard it all after 6 years of digging around.

There is a massive demand for hearing restoration, if his procedure actually works, we won't have to demand a thing, the market will take care of that. There will be no secret insiders at Tinnitus Talk knowing about this miracle hearing cure and needing to get the word out. The market obviously remains skeptical, in my opinion that tells us that this particular treatment probably doesn't work unfortunately.

You can't keep a lid on a miracle, word spreads like wild fire, not to mention the billions of dollars that will chase it down, the demand is just too high for this to be kept in the dark if it works.

Not trying to be a downer, my life has been completely destroyed through hearing loss, I would give anything, but at the same time I have to be a little realistic and not let my suffering turn me into a victim that falls for every treatment out there. Buying into a cure that some guy on the internet says works but can't really show any evidence, this should give people a little pause in my opinion.

Ed209 and a couple of others are asking the right questions, and bring a healthy skepticism to the table. I'm thankful for people like this, so should the rest of us. Instead he's getting a little beat up in here, doesn't make any sense to me.

 

[JohnAdams]

Ed209 and a couple of others are asking the right questions, and bring a healthy skepticism to the table.

No, you're wrong. He has already made up his mind and is totally biased and has even insulted me and others for going to receive this treatment.

I think the stupidest thing I've heard on here is that someone actually paid Dr Shim. Very brave, but totally bonkers.

That is not healthy skepticism.