Solsaem Clinic (Dr. Minbo Shim) Experience

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Hi everyone,

Dr. Shim got back to me and was very kind. Essentially, he was hopeful about the chances of his treatment on me because I'm young and have very minor hearing loss (everything under 10 dB). However, he did make it seem like the sooner you come after an acoustic trauma the better the chances are. Either way, it is a lot to think about (and $18000 is a lot of money). Hoping that @Tinnitard's recovery goes well.

If I am able to acquire the funds, I will likely go in late December.
I was quoted $9000. Is that the quote he gave you?
 
@Leon909 Yeah... $18,000 USD. It's a lot :( Also something I am confused about is that upon looking at his website it says that it can take 3-6 treatments for his method to be effective (this was listed in the pros/cons list in comparing his treatment to hearing aids).

Does this mean return to his clinic 3-6 times for a series of two week treatments? If so, then there is no way I'll try it.
No I believe he means 3-6 injections. Usually he administers 12 per treatment. He used to do 3-6 injections. However, that dose seems to have doubled.

However, @GlennAz and @JohnAdams seem to have gotten much more than that.
 
I reached out to Dr. Shim today via Skype. Tinnitus has made me withdraw from college, and I was so close to graduating with a near-perfect GPA at a top school. Now I feel like my future has been ruined, so I'm willing to go into debt for a chance at getting back the bright future I had once envisioned.

I will keep everyone updated on what he responds. A big thanks to everyone who has tried this, and especially @JohnAdams who is so active on this site and has given me a lot of hope in general. Praying that @Tinnitard will begin to improve soon.

Praying we can all be free of this one day soon.
My advice: don't waste your money on Shim's treatment. Wait until mid-end 2020 until we have results from studies that test drugs which are much more likely to have a real impact on hearing loss/tinnitus. There's Frequency Therapeutics, Otonomy, Audion, Auris Medical; and Decibel Therapeutics is also on its way... PRP and stem cells have very limited indications. As you can see, you might spend a lot of money for a small benefit or no benefit at all. Also, it can be dangerous long-term, as these treatments were not tested for safety in real clinical studies.
If it's only tinnitus that bothers you, take a look at this (this one is in Phase 3, I think):
 
My advice: don't waste your money on Shim's treatment. Wait until mid-end 2020 until we have results from studies that test drugs which are much more likely to have a real impact on hearing loss/tinnitus. There's Frequency Therapeutics, Otonomy, Audion, Auris Medical; and Decibel Therapeutics is also on its way... PRP and stem cells have very limited indications. As you can see, you might spend a lot of money for a small benefit or no benefit at all. Also, it can be dangerous long-term, as these treatments were not tested for safety in real clinical studies.
If it's only tinnitus that bothers you, take a look at this (this one is in Phase 3, I think):

Actually, as far as scientific evidence goes, we know PRP increases cell regeneration, in all likelihood it does inside the cochlear as well (assuming it is administered locally), to some degree, what we do not know is how efficient it is (or isn't) I also have serious doubts as to the efficacy given the current delivery mechanism as it would probably take a lot of PRP and a lot of injections to gain significant improvements, that said, since PRP comes from your own blood plasma, there is no adverse effects (potential long-term danger) to be had from the PRP itself (it's your own cell, you are merely transferring it to another place in your body, which means the active component will not trigger an immune response (no rejection of the substance by your own body)), that said, the procedure itself (just like any other) is not without risks, you would want to assess the potential risks (and cost) against the potential benefits (if any) to know whether or not you want to follow this procedure.

While I like to remain optimistic, miracle drugs have always been "around the corner" as you all know, we are currently still waiting, I hope laboratories prove me wrong this once.
 
I was quoted $18,000 for both ears :(
That sounds awfully high for nothing guaranteed. Do hearing aids help reduce your noise?

all ears.jpg
 
Nope. You're talking out of your butt.
Well, actually you got a few injections with stem cells out of your butt, so idk what to say... (I tried to be polite, sorry.)

But fine, go on and convince people to spend thousands of dollars for useless treatments offered by a guy who has no real scientific achievements.

For all the others who need one more reason not to spend $18,000 on some boutique therapy, here it is: "Unapproved stem cell therapies have led to serious infections, blindness, and death."
Source: the FDA

 
But fine, go on and convince people to spend thousands of dollars for useless treatments offered by a guy who has no real scientific achievements.
I'm not trying to convince anybody goof. I have consistently told people to wait and see other people's results and weigh all the facts and make an informed decision.
: "Unapproved stem cell therapies have led to serious infections, blindness, and death."
Source: the FDA
You're a fear monger. Good job.
 
You're a fear monger. Good job.
Not really, I'm just cautious. And I try to evaluate therapies based on the available data. Shim's treatment is simply overpriced and unproven.
I should edit that: I meant it COULD be dangerous long-term, as it was not tested for safety, I'm not saying it is.
 
So wait, AM-101 actually worked on some people? I thought they shelved it due to concerns of its efficacy years ago?
I think it worked in a subset of patients who had tinnitus from certain well-determined causes, like traumatic injuries or otitis media, so they reevaluated the indications and continued the studies...
 
I think it worked in a subset of patients who had tinnitus from certain well-determined causes, like traumatic injuries or otitis media, so they reevaluated the indications and continued the studies...
Was it a permanent result or is this something that needs to be readministered continuously?
 
But it subsided after a while, right? Otherwise, the event should be reported...
Just to reiterate, I have never claimed that I know for certain that Minbo Shim's treatments are what caused my improvement and I do think there should be more research done on PRP injections. It certainly warrants further testing. Likewise there isn't enough evidence to write this off either and if someone wants to take the risk and spend their own money on this then that's their right. I have been as transparent as I can be.
 
Just to reiterate, I have never claimed that I know for certain that Minbo Shim's treatments are what caused my improvement and I do think there should be more research done on PRP injections. It certainly warrants further testing. Likewise there isn't enough evidence to write this off either and if someone wants to take the risk and spend their own money on this then that's their right. I have been as transparent as I can be.
Bro, I was just a bit scared for other people's health and pockets. Intratympanic injections with anything are not something to fool with. Maybe the PRP isn't that worrisome, but the stem cells part scares me, because I don't know what's the fate of those stem cells inside your ears.
 
Bro, I was just a bit scared for other people's health and pockets. Intratympanic injections with anything are not something to fool with. Maybe the PRP isn't that worrisome, but the stem cells part scares me, because I don't know what's the fate of those stem cells inside your ears.
I had stem cells injected about 8 times and I'm fine. They use PRP to heal eardrum perforations.
 
Wait... so the stem cells were the sole treatment and PRP was just to patch the hole?

Were any other neurotrophic factors injected?
No. The majority of injections were PRP. There are peer reviewed reports that showed PRP accelerates eardrum perforation healing.
 
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