Tinnitus Treatments for Relief and Cure

Pulsatile Tinnitus

nospam@example.com (Thomas) — Sat, 02 Mar 2013 16:45:44 +0000

I had recently in my Tinnitus Forum a few people who are suffering from pulsatile Tinnitus.I have personally no experience with this, so I have to rely on the publicly available information here. And this suggests that pulsatile tinnitus is actually quite different from 'normal' Tinnitus, as it is not so much a nervous condition but due to physiological causes like restricted blood vessels in the ear/neck region. This causes then the (pulsatile) blood flow in this region to become audible. So pulsatile tinnitus is in these cases actually an 'objective' tinnitus that can be heard by the ENT- doctor with suitable instruments as well (see the Tinnitus.org.uk Website and the Whooshers Website for more).
Chiropractical treatment or surgery could help in these cases, but since not many doctors are familiar with this, it might take some time to find somebody to do this, or even diagnose it with certainty (and for this a CT or MRI scan would be required).
Not any pulsatile tinnitus would fall under this, but if it is pulsating in the rythm of your heartbeat, you should try to clarify this, as the measures for normal (subjective i.e. nervously conditioned) tinnitus would be rather unsuitable here.

Thomas

Drug Treatment of Tinnnitus - New Research Results

nospam@example.com (Thomas) — Sun, 09 Sep 2012 18:33:05 +0100

I just found the following press release of the University of Leicester that was already published a few months ago:

University of Leicester study identifies key cellular mechanisms behind the onset of tinnitus

Research into hearing loss after exposure to loud noises could lead to the first drug treatments to prevent the development of tinnitus

Issued by University of Leicester Press Office on 10 May 2012

Researchers in the University of Leicester's Department of Cell Physiology and Pharmacology have identified a cellular mechanism that could underlie the development of tinnitus following exposure to loud noises. The discovery could lead to novel tinnitus treatments, and investigations into potential drugs to prevent tinnitus are currently underway.

Tinnitus is a sensation of phantom sounds, usually ringing or buzzing, heard in the ears when no external noise is present. It commonly develops after exposure to loud noises (acoustic over-exposure), and scientists have speculated that it results from damage to nerve cells connected to the ears.

Although hearing loss and tinnitus affect around ten percent of the population, there are currently no drugs available to treat or prevent tinnitus.

University of Leicester researcher Dr Martine Hamann, who led the study published in the journal Hearing Research, said: "We need to know the implications of acoustic over exposure, not only in terms of hearing loss but also what's happening in the brain and central nervous system. It's believed that tinnitus results from changes in excitability in cells in the brain - cells become more reactive, in this case more reactive to an unknown sound."

Dr Hamann and her team, including PhD student Nadia Pilati, looked at cells in an area of the brain called the dorsal cochlear nucleus - the relay carrying signals from nerve cells in the ear to the parts of the brain that decode and make sense of sounds. Following exposure to loud noises, some of the nerve cells (neurons) in the dorsal cochlear nucleus start to fire erratically, and this uncontrolled activity eventually leads to tinnitus.

Dr Hamann said “We showed that exposure to loud sound triggers hearing loss a few days after the exposure to the sound. It also triggers this uncontrolled activity in the neurons of the dorsal cochlear nucleus. This is all happening very quickly, in a matter of days”

In a key breakthrough in collaboration with GSK who sponsored Dr Pilati’s PhD, the team also discovered the specific cellular mechanism that leads to the neurons' over-activity. Malfunctions in specific potassium channels that help regulate the nerve cell's electrical activity mean the neurons cannot return to an equilibrium resting state.

Ordinarily, these cells only fire regularly and therefore regularly return to a rest state. However, if the potassium channels are not working properly, the cells cannot return to a rest state and instead fire continuously in random bursts, creating the sensation of constant noise when none exists.

Dr Hamann explained: "In normal conditions the channel helps to drag down the cellular electrical activity to its resting state and this allows the cell to function with a regular pattern. After exposure to loud sound, the channel is functioning less and therefore the cell is constantly active, being unable to reach its resting state and displaying those irregular bursts.”

Although many researchers have investigated the mechanisms underlying tinnitus, this is the first time that cellular bursting activity has been characterised and linked to specific potassium channels. Identifying the potassium channels involved in the early stages of tinnitus opens up new possibilities for preventing tinnitus with early drug treatments.

Dr Hamann's team is currently investigating potential drugs that could regulate the damaged cells, preventing their erratic firing and returning them to a resting state. If suitable drug compounds are discovered, they could be given to patients who have been exposed to loud noises to protect them against the onset of tinnitus.

These investigations are still in the preliminary stages, and any drug treatment would still be years away.

The research was funded by a Research Councils UK fellowship to Dr Hamann, a grant from the Wellcome Trust and a PhD studentship from GlaxoSmithKline, with follow-up investigations funded by a three-month grant from Deafness Research UK. Further pharmaceutical research will be carried out by the University of Leicester in collaboration with Autifony Therapeutics Ltd via a Medical Research Council Case studentship due to start in October 2012.

Vivienne Michael, Chief Executive of Deafness Research UK, said "We’re pleased to hear about this progress in such a debilitating hearing impairment. The charity continues to fund research into better treatments for tinnitus, with the ultimate aim of a cure. Our free information leaflets offer immediate help to sufferers and our national helpline provides additional support. Regularly tinnitus generates the most requests for help.

As stated in the article, new studies will start next month, but this is all still in the preliminary stages, and a drug is not expected for the next couple of years.

Thomas

Tinnitus and Sleep

nospam@example.com (Thomas) — Sun, 01 Apr 2012 17:56:04 +0100

Sleep problems are probably the most important ones in case of tinnitus, and the ones that people mostly complain about. It is quite obvious that with ear noises suddenly being present, the sleep quality will be affected. However, to a certain degree these problems might actually be self-imposed. This is because many people have certain idealistic notions about sleep, like 'I need eight hours of sleep' and 'I have to sleep through without waking up'. And then in case of not being able to fulfill these ideals, they feel guilty and inferior because of it, which however only will aggravate the problems and the suffering associated with the sleeplessness.

So my advice would be not to dwell so much in your mind on the sleep problem, but just try to cope with it as best as you can on a day to day basis. My doctor told me that for quite a while one can manage with 5-6 hours of sleep per night, so one shouldn't feel bad if one only gets this amount. If it causes too much stress to lie awake each night for an hour or two, then consider going to bed correspondingly later. This won't give you more sleep but reduce the amount of time you are lying awake (and thus the stress associated with this).

Only as a last resort you should consider sleeping tablets or tranquilizers for a while.

In any case, don't worry, for most people the acute sleep problems only occur for the first 6 months at most. The sleep will then return to a more normal (in any case more manageable) pattern again.

Thomas

Tinnitus and Holidays

nospam@example.com (Thomas) — Sun, 04 Mar 2012 18:05:24 +0000

A question I come across quite frequently is whether it is advisable to go on holiday with a tinnitus. Many people fear apparently that it could get aggravated. According to my own experience and those of others I have spoken to, this is an unfounded fear. On the contrary, in many cases the holiday will have a positive effect due to the generally relaxing nature of a holiday and the fact that, with the new environment, one does not concentrate so much on the condition. Still, one should obviously take some precautions and also avoid overly loud environments on holiday (or use earplugs in corresponding situations). Flying by airplane is usually not a problem either, but also here one might want to use earplugs in order to reduce the engine noise (there are also special earplugs called 'Earplanes' that help to reduce the pressure equalization problems (fullness in the ears) which some people have during flights).

Thomas

Promotion of this Blog

nospam@example.com (Thomas) — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 17:37:06 +0000

I have decided to start to promote this blog in some blog directories etc. Some of these require that I link back to them. I shall use this entry for any such links in the future:

A Happy New Year 2012

nospam@example.com (Thomas) — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 15:48:50 +0000

I wish everybody a Happy New Year 2012. If you are suffering from tinnitus, hopefully a year that goes some way to improve if not cure the condition. Maybe some of the information here can help you to achieve this. Or visit my web page Tinnitus Advice and Tips for a Treatment and Cure, or my Tinnitus Forum.

Thomas

Tinnitus and Weather

nospam@example.com (Thomas) — Sun, 13 Nov 2011 17:10:30 +0000

With the winter now almost upon us, I want to address a question that I frequently come across, namely if the weather can have an effect on the tinnitus. The simple answer is, yes. One has to remember that tinnitus is a nervous condition, and all kind of environmental and psychological influences can affect the nervous system. It is not necessarily only the colder temperatures in the winter as such, but also the fact that adverse weather conditions and darker days may have a negative impact on the person's mood, which can aggravate the condition similar to stress. So one should bear this in mind if one notices an aggravation of the tinnitus not only during the winter months, but generally during prolonged adverse weather conditions.
As far as cold temperature are concerned, I always found it beneficial to wear a woolly hat in the winter outdoors, preferably one that covers the ears as well (I found this particularly important if it was also windy).

So whilst there is nothing to worry about in the way of adverse long term effects of bad weather on the tinnitus, it is always advised to take some simple precautions to minimize any negative impact here.

Thomas

Tinnitus, Hearing Damage and Ear Plugs

nospam@example.com (Thomas) — Sun, 09 Oct 2011 18:12:26 +0100

Many people may consider wearing earplugs as 'uncool', but in very loud environments (above 90dB sound pressure), they are very much recommended or even required (for instance in certain jobs) in order to protect the hearing (for a corresponding chart with examples of noise levels and maximum exposure times without hearing protection see http://www.gcaudio.com/resources/howtos/loudness.html).
So by all means, ear plugs or other hearing protection should generally be used to protect the hearing in those loud environments (see for instance http://www.earplugs.de for a wide variety of earplugs (you may find some of these cheaper on Ebay or Amazon). Otherwise the risk of hearing damage and/or tinnitus can become very real.

Hearing protection is particularly important if one has tinnitus already, as any kind of noise can aggravate the condition, especially in the early stages (the first 6 months). Many people suffering from tinnitus have actually at some stage an over-sensitivity to virtually all sounds (hyperacusis), and in these cases it may even be beneficial to use earplugs in more normal environments as well (for instance when using the vacuum cleaner at home). The drawback with using earplugs with tinnitus is that, due to the external background noises being reduced, the tinnitus appears as even more prominent, which could cause even more emotional upset for some people. However, for others it is more important to have the feeling of being safe from a further aggravation of their condition due to sounds (just being anxious about a possible aggravation can aggravate the condition by itself). I would recommend that everybody handles this as it is best for the well-being of the person. This obviously can only be found from the individual experience, and it may therefore take some time to figure out the right strategy here.

Thomas

Tinnitus and Nutrition

nospam@example.com (Thomas) — Mon, 29 Aug 2011 15:28:24 +0100

The connection may not be immediately obvious in the beginning, but nutrition can have a significant influence on the severity of the tinnitus, at least at times. On has to remember that tinnitus is a nervous condition, and many substances in food and drinks can affect the nervous system one way or another. Generally speaking, substances that stimulate the nervous system will aggravate the condition, those that calm it will alleviate it. So for most people it is for instance advisable to avoid caffeine (coffee, tea, cola and related stimulants), but also alcohol (which is also a nerve stimulant).

With drinks it is thus rather straightforward: avoid caffeine and alcohol, but on the other hand drink enough fluid to prevent any dehydration (which would aggravate the condition as well).

With food the situation is slightly more complicated: generally, it is advisable to reduce the amount of salt and other spices, as these tend to affect the nervous system and thus the tinnitus as well. This may be relatively easy to control if one does the cooking by oneself, but in case of restaurant- or instant food this is not always possible. So it is not uncommon that people complain about an increase of their tinnitus after being out for a meal. A frequent culprit here is for instance the flavour enhancer Monosodium Glutamate (an amino acid) which is frequently used in Asian cooking, Pizzas and other snack foods, Instant Soups and Sauces etc. For packaged food it should be designated there, usually as 'Flavour Enhancer', 'Monosodium Glutamate' or with the code 'E621'. In restaurants however it may well not be mentioned on the menu, so you might have to ask beforehand in order to find out.

Anyway, even if one happens to consume something that aggravates the tinnitus, the effect should only last for a couple of days at best. Just try to figure out what could have been responsible and eliminate this particular food for a while. It may take a while, but with a little bit of experimenting in this sense, one can thus minimize any adverse effect of nutrition.

Thomas

Tinnitus Treatment - Antidepressants and Tranquilizers

nospam@example.com (Thomas) — Sun, 07 Aug 2011 11:15:19 +0100

While antidepressants or tranquilizers are in general not required for a treatment of tinnitus, there may be cases where it makes sense to take them at least for a while. I get many reports from people who, especially in the early phase of the tinnitus, suffer from severe anxiety and depression due to the condition, which in turn then can further aggravate the tinnitus, thus leading to a vicious circle. Anti-anxiety drugs like Xanax, Temazepam or others can well help to break this vicious circle if taken for a while (a few weeks). But as these drugs can have considerable side effects and make dependent in the long term, it should really be only the last resort if one can't see any other way to cope with the condition. If you feel you are in this situation, don't hesitate to ask your doctor for a possible prescription of something suitable in this sense (note that antidepressants and tranquilizers should only be taken under strict medical supervision).

Note also that in some cases these (like many other) drugs can actually make the tinnitus worse. In that case one should obviously stop taking them and look for alternatives.

Thomas

Tinnitus and Hearing Damage

nospam@example.com (Thomas) — Sun, 17 Jul 2011 16:14:23 +0100

I want to take a short break from my series 'Tinnitus Remedies and Treatments' and today focus on the issue of hearing damage in connection with tinnitus. I addressed this already shortly in the article 'What is tinnitus?', but it is so important that I felt it should be a separate entry.

Most people suffering from tinnitus are being subjected to hearing tests by their doctor, and are subsequently told they have some degree of hearing loss in a certain frequency range (let's say 20db at 8000 Hz). This however should not be taken as a sign that the inner ear is actually damaged in any way (which is what some tinnitus theories are proposing). Often the apparent 'hearing loss' is only due to the fact that because of the tinnitus the test tone can not be heard anymore that well. If the tinnitus subsides, the hearing tests should therefore return a normal result again. In many cases (for instance mine) there is indeed no conceivable cause that could have caused a hearing damage. And according to more recent research, the tinnitus is in these cases solely a nervous problem (see the Tinnitus.org Website).

Of course, hearing damage can occur for instance through a noise trauma, and often this will go along with a tinnitus, but the reverse is in general not true.

So people should not be misled by the test diagnosis 'hearing loss' in connection with tinnitus and wrongly come to the conclusion they have an irreversible hearing damage. In many cases the tinnitus will improve and with it the apparent 'hearing loss' as well.

Thomas

Tinnitus and Low Level Laser Therapy

nospam@example.com (Thomas) — Sun, 26 Jun 2011 18:39:34 +0100

Although the low level laser therapy against tinnitus is known for more than 20 years, it is still a rather controversial treatment (and therefore usually not covered by health insurances). It is based on the theory that tinnitus is caused by damage or deterioration of the hair cells in the inner ear, and that this damage can be repaired by supplying radiative energy to the inner ear by means of the laser (although the laser can not directly reach the inner ear due to the amount of tissue that must be traversed, it is assumed that there is still sufficient energy being supplied to the inner ear). The low level laser therapy is either applied by a practitioner in special tinnitus clinics/practices (of which however there exist only very few) or one can buy or rent corresponding devices for home treatment. Whilst the latter are usually less expensive than a clinical treatment (which has to last for several sessions), they are also less powerful and therefore probably less effective.

Whether the above theory of the laser repairing the hair cell damage is correct is at least debatable since in many (if not the majority) of cases there is no reason to assume that the hair cells are damaged at all (the tinnitus is solely caused by by the nervous system). But there are a number of studies which seem to indicate that the low level leaser therapy is effective in at least significantly improving the condition, but these have usually been performed or sponsored by the institutions applying these treatments or selling lasers for home treatments. This is not to say that they should necessarily be questioned, but, as far as I am aware, independent studies have as yet not conclusively confirmed the effectiveness of the low level laser therapy.
Nonetheless, I know personally of people who have experienced a substantial improvement of the condition after having had a low level laser therapy treatment, so for anyone looking for a last resort it might still be worth checking out (even though it is a costly option).

Tinnitus and Sound Therapy

nospam@example.com (Thomas) — Sat, 11 Jun 2011 18:47:00 +0100

Sound therapies in various forms are often being applied in order to alleviate the tinnitus symptoms. The most common form of a sound therapy is a 'tinnitus masker (noiser)' , which is a device that produces 'white noise' in order to distract from the tinnitus noise. In this way it is hoped that the person learns to focus less on the tinnitus and thus push the latter in the background. For some people tinnitus maskers appear to provide some relief in this sense (especially in the early phase), but the drawback is that they make it more difficult to get used to the tinnitus and thus habituate to the latter. So a masker (noiser) could actually lengthen the time required for the tinnitus if not to be cured but then at least be reduced to a level where it does not present any problems anymore (compensated tinnitus). The strategy of fighting fire with fire in this sense may therefore not be the best one for everybody. In fact, it is not rare that maskers worsen the tinnitus (I personally had contact with a couple of people where the noiser actually added a new tinnitus tone to the existing one).

Sounds are however not only used to acoustically mask the tinnitus, but also in order to provide relaxation. Relaxation CDs and sound files (especially nature sounds) are very popular and in general helpful for tinnitus sufferers (as relaxation will calm the nerves down and thus reduce the tinnitus noise).

Recently there have been some scientific experiments with 'notched' music where certain frequencies (centered around the tinnitus frequency) were filtered out (see for instance this BBC news bulletin. Whether this has the potential for a recognized therapy is still questionable, music CDs treated in this sense are already commercially available. Their prices are unfortunately quite inflated, but with suitable Audio software, one cam actually produce 'notched' recordings oneself without any cost.

So whilst sound therapies can be quite useful and effective in improving tinnitus symptoms, one should be aware of its limitations and not expect a full cure from this. One should also take care not to overdo it and cause more harm than good by exposing oneself to too much music and sounds. This holds especially if one uses headphones as these can cause problems with regard to pressure equalization on the ear. In particular, in-ear headphones ('earbuds') should be avoided, but also headphones that completely close around the ears. Better use 'open' headphones that don't prevent ventilation of the ear.

Thomas

Tinnitus and Blood Thinning Medication

nospam@example.com (Thomas) — Sat, 28 May 2011 15:49:13 +0100

Today I want to briefly discuss blood thinning medication (administered either orally or by means of infusion) which is frequently prescribed by doctors in case of tinnitus. The theory behind this is that tinnitus is caused by a lack of blood circulation in the inner ear, so the thinning of the blood is supposed to remedy this. However, it is well accepted now that tinnitus is a nervous condition and has, in the vast majority of cases, little if anything to do with problems in the inner ear. So for most people the blood thinning measures will have no effect. On the contrary, in some cases these drugs can, similar to caffeine, stimulate the nervous system and thus aggravate the tinnitus. In those cases where these measures appear to have some success, this is likely to be a placebo (i.e. a psychological) effect. In other cases (for instance for Ginkgo Biloba extract) the beneficial effect is likely to be due to chemical substances that act directly on the nervous system rather than a blood thinning effect.

Although I do not want do discourage anybody to try any of these measures (if just in order to have the peace of mind to have tried everything possible), you should be aware of the issues I mentioned, and not be disheartened if things don't work out as hoped. The path to a cure of tinnitus is very much one of trial and error, and negative experiences are just part of this path. The important point just is to learn the lessons from each bad experience and thus narrow down the options to find a remedy that actually works for you.

Thomas

Tinnitus Remedies and Treatments - General Strategies

nospam@example.com (Thomas) — Sun, 15 May 2011 17:52:41 +0100

The big issue for anybody who has contracted tinnitus is obviously what remedies exist. First of all, one has to remember that tinnitus is a nervous disposition, which in many cases can not be linked to obvious causes (which could be removed). So it is all important to first of all avoid any artificial stimulation of the nervous system by caffeine, alcohol or other stimulating drugs. Loud noises and stress should be avoided as well. These measures alone can already bring a substantial improvement in many cases (they did for me at least, and for many other persons I had contact with as well). Once one has applied these measures for a few weeks, one can also try to actively calm down the nervous system by means of drugs or other measures. For me for instance, the occasional painkiller (Paracetamol (Tylenol in the US) or Aspirin) has worked very well to suppress the intensity of the tinnitus both in the short as well as in the long term. Alcohol-free beer also proved to have a calming effect. For some people Ginkgo Biloba had a positive influence. And of course relaxation techniques can be very helpful in calming down the nervous system and thus the tinnitus.

Even though neither of these remedies is unlikely to cure the tinnitus straightaway, they can gradually lessen the intensity of the condition. So patience is needed, but unlike what some people (including doctors) are suggesting, it is not so that there is no chance of improvement and that the only options is to 'learn to live with it'. Yes, for the time being one has to accept the condition (like one has to accept a broken leg) but with some care, determination and patience, it can only improve in the long term (although, with nervous dispositions being a tricky affair, it is likely to take longer than to heal a broken leg).

Thomas