Tinnitus Treatments for Relief and Cure

Can COVID Vaccinations Cause Tinnitus?

nospam@example.com (Thomas) — Sat, 11 Dec 2021 17:35:56 +0000

In my Tinnitus Forum a few people reported that they developed a Tinnitus shortly after having received a jab against the Corona-virus and suspect that there is a causal relationship. However, according to the British Tinnitus Association only about 6000 official reports of Tinnitus as a side effect of the 100 million vaccinations performed last year in the UK. This is less than 1 in 10,000 and could as well be an accidental coincidence. With so many people having been vaccinated, and with about 1 million tinnitus consultations taking place anyway each year in the UK, it is highly likely that some of them just develop a Tinnitus (for whatever reason) just accidentally shortly after having been vaccinated, without there being a causal relationship between the two events. Like with other suspected Tinnitus causes as well, just a temporal coincidence does not necessarily indicate a causal relationship, and one should not get fixated on such an idea. There can be many reasons why a Tinnitus develops, which often are difficult to pinpoint. And in many cases such retrospective searches for causes are not really helpful anyway. One should rather concentrate on trying to find measures that at least reduce the level of Tinnitus to a bearable level. Thomas
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Tinnitus and Hormones

nospam@example.com (Thomas) — Mon, 28 May 2018 17:08:05 +0100

Most people suffering from Tinnitus find that the intensity of the symptom is quite variable, changing for instance throughout the day/night cycle but also due to other conditions. This is quite natural though as tinnitus is a nervous condition, and the nervous activity depends quite strongly hormone levels, which are highly variable. During the day/ night cycle for instance, a higher level of the 'sleep hormone' Melatonin will reduce the nervous activity (and thus the tinnitus) whereas a higher level of 'stress/wake hormones' like Cortisol and Adrenalin will increase it. Other hormones can affect the nervous activity for many reasons. For instance the female menstrual cycle and/or pregnancy causes strong hormonal variability which can affect the tinnitus in one way or another. This is all nothing to worry about. It is generally not recommended to take hormonal supplements like Melatonin in order to reduce the tinnitus as this could have unwanted side effects and interactions. So better not mess with your hormones (unless this is prescribed by your doctor because of deficiencies) but try to calm down your nervous system by other means. Relaxation is the best way to achieve this. I am not going to suggest here a certain method for this, because everybody has his/her own best way of relaxing, but it is important that you find some time for yourself without the usual pressures of daily life as often as possible. In some cases Vitamin-B supplements (especially B12) can also help to stabilize the nervous activity again (I have written more about Vitamin B12 in this post).
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Drug Treatment of Tinnitus - Research Update

nospam@example.com (Thomas) — Sun, 17 Apr 2016 16:59:00 +0100

A couple of years ago I quoted a detailed report about a promising research project which showed that the tinnitus is caused by irregular nerve cell activity in the brain stem. It was announced that a drug for treatment may be found on this basis. This research group in the UK collaborated with the pharmaceutical company Autifony to develop and trial the drug AUT00063. Unfortunately, phase 2 of the trials has recently been abandoned as there was not sufficient evidence that the drug is effectice enough to warrant a continuation of the trials. However, Autifony is already working on developing a new drug in collaboration with the same research group based on new research. Recently, there has also been a lot of talk about the drug AM-101 developed by Auris Medical, but a) despite the trials still ongoing, there are no definitive results published yet, and b) the company is writing heavy losses, and according to their own statement will run out of money in fall 2017 unless they manage to obtain new funding (see also the latest financial report). It should also be mentioned that the drug developed by Auris Medical is based on the old-fashioned view that tinnitus is produced in the inner ear not the brain, that is research dating back at least 15-20 years (Auris Medical was founded in 2003 specifically to develop this drug AM-101). So whilst there is still trials and new research for a potent drug against tinnitus going on, it may still be a while before a breakthrough is made and something becomes available for the general public. Instead of waiting that a drug becomes available, it is therefore advised to work on your own approaches to alleviate if not cure the condition. As mentioned in this blog, there are numerous ways how you could do this without exotic drugs and financial expenses. Thomas
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Tinnitus and Vitamin B12

nospam@example.com (Thomas) — Mon, 25 May 2015 22:59:54 +0100

Vitamin B12 is well known to be the 'nerve vitamin'. A serious deficiency of it can have serious damaging effects on the brain and nervous system and therewith on the whole body and mind. Even smaller deficiencies may cause fatigue, depression and poor memory. Tinnitus, being a nervous condition, can also be the result of a Vitamin B12 deficiency (or at least worsened by it). On the other hand, Vitamin b12 supplements may well improve the condition, at least as long as they are taken. I personally also feel a noticeable improvement within a short time after taking even only a low dosage Vitamin B combi supplement (corresponding to 100% RDA i.e. 2.5 mcg Vitamin B12). Vitamin B12 can be taken without any side effects in much higher dosages if required in case of more serious deficiencies (the body will excrete any excess amounts). Moreover, it can be rather cheaply obtained, so for anybody looking into ways to improve (if not cure) the tinnitus condition by means of nutritional supplements or medication should look to Vitamin B12 first before embarking on more expensive options or ones associated with various side effects. It should be noted however, that it my be required to stop taking any substances that oppose the action of Vitamin B12, like caffeine alcohol and other substances that tend to aggravate the tinnitus on their own.
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iPhone/Android Tinnitus Apps

nospam@example.com (Thomas) — Sat, 12 Jul 2014 19:24:21 +0100

I have discussed already a couple of years ago Sound and Music Therapies. A lot of things have happened in the meanwhile in this field, so I thought I should to give an update here. Whilst one can not say that any breakthrough has been achieved here as yet, many more services have become available that offer sound and music therapies in various forms. The most sophisticated is the already earlier mentioned 'notched music' therapy, which is based on eliminating a certain bandwidth around the tinnitus frequency from music or other sound recording. Some research claims that frequent listening to such prepared sound would be beneficial for tinnitus sufferers. Some of these services offered on websites cost a few hundred pounds per year, but there are also some less costly ones. For instance Audionotch offers schemes from 2-12 months costing between $40-$100 (with a 30 day money back guarantee in case you are not happy with the result). An even cheaper alternative is the iPhone app Tinnitus Pro which does pretty much the same thing but costs only $10. If you are just after masking the tinnitus sound, there are a lot of other free and paid apps that may be beneficial. See iPhone Apps 1, iPhone Apps 2, Android Apps for some of the programs available. I have not myself tested any of these services and programs, so I don't know how good they are, let alone whether they are capable of reducing the tinnitus, but with the result of practically all tinnitus measures depending very much on the individual case, it may certainly be worth a try for some people. Thomas
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Tinnitus Miracle and other Tinnitus Scams

nospam@example.com (Thomas) — Sun, 01 Sep 2013 17:09:18 +0100

I want to focus in this post on the issue of tinnitus scams, as this can be a problem for any tinnitus suffer who turns to the media for advice, as well as for people and institutions who offer genuine advice and services regarding tinnitus, be they paid or free ones likes this blog or my own tinnitus advice website and tinnitus forum. For everybody who starts suffering from Tinnitus, the most pressing question is how to cure the condition as quickly as possible. Doctors usually can't help, as there is no acknowledged treatment or therapy for it, so the tinnitus sufferer is left to his/her own devices to treat the condition. Naturally, these days he/she turns first to the world wide web, and here one can find a bewildering number of various medicines, therapies, books and e-books being offered, all claiming to result if not in a complete cure then at least a substantial improvement. The question arises which of these offers are genuine and which are mere scams aimed at making money out of essentially worthless and useless items and services. This is in most cases difficult to say, as there is no guaranteed (and medically or scientifically acknowledged) method of cure for tinnitus. There are certainly ways and treatments to at least improve the condition, if only temporarily. But which ones work for a certain person can not be said in advance but has to be found out by trial and error. It is therefore fair to say that offers promising 90% or even 100% success rate are scams, as such a claim is exaggerated at best and a completely fabricated lie at worst. An example in this respect is the 'Tinnitus Miracle', an e-book by Thomas Coleman that is aggressively marketed on the world-wide web, with dozens (if not hundreds) of websites having been set up to dominate the search engines and drive traffic to their Tinnitus Miracle site to download the e-book for a payment of $37. They also regularly post spam entries in my Tinnitus Forum to directly drive people to their site, often claiming to be tinnitus patients that have been cured by the 'Tinnitus Miracle' book. Of course, one could argue that this is not a scam as people get something for their money (an e-book), but the question is whether it is worth the money. And in this respect it is fair to say that this is not so. I haven't read the book myself, but from several other reviews I know that it contains little more than information and common sense advice that can be found for free on many other websites on the internet. Certainly not anything in the way of miracles. I do not want to question that Thomas Coleman (the author of the Tinnitus Miracle book) or other doctors, practitioners or researchers who offer books, medicines or on-site therapies against tinnitus are in the genuine belief that their product may help some clients/patients, but they are clearly misleading in their claim that everybody will be cured by it. This is not possible in the case of tinnitus with any therapy, even medically acknowledged ones. The tinnitus is simply too different from person to person for this. Unfortunately, some people simply try to exploit the fact that no reliable medication, therapy or treatment against tinnitus exists, and they try to make money on the back of claims to offer something that actually works reliably for everybody. It is like with most things: if it sounds too good to be true then it probably is a scam. So you should be careful where to put your money. Before spending it on something questionable, search the internet for independent reports about the product (be aware though that the Tinnitus Miracle have set up many fake sites that appear to give independent reviews supporting their claim). If you have any comments or even your own experiences regarding the Tinnitus Miracle or other medicines, treatments or therapies you suspect or know to be a scam, you are welcome to post them here or in my Tinnitus Forum. Thomas
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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:
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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
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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
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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
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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
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