Posted by Nikoletta Ventseslavova

Read if : you want to learn more about the myths related to the tinnitus cure

In modern times people live dynamically and distantly from the nature. Urban lifestyle and loud noises all around us have a negative impact on our nervous system.. It’s well known that stress is the enemy of our health. When combined with noises it damages our ears as well. Their functions are very important to our survival. They actually exist not only for us to hear sounds but also for us to keep our balance. One of the disorders of the ears is tinnitus. Most of the publicly available information about the various treatments for it is a little confusing. I decided to make some research and debunk the myths.

Get to know what causes tinnitus in order to find the best treatment.

It’s important to know that Tinnitus is not a disease but a symptom.  It is a medical condition that makes the affected person hear irritating sounds such as ringing, swishing, roaring or buzzing noise in his or her ears or head. These noises can range from being mild to severe. The severity of the condition can affect daily activities such as work and communication. Experts from the Mayo Clinic reveal that a common cause of tinnitus is inner ear cell damage. When the delicate hairs inside the ear are bent or broken they don’t move in relation to the pressure of sound waves,but remain in a position where they would normally be if sound were bending them.“This triggers ear cells to release an electrical signal through a nerve from your ear (auditory nerve) to your brain. Your brain interprets these signals as sound, causing tinnitus” experts say. Other common causes are: age-related hearing loss, exposure to loud noise, earwax blockage, ear bone changes, stress, head injuries, Meniere’s disease, blood vessel disorders, allergies, sinus problems. Experts from the Mayo clinic also mention that some medications, taken in high doses may provoke tinnitus. Some of them are: antibiotics (chloramphenicol, vancomycin, bleomycin, etc.), Chloroquine and Aspirin.

There are widespread myths about the treatment of the tinnitus and its effectiveness. For the most part, there is no treatment for tinnitus unless there are specific organic causes that can be alleviated (broken eardrum, infection etc.). There are only remedies and methods to manage the treatment on a day-to day basis. The medical profession has focused attention on finding symptomatic relief-methodologies that relieve the effects of the condition on the patient. However, I found that there are “doctors” claiming that they are able to cure totally tinnitus. That’s why I found evidences that show contrapuntal theories on the most commented methods of tinnitus treatment.

Sound therapy

The American Tinnitus Association approves this method. Sound therapies include both wearable (hearing aid-like devices) and non-wearable devices (such as table-top sound machines or even a whirring fan). Often, sound is used to completely or partially cover the tinnitus. Some people refer to this covering of sound as masking. Sound therapies should always be combined with counseling. Some people with severe tinnitus may benefit from hearing aids that bring normal speech sounds above the background tinnitus sounds. In addition to amplification, hearing aids may be useful as “maskers”  when they also introduce white noise into the sound stream.White noise is the sound your television makes when it is not tuned into a television channel.

Here’s the story of one patient with an improvement in the condition:

“In the early part of 1989, I began to suffer from Tinnitus and only by mid 1989 had received medical advice that nothing could be done about it. I read the Sound Therapy book from cover to cover at least four times, and each time put it down – convinced that it was just too good to be true.I mentioned it to a member of our local library, who told me that her daughter was using the tapes and wished that she had started 2 years earlier.” So I decided to try them, without any great hopes or expectations. I had been listening for approximately 100 hours when I suddenly became aware that the Tinnitus whistle had stopped – I wasn’t sure WHEN it stopped – but it had. Since then I have periodically been aware of the whistle but by relaxing my head muscles for about 2 minutes – it disappears.”

Tinnitus Retraining Therapy (TRT)

Cognitive therapy also uses sound generators, combined with counseling work. These counselors work with the aim of tutoring the patient on all the intricacies of the hearing systems of the ear and brain. It is based on treating a patient’semotional reaction to tinnitus rather than the tinnitus itself.  They help the patient use his knowledge to gain control over their symptoms.  It has been shown that the counseling and not the sound generator portion of this equation is the most effective.

Alternative Treatments

Some people have taken minerals such as magnesium or zinc, herbal preparations such as Ginkgo biloba, homeopathic remedies, or B vitamins for their tinnitus and found them to be helpful. Others have experienced tinnitus relief with acupuncture, cranio-sacral therapy, magnets,etc. But the results have not conclusively identified these treatments as helpful for tinnitus. For herbal medicines with vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, acupuncture  Dr. Hogan’s opinion is: “Not proven to help. Though good for headaches according to recent research. Save your money.”  And adds: “Magnesium and zinc may help people deficient in these areas. Calcium might help. There is some reason to believe that B-Vitamins can help us cope with stress better. For most: Highly over rated, very expensive, and very likely won’t help.”

The Arches Tinnitus Combo pack therapy

Dr. Michael Seidman has a controversial theory. He is an ear and facial nerve surgeon, and a skull-based and acoustic neuroma surgeon. He is also considered one of the top tinnitus specialists in the US. He says: “It has been my experience in treating tinnitus with Arches Tinnitus Formulas, that approximately 5% of my patients enjoy a complete reduction of tinnitus, 75% experience a varying reduction of symptoms and 20% remain unchanged. Approximately half of my patients are satisfied with their results and elect to continue taking the products, requiring no further treatment from me.” His said at DC Conference of Ear, Nose, and Throat doctors: “The ingredients in Arches Tinnitus Relief Formula® have also been shown to be of real benefit in restoring hearing loss caused by Sensorineural Hearing Loss. In one clinical study, hearing weakness due to inner ear problems was treated with gingko extract for a period of nine weeks. The results showed that 35 of the 59 patients in the study had either “successful” or “very successful” improvements in hearing. Similarly, when 350 patients with hearing defects due to advancing age were treated with ginkgo extract, the success rate was 82%. Furthermore, a follow-up study of 137 of the original group of elderly patients 5 years later revealed that 67% still had better hearing.”

Drug therapy and anti-depressants – Xanax, Klonopin, Neurontin

The American Tinnitus Association has conducted a research on the effects of anxiety drugs, antidepressants and even anesthetics and affirms that neither of them is especially designed to treat tinnitus. Dr. Kevin Hogan’s states : “Xanax doesn’t appear to directly cause tinnitus to reduce in volume. What appears to happen is Xanax reduces the fear response and causes the body to be calm. That calm “state” or “response” is conditioned to the tinnitus and eventually there is no need for the brain to attend to the sound. It becomes background and more often than not, the volume comes down as a secondary and not a primary effect. For me, Xanax was a miracle drug. It saved my life. (Me and thousands of others.) It took several months to “kick in” for me personally. Five or six. For most people I’ve worked with it takes about 1-3 months, and that makes sense. If a person has severe tinnitus or hyperacusis and there are no contraindications, it’s the most logical starting point. One study shows about 3/4 of people using Xanax experience almost a halving in the noise volume at the end of the third month of usage. That’s faster, on average, than any other option you have right now. It mirrors my experience with clients.” Dr. Hogan states that Neurontin combined with a benzodizapene will help the majority of people with tinnitus. Dr. Abraham Shulman conducted a clinical trial of patients with severe, central tinnitus who were treated with Neurontin and the anti-anxiety medication Klonopin: “The trial began with 30 patients. They monitored both tinnitus intensity and tinnitus annoyance. The Neurontin was used to lower the tinnitus intensity and the Klonopin was used to lower the annoyance. They began with a very low dosage and increased until the desired effect was achieved. Therapy was continued for at least 4-6 weeks with a continuing maintenance dose determined by each patient’s response.Potential side effects included drowsiness or nausea, visual disturbance, vertigo, headache, and interference in cognition and memory. Of the initial 30 patients, 30% (9) did not complete the trial due to complaints of side effects from the medication. However, of the remaining 21 patients who completed the study, 90% (19 of 21) reported their tinnitus was improved. Tinnitus was reported as unchanged in 10% (2 of 21) and no increase in tinnitus intensity or annoyance was reported by any patient. Of the 19 patients who reported improvement, 84.3% (16 of 19) reported significant improvement. The average patient estimated subjective improvement for all 19 patients was reported to be 36.8%. The duration of tinnitus relief ranged from 4-6 weeks to 3 years or more. Tinnitus relief equal to or greater than one year was reported by 52.6% (10 of 19). Relief of 1-12 months was reported by 47.3% (9 of 19).” (“The International Tinnitus Journal”, 2010)

Botox therapy

Best known as a cosmetic treatment for wrinkles and, Botox is also used for treatment of tinnitus. Researchers including Katrina Stidham, MD, of the California Ear Institute at San Ramon, conducted a research of its impact on patients: ”Stidham’s team studied 26 adults aged 18 or older who had had tinnitus butotherwise normal hearing. Researchers made three injections of Botox or a saltwater placebo around each participant’s most affected ear. If both ears were equally affected, one ear was randomly selected for the shots. Four months later, participants got a second round of injections. Those who had received Botox at the study’s start got the placebo, and vice versa. Participants couldn’t tell what they were getting, since Botox and the placebo were both colorless and odorless. In the end, Botox beat the placebo as a tinnitus treatment. Sevenparticipants reported reduced tinnitus symptoms after getting Botox injections. Fourpeople said their symptoms worsened after taking Botox, and 16 reported no change. These differences proved to be significant despite the small number of people studied. Seven of 26 people treated with Botox improved (27%) compared with two out of 26 who received a placebo shot (8%).” A  German doctor Dr.Hans Gruel states that he successfully treats patients with  Botulinumtoxin A (Botox). Moreover, he affirms that he had experienced several patients who had become “trouble-free after a wrinkle correction – they had gotten rid of their migraine and tinnitus”. There are statements on his web site, saying that he has reached a success rate of 70% in tinnitus treatment: “Düsseldorf, September 2007: Dr Greuel has treated 197 patients with Botox and reached a success rate of 70,2%.
Düsseldorf, April 2008: Dr Greuel has treated 267 patients with Botox and reached a success rate of 69,8%.
Düsseldorf, April 2009: Dr Greuel has treated 381 patients with Botox and reached a success rate of 68,1%.

These results conflict with the research made by the the California Ear Institute, which shows contradictory results (only 27%  of  the total 26 treated people improved). There is very little in the way of independent verification of Dr Greuel’s claims. People contacting Dr Greuel should perform their due diligence before agreeing to a procedure.

Hypnotherapy and biofeedback vs. “biomental therapy”

Hypnotherapy has been reported as a treatment for tinnitus by Dr. Kevin Hogan, who has worked with the most severe cases of tinnitus sufferers in the United States. He is a registered Clinical Hypnotherapist and he has been showing remarkable results for tinnitus sufferers. “Sometimes people who do hypnotherapy for a living think that hypnosis will magically turn down noise, today…Rarely, does it work that way. Unfortunately most therapists in any field, have no significant experience in helping people with tinnitus short or long term. (One session of suggestion based hypnosis is like taking one Xanax. It will do almost nothing for the long term.) Hypnotherapy isn’t magic. Most people associate hypnosis with “relaxation,” or “suggestion.”Forget it. You’re going to relax with 80 db going off in your head? If that is proposed or purported, go elsewhere. The Good News: There are studies that have been duplicated several times that note that over 69% of people using long term self hypnosis programming experience long term significant reduction in tinnitus volume. I took that research and first stubbornly used it to help myself get well, then made available to the public just such a program. (After 13 years I just expanded this program as well.)” he says.

Biofeedback is a relaxation technique that teaches people to control certain autonomic body functions, such as pulse, muscle tension, and skin temperature. Its goal  is to help people change their perceptions of stress by changing the body’s reaction to it. “Many people notice a reduction in their tinnitus when they are able to modify their reaction to the stress in their lives.” reports the American Tinnitus Association. Dr. Hogan’s opinion about this method is:

“Biofeedback is a sub-field of hypnosis. Who relaxes or can relax when you have severe tinnitus? I certainly couldn’t. Most of my clients can’t. Biofeedback is useful in stress reduction and there is evidence that shows that biofeedback, while less effective than hypnosis in tinnitus reduction for people with mild to moderate tinnitus, relaxation oriented self hypnosis is very helpful. Most people with severe tinnitus can’t come close to relaxing.”

Interestingly, Dr Hans Greuel recently has reported a new approach to treating tinnitus called “biomental therapy.” He claims that the treatment has achieved lasting cures. A publication in his web site says: “a therapy that cures acute loss of hearing (Sudden Deafness) within 15 minutes. Even acute tinnitus and acute Menière’s disease were eradicated just as fast. If, though, the start of the illness occurred more than several days, weeks, months, years or even decades ago, an extended treatment program is required – Biomental Therapy. In about 80% of all cases this therapy significantly reduces the pain or completely cures the disease”.

Meanwhile, the American Tinnitus Association affirms that there’s no proved cure for tinnitus.