BEYOND TINNITUS

Tinnitus - Natural Treatment for Tinnitus

2011-12-20T20:35:00.000-08:00

The best way to treat tinnitus is to treat it naturally. In order to find out a natural tinnitus treatment, it’s important to understand what causes tinnitus. Tinnitus is caused when a particular frequency range in the cochlea is damaged and no longer sends information to the brain. This may seem strange at first as tinnitus is caused by the brain NOT receiving signals rather than receiving too many. To explain this, we need to understand one more piece of the puzzle of hearing: what do you hear when you hear nothing? Your brain is actually hearing a steady state of sounds, however soft, at every frequency simultaneously. Your brain tells you that you hear sounds only when it detects a pattern in the consistent noise it’s receiving. So, when you stop receiving signals from a particular frequency, it can no longer detect any patterns so you will at first hear nothing at that frequency. If you don’t hear anything at a particular frequency at first, why do you eventually hear too much at that frequency?

According to Tinnitus specialists at http://www.beyondtinnitus.com, a person’s brain is incredible and is very, very good at reusing space. For example, if you are blind your brain will often convert the areas traditionally used for image processing to instead process extra audio, smell, and taste sensations. In the case of tinnitus, your brain quickly recognizes that you no longer have a use for the space reserved for the frequencies that are damaged in your cochlea, so it reuses the space for other frequencies. The frequencies near the damaged frequencies are given extra processing power. So they become better at detecting patterns and also tend to spontaneously fire more often. Unfortunately, that means they detect sounds much more regularly than other frequencies are detected, prompting the brain to create ringing or tinnitus.

For a natural treatment for tinnitus to work, a Tinnitus specialist would have to address this activity in the brain. There are many natural treatments for Tinnitus such as medicine however it has been found that customized sound therapy reduces the activity in the brain.

Sound therapy is a very effective natural treatment for tinnitus. Currently it is the best method of treating tinnitus because it is focused on treatment at the core in the brain. The only way to stimulate the brain is to do it using sound. Medications have not been found to directly affect the hearing parts of the brain where the tinnitus is actually produced. The same is true for herbal or other so-called natural remedies which come in the form of a pill or powder.

Until a couple years ago team customized sound therapy for tinnitus was to visit and audiologists. This would often require buying devices that were between $3000 and $6000. With the research to ear nose and throat specialists at the University of California Irvine, we have found that customized sound and music therapy can be delivered over the web. There result of this research effort has been an effective natural tinnitus relief program which can be used by anyone around the world. The great thing about it is that the doctors made this affordable for anyone around the globe.

Tinnitus - What is Tinnitus?

2011-11-21T22:05:00.000-08:00

It's estimated that up to 15% of all people experience tinnitus at some point in their lives, and it gets more and more common as we age. This term refers to a condition in which the ears hear a sound that is not actually there. It is often referred to as "ringing in the ears", although in addition to ringing sounds you might hear buzzing, whistling, hissing, or roaring noises. When there is no external reason for these noises, it can be assumed that they are instead caused by an imbalance of some sort. This is usually the result of the brain misinterpreting signals that it receives from nerves within the ear.

To find the best tinnitus treatment, it's first important to learn more about the symptoms, and what the different causes are. For some people, this will only be a momentary issue, while others will experience it as a permanent problem. When the problem is ongoing, it's vital to find a treatment that works or it can lead to depression, difficulty concentrating, anxiety, or sleep disturbances. Sufferers of this condition find that it is hard to focus on other sounds, when the sounds within their ears will not go away.

Although there is no common cause of this symptom for everyone, some of the most common causes include overexposure to noise, a buildup of earwax, head injuries, stress and anxiety, and ear infections. Meniere's disease, certain medications, and the natural hearing loss associated with aging are all also potential contributors to this condition. It's important to identify the cause to get an effective tinnitus treatment. Although in most cases patients will experience the tinnitus in both ears, if it occurs in only one ear you should pay special attention and seek medical advice, as it could be a sign of a rare tumor that grows around the acoustic nerve of the ear. This is extremely rare, however.

In most cases, tinnitus will go away on its own. Yet there are certain treatments and tinnitus therapy that can alleviate the symptoms. If you avoid loud noises and the buildup of earwax, you can help avoid this condition at the same time. White noise can be used to distract you when suffering a bout of ringing in the ears, as can an attempt to mask the noise with background radio. To find the best treatment, you will have to visit a healthcare professional to determine what the underlying cause is, and eliminate it at the source for best results.

Tinnitus - Treating Tinnitus

2011-10-14T23:28:00.000-07:00

Most people have never heard of tinnitus, but a lot of people suffer from it. It is a ringing in the ears that is not caused by any outside stimuli. This means there is no sound actually occurring, but the ear is reacting as if there is and the patient is able to hear the ringing. It is not a disease, but is a symptom of a hearing impairment or damage to the ear. For instance, those who listened to loud music, were involved in combat situations with loud noises, or worked in loud factories are more likely to suffer from the condition. It is why more and more people are wearing headphones to protect their hearing when involved in loud activities.

Tinnitus is not dangerous and will cause no severe harm, but it can be very annoying. The constant ringing is likely to lead to emotional disturbances because it is constant. It might also interfere with healthy hearing. If your hearing is fading with age and you add in the fact that you hear a constant ringing, it is going to make it very difficult to understand what people are saying. Not to mention you never enjoy the absolute quiet. Even when there are no sounds, the ringing can continue. Over time, this is bound to wear on your patience.

There are numerous tinnitus treatment, but not all of them are backed by strong medical support. In some cases, the treatment is intended to combat the problem caused by the tinnitus. For instance, people who have difficulty sleeping at night because of the constant ringing can use melatonin, a natural sleep aid, to help them get to and stay asleep. Surgery is available and people have differing results. In most cases, doctors and patients will attempt other procedures before trying surgery. Botox treatment has also been shown to help with tinnitus, especially when the problem is palatal tremor.

There are also a number of medications that can ease the effects of tinnitus. Tinnitus therapy includes lidocaine, vitamins, anti-depressants, and zinc. Some people also find avoiding certain things like caffeine, nicotine and salt can ease the effects of the ringing. Drinking alcohol has had varied results depending on the person. Some people find it is helpful in reducing the ringing while others find it makes the problem worse. Like most conditions, a combination of different treatments usually has the best effect. Since the condition is chronic, you will want to take time to experiment with different options and see what works best for you.

Tinnitus - Understanding Tinnitus and Relief Options

2011-09-20T21:34:00.000-07:00

Tinnitus is a medical condition that is more commonly known as ringing in the ear. This can happen in one or both ears, and it has many different causes. In many cases, there may be no known cause of tinnitus, which can make treatment more difficult. Phantom ear sounds affect about 1 in 5 people and are usually a symptom of another condition such as hearing loss, injury to the ear, or even circulatory system disorders. In some cases, it can be treated and relieved effectively, but there are some situations where there is nothing that can help resolve the issue and people eventually have to learn to get used to it.

This condition is mostly bothersome, although some people aren't as bothered as others by it. Finding the right tinnitus treatment depends on the cause and can help alleviate the condition, but there are some treatments that can simply mask or reduce the noise regardless of the cause or the other issues that may be going on. The most common noises that people hear include ringing, buzzing, clicking, hissing, roaring, and whistling. Some people hear high-pitched sounds while others may hear lower noises. It can interfere with actual hearing abilities and concentration, which is when it needs to be addressed.

There are two major types of phantom ear sounds that people suffer from and identifying the one that you have will affect the options that you have for tinnitus treatment. Subjective tinnitus is the most common type of this condition, and refers to sounds that only you can hear. There are a lot of issues that can cause this and identifying them can help with treatment. Objective tinnitus is a condition where doctors can hear the sounds upon examination, as well. This is very rare, but it is usually caused by muscle contractions, blood vessel problems, or inner ear conditions.

Tinnitus relief is not hard to come by for most people. Treatment of the underlying condition is the first and most obvious way to alleviate the condition. Of course, noise suppression might also offer a treatment solution to people. There are also some drugs that can help alleviate the severity of this condition, but they don’t work in every situation. Ultimately, it's about talking to your doctor and figuring out exactly what your options are so that you can get more from your tinnitus relief by taking the time to figure out the cause and which solutions will be best.

Tinnitus - Getting To the Bottom of Tinnitus

2011-09-01T21:45:00.000-07:00

I had a ringing in my ears noise for about 2 months and had no idea what it was. After doing some research I realized that the bothersome ringing in ears sensation is very common and is characterized as tinnitus.

Most people are unfamiliar with Tinnitus, also referred to as ringing in the ears. Symptoms of Tinnitus are the ringing, hissing, humming and whistling sounds in the ear. This troublesome condition impacts an estimated 50 million Americans and two million among them are so debilitated by this condition that they cannot function normally.

After going through the different types of treatment available for tinnitus, I decided on trying out tinnitus sound treatment. Sound therapy is considered a fairly new technology that is designed to provide tinnitus relief (ringing in ears), relaxation and relief from anxiety, improve hearing and more. As a part of the tinnitus treatment, I was placed on a six months subscription to a customized sound therapy system developed by tinnitus treatment specialists from the Irvine Medical Center in California. The customized therapy is supposed to change as my tinnitus changes and will help to ease everyday situations.

How Custom Sound Therapy for Tinnitus works:

The tinnitus sound therapy program allows me to listen to therapeutic music on an mp3 player, computer, cd and anywhere i play music regularly. The actual sound therapy stimulates the whole ear by sending it constantly, alternating sounds that are high and low in their tone and the result is that this exercises the middle ear muscles which then stimulate the various receptor cells in the inner ear. As the ear becomes more receptive to high frequency sounds they are then passed directly towards the brain. The process is like recharging the brain using sound and releases vitality, removes tiredness and the need for excessive sleep thereby creating a more balanced relaxation.

I am about 3 weeks into my custom sound treatment and so far it has been helping to relax and have also toned down my tinnitus. I hope to be tinnitus free as many tinnitus sufferers have experienced reduction and even elimination of tinnitus after using the program for 3-6 months.

pulsatile tinnitus - Are you looking for a Pulsatile Tinnitus Cure?

2011-07-27T21:40:00.000-07:00

Tinnitus, (pronounced tih-NIGHT-us or TIN-ih-tus) is a ringing, swishing, or other type of noise that typically caused by trauma to your eardrum or a health condition. If you have been looking for a pulsatile tinnitus cure, you have probably come across many different remedies on the web. Pulsatile tinnitus is caused by a change in the blood flow in the large blood vessels that carry the blood to the brain and back from the brain to the heart. Before discussing a pulsatile tinnitus treatment, it is necessary to discuss the anatomy of these blood vessels.

The brain has 4 main arteries that supply blood to it. There are 2 large arteries in the front of the neck (carotid arteries) and there are two blood vessels in the back of the neck called vertebral arteries. Together these four blood vessels supplying blood to the brain. The carotid arteries run approximately 1/20th of an inch from the inner ear hearing organ (cochlea). The vertebral arteries travel in the spine and supply the back parts of the brain and the brain stem. Branches off of these arteries supply the inner ear hearing organ and travel very closely to the hearing nerve.

The large blood vessel that carries the blood from the brain to the heart is called the jugular vein. This blood vessel also runs approximately 1/20th of an inch from the inner ear hearing organ. Any change in the flow of blood in these blood vessels will cause one to hear a pulsatile tinnitus sound in the ear. Pulsatile tinnitus cure requires discovering what caused the pulsatile tinnitus and to try to reverse that problem.

Before contemplating a pulsatile tinnitus treatment one has to know what exactly caused the problem. First thing that is required is a visit to an ear nose and throat doctor for an examination of the ear and neck. Generally some scans such as an MRI scan have to be seen to rule out tumors or abnormal blood vessels (AVM). Once the scan is been obtained and tumors have been ruled out then the next step, is to use a sound therapy system to help cover up sound. Other problems that need to be addressed include checking thyroid function, checking the blood level (hemoglobin), checking for pregnancy, and checking for other uncommon conditions such as superior canal dehiscence, and sigmoid sinus diverticulum. The last set of problems can be cured by treating the underlying condition with medication or surgery.

tinnitus treatment - Are Your Ears Ringing?

2011-07-15T22:11:00.000-07:00

Are your ears ringing? Well, you’re not alone. Ear ringing (also called tinnitus) is a sensation of hearing ringing (or buzzing, hissing, whistling, etc.) sound in the ear in the absence of such sound says tinnitus treatment specialist.

What causes ear ringing?

According to tinnitus therapy specialist, there are two primary steps required for the development of ringing ears. First, there has to be some damage to the inner ear hearing organ. The hearing organ in our inner ears is made up of thousands of little cells that sense hearing (called hair cells). These cells are damaged due to aging, loud noises, some medications, genetic factors, and other toxicities. Once we lose these cells, they are gone forever. The area of the brain that corresponds to the cells that are lost has cells that interpret the sound coming from the inner ear. The brain cells, however, don’t die as a result of hearing loss. What actually happens is that those cells become more active in the brain. This alone does not cause ringing though on its own.

The second step required for the development of ringing ears is that there has to be a change in the chemical/hormonal balance in the brain which leads the brain to have more activity in the hearing areas corresponding to the loss of hearing. The rest of the brain also has to become more aware of the activity going on in the hearing part of the brain. Once the rest of the brain pays attention to the increased activity going on in the hearing part, then you perceive your ears ringing.

The pitch of the ringing corresponds to the pitch of the hearing loss. So if you have a high pitch ear ringing it usually means that you have a high pitch hearing loss. If you have a low pitch hearing loss, you will generally hear ear buzzing or humming.

What causes the hormonal changes in the brain?

There are 3 factors that can cause the hormonal changes in the brain.

1. Stress

2. Anxiety and

3. Depression

What can I do to make the ear ringing go away?

In order to reduce the ear ringing, you have to address both parts of the problem.

1. Treat the tinnitus at the ear level using sound therapy.

Sound therapy is the process of using sound to quiet down the areas of the brain that are producing the sensation of ringing in your ears. Sometimes this is done using a white masking sound. This sounds like the sound of the rain. A white noise masker that is sold in stores or online, however, does not treat the problem at its core, it only covers it. The basis of tinnitus therapy is using customized, targeted sound therapy. This means that the sound targets specifically the areas of the brain where hearing has been lost and the brain cells have become active.

In addition, music helps reduce the emotional response to the tinnitus. To get the best of both worlds, a customized sound therapy mixed with your own music will achieve the best results at helping to reduce the tinnitus. Tinnitus treatment specialists have developed a patent-pending technology to allow tinnitus relief.

2. Take steps to reduce stress, anxiety, and depression.

This includes exercising daily and doing meditation which will help reduce the stress hormones that worsens the ears’ ringing. You have to take steps to improve your sleep as reduced sleep will worsen the ears’ ringing as well. This may require taking medication for anxiety or depression and you have to consult your physician for that.

Do You Constantly Hear A Buzzing, Ringing Sound in Your Ear?

2011-06-13T23:22:00.000-07:00

Neuromonics Tinnitus treatment is a medical device that has been found to be effective for tinnitus. The Neuromonics Tinnitus therapy device uses customized music therapy for tinnitus that is based on the patient's audiogram to treat tinnitus. This device has to be dispensed through an ear nose and throat or and audiologist’s office. This requires a visit to and audiologist who has trained in dispensing the Neuromonics device. There are usually several subsequent visits required for the Neuromonics tinnitus treatment.

Neuromonics has the advantage of being customized, simple, and effective for tinnitus treatments. The main disadvantage of this system is the Neuromonics cost. The cost of Neuromonics at the retail level is between $5000 and $6000. The other disadvantage is difficulty for access to this device in patients who have tinnitus live in an area where a Neuromonics dispenser is not available. This can occur in rural areas or in countries where the device is not available.

Recently there has been great progress using patent pending software technology to deliver customized music therapy via the web. The software conceptualized and researched by two ear nose and throat doctor is now available via the Internet. The tinnitus treatment by BeyondTinnitus is the only customized web-based tinnitus sound therapy and music therapy program available worldwide. This program comes at a fraction of the cost of the Neuromonics system.

Tinnitus sufferers from any corner of the globe can access this website and obtain customized sound therapy and download the sound therapy file onto their MP3 player. Unlike the Neuromonics system, treatment for tinnitus allows the tinnitus sufferer to use their own music to mix with their sound therapy file. The Neuromonics tinnitus treatment system has only four pieces of music that the patient has to listen to every day of the six-month treatment program. With the Tinnitus relief program, the tinnitus sufferer can make their own music using the provided software to produce their own music therapy file.

tinnitus treatment - Botulinum Toxin (BOTOX) for Tinnitus Treatment

2011-05-16T23:21:00.000-07:00

Botulinum toxin A (BOTOX) has been suggested by some to not only block acetylcholine, but also to inhibit release of other neurotransmitters and neuropeptides important in the pathways that may be connected to tinnitus. It is thought that the blockage of these pathways with Botox might reduce the perception of tinnitus and therefore provide tinnitus relief.

In a randomized, double-blind study, Stidham and colleagues (2005) explored the use of botulinum toxin A injections for the treatment of tinnitus in thirty patients with unilateral or bilateral tinnitus. The patients ranged in age from 31 to 73 years, with duration of symptoms from five months to 30 years. Patients were randomized to receive three injections of Botox near the ear followed by placebo (Salt water) injections four months later; a second group received salt water injections first followed by botulinum toxin A four months later. Twenty-six patients completed both injections says tinnitus treatment expert.

After injections, subjective patient responses to treatment were recorded at one month and again at four months. Following treatment with Botox, subjective tinnitus improved in seven patients, worsened in three, and 16 were unchanged. Following placebo (salt water), two patients were improved, seven worsened, and 17 were unchanged. These numbers are similar, though the authors thought there was an improvement. However, using the standardized Tinnitus Handicap Inventory scale to judge response to treatment, there was no difference at one month between Botox and salt water injections. A THI marginal statistical difference was reached only in the comparison of pre-botulinum toxin A to 4 months post treatment (p=0.042). However, no other significant differences were noted when comparing the two treatments at one and four months after injections. This study is limited by its small patient numbers. The authors concluded a larger study is needed before drawing conclusions regarding the potential benefit of Botox in tinnitus treatment.

Advantages of Botox for tinnitus treatment

No advantages as it is ineffective

Disadvantages of Botox for tinnitus therapy

It requires multiple needle sticks into the skin around the ear and is very expensive ($500-$1000)

tinnitus treatment - Natural Treatment for Tinnitus

2011-04-28T22:47:00.000-07:00

The best way to treat tinnitus is to treat it naturally. In order to find out a natural tinnitus treatment we have to know what causes tinnitus. The ear is a fairly complex organ that converts soundwaves into brain signals by passing the waves through the ear canal, onto the ear drum and then through the ear bones into the cochlea (inner ear), a small shell like structure that picks up individual frequencies says tinnitus relief expert. The cochlea works by transmitting different frequencies from the point where it receives the frequency to the corresponding point in the brain. The brain and cochlea are arranged exactly alike, with the frequencies (pitches) that are next to each other on the cochlea being exactly next to each other in the brain as well.

Tinnitus is caused when a particular frequency range in the cochlea is damaged and no longer sends information to the brain. This may seem strange at first as tinnitus is caused by the brain NOT receiving signals rather than receiving too many. To explain this, we need to understand one more piece of the puzzle of hearing: what do you hear when you hear nothing? Your brain is actually hearing a steady state of sounds, however soft, at every frequency simultaneously. Your brain tells you that you hear sounds only when it detects a pattern in the consistent noise it’s receiving. So, when you stop receiving signals from a particular frequency, it can no longer detect any patterns so you will at first hear nothing at that frequency.

Tinnitus is caused by too much activity in the hearing parts of the brain. This activity is caused by hearing loss and the hormonal changes in the brain. For a natural treatment for tinnitus to work we have to address this activity in the brain. It has been found that customized sound therapy reduces the activity in the brain.

Is sound therapy the best natural treatment for tinnitus? Currently the best method of treating tinnitus is to treat the tinnitus at its core in the brain. The only way to stimulate the brain is to do it using sound. Medications have not been found to directly affect the hearing parts of the brain where the tinnitus is actually produced. The same is true for herbal or other so-called natural remedies which come in the form of a pill or powder.

The most effective natural tinnitus treatment is customized sound and music therapy. Until a couple years ago the only method one for the team customized sound therapy for tinnitus was to visit and audiologists. This would often require buying devices that were between $3000 and $6000. With the research to ear nose and throat specialists at the University of California Irvine, we have found that customized sound and music therapy can be delivered over the web. There result of this research effort has been an effective natural tinnitus relief program which can be used by anyone around the world. The great thing about it is that the doctors made this affordable for anyone around the globe.

Tinnitus treatment - Is there a Cure for Tinnitus?

2011-04-13T22:50:00.000-07:00

Currently, there is no “cure” for tinnitus. That means that there is no treatment that is universally effective in eliminating tinnitus in everyone. This doesn’t mean that there isn’t tinnitus treatment available for those suffering from tinnitus. There is hope and with the Tinnitus research and innovation of the doctors at Beyondtinnitus.com it is available to all sufferers around the world.

If There is No Cure, What Can be Done?

There are methods of tinnitus treatment to reduce the loudness of the tinnitus. When treating tinnitus there are two aspects to the treatment. 1. Treating the tinnitus sound, 2. Treating the other problems that worsen the tinnitus. These problems include, stress, anxiety, and depression that make the tinnitus louder. Tinnitus cannot be treated unless associated anxiety, stress, and depression are also treated.

What type of treatment is available for tinnitus?

The best type of treatment for tinnitus is sound therapy. Sound therapy works by stimulating the areas of the brain that cause tinnitus. This stimulation causes the tinnitus to become quieter. This quieting of tinnitus is called tinnitus suppression. The sounds used for tinnitus are those that are closest to the tinnitus pitch. These are the same pitches where hearing has been lost.

The current tinnitus therapy systems available are those that are sold as part of hearing aids (e.g., the Zen Program) or the Neuromonics device. While these programs are effective, they are very expensive – between $3000 and $6000.

Several years of research by the doctors who developed Beyondtinnitus.com has found a way where customized sound therapy can be delivered to the users around the world using the power of the internet. In addition to this customized sound therapy, the tinnitus sufferer can use their own music and mix it with their sound therapy sound via the web to create music therapy files. This way the tinnitus sufferer can listen to their favorite music while the sound therapy is working in the background to quiet down the tinnitus.

Tinnitus treatment - Tinnitus and Harmonic Therapy

2011-03-23T21:38:00.000-07:00

According to Tinnitus treatment expert, Tinnitus is the perception of sound in the absence of any real sound. These sounds are heard as periodic or constant noises.Ringing in the ears type noises are usually described as ringing, hissing, humming, buzzing, roaring, chirping or whistling. Tinnitus may be the result of hearing loss, sounds produced by adjacent structures, or other disease processes. While tinnitus has traditionally been thought to be produced in the ear, research has shown that tinnitus is produced by electrical activity in the brain (see the figure below or to the right).

To understand why this happens, we first have to explain how hearing works says tinnitus treatment specialist. See the figure below for the anatomy.

Sound, which is transmitted as sound waves (vibration of the air), enters the ear canal and reaches the eardrum.
The sound waves lead to the vibration of the eardrum, which also vibrates the small bones behind the ear drum.
The vibration motion of the bones makes the fluid in the inner ear or cochlea to vibrate.
The vibration waves in the inner ear fluid causes the sensory (hair) cells in the inner ear (cochlea) to bend. The hair cells change the movement into electrical signals.
These electrical signals are transmitted through the hearing (auditory) nerve and up to the hearing part of the brain (auditory cortex), where they are interpreted.

In this way, the pitch (frequency) of a sound is translated to a physical space located in the inner ear. For this reason, we say that the cochlea is “tono-topically” organized, meaning that each spot in the inner ear picks up a certain pitch of sound say tinnitus treatment specialist. If you were to take the inner ear membrane and flatten it out, it would be organized exactly like the keyboard of a piano. This organization is maintained from the inner ear all the way up to the brain.

Tinnitus occurs when there is damage to the inner ear. Further, the “ringing” that we hear approximates to the region of the inner ear that is damaged. If the area of the inner ear that detects high pitch sounds is damaged (for example by loud noise exposure, aging, hereditary, or toxic reasons), we hear a high pitched “ringing”. When the damage corresponds to lower pitches, we hear a “buzz” or a “hum”. Interestingly, most people with tinnitus have a high pitch ringing because the area of the inner ear that detects high frequencies is closest to the middle ear, and is therefore more susceptible to damage from infection, noise damage, aging, and general wear and tear.

There is one more important concept to understand about why tinnitus happens, and this one is the most counter-intuitive. It has to do with how the brain interprets signals coming from the inner ear. One would expect that when there is silence, the brain is not receiving signals from the inner ear. This is actually not the case. Instead, the brain receives a constant and steady source of information from all areas of the inner ear. The way that the brain interprets sound is by picking up increases in this steady state of background activity in the hearing areas of the brain.

Tinnitus treatment - Neuromonics for Tinnitus Treatment

2011-03-11T23:30:00.000-08:00

Neuromonics is a device that is dispensed by an audiologist or a doctor that uses music for tinnitus treatment. Because music routes through the hearing parts of the brain, there is the potential for music to mask tinnitus. Perhaps more importantly, music also has clear associations with the emotional parts of the brain. Even passive listening to pleasant music can stimulate the parts of the brain that are associated with pleasant emotional states.

The use of music as a masker had been proposed as early as the late 1980’s, and the successful applications of music therapy for tinnitus has been demonstrated by numerous institutes. Newer more sophisticated approaches are using music signals to achieve neuroplastic changes in the brain in order to achieve tinnitus relief. For instance, in the Neuromonics approach, the music signal is adjusted to conform to the hearing test of the tinnitus sufferer, such that the frequency profile of the music is amplified in regions of hearing loss and attenuated in regions of normal hearing.

In a study performed by the company, Davis and colleagues (2008) compared the effectiveness of a customized sound/music tinnitus retraining (Neuromonics Tinnitus Treatment) with counseling alone. Patients were divided into one of four groups: 1) Neuromonics device at high intensity for two hours per day, 2) Neuromonics device at a lower intensity, 3) tinnitus therapy with a broadband stimulator and counseling, or 4) counseling alone. Subjects were instructed to listen to the devices for two hours per day at the time of day when symptoms were most severe.

Tinnitus Reaction Questionnaire (TRQ) improved over the 12 months of the study for the Neuromonics group. TRQ scores were not significantly improved in the control groups. At the six-month follow-up, 86% of patients in the customized acoustic stimuli groups had met the definition of success based on 40% improvement in the TRQ scores. Normalized visual analogue scores for tinnitus severity, general relaxation, and loudness tolerance were improved relative to both baseline and control group's scores at 12 months. Perceived benefits were also greater with the customized acoustic stimulus.

Tinnitus hearing loss - Sound Therapy for Tinnitus

2011-02-25T02:03:00.000-08:00

Tinnitus occurs when there is damage to the inner ear says Tinnitus treatment specialist. Further, the “ringing” that we hear approximates to the region of the inner ear that is damaged. If the area of the inner ear that detects high pitch sounds is damaged (for example by loud noise exposure, aging, hereditary, or toxic reasons), we hear a high pitched “ringing”. When the damage corresponds to lower pitches, we hear a “buzz” or a “hum”. According to Tinnitus hearing loss expert, most people with tinnitus have a high pitch ringing because the area of the inner ear that detects high frequencies is closest to the middle ear, and is therefore more susceptible to damage from infection, noise damage, aging, and general wear and tear.

What happens when there is damage to the inner ear? Well, there are two things that occur. First, the spontaneous activity of the cells in the area in the brain that corresponds with the damaged region of the inner ear actually increases. This area in the brain is called the “lesion projection zone”, or the LPZ. Going back to our piano example, imagine a set of keys on the keyboard that are damaged. If we traced the nerve impulses coming from these keys up to the brain, we would find the area the corresponds to the damaged keys to be overactive. This hyperactivity response happens fairly quickly.

The second thing that happens after there is damage to the inner ear (hearing loss) is that the tones that border the damaged zone in the inner ear start to become over-represented in the brain says tinnitus treatment specialist. In fact, it is becoming clear that the tone that people hear when they hear tinnitus does not correspond precisely with the damaged zone in the inner ear, but with the tones that just border the damaged zone. These tones have been termed the “lesion edge frequencies”, and tend to correspond with the tone that people hear when they hear tinnitus. This phenomenon occurs more steadily and over time and is called “neuroplasticity”; it is an adaptive (or maladaptive in this case) response by the brain to the lack of information coming in from the inner ear.

The technology developed by Tinnitus specialists, allows the tinnitus sufferer to mix the therapeutic sounds that reduce the tinnitus with music. These special sounds, that are mathematically calculated, work on the parts of the brain that reduce tinnitus. These special sounds are fused with music to eliminate the annoying tinnitus sounds.

ringing in ears - What’s The Latest Treatment to Cure Tinnitus?

2011-02-20T23:58:00.000-08:00

Are you hearing a ringing sound even though there is no external source? This is the reason why the condition Tinnitus is known as “ringing in ears” A person may perceive a sound other than ringing and that kind of sound that a person hears is often dependent on the root cause of Tinnitus. Tinnitus sufferers may experience intermittent or constant noises in one ear or in both ears or even throughout their entire head. The noises can take many different forms and occur at different volumes. The volume of the tinnitus sounds has been described subjectively by sufferers as ranging from soft to extremely loud. The most common types of sound described has been, ringing, buzzing, hissing, clicking or chirping.

Each tinnitus sufferer experiences different levels of ringing in their ears. The sound can be ignorable for others, but it can also get so loud that it interferes with your daily activities. In fact, reports show that an estimate of 12 million people in the United States have been severely affected by the loud ringing sound that they are not able to live normally. It can also interfere with your ability to concentrate and sleep well, and it can lead to depression, among others.

Finding a tinnitus treatment that will cure ringing ears is important. In order to find the right Tinnitus cure, you need to do your best to ascertain what is causing the ringing. For many, the traditional Tinnitus rehabilitation is administered, allowing you to undergo therapy while listening to your own favorite music. Tinnitus sound therapy experts have found that traditional white noise works by covering up all frequencies, but in reality is unnecessary.

If very particular frequencies are covered up, then patients can actually listen to music or other ambient sounds on the rest. It leaves patients with the enjoyable experience of being able to rehabilitate their brain's production of the tinnitus sound by listening to their favorite music as they go about their day. Tinnitus sound therapy allows the tinnitus sufferer to mix the therapeutic sounds that reduce the tinnitus with music. These special sounds, that are mathematically calculated, work on the parts of the brain that reduce tinnitus. By having the ability to mix your own music, you have the flexibility to listen to music you enjoy, not those preselected by a company.

Tinnitus hearing therapy - What Should I do if I have Tinnitus?

2011-01-21T22:19:00.000-08:00

Tinnitus is a noise that originates within the ear rather than from the outside environment. The sound may have been described variously as a “ringing” sound, “whistling” sound, “buzzing” sound, or other type of noise that seems to originate in the ear or head. In many cases it is not a serious problem or disease, but rather very bothersome for says Tinnitus treatment specialist. Nearly 36 million Americans suffer from this disorder and in almost all cases only the patient can hear the noise.

In addition to the noises associated with tinnitus, certain other symptoms may accompany this condition. These include:

Dizziness

Pain in the ear

A sense of fullness in the ears

Headache

What causes tinnitus?

According Tinnitus relief expert, some tinnitus or head noise is normal. Tinnitus can arise in any of the following areas: the outer ear, the middle ear, the inner ear, or by abnormailities in the brain. If a person goes into a sound proof booth and normal outside noise is diminished, one becomes aware of these normal sounds. We are usually not aware of these normal body sounds, because outside noise masks them. Anything, such as wax or a foreign body in the external ear, that blocks these background sounds will cause us to be more aware of our own head sounds. Fluid, infection, or disease of the middle ear bones or ear drum can also cause tinnitus.

In order to understand what causes tinnitus, and eventually how to cure tinnitus, it’s important to understand how the ear works. The ear is a fairly complex organ that converts sound waves into brain signals by passing the waves through the ear canal, onto the ear drum and then through the ear bones into the cochlea (inner ear), a small shell like structure that picks up individual frequencies. The cochlea works by transmitting different frequencies from the point where it receives the frequency to the corresponding point in the brain. The brain and cochlea are arranged exactly alike, with the frequencies (pitches) that are next to each other on the cochlea being exactly next to each other in the brain as well.

Your brain is incredible and is very, very good at reusing space. For example, if you are blind your brain will often convert the areas traditionally used for image processing to instead process extra audio, smell, and taste sensations. In the case of tinnitus, your brain quickly recognizes that you no longer have a use for the space reserved for the frequencies that are damaged in your cochlea, so it reuses the space for other frequencies. The frequencies near the damaged frequencies are given extra processing power. So they become better at detecting patterns and also tend to spontaneously fire more often. Unfortunately, that means they detect sounds much more regularly than other frequencies are detected, prompting the brain to create ringing or tinnitus.

Traditional Treatments of Tinnitus

Tinnitus can be treated with Tinnitus hearing therapy. Since tinnitus doesn’t actually affect the damaged regions of the cochlea, but instead affects the areas directly around the damaged zones in the brain, we need to focus on those frequencies and how to affect their brain functioning. As we found out in the causes section, those frequencies are now overly active in detecting sounds. In the past, the thinking has been pretty simple: just play sounds on the affected frequency to allow the ear to detect an actual noise instead of a perceived noise says Tinnitus hearing therapy specialist.

That treatment works a little bit, but it has serious drawbacks because you are only temporarily moving the tinnitus from inside the brain back to the ear that is hearing the actual sound. You will still hear the high pitched frequency; it just isn’t being created by your newly overactive brain any longer, it actually exists.

Doctors have experimented with using “white noise” to create sounds on all frequencies rather than just the one frequency that is affected with quite a bit of success. This way the brain hears sounds equally across all frequencies, affecting all parts of the brain. The affected areas are part of the white noise, so they hear actual sounds and the random, spontaneous noise stops showing up as often. Also, if you are hearing a lot of random noise then painful tinnitus gets lost in the noise. This is good news for tinnitus sufferers because now they have a solution that can help them get better.