Saw this treatment on the news tonight. Thought might be of interest to some of yall
Tinnitus treatment
- Thread starter packratt
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Tongue stimulation? That's an interesting approach to tinnitus. I have to have music on to sleep at night because I didn't wear hearing protection shooting as a kid or at work. The constant ringing is horrible, and you truly understand how bad it is when you sit in a hearing test booth.
Yeah, everyone gets excited when the cicadas come out of the ground. I hear those fuckers 24/7.
I think prevention is the only real treatment .
The cicada reference is a great one…same here, maybe mixed in with some tea kettles. Sucks.
Sounds weird, but relatively large doses of vitamin E seem to help me quite a bit. I take one 400 IU (180mg) dose in the morning, and another in the late afternoon. When I first started taking it I didn’t think it was working, so I stopped after a couple months, but within a couple days of stopping I noticed the ringing was back, and it seemed much, much louder….reality was that it had gotten better, but the improvement was so gradual, I just didn’t notice.
Still on that regimen now, and it doesn’t make the tinnitus go away, but it is a lot better.
Sounds weird, but relatively large doses of vitamin E seem to help me quite a bit. I take one 400 IU (180mg) dose in the morning, and another in the late afternoon. When I first started taking it I didn’t think it was working, so I stopped after a couple months, but within a couple days of stopping I noticed the ringing was back, and it seemed much, much louder….reality was that it had gotten better, but the improvement was so gradual, I just didn’t notice.
Still on that regimen now, and it doesn’t make the tinnitus go away, but it is a lot better.
I was working with a hearing specialist last year out of Washington state who saw the original study for Bimodal Stimulation Treatment by Neuromod for the Lenire device.
The original study wasn’t published because the results were not promising. If I remember correctly 40% of the trial participants saw no improvement or a reduction of their tinnitus handicap score meaning no reduction of tinnitus at all. 40% of the other participants saw a 25% reduction in their tinnitus handicap score so while it helped, it was not significant. The remaining 20% of the trial participants actually reported an increase in the severity of their tinnitus which is very concerning.
Price is $4500 with no refunds and last I checked it’s not covered by insurance.
See attached link to one of the largest tinnitus websites where there are 291 pages of user reviews on the Lenire device. Caveat Emptor
The original study wasn’t published because the results were not promising. If I remember correctly 40% of the trial participants saw no improvement or a reduction of their tinnitus handicap score meaning no reduction of tinnitus at all. 40% of the other participants saw a 25% reduction in their tinnitus handicap score so while it helped, it was not significant. The remaining 20% of the trial participants actually reported an increase in the severity of their tinnitus which is very concerning.
Price is $4500 with no refunds and last I checked it’s not covered by insurance.
See attached link to one of the largest tinnitus websites where there are 291 pages of user reviews on the Lenire device. Caveat Emptor
I had the funds and was ready to buy but the risk of tinnitus getting worse from using Lenire kept me away. I could deal with it not working but worsening tinnitus? No way.
FDA approved only means it’s not supposed to kill you but doesn’t mean it will work.
Going to throw in a PSA: if you or anyone you know regularly experience pulsatile tinnitus = hearing your pulse in your ears all the time, can be a strong indicator of problems with the carotid and risk factor for stroke. See a doc. There are other things that can cause it that are benign, but this is one of the too causes.
FDA approved means the manufacturer greased the correct palm(s). Period.
Is this a resting heart rate, or excited? While I can hear mine when my heart is about 150+, I assumed it was normal...
My tinnitus only comes on when I see threads about tinnitus.
I used to work with some of the folks at Etymotic who took an interest in my shooting team. I’ve had tinnitus for about 31 years now so I asked them about it since they’re all audiologists. Here is a response I got…
“Thanks for reaching out to us; Gail forwarded your email to me. I am no longer at Etymotic, but am in clinical practice as an audiologist. I met other members of your team, working together at Shot Show in Vegas when I was still at Etymotic, and I'm glad to hear you had another good year.
The Neuromod research and device are currently experimental, not FDA approved for use in the US, and not available clinically. On the positive side, the approach--bimodal somatosensory stimulation--appears to show some real promise. In this approach, auditory stimuli (sound therapy) is combined with electrical stimuli to another area of the body (cheek, neck, or, as with Neuromod--the tongue). As explained by Susan Shore, PhD, Kresge Research lab at U of Michigan, the root of tinnitus is in the dorsal cochlear nucleus in the brainstem. Loud noise can trigger a change in the nerve cell activity in this area of the brainstem, altering the timing so the nerve cells in this area fire spontaneously, instead of waiting for sound in the environment. Not only do the cells fire, they become hyperactive, and the signal is transmitted to areas of the brain where perception of sound occurs. If these signals (hyperactive firing without external stimuli) can be stopped, tinnitus can be stopped. Researchers at the Kresge Research lab at the U of Michigan hold a patent on the process, which can lead to long-term changes in the rate at which the nerves fire. This aims to reset the activity of the fusiform cells, which would then stop the tinnitus. The research at UM was conducted with subjects who could alter their tinnitus by clenching their jaws, sticking out their tongues, or flexing their necks. The UM study was optimal, as it was done to gold standards--double blind, placebo controlled, crossover design. This means the researchers and the subjects were blinded to which therapy the subjects were receiving; both groups of subjects received a placebo (sham) treatment for comparison; one group received placebo first, then treatment, the other group received treatment and then placebo. They found the sham treatment was not effective, but the bimodal treatment was. That was key. The drawback was their subject pool, who could modulate their tinnitus (as described above). Their research is ongoing.
The Neuromod research did not use a placebo control, nor a blinded study protocol, as far as I can tell. Without a placebo control its impossible to determine how much of the effect is due to just doing something, as well as interaction with professionals. Also, I was unable to determine what their subject inclusion criteria was. On the positive side, they had a large number of subjects, with positive results. On the negative side (besides the lack of blinding and placebo control) is that the therapy was 60 minutes daily for 3 months. But, it appears the results carried over for some subjects at a 1-year follow up.
Research is ongoing, but still promising. Your best bet would be to participate in a clinical trial if possible.
Best to you and the whole Jade team,
Patty
Patty Johnson, Au.D.
Clinical Audiologist”
That was from October of 2020 fwiw.
“Thanks for reaching out to us; Gail forwarded your email to me. I am no longer at Etymotic, but am in clinical practice as an audiologist. I met other members of your team, working together at Shot Show in Vegas when I was still at Etymotic, and I'm glad to hear you had another good year.
The Neuromod research and device are currently experimental, not FDA approved for use in the US, and not available clinically. On the positive side, the approach--bimodal somatosensory stimulation--appears to show some real promise. In this approach, auditory stimuli (sound therapy) is combined with electrical stimuli to another area of the body (cheek, neck, or, as with Neuromod--the tongue). As explained by Susan Shore, PhD, Kresge Research lab at U of Michigan, the root of tinnitus is in the dorsal cochlear nucleus in the brainstem. Loud noise can trigger a change in the nerve cell activity in this area of the brainstem, altering the timing so the nerve cells in this area fire spontaneously, instead of waiting for sound in the environment. Not only do the cells fire, they become hyperactive, and the signal is transmitted to areas of the brain where perception of sound occurs. If these signals (hyperactive firing without external stimuli) can be stopped, tinnitus can be stopped. Researchers at the Kresge Research lab at the U of Michigan hold a patent on the process, which can lead to long-term changes in the rate at which the nerves fire. This aims to reset the activity of the fusiform cells, which would then stop the tinnitus. The research at UM was conducted with subjects who could alter their tinnitus by clenching their jaws, sticking out their tongues, or flexing their necks. The UM study was optimal, as it was done to gold standards--double blind, placebo controlled, crossover design. This means the researchers and the subjects were blinded to which therapy the subjects were receiving; both groups of subjects received a placebo (sham) treatment for comparison; one group received placebo first, then treatment, the other group received treatment and then placebo. They found the sham treatment was not effective, but the bimodal treatment was. That was key. The drawback was their subject pool, who could modulate their tinnitus (as described above). Their research is ongoing.
The Neuromod research did not use a placebo control, nor a blinded study protocol, as far as I can tell. Without a placebo control its impossible to determine how much of the effect is due to just doing something, as well as interaction with professionals. Also, I was unable to determine what their subject inclusion criteria was. On the positive side, they had a large number of subjects, with positive results. On the negative side (besides the lack of blinding and placebo control) is that the therapy was 60 minutes daily for 3 months. But, it appears the results carried over for some subjects at a 1-year follow up.
Research is ongoing, but still promising. Your best bet would be to participate in a clinical trial if possible.
Best to you and the whole Jade team,
Patty
Patty Johnson, Au.D.
Clinical Audiologist”
That was from October of 2020 fwiw.
.
Thr Susan Shore device is supposed to be a more highly regarded product compared to Lenire however it’s been in trials since around 2019 if I remember correctly with no launch date set or pricing information.
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Hearing aids have dramatically reduced my tinnitus by at least a third if not more however that’s while wearing them. As soon as I get up and put the hearing aids on, I can hear the ringing drop within minutes and stays away all day if I’m wearing them.
Hearing aids have also helped with Hyperacusis as well.
Hearing aids have also helped with Hyperacusis as well.
FDA approved stuff is not SUPPOSED to kill you. LOL tread softly. their recent hx is not encouraging.
Interesting, that just made me realize that I dont notice the tinnitus when Im wearing my Axil earbuds. If youre not familiar with them, you should be. Great for shooting.
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An audiologist would conduct a hearing test and determine if you in fact have hearing loss and if so in what frequency range.
Human hearing range is from 20 Hz to 20,000 Hz (20 kHz). Human speech typically occurs between 2,000 and 5,000 Hz but can go higher.
It’s mostly theory but if your hearing loss was between 3 kHz and 7 kHz then an audiologist would custom tune the hearing aids to increase the frequency in the range of your hearing loss, 3 kHz and 7 kHz.
Theory is if you increase the range of your hearing loss the brain will pick it up and turn down the eeeeeee sound known as tinnitus.
Hearing loss begins with some sort of damage to the hair cells (nerves) in the cochlea but ultimately becomes a brain condition. The brain does not deal well with hearing loss and creates all types of problems in attempt to overcome nerve damage in the inner ear/cochlea that it can’t process.
Here’s the deal about tinnitus, and why you don’t hear it when you’re listening to something else… Your body sends weak signals to your ears to stimulate them, even when it’s really quiet. It’s your bodies way of doing a “system check” on your ears. That signal is transmitted to your brain to say “system good.” In people with normal hearing, this signal is basically imperceptible. But, when a person has sustained hearing damage, the body turns up the “check signal” (because the weaker signal is insufficient to complete the loop) and that is what you hear as ringing when it is quiet. When you are listening to something else, you don’t hear the ringing- or it is lessened- because your body isn’t sending the same intensity of “check signal”; it knows your ears are working because you are listening to something. This is also, likely, why hearing aids seem to lessen tinnitus.
From the reading that I’ve done, “tinnitus remedies” are universally snake oil.
My tinnitus is made worse by ear buds, ear muffs, ear plugs, and sleeping on my side. Drinking alcohol also makes it worse. And, too much or too little caffeine makes it worse. And, air travel makes it worse.
I can’t stand white noise and a fan buzzing away will keep me up at night. I don’t remember not having tinnitus (though I know it got more noticeable after an ear injury at a water park). And, my mom (who was not a shooter) also had tinnitus. I guess I’ve just learned to live with the ring. For me, it is a VERY high pitched ring, and I can increase the volume by clenching my teeth, or contorting my jaw. I feel for those of you with locusts buzzing about between your ears. That would drive me batty.
From the reading that I’ve done, “tinnitus remedies” are universally snake oil.
My tinnitus is made worse by ear buds, ear muffs, ear plugs, and sleeping on my side. Drinking alcohol also makes it worse. And, too much or too little caffeine makes it worse. And, air travel makes it worse.
I can’t stand white noise and a fan buzzing away will keep me up at night. I don’t remember not having tinnitus (though I know it got more noticeable after an ear injury at a water park). And, my mom (who was not a shooter) also had tinnitus. I guess I’ve just learned to live with the ring. For me, it is a VERY high pitched ring, and I can increase the volume by clenching my teeth, or contorting my jaw. I feel for those of you with locusts buzzing about between your ears. That would drive me batty.
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