Treatment for Tinnitus

[GRW3]

I just read this (http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=CNG.f57c40c34c2baca8600a698953d8204 8.1e1&show_article=1)article on Breitbart dot com about a treatment for Tinnitus. It involves stimulating a nerve in your neck and stimulating your ears with a particular tone. This could be a great thing as it does not involve suppressing your hearing with drugs.

Like most people I get the occassional ringing in my ears and it's very annoying. I can't imagine having it permanently but I can envisage how difficult it would be to enjoy playing music with it.

[mandobassman]

This a subject that I am very familiar with. About 5 years ago I was diagnosed with Meniere's disease. One of the classic symptoms of Meniere's disease is tinnitus. I went to doctors that specialized in this and spent two years trying various drug treatments and at one point even considered evasive surgery. I not only had tinnitus but also low frequency hearing loss and quite often, room-spinning vertigo. The problem with my hearing got so bad I thought I might have to stop playing music. I couldn't hear bass lines ( I play bass as well as mandolin). It affected my singing since I couldn't find pitch. I finally read some info that changed my life. I started on a regimen of enzymes and started seeing a Chiropractor that specialized in upper cervical adjustments. I have not had ANY symptoms in over 2 1/2 years. I honestly believe the chiropractic adjustments have made the real difference, but it is hard to tell since I started that and the enzymes at the same time. I don't want to stop either one since it very well may be the combination of both that is working. I am now playing mandolin in one band and bass in another.
That is an interesting article. I know the results I have had may not be typical and what works for one may not for another, but I hope this is something that will bring relief to many. I know how depressing it can be as a musician with hearing issues. I am VERY thankful for the results that I have achieved but I know there are thousands that deal with it every day.

[Big Joe]

I've dealt with constant Tinnitus for many years. Docs say it is likely from long term use of NSAIDS and if I get away from them for a period of time it does subside but does not go away. If I use them again it gets worse until I stop using them. Unfortunately, it is hard to not ever use them. It can be a bit distracting at times, but it is not that big of a deal. It does not affect my playing or my hearing. It only really bothers me if it is exceptionally quiet. It can be hard to go to sleep, and about 20 years ago when it was at its worst it would actually wake me up from being too loud.

The docs had me put some music on when I went to bed. The music covered the sound in my head and it would not bother me. I could go to sleep and the music kept the noise from bothering me even when I slept and it got me through a difficult time for sleep. Now it rarely bothers me after I go to sleep. At worse it is a distraction.

[GDAE]

I also have Meniere's disease and its accompanying tinnitus/hearing loss. That's actually one of the reasons I started playing mandolin...some self-designed therapy to make my ears focus towards the outside world instead of that racket inside my head. It seems to have helped, actually.

[mandroid]

Already compared notes with a friend who had the vertabrae around C5 fused after having tingling nerves
in the hand and chronic shoulder pain, muscular tightness , they had a whiplash injury in the past,

I seem to have siimilar symptoms ,and history of a compression fracture to my back,
so my next trip to the VA that will be taken up.

spinal column bone growth had impinged on the nerves to their hand, coming off C5.

[FaulcoMando]

My Dad has Meniere's disease, and is almost deaf in one ear, and the other is not very good at all. He has had trouble for years with Meniere's disease, and there have been many times when he has spent a lot of time vomiting on the floor and really having trouble with the room spinning. I feel for anyone who has Meniere's disease. He saw a specialist in Sydney last year, and had an injection into the ear canal, which pretty much fixed it, but still needed a follow up injection to fix the Meniere's disease and problems it caused him. Hearing loss is degenerative, and he always onto me about looking after my hearing.

[albeham]

Cool thread.. I spent 20 yrs in the Army SF type as a radio operator. Bean there done that and my ears still hear it. The ringing. its a daily thing with me, loud at times. I do struggle at times with a few notes, so I get closer. Its all good, still love playing , I just need to hear it a little louder.

AL
Learning about this I am going to talk to the doc..Thanks..

[banjoboy]

This a subject that I am very familiar with. About 5 years ago I was diagnosed with Meniere's disease. One of the classic symptoms of Meniere's disease is tinnitus. I went to doctors that specialized in this and spent two years trying various drug treatments and at one point even considered evasive surgery. I not only had tinnitus but also low frequency hearing loss and quite often, room-spinning vertigo. The problem with my hearing got so bad I thought I might have to stop playing music. I couldn't hear bass lines ( I play bass as well as mandolin). It affected my singing since I couldn't find pitch. I finally read some info that changed my life. I started on a regimen of enzymes and started seeing a Chiropractor that specialized in upper cervical adjustments. I have not had ANY symptoms in over 2 1/2 years. I honestly believe the chiropractic adjustments have made the real difference, but it is hard to tell since I started that and the enzymes at the same time. I don't want to stop either one since it very well may be the combination of both that is working. I am now playing mandolin in one band and bass in another.
That is an interesting article. I know the results I have had may not be typical and what works for one may not for another, but I hope this is something that will bring relief to many. I know how depressing it can be as a musician with hearing issues. I am VERY thankful for the results that I have achieved but I know there are thousands that deal with it every day.

What enzymes are you taking?

[JCook]

I also would like to know what enzymes you're taking. I've had Meniere's Disease since 1984, and constant tinnitus in my right ear ever since. I used to have tremendous debilitating dizzy spells that would last for a week, but in 1993 I started going to an ENT who prescribed diazide, which is a diuretic. The idea was to get rid of excess liquid in the inner ear which caused the little chambers inside to rupture, thereby causing dizziness and hearing loss. It worked. I took diazide for 15 years, and then it was determined that the Meniere's had burned itself out and I'm not taking it anymore. The tinnitus was not relieved by the diazide, however. Tinnitus is very difficult to deal with, and there are almost no effective treatments for it.

The hearing loss I experienced was in the high frequencies rather than the bass, as yours is. But, about 7 years ago, I lost all the hearing in my right ear over the course of a weekend. All of it. If I stick my finger in my right ear and move it around I hear absolutely nothing. The left ear is still good, although I have a little intermittent tinnitus in it, but still have my hearing. The problem with my right ear is not fixable with a hearing aid, as the nerve seems to be dead. I've adjusted to all of this over time, but it still causes problems. I don't play in a band, and I think that would be difficult, especially in a venue without band monitors. Also, with only one ear I cannot have a conversation in a place where there is any background noise because I have no audio depth perception. So, all the sound blends into one sound. I can hear everything - background voices, music, the person talking to me - but it's all at the same level and I can't separate the person talking to me from the background noise. Very frustrating. I have total empathy for you with your Meniere's, and I hope that you can find a good solution to it. It may be too late for me, but anything that can be done I will be interested in.

Good luck with this. Don't give up.

Jack

[Jack Roberts]

I will be very happy when they find a cure for tinnitus. Until then I have been trying to train myself to use it to help tune up my mandolin. The problem is my case is so strange that perceive the same frequency as two different notes, a half tone apart, in each ear. My left ear has so much ringing going on in it most of the time that I can really only hear with the right ear.

[mandobassman]

This was one of the classic symptoms of Meniere's Disease that I experienced and still do to a much lesser degree. I first noticed the problem when I answered the telephone one day and had to switch to the other before someone answered. I noticed the dial tone was a different pitch in one ear than the other. It finally made sense why I was having trouble harmonizing. My brain was hearing two pitches from the same note. The real problem was not only was one ear a different pitch, one was also VERY muffled—especially at lower frequencies. Made it very difficult to play bass. Sounded like I was a half-step out of tune with the rest of the band. My bass, which is a fine sounding instrument, was sounding like I was beating on a plastic trash can lid. Thankfully, I am now able to hear the full quality of my bass and mandolin.

[Toycona]

It never ceases to amaze me what threads are going on here. I've had tinnitis for most of my adult life (waaay too many loud concerts). It's always there (in the key of F), so I sleep with the window open to let in the ambient noise and fresh air. It doesn't affect my playing or singing at all, but I do have a hard time with cross talk (I'm a high school English teacher).

[Jim DeSalvio]

Being a medical professional, I did read the article linked in the first post. Sounds promising to me, and will address the root cause.

[Spencer]

I've had tinnitus for 40+ years. Recently got a hearing aid, which boosts up the high frequencies that I don't hear very well. Right after I got it, the tinnitus was quite strong, even woke me up, which it never did before. After a while, it calmed down again, so I guess your brain does adjust to things. Unfortunately, it is still there.

Spencer

[Jon Hall]

I've been putting up with "the bugs in the trees" for 12 years. The most probable cause was years of carpentry without hearing protections. Circular saws and routers did most of the damage but playing a few years in a rather loud church band was the straw that broke the camel's back.

I haven't tried to treat the condition because I didn't think there was a treatment short of a restorative miracle. I will look into the enzyme therapy.

I have my hearing tested annually and haven't had any additional hearing loss in 9 years. I don't play in a loud band any longer and I don't use power tools, lawn mowers, weed eaters or blowers without hearing protection. I've worn ear plugs at the rare rock concerts I've attended. I also pay close attention to the volume when using head phones or ear buds.

I'm glad my condition isn't like Beethoven's. He described his deafness as being as loud as the ocean surf.

[David Houchens]

I was told my ringing was nerve damage from loud noise. Is this the same as tinnitus? I was told I'd have to just live with it. I would like to think there was hope. It can get very loud. I play bass as well and have had the same little off feeling even though my tuner checks my positions as correct. Talking in a crowd is just smiling and nodding.

[GDAE]

Here's an interesting story about working it into your music--the composer Bedrich Smetena was losing his hearing and had the tinnitus that accompanies it, and he wrote it into one of his string quartets:

From http://www.earsense.org/chamberbase/works/detail/?pkey=812

"In 1874, at the age of fifty, Smetana begin to notice a variety of hearing problems including high-pitched notes, rushing sounds, and the noise of “breaking sticks”, collectively known as the disorder tinnitus. His hearing quickly deteriorated leaving him completely and permanently deaf by the end of the year. "

In 1876, he wrote a string quartet that represented his life:

"“My intention was to paint a tone picture of my life. The first movement depicts my youthful leanings toward art, the Romantic atmosphere, the inexpressible yearning for something I could neither express nor define, and also a kind of warning of my future misfortune . . . The long insistent note in the finale owes its origin to this. It is the fateful ringing in my ears of the high-pitched tones which in 1874 announced the beginning of my deafness. I permitted myself this little joke, because it was so disastrous to me."
In the last movement, this autobiographical quartet catches up to the reality of Smetana’s contemporaneous life. Introduced by a pregnant silence, then a disturbing high-pitched harmonic in the first violin, the dark and inevitable theme of catastrophic fate returns to finish the narrative, not with a grand, conclusive cadence, but with a fadeout, the sound gradually disappearing from our ears just as it must have for Smetana himself."


This is the first movement: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nXFS_nO0W7M&feature=related

Here is the 4th movement, which has the tinnitus sound at around 3:40. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YWRvSXm7vP4&feature=related
(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YWRvSXm7vP4&feature=related)

[mandroid]

Some hearing aides out there, generate a tone to suppress the Tinnitus tone by matching the tone and phase canceling it ..

if the tone shifts ,the hearing aid tone wont, so that may not work for many

[johnmarkva]

My wife has been dealing with bad tinnitus. After trying a variety of things she gets the most relief when she keeps salt out of her diet. If she "cheats" just a little it will ring so bad she can't sleep at night. She loves salt too, so this was a big change. But it has helped a lot.

[Canister]

I'm late finding this thread. I have tinnitus and frequency deft at certain points. It seems the army didn't care much about earplugs. I was told nothing could cure it. Of course it could be the Nsaids like Big Joe was talking about too.

[Chinn]

Interesting thread.... Meniere's disease had greatly affected my life, though not directly.

In the early eighties, my father got the disease. He was my current age at the time. Vomiting spells, spinning room all affecting him. He had lost most of the hearing in his right ear while working as a hunting guide in college. In the end the Meniere's turned out to be only in the left ear. The only treatment at the time was to cut the auditory and vestibular nerve. My father is now profoundly deaf in his left ear and almost completely deaf in the right. I do remember salt being a huge impact on him before the surgery.

As a result of that, my mother did tons of research on the disease. Eventually, she went back to school and got a masters and became an audiologist. 15yrs later, she got her doctorate. She now owns and runs a clinic and specializes in vestibular diseases and tinnitus as well as exposure related hearing loss. The past 20+ yrs around the dinner table has always included something about ears.

My concern now is my father's further hearing loss (he cannot hear my daughter or wife) and further research on if Meniere's is genetically inherited

[mandobassman]

What enzymes are you taking?

A couple of people have asked about this. Sorry it took so long to get back. I've had a busy couple of days. The enzymes I use are called CHIRO-ZYME. You can't buy them in a store. My wife's aunt is a chiropractor and also specializes in natural healing remedies. I had to do a 24-hour urine test and then a formula is devised based on the results. I take 4 different enzymes. One is taken in the morning and before bed. Another is taken before each meal and two others are taken after each meal. The types and amounts will be different for each person depending on your body make up. My wife's aunt lives 1000 miles from me so I have my local chiropractor supply them to me. They can only be ordered through a distributor. Hopes this helps. If anyone has any questions feel free to send a PM. I am more than happy to share info that has helped me tremendously.

[mandocrucian]

http://discovermagazine.com/2010/oct/26-ringing-in-the-ears-goes-much-deeper

[n0ukf]

First post, I didn't see a newbies forum or topic.


I just read this (http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=CNG.f57c40c34c2baca8600a698953d8204 8.1e1&show_article=1)article on Breitbart dot com about a treatment for Tinnitus. It involves stimulating a nerve in your neck and stimulating your ears with a particular tone.

Hopefully this is quick to come to human treatment and is pretty cheap. I've had tinnitus since elementary school and took over 20 years to find out it isn't 'normal'.

[garyedelman]

The problem is that there are many causes of Tinnitus.
Mark above mentioned his wife suffers from it when she
adds salt to her diet, which makes a lot of sense, as tinnitus
is a symptom of hypertension/high blood pressure. Salt
elevates ones blood pressure. I would suggest you have a
complete workup with special attention to each of the factors
that may cause tinnitus. It could end up being as simple as
eliminating salt from your diet, or controlling your blood pressure.
It might be very completed like Meniere's disease, or due to
injury or nerve loss which might not be fixable. In any case good luck.