Sunday, June 23, 2013

The Treatment of Tinnitus

For most tinnitus sufferers, there is no cure. There is no pill or surgery that has been shown to eliminate tinnitus in scientific studies that have been replicated and accepted by the healthcare community.

There are some important exceptions to this. Some forms of tinnitus, particularly middle-ear tinnitus, can be treated. Sometimes a medication can cause tinnitus, and stopping or changing medications can eliminate the tinnitus (check with whoever prescribed the medication).

There are two broad categories of treatments that help people adjust to their tinnitus.
  • Counseling. Counseling can be beneficial with thoughts and emotions, hearing, sleep and concentration. One example of this approach is Tinnitus Activities Treatment, which includes individualized collaborative counseling in each of these areas.
  • Sound Therapy. Many tinnitus sufferers report that the presence of background sound reduces the prominence or the loudness of their tinnitus. The background sound can be present in the environment (e.g. fan noise). There are non-wearable devices that produce pleasant background sound (e.g. raindrops). Additionally, wearable maskers or sound generators are available that produce a 'shhh' noise (these can also be combined with hearing aids). The use of hearing aids improves communication, reduces the stress associated with intensive listening, and also can partially mask the tinnitus. Music can also be very effective in non-wearable and wearable devices.
If you or someone you know suffers from tinnitus, I urge you to contact me as soon as possible to schedule a consultation.  218-454-3277.

Have a great day!  Dr. Sarah Nelson

Thursday, June 13, 2013

IMPACT OF TINNITUS



 Tinnitus affects everyone differently. The most common areas in which tinnitus has a direct influence are:

  • THOUGHTS AND EMOTIONS.  Some are annoyed, bothered, depressed, anxious or angry about their tinnitus.  They think and focus on their tinnitus often. 
  • HEARING.  For some, the sound of tinnitus competes with or masks speech of environmental sound perception. 
  • SLEEP.  Many tinnitus sufferers report that their tinnitus interferes with their sleep. It also makes it more difficult to get back to sleep when they wake up during the night.
  • CONCENTRATION.  Some tinnitus sufferers report that they have difficulty focusing on a task because of their tinnitus.  This might include reading a book or the newspaper.
Have a great day!

Dr. Sarah Nelson