
Bad news and good news for tinnitus sufferers - dnetesn
http://nautil.us/blog/50-million-tinnitus-sufferers-just-got-some-bad-news-and-some-good-news
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tim333
I think the title's a bit clickbait. Basically it's saying there's been a
paper published that says:

>Tinnitus and chronic pain [are similar]. It is now becoming increasingly
clear that higher cognitive and affective brain systems are centrally involved
in the pathology of both disorders.

and the article says:

>In both, there is impairment in the frontal lobe

>In tinnitus and chronic pain, these structures appear to become
dysfunctional, turning “up” pain and auditory signals, leading to pain or
tinnitus noise.

So not really good or bad news so much as another theory. There may be an
element of that but tinnitus can start instantly after a loud noise so I'd
imagine it's something lower level going wrong in that case at any rate.

~~~
pervycreeper
>I think the title's a bit clickbait

In this case, the article's content is far more interesting than the title
suggests, contrary to the usual pattern.

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lutorm
I have mild tinnitus, it's not really bothering me but is noticeable in quiet
environments. I find it interesting that I can exacerbate it by pulling on my
jaw or clenching my jaw. If I'm feeling a bit under the weather, it is also
exacerbated by moving my eyes. So at least in my case, there's a definite
connection to muscles around the ear.

There appears to be at least some support for this in the literature, e.g.
[http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?pid=S1808-86942012000600004&...](http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?pid=S1808-86942012000600004&script=sci_arttext&tlng=en)

~~~
jdc0589
weird... I don't have tinnitus, that I know of, but if I put earbuds in that
provide a lot of sound dampening and clench my jaw muscles, it makes a pretty
noticeable roaring sound, kind of sounds like the inside of an airplane.

~~~
FreeFull
I think that's the sound of your Eustachian tubes being open.

~~~
lutorm
That's an interesting theory.

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compiler-guy
Certain causes of tinnitus cannot be treated, but some can. So be sure your
doctor tries to understand the cause of your tinnitus.

For example, one (of many) causes of tinnitus is otosclerosis--the "stirrup"
bone in your ear grows extra bone and becomes unable to vibrate properly. The
primary symptom of this problem is somewhat muffled hearing, but it is often
accompanied by tinnitus.

This condition comes on extremely slowly, so you may not notice the hearing
loss. I finally noticed it in myself once when I put my head down on a pillow
and suddenly couldn't hear the TV.

There is a good medical solutions to it though--"stapes mobilization surgery".
Low risk, better hearing, and tinnitus gone.

So if you have tinnitus and somewhat muffled hearing, see a doctor and mention
otosclerosis. It is definitely worth getting checked out. It can really
improve your life.

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patorjk
Whew, I thought this was going to be about the results of Auris Medical's new
tinnitus drug, AM-101. The results are due to come out within the next month
or so. The drug is injected into the ear, so it wouldn't effect tinnitus that
originates in the brain. I've had tinnitus for about 10 years now, and it
sucks that doctors know so little about it. However, there seem to be a lot of
companies popping up recently that are trying to attack the problem, so I'm
excited.

Another company, Otonomy, is also working on a tinnitus drug that's injected
into the ear (see
[http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19847455](http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19847455)).
It's an NMDA receptor antagonist (just like AM-101), so it doesn't seem like
it would work for tinnitus that originates in the brain.

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lightweb3
I had to make a new account just to post this. A few years ago I noticed
tinnitus develop in one of my ears along with associated hearing loss
following a very stressful period of time. After some research I went to a
specialist neurosurgeon / neuroscientist who tested me for all sorts of
viruses and conditions and also performed a special DMSA chelation urinalysis
which let me know that I have lead poisoning. I am now working with special
diet and lifestyle changes in order to attempt to draw as much of it out as I
can. I am also working with a dentist who specializes in removing metal
amalgam fillings which are one source of possible lead (as well as mercury)
exposure. I did have some mercury in my urine profile as well but not in the
danger zone like lead.

I've read several article on Tinnitus now and there is never a mention of
possible heavy metal contamination. It is surprising to me because it seems
like an environmental issue which has been largely swept under the rug for
generations now. I hope it gets better and more information and awareness is
brought forth.

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Kenji
> _Martin’s resignation in the face of tinnitus isn’t rare, perhaps because
> tinnitus remains poorly understood._

No. It's because you go to the doctor and you literally get sent home without
being helped in any way whatsoever. Well, he looks into your ear and maybe you
get some useless medication. Just save the money and time and deal with it,
that's all you can do as of today.

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tim333
I found the docs useless. I found earplugs helped a bit - they can prevent
further damage and allow the body to recover.

~~~
adventured
I had been using various forms of white noise for years to help reduce
external annoyances while I was working and trying to concentrate. That has
led to what appears to be an early form of tinnitus. It doesn't cause me pain
yet, sometimes it's really annoying and I no longer hear actual silence when I
should. I've found relief by using gun shooting ear protection, as funny as
that sounds. 34 to 37 db level protection. The ear protectors are dirt cheap
to buy on Amazon and moderately comfortable. They would probably look stupid
to wear in an office setting, but I work out of a home office, so no concerns
there. A few hours here and there of wearing them and the tinnitus (or
whatever it is at this point) is meaningfully reduced.

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coupdejarnac
I've created a few iOS apps for tinnitus, if anyone is interested. The apps
provide masking therapy or notch filter therapy. There does not seem to be a
scientific way to predetermine what therapy, if any, will be therapeutic to
you, so it helps to try a few different things.
[https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/serene-
ears/id790457760?mt=8...](https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/serene-
ears/id790457760?mt=8&ign-mpt=uo%3D4) [https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/nix-
tinnitus-player/id842249...](https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/nix-tinnitus-
player/id842249978?mt=8&ign-mpt=uo%3D4)

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Kiro
So what are the good and bad news? I didn't find it by skimming.

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biot
Bad news (there is no cure):

    
    
      “We both found the same brain structure involved in the
      cortex,” he says. “Both tinnitus and chronic pain are
      chronic conditions—there is no cure.”
    

Good news (there may be treatment):

    
    
      Rauschecker says, some believe there may be “an
      underlying brain condition that gives you tinnitus and
      depression.” For this reason, Rasuchecker feels that
      dopamine and serotonin are hot candidates for drug
      therapies.
    
      A study in March, citing Rauschecker’s paper on chronic
      pain and tinnitus, demonstrates “that the meta-
      cognitive ability to acknowledge and let go of arising
      sensory events engages a unique, self-facilitated pain
      modulatory system.” In others words, meditation can
      help reduce chronic pain, and perhaps tinnitus.

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amelius
Search for iodine therapy. Even if you are not iodine deficient according to
diagnostic tests, iodine can help a lot with tinnitus.

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nikolay
I have it, too. It's worse when I didn't get enough sleep (which is most of
the time).

