What are non-medical ways to relieve tinnitus?
Wednesday, July 21st, 2010 at
6:09 pm
Any idea on how to supress its effect or make it more tolerable would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!
Filed under: Tinnitus
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Patients with asymmetric hearing loss and/or unilateral tinnitus should always have additional testing with an otolaryngology specialist. Patients with pulsatile tinnitus must have specialty care and should be seen as soon as possible. If a clear cause for tinnitus is not found, the clinician still has many options for care and treatment.
Treatment Strategies
As there are so many diverse causes for tinnitus, treatment must be aimed at the underlying health problem. Once a negative work-up is completed, strategies for comfort and relief become important to the patient’s quality of life. Many of these treatment modalities are anecdotal and lack rigorous study but have been found to be beneficial.
Lifestyle changes may lessen the severity of tinnitus. All of the following modalities can easily be implemented in a primary care setting:
*Regular exercise to increase circulation to head and neck structures
*Avoidance of alcohol, smoking, caffeine, and cheese, as these substances may aggravate tinnitus intensity
*Decrease in salt intake
*Adequate rest to avoid fatigue
*Avoidance of exposure to loud noises
*Blood pressure control
*Relaxation exercises
*Playing soothing music or using a "white noise" machine (fan) to help cover tinnitus, especially at bedtime.
There are also various treatment protocols that may help to manage persistent tinnitus and should be started only after specialty evaluation.
*Medications — anticonvulsant agents such as carbamazepine (Tegretol) and diphenylhydantoin (Dilantin) may diminish tinnitus by suppressing hyperreactivity within the auditory system.[1]Antianxiety agents such as diazepam (Valium) help the patient manage stress related to the health problem.
A referral to an audiologist is helpful in choosing the following treatment modalities:
*Masking — involves the use of small devices, much like hearing aids, to introduce an external, pleasant, low-volume sound that reduces perception of the tinnitus.[2] These devices can be purchased and tuned by a hearing aid manufacturer to mask irritating sounds.
*Tinnitus-retraining therapy (TRT) — combines masking with education and counseling to reduce patient awareness of tinnitus.
*Hearing aids to correct any underlying loss that may increase existing tinnitus.
Patient Education
As most patients with subjective tinnitus will have a negative work-up, good advice for patients is to become educated about the symptom and current research surrounding various treatments. The American Tinnitus Association[3] has taken a lead in providing educational materials for both patients and healthcare providers. There are also many support groups throughout the United States.
Conclusion
Many healthcare providers tend to dismiss patients with tinnitus after evaluation and diagnosis of idiopathic disease, often telling them that nothing more can be medically done. However, a focus on interdisciplinary care with a specialist, an audiologist, and complementary providers will result in a more informed primary care provider, as well as a patient whose needs are met and whose symptoms of unwanted noise are effectively reduced.
Stay away from caffeine, any and all. Limit salt intake.