One popular treatment for tinnitus is tinnitus masking. It was created based on the notion that when tinnitus sufferers listen to relaxing sounds, their noises in their heads would become less noticeable. This method was developed by Dr. Jack Vernon in the mid 1970s.
Tinnitus masking basically helps people pay less attention to the irritating noises in their heads through tinnitus maskers. Tinnitus maskers are devices that play recorded sounds on a CD or MP3 player hooked up to a pillow or a headset. Tinnitus masking generally utilizes the soothing sounds of the ocean, waterfall or other “white noises”.
Recently, a more comprehensive approach to tinnitus masking has been developed, known as tinnitus retraining therapy. This approach involves therapy in addition to the tinnitus maskers.
The tinnitus retraining therapy involves directive counseling to engage the patient in discussion about the tinnitus. By educating the patients about their tinnitus, the patients become less anxious and fearful. The theory is a person who receives therapy targeted at his tinnitus will ultimately be less bothered by it.
The second component of tinnitus retraining therapy is sound therapy. During the sound therapy, the patient listens to a soft sound for eight hours a day, for the duration of a year-and-a-half. The sounds come from a noise generator. (It is similar to a tinnitus masker, but the sounds are softer.) After a while, the patients become used to both sounds, and no longer pay attention to either. When this happens, they are considered “habituated.” At this point, the use of the noise generator is discontinued.
The Tufts Unversity Health & Nutrition Letter (May, 2003) interviews Susan L. Gold, MA, CCC-SLP/A, an audiologist from the University of Maryland Tinnitus and Hyperacusis Center. Even she admits that with regard to tinnitus retraining therapy, it takes a long time, and it doesn’t work for everyone.
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Tinnitus is believed to be the result of injury to the auditory system, which then causes neurons to be triggered for no apparent reason. The brain, in turn, perceives this as sound, even though no external sound is present.
The extent to which a person is bothered by it will determine how likely the person is to seek treatment. Many people with tinnitus suffer from insomnia and depression. This interferes with their ability to perform their usual work and social activities.
One treatment is tinnitus masking. It is based on the idea that having tinnitus sufferers listen to an outside noise will make their internal noise less noticeable. This concept was discovered by Dr. Jack Vernon in the mid 1970s.
At night, when it is quiet, the sounds generated by tinnitus are annoying. The sufferer can opt to listen to calming sounds played on a CD or MP3 player hooked up to a pillow, or choose to wear a headset. Tinnitus masking usually involves calming sounds of the ocean, rainfall or other “white noises”.
Does tinnitus masking work?
There are some professionals who believe that tinnitus masking can lead to habituation. This is another term for teaching the brain to become less stimulated by sound, so that a person no longer notices the noises.
The problem with tinnitus masking is that it doesn’t work for everyone. Some people with tinnitus don’t obtain relief through the tinnitus masking process. Likewise, there are those who continually use the masking devices and never experience habituation. For all victims of tinnitus, we recommend our product, Tinnitus DX, a dietary supplement for tinnitus.
There are many people who crave tinnitus relief, and want the ringing of the ears to just go away. The tinnitus keeps these sufferers up at night, and prevents them from getting enough sleep.
How can these victims obtain tinnitus relief?
Rachel Meltzer in her article (Prevention; July, 2006), cites a study done at Washington University. Tinnitus sufferers were given 3 mg of melatonin each day for a month. (Melatonin is an amino acid, a natural remedy used to aid sleep.) The researchers interviewed the patients the following month, after they stopped taking the melatonin.
The participants in the study experienced a partial tinnitus relief. Their symptoms were reduced by 30%. Although their sleep improved in the first month of the study, they still continued to sleep better even when they were off the melatonin.
This study seems to imply that increasing the amount of sleep will help relieve tinnitus symptoms. However, whether melatonin is the best possible remedy is questionable.
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Douglas Nelson, a licensed massage therapist (Massage & Bodywork, Sept./Oct. 2009) writes about a call from a woman with tinnitus. Following a car accident, she developed ringing in the ears – tinnitus. She traveled to numerous doctors for a cure for her tinnitus, and underwent numerous tests. However, no tinnitus cure was offered.
Ultimately, she discovered that pushing up on the jaw stopped the ringing. Was this a cure of tinnitus?
What is the connection between tinnitus and the jaw?
Mr. Nelson cites a study by Carina A.C. Rocha and Tanit Ganz Sanchez from the University of Sao Paulo School of Medicine. In this study, people with tinnitus had their muscles surrounding the jaw examined. These muscles are collectively known as “trigger points,” which are areas that when aggravated, will cause tinnitus. According to the same study, treating these trigger points with neuromuscular therapy reduced the symptoms of the tinnitus.
Based on her symptoms and the literature, Mr. Nelson prescribed precision neuromuscular therapy (similar to massage therapy) for treatment of her tinnitus.
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