In this article, we will look at some of the most effective treatments and techniques available today, for getting your life back - from the devastating condition of tinnitus.
Medications
There is no drug currently available to "cure" tinnitus - but there are medications which can provide valuable initial relief for many sufferers. Life-changing relief... which gives some welcome respite and allows the sufferer time to work with other treatments and approaches - to gain a more permanent solution.
I say initial relief, but it is rarely instant. In fact it is common for people to experience a worsening of their noise for the first few days or weeks - when they begin to take some types of medication.
Important: It is unlikely that your doctor will be able to prescribe any of the following medications for your tinnitus (depending on which country you live in) - they are not allowed to. You will usually need to ask for treatment from the disorder they are intended for.
The three most effective types of medications are;
Anti-anxiety - drugs such as Benzodiazepines, Ativan, Klonopin, Serax and Xanax. They can take an average of 1 - 3 months to kick in, but don't normally cause a worsening of the noise during that time. A study has shown over 70% of sufferers experienced an almost halving of their noise at the end of the third month.
Anti-depressants - Tricyclics such as Pamelor or SSRI's like Zoloft, Lexapro, Paxil, Effexor, or Celexa. Many people report an initial increase in noise for the first few days - even a week or two - before feeling a benefit.
Anticonvulsant drugs - such as Neurontin, Klonopin and Tegretol
None of these medications will reduce the level of tinnitus as such - what they do is to alter the state of your brain, so it acknowledges, accepts and responds to your noise in a less compulsive way. They can only control the symptoms - not tackle the root cause.
So you will see medications available today will not provide remission by themselves. What they do offer is very valuable relief - giving you the time and strength to work on a more permanent solution.
Habituation
An important process on the road to recovery - there are a number of different techniques for attaining an "acceptance" of your condition.
Tinnitus Retraining Therapy (TRT) - is an option where there is no apparent medical reason for tinnitus - where the disorder is in the brain rather than the ear.
It is a gradual retraining of the brain by delivering precise sound therapy to the sufferer - using a white noise generator. By slowly increasing the volume of the white noise the person hears throughout the day, the brain is focused on "hearing" the real noise above the noises of the tinnitus.
Neuronomics - one of the newest breakthroughs in tinnitus treatment, and at first glance it is similar to TRT. The difference is it delivers a customised and precise sound, designed upon your personal audiological profile. It is said to reprogram and "heal" the brain - developing new transmitters to filter out the noises naturally.
Habituation can also be attained through the continuous use of masking techniques - using proven "clinical" sounds at just the right pitch, or comforting common sounds. Some people find classical music very calming and soothing - whilst others prefer relaxing natural sounds such as wind rustling in the trees, a babbling brook, or the sound of the ocean gently crashing on the shore.
You can purchase special tinnitus masking recordings which you play through headphones on your iPod or mp3 player.
Hypnotherapy and Self Hypnosis
Hypnotherapy has a high success rate when carried out by practitioners who specialise in tinnitus disorders - the only problem is there are very few worldwide who are sufficiently qualified to do so.
Good self-hypnosis programs have very similar success levels - with nearly 70% of people who use well designed self-hypnosis programming experiencing long-term significant reduction in their tinnitus volume.
Lifestyle Changes
Some of the greatest advances in recent years have been an understanding of how mindset and the way we live of lives today, is influencing our susceptibility and suffering from tinnitus.
Not only in controlling how we "think" about our noise and how we learn to deal with the emotional side of tinnitus - but also in our everyday routines.
How high levels of stress, anxiety and depression affect not only our predisposition to tinnitus - but also how severely we are likely to suffer the symptoms.
How critical diet, nutrition, our immune system and restoring the overall "balance" of our whole body is - in obtaining long-term and permanent relief.
This is why an all round multi-process "holistic" approach is the only real way to successfully treat your condition.
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