Cure to Tinnitus Found!

[DrummerJonny]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/8285518.stm

 

Two teenage students and their teacher say they have a web-based cure for the ringing in the ears experienced after exposure to high volumes.

 

"The device works by introducing a low frequency noise to the affected ear, which helps straighten nerve endings... distorted by loud noise.

 

"These distorted nerve endings are possibly responsible for the tinnitus associated with loud noise exposure.

 

 

I think I'll stick to Earplugs. they seem to stop my ears ringing quite well...

 

so, people with more knowledge than me:

is this a pile of.... ? can it really "Cure" the damage? would this allow me to deafen myself then fix it again?

[StevenW2]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/8285518.stm

 

Two teenage students and their teacher say they have a web-based cure for the ringing in the ears experienced after exposure to high volumes.

 

"The device works by introducing a low frequency noise to the affected ear, which helps straighten nerve endings... distorted by loud noise.

 

"These distorted nerve endings are possibly responsible for the tinnitus associated with loud noise exposure.

 

 

I think I'll stick to Earplugs. they seem to stop my ears ringing quite well...

 

so, people with more knowledge than me:

is this a pile of.... ? can it really "Cure" the damage? would this allow me to deafen myself then fix it again?

 

I always understood that the damage was irreversible. Straightens the nerve endings....a new one on me, but I'll research it over the Christmas hols. It may help with the ringing after exposure, but it ain't gonna stop you going deaf is my advice, so stick with your plugs!

 

(As well as working in the Pro Audio Industry I am a registered Pharmacist and work part-time for Boots and other Pharmacies - my daughter and her boyfriend are both medical students, so I'll get them to research it too!)

[djw1981]

Certainly from my Medical finals ENT lectures last Friday done by a guy with a serious interest in Tinnitus, most of the problem is short term and is caused by a certain amount of physical damage - which after one night's 'abuse' may recover, but over time become damaged beyond repair. and also a large psychological component. Thus one of the treatment strategies is to train your brain to tune out the affected frequencies which affects your enjoyment of music and speech, but does mean that you no longer have the sound (ringing, weaves breaking, whistling etc) in your consciousness.

 

Also without being sceptical, the equipment and experience available to two teenage students and their teacher seems hardly to be in the right ball park. If it was sound engineering students & audiology students etc then I may be more persuaded that the idea has some merit.

 

The BBC article refers to temporary tinnitus - e.g. post loud-gig noise - which resolves after 24hrsa on it's own normally. They don;t seem to have proved that their solution actually restores anything, but maybe speeds resolution.. The tinnitus itself is maybe a wee warning from your body of what might happen if one continues to subject it to such treatment.

The concept won the runners-up prize at the BT Young Scientist and Technology Exhibition - but some audiologists are calling for a cautious response.

"The problem with tinnitus is... there are multiple proposed mechanisms for its cause, and thus a single treatment, or cure, will be difficult to find."

 

David Baguley, head of audiology at Cambridge University Hospitals and adviser to the British Tinnitus Association, agreed caution was vital.

"Innovative approaches to tinnitus treatment are generally to be encouraged, but they must be subjected to scientific and clinical scrutiny before they can be deemed safe and effective."