Tinnitus is nothing new. But maybe it’s new to you, like a noisy used car you can’t take back. Normally, though not always, tinnitus presents as an incessant ringing or buzzing in the ears. Often, the sound is very overwhelming. Regardless of how tinnitus manifests for you, this point is most likely true: you are most likely looking for new ways of handling your tinnitus if it’s something that’s bothering you.
In that, you’re lucky because while tinnitus doesn’t yet have an overall cure, there are a few novel treatments that can help you manage symptoms. Some of those therapies even concern your tongue.
Most Recent Approaches to Tinnitus
One of the newest therapies for tinnitus sounds somewhat odd at first but does seem to show some promise. This device, developed at the Trinity College School of Medicine in Dublin, stimulates both the ear and the tongue. Bi-modal neurostimulation is the technical term for this method.
The results were rather impressive with this device based on the first tests. 12 weeks was about the duration that most people were treated. Those same people noted a significant reduction in their tinnitus symptoms, and the results lasted up to twelve months. But this kind of therapy is still in testing and not widely available yet.
What Can I do Now to Find Tinnitus Relief?
Of course, it takes a while for technology to work their way from research and development to patient accessibility. So perhaps you’re curious about what can be done now to help control your tinnitus.
There are, fortunately, some tinnitus management devices that has recently come onto the market. And one of the best new ways to manage tinnitus is something you’ve most likely already heard of: your hearing aid.
It works like this:
Everyday sounds are boosted by hearing aids. When you start losing your hearing, external diminish and that can make the internal sounds of tinnitus get louder. A hearing aid can boost the volume on the rest of the audio spectrum. By increasing the volume of outside sounds, your tinnitus sounds will often vanish into the background.
There is a sound masking device comparable to a modern hearing aid. A masking device could be the answer if your hearing loss is mild. A hearing aid has a comparable appearance to a masking device. And many hearing aids can be augmented with masking technology. Your tinnitus symptoms can be masked by sounds produced by this type of technology. At times this will be a tone, in other cases, it might be some white noise. Whatever is going to best hide the humming in your ears.
This is, naturally, just the beginning. We can show you devices that work best with tinnitus. Contact us.