A New Natural Solution For “Ringing In The Ears”

There are currently no FDA–approved treatments for tinnitus, a condition that affects 15 percent of U.S. adults, with two-thirds reporting it as debilitating. It’s not surprising that tinnitus sufferers are desperate for a solution. The buzzing, ringing sounds of the condition can dramatically impact your day-to-day life leading to sleep, concentration, and emotional problems. Some treatments can help, but one that brings substantial relief is urgently needed.

Well, there’s good news. Researchers from the University of Michigan have developed such a treatment and hope it will be offered to the public in the near future. Meanwhile, there are a number of other natural treatments that can help you…

It wasn’t until 2015 that The American Academy of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery Foundation released guidelines on managing tinnitus. If the condition is distressful and has been ongoing for at least six months, they suggest cognitive behavioral therapy or masking sound therapy, which retrains the way the brain interprets tinnitus.

Meanwhile, neuroscientist and former audiologist Susan Shore has been working on an alternative solution after spending three decades conducting rigorous research into tinnitus.

Most sufferers have somatic tinnitus

Using a model of tinnitus in guinea pigs, she found neurons that fire in response to sound share connections and synchronize with other neurons in the face and neck that form part of the somatic, or somatosensory, nervous system.

About 70 percent of people have this form of tinnitus whereby the tinnitus sound can be altered by moving the head, neck, jaw, or eyes, or by clenching the jaw or applying pressure to the forehead.

Professor Shore and her team learned from their animal research how the two systems are paired and come together in the dorsal cochlear nucleus located on the brainstem, where the signals become overactive. This allowed them to develop a way to change how neurons fire and turn tinnitus down.

Their method uses precisely timed sounds and weak electrical pulses to activate touch-sensitive nerves. They tested it in a small human trial published in 2018. The results were very encouraging. This led them to repeat the trial in a larger cohort of patients and for a longer duration with amazing results.

Simple, at-home treatment

For the trial, the research team enrolled 99 individuals with bothersome tinnitus, somatic tinnitus or normal to moderate hearing loss. Researchers gave them all a portable device to take home to use for 30 minutes a day. It included an in-ear headphone to provide acoustic stimulation, and electrodes to attach to the face or neck to provide either electrical stimulation or no (sham) stimulation.

In the first phase of the trial, which ran for six weeks, participants were randomly assigned to receive either both forms of stimulation or auditory stimulation alone. Since the electrical impulses aren’t perceptible, neither the active nor the sham group knew which treatment they were getting.

The second (washout) phase of the trial was a six-week break where they received no treatments. The third phase of the trial lasted another six weeks. This was a repeat of the first phase, but the active and sham groups were switched around. Every week, participants completed validated questionnaires that measured the impact tinnitus has on a person’s life. Participants also had their tinnitus volume assessed during this time.

Slashes volume by half

The results showed that when bi-sensory treatment was received, participants consistently reported a significant 50 percent reduction in tinnitus volume, lower handicap scores, and improved quality of life. Even during the washout phase, their quality of life continued to improve, with the effects of treatment lasting up to 36 weeks. None of these benefits were seen with sound-only stimulation.

A delighted professor Shore explained, saying, “This study paves the way for the use of personalized, bi-sensory stimulation as an effective treatment for tinnitus, providing hope for millions of tinnitus sufferers.”

The company Auricle Inc. is working towards gaining regulatory clearance and then commercializing Professor Shore’s novel bi-sensory tinnitus treatment. But there are other natural treatments for tinnitus that are effective…

Other tinnitus treatments

Cognitive behavioral therapy is a primary treatment for tinnitus. It works to change the way people think about and respond to tinnitus. There’s also a hearing aid type device that generates low-level white noise to mask the sounds of tinnitus. Additionally, some tinnitus sufferers have had good results with biofeedback therapy and stress management.

For more information on tinnitus treatments, visit the American Tinnitus Association.

I have mild tinnitus myself, so I’ll be keeping an eye (and ear) on future research. As with many chronic health issues, general health can affect the severity and impact of tinnitus, so – as always – it’s important to eat a healthy diet, get regular exercise, sleep well, and manage stress.

Best regards,
The Green Valley Team