Tinnitus is nothing new. But perhaps it’s new to you, like a loud used car you can’t take back. A relentless ringing or buzzing is commonly how tinnitus is experienced but not always. Sometimes, the sound is very intense. However tinnitus is experienced by you, this point is most likely true: if tinnitus is bothering you, you may be searching for some new ways to manage your symptoms.
In that, you’re in luck because while tinnitus doesn’t yet have a universal cure, there are a few new treatments that can help you deal with symptoms. Your tongue is even involved in certain of those therapies.
The Newest Way to Manage Tinnitus
One of the newest treatment options for tinnitus sounds somewhat weird at first but does appear to show some promise. Both the ear and the tongue are stimulated with this device developed at the Trinity School of Medicine in Dublin. Bi-modal neurostimulation is the technical term for this method.
Based on the first tests of this device, the results were pretty optimistic. 12 weeks was about how long most individuals were treated. Those same people detected a significant decrease in their tinnitus symptoms, and the results continued for up to twelve months. But until the testing phase is finished it won’t be widely available.
How Can I Get Tinnitus Relief Now?
Of course, it takes a while for devices to work their way from research and development to patient accessibility. So how can you control your tinnitus now?
Fortunately, there are some newer tinnitus therapy devices available today. And one of the best new ways to manage tinnitus is something you’ve likely already heard of: your hearing aid.
Here’s how it works:
Your hearing aid can give you something else to listen to. One reason why tinnitus becomes more noticeable as your hearing wanes is that the stays loud while everything else becomes quieter. A hearing aid can raise the volume on the rest of the audio spectrum. By boosting the volume of external sounds, your tinnitus sounds will often fade into the background.
There is a sound masking device similar to a modern hearing aid. If your hearing loss is fairly mild, then a masking device might be the best way to treat your symptoms. A masking device basically looks like a hearing aid. And some hearing aids can be enhanced with masking technology. Your tinnitus symptoms can be masked by sounds produced by this kind of technology. Whatever sound will best mask the ringing in your ears will be used, from white noise to a specific tone.
Obviously, this is only a starting point. We can show you devices that work best for tinnitus. Give us a call.
