What you need to know about Tinnitus

Chances are that you have experienced tinnitus, which is the perception of sound (i.e. buzzing, ringing, chirping) in the absence of an external sound, at some time in your life. This is normal. The most common cause of tinnitus is hearing loss. In fact, since hearing loss is typically gradual and progresses as we age, most people notice tinnitus before they notice their hearing loss. Tinnitus can occur in persons with “normal” hearing, but people in this category who are bothered by their tinnitus are the exception rather than the rule. In some cases, tinnitus could be a sign of an underlaying disease that would require medical intervention. If you are concerned about your tinnitus, then please contact us to schedule a comprehensive hearing evaluation. This is the first step in identifying the cause of your tinnitus and developing an individualized treatment plan to manage it.

In general terms, there are two types of persons with tinnitus; those who are bothered and those who are not bothered by their tinnitus. A typical person who is not bothered by their tinnitus has learned to either ignore it, or to not pay a lot of attention to it. This person may say to themself, “Yes, I have tinnitus, but it’s because I have a mild hearing loss and it’s no big deal”. On the other hand, a typical person who is bothered by their tinnitus can’t ignore it and tends to focus on the tinnitus to the extent that it may dominate their thoughts and concentration. This person, whether they are hearing impaired or not, can become caught in a feed-forward emotional response to the tinnitus where the tinnitus causes anxiety, and the anxiety in turn focuses the persons attention on their tinnitus. If you want to know whether your tinnitus is bothersome enough to warrant intervention, you can download the Tinnitus Handicap Inventory, fill it out, and email it to me so I can interpret the results for you.

In the absence of an underlaying medical etiology, persons suffering from bothersome tinnitus are best managed using one or more Tinnitus Retraining Therapies, such as the Progressive Tinnitus Management program developed by the VA or by Cognitive Behavioral Therapy plus Noise-maskers. Each of these programs incorporates audiological and psychological healthcare providers and aims to move the patient who is bothered by their tinnitus to a patient who is not bothered by their tinnitus. More recently, the FDA has approved two new devices using Bi-modal Stimulation to reduce bothersome tinnitus. These devices pair an auditory stimulus with a somatosensory stimulus to stimulate the part of the brain where tinnitus is generated in an attempt to suppress it. I have hundreds of tinnitus patients and have successfully treated the vast majority of them using these methods.

I would like to note that I am also a tinnitus patient. I commonly wake up in the wee hours in the morning and hear a very loud “eeeeeeeeeeeeeeee” in both ears. I used to be extremely bothered by this, but I successfully manage my tinnitus using Cognitive-Behavior Therapy plus Noise-maskers, which is the same program I use in my clinic. If you are bothered by your tinnitus and have a hearing loss, then WEAR YOUR HEARING AIDS! If you use them all day every day for 10 months or so your tinnitus will likely be suppressed. If you are wearing your hearing aids as recommended and are still bothered by your tinnitus, then please contact me.

Lastly, persons suffering from tinnitus can be desperate for help. If you or your loved one has thoughts of self-harm due to tinnitus or any other reason, then please pick up any phone and dial 988 or go to 988lifeline.org . Help is available - Speak with someone today!

If you want help managing your tinnitus, or want more information, then please contact me.

I Would Love to Help!

Mark A Parker PhD CCC-A

Bi-modal haptic device that pairs somatosensory and auditory stimuli. Contact me to see if this tinnitus treatment option is right for you.