[jonbee]

As I've written here before, I've had very annoying tinnitus 24/7 for several years. I don't listen to music particularly loudly, and haven't had exposure to loud industrial noise pollution but starting a bit after age 60 (now 67) I've had this affliction, which has caused me to revamp my systems so I can get the most out of my listening time.
I've been to audiologists, etc., tried diet supplements, etc., without results.
For the last month I've been trying an interesting audio based therapy, which aims to re-train the auditory processing part of the brain. The website asks you to identify, using the site, the center frequency and tonal aspects of your tinnitus, then creates mp3 files of white noise or natural sounds that have had the contour of your tinnitus "notched" out of the content. You download these files and listen to them for 1 to 3 hours a day (the more the better) at a volume that matches the volume of the tinnitus.
I had read that this may be a promising approach, so I paid a little $ for a 2 month subscription, created and downloaded some "notched" white noise mp3 files to my devices, and have put in a couple hours a day listening to this shaped white noise. Kind of boring, but mostly I just do it at my desk at work, from my tablet at home, and from my phone if I'm moving around.
The results are somewhat encouraging. I didn't notice benefit for the first week or two, but since then I believe there has been some steady improvement, on the order of 3 to 5 db.
The research that has been done on this is not large scale or long term, and my results are certainly not yet conclusive, but it is pretty cheap and not too hard to do. FWIW, they offer a money back guarantee.
I haven't seen any reports that it "cures" tinnitus, but some of the limited research shows reduction of up to 15 db after a couple of months, which I would be very happy with.
As always, I'm not dispensing advice, and we all know just how different our hearing processes are from one another.
I'll keep it up for a couple more months, and will report back, but I wanted to pass it along.
Website:
http://www.audionotch.com/home

[StereoNut]

Keep us posted. I too suffer from this annoying "ringing" 24/7.  If you have truly found something that REALLY works, then I have to try it.

SN

[Mike-48]

Yes, please do follow up! Many -- especially those over 60 -- suffer from tinnitus, and any successful approach would be welcome.

[jriggy]

Cut out caffeine, go on an extremely low sodium diet and do not drink alcohol. Also Gluten is an inflammatory and seems to 'add' to it just like the others listed...
I just started Lipo Flavonoid a few days ago. It really worked for a few days but does not seem to be working today 

[mresseguie]

Jonbee,

Good to hear from you.

I hadn't known about this particular organization. However, I've known of a similar organization in Portland, Oregon for a couple months, but I have not tried their program yet because I have been receiving acupuncture sessions and taking unpleasant herbal medicine that is claimed to improve/repair hearing problems while I'm in Taiwan.

While I have tinnitus, it is not as bad as my hyper-acusis. This is truly annoying to me. It had been okay (slightly bothersome at outdoor concerts and over-amplified venues) until September of last year when a friend blasted my ears with his very loud laughter a couple feet in front of me. He had no way of knowing anything would come of it, but I knew instantly that damage had been done.

The following several months weee very difficult for me. Talking on the phone only made it worse. I had to tell everyone to speak quietly lest their loud voices blast my ears with more damage. This all happened mere days before my late father collapsed. His collapse necessitated my taking over his care and forcing me to interact with caregivers, lawyers, family members, etc. It was horrible timing for my ears to be so damaged.

Fast forward to our arrival in Taiwan in December. We have good friends who are Chinese Medical doctors who are husband and wife. The woman is the better trained of the two (and has better skill!). She told me about the acupuncture technique when she learned of my condition. I figured what the hell. I'll try it. I was losing my hearing anyway!

Each session lasts about an hour with up to 25 needles inserted into my head. The needles stimulate blood flow in my ears. Some days I can feel and hear a difference immediately. Other days there's a lag of a couple hours to half a day. I've had about 20 sessions so far and my ears are much improved. The damned hyper-acusis is much better. It's still with me, but it's now livable. I no longer cringe in fear/pain when a baby screams or a car horn blasts. I am still careful of loud noises, but I can now listen to music at near normal volumes. My tinnitus is still my ever present companion. I haven't noticed a reduction yet.

I'm not a doctor nor am I an expert in this field. I'm just another sufferer who has found some relief that I honestly didn't believe could be had. I thought I was going to suffer this until I eventually went deaf. Western medicine says there's no cure for my condition. There is the white noise retraining of the brain, but no serious medical mention of acupuncture. It is helping me. It might help you or ithers. According to the Doctor in Taiwan, most of her colleagues have not had the training to know the correct points to stimulate the blood circulation. I drive an hour to see her.

I'll add more later because it's 2:00 am where I am in Chiang Mai, Thailand.

Good night and good luck.

Michael

[Rusty Jefferson]

Thanks for starting this thread.  I just read an article about this therapy in the past few weeks.  I've already sent a link to this thread and the link you provided to some friends with tinnitus.  Keep us posted with your results.  Good luck getting some relief.

[dB Cooper]

This is important stuff. I suffer from mild tinnitus. In addition to noise-related causes, it can be worsened by high BP amongst other things. So have those things checked out.

There are lots of young people where I work and some of them, you can hear their earbuds clearly from 4-5 feet away in quiet areas. They are damaging their hearing. Raise awareness where you can. One mother I helped the other day was very grateful when I told her about the volume limiter function on her son's iDevice. I also bought a set of Etymotic high fidelity earplugs for concerts and movies (they play movie trailers loud as f*** now.)

[GRACE RUBY]

Yes, please do follow up! Many -- especially those over 60 -- suffer from tinnitus, and any successful approach would be welcome.

Hello mike....ladies and gentlemen. tinnitus cured

Some time way back,  I posted here I had never really had any significant  tinnitus, about that time I had a home invasion, which i will skip the details of, but facts are, this left me stunned emotionally and physically to this very second, it discolored every single aspect of my life, I sometimes watched as my body "Re-traumatized" even tho there was no threat around me. my hands would shake, adrenaline eruptions from no where, got mild type 2 diabetes and oxymoronic I do part time crisis intervention. so I took some real steps, burned candles to read by at night, read good stuff too, did not per take part at all in the current binge of dark grave yard market movies and you name it.

And really never have.

I know from watching others that this "cycling post after shock feed back"  had to cycle it self thru, I even came here to escape, left awful post sometimes. for which I am sure the happier among you for give, sometimes the writing was just bad, but I knew each time I had any sort of "Post" PTSD event, it meant "I was getting better" cause they keep getting smaller.   

What is happening in this type of "Degassing Cycle" is that the body and sub conscious are venting what came in at the event of danger, its a dam slow process, and a huge shout out to those of you who gave me support during that time, and reminding all, such kindness is its own reward.

To the pith of it, at the end of this cycle, I had some tight joints, etc, pneumonia, a few weeks of codeine     
cough syrup, that was a real turning point, laying in bed for weeks, neighbors in and out leaving food.

Nice!!!!

But sometimes we need a vacation down time from our vacation, and a recovery from our recovery,,,,,I gained weight, was out of shape and I had tinnitus

I had seen chiropractors work wonders on assault survivors, So I found a dirt cheap one that included a 10 min massage, and went 2 times a week for 2 weeks, first time i went in, it was just like getting out of a dam iron a box, and was truly really life changing  2nd week the tinnitus was 80 percent gone, now if i lift 10 lb. hand weights every morning to music, drink my 8 glasses of water a day.....walk weather permitting, plus juice a salad every other day, its completely gone.

But there are Trigger events

I have a big boy analog controlled digital amp, is sparkles, but it has like zero listening fatigue, I sleep in front of it to slow jazz and nature music all the time. screeching music is a big no no, because it is toxic to the body TOO. 
I must say, if i have any ringing, there is always something else screwy going on, lack of 8 hours sleep, junk food, carbonated liquids or anger, and about the latter, forgiveness does not mean condoning some ones else's transgressions, forgiveness, is so someone can no longer hurt us.
And don't laugh, LOVE is the biggest help for me,,,,,, giving it and getting it 


And wow was it and still is, nice to read by candle light, I have this three back mirrors single candle holder holder that is way bright. if the good life is not reading the "Forest of Arden" from 1870 by candle light nothing is 

I think almost always, tinnitus is a symptom of something else,  not a cause
and thanks again for all the kindness here
IMHO 

GRACE RUBY

 

[FullRangeMan]

Cut out caffeine, go on an extremely low sodium diet and do not drink alcohol. Also Gluten is an inflammatory and seems to 'add' to it just like the others listed...

+1 some teas may have strong caffeine.

[FullRangeMan]

I think almost always, tinnitus is a symptom of something else,  not a cause
and thanks again for all the kindness here
IMHO 

Correct. These Bach Floral remedies helped me a lot in several problems, I sure they can help tinnitus and emotional shocks. 
http://www.bachfloweradvice.co.uk/info/tinnitus/ear-problems-and-tinnitus-read-how-bach-flowers-can-help.htm

[ctviggen]

Tinnitus also benefits from a low carbohydrate diet:

http://www.pehni.com/patient_ed/dn_tinnitusinsulin.htm

You can also search for "tinnitus low carb study", as I've seen studies with a beneficial result in symptoms for people on low carb.

By the way, the recommendation to limit salt is dangerous.  Lowered salt intake may CAUSE heart disease, arrhythmia, etc.

https://eathropology.com/2013/05/21/the-nacl-debacle-part-2-we-dont-need-no-stinkin-science-2/

https://eathropology.com/2013/05/20/the-nacl-debacle-part-1-salt-makes-you-fat-2/

http://garytaubes.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/science-political-science-of-salt.pdf

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/06/03/opinion/sunday/we-only-think-we-know-the-truth-about-salt.html

[jriggy]

 Do you snore??

Some snoring can be quite loud and loud IN the head no matter what. All that noise and vibrating right there as noise exposure.

After getting my "T" in 'control' I was still getting these random bouts, where I would be pretty ok, then wake up the next day with it elevated and sometimes badly elevated! In chatting with my wife trying to figure out what else was left...she said "well, you did snore last night." BINGO! That was the cause of the random bouts of T.

I have taken some measures to stop snoring altogether. Now my head no longer produces a noise, for who knows how long, through out the night and I wake MUCH 'clearer' everyday and with a better T baseline to work with through the day... So take measures to open up your breathing pathway --nasal, sinus and jaw. Empty sinuses with a neti-pot rinse before bed, put on a nasal-strip and wear an anti snoring mouthguard device and maybe even a jaw support head band if you need one (like if you sleep on your back). The new Zyppah product with the tong strap is the one for me...

We all may have different T and for/from different things but my problem is my ears test at 5db (I think its the lowest vol level they can test at), when most people test in the 25db range for 'normal' hearing... Its my super power and my curse... So even though I have T I can hear the finer nuances of an audio system. My personal damage is some at 6k going down to 8k, where it drops to what is normal for most others.

I am definitely going to look into the Audio Notch link. That might be perfect for my kind of T. The chiropractic suggestion is also a next step for me.

Hang in there chaps!
 ~J

[jonbee]

Fyi- I just reviewed the data from the survey that the site sends out to customers. Not a large sample- 31 respondents. Around 58% report at least some reduction in symptoms, with a few reporting large improvement, but there is also a wide variability in the amount of time the treatment is used, from less than 1 hour a day to over 3. As this is a retraining exercise, I  think time exposed is a critical variable. I average 2 hours a day.
For myself, after a month, I'm quite sure mine is improved some, but is still pretty annoying. Any help is welcome at this stage.
Encouraging enough that I'm committed to another month or two anyway.
My wife reports I don't snore.

[jonbee]

Here's an update. I've been listening to my "noise therapy" for 2 more weeks, about 6 weeks total. I've missed a couple of days, but otherwise am doing ~2 hours/day average.
I can now state that it is helping. After a session, the tinnitus is subjectively less than before the session, and today, for the first day in at least 5 or 6 years, it is almost unnoticeable. Also, I formerly had some days where the tinnitus was VERY loud, like standing next to a freeway. I've had no days like that since beginning the therapy. Subjectively, I'd estimate the reduction to be in the 6-8db range. Not gone, but much less intrusive.
I'm getting kind of jazzed about this, and will keep the therapy going. The days I haven't done it is because I've forgotten about the tinnitus- a good thing in itself.
There's a lot I don't know, like whether this is permanent improvement or occurs only while doing the therapy, but I'm committed to finding those answers.
Needless to say, tinnitus has multiple causes, and this may not be widely reproducible, but it is cheap and easy to try.
BTW, most of my listening is done from my phone or work computer, onto which I've downloaded the mp3 file sent by email. You can also download the files directly from their website to your devices. This makes it easy to get the time in.

[jriggy]

Could you speak about how it was "tuning" the dip to your personal situation and how that worked?

[jonbee]

Sure. After you create an account (free), you click tune.
To tune, hit the play button to play the pre-selected center frequency of the sound. Select the wave type whose tonal pattern seems closest to your own tinnitus, (mine is filtered noise), then move the slider back and forth until the pitch lines up with your tinnitus. I found when I got it exactly right there was a slight "null" in the sound. It took me 3 or 4 tries to get the match right. I started at ~6400hz, then moved it up and down, finally to 7khz. They say it is helpful but not critical to get it very close to matching.
Click Create therapy, then select the type of sound file you want- based on music, natural sounds, or white noise. I tried natural sound first (waves), then white noise, as I had read that white noise works best (which may or may not be true).

You then select the time length of the file- 5 minutes is 12 MB in size, FYI. It creates the file and then you can download it. It saves your files on the site for you.

Today I'm enjoying listening to music more than in a long time. Dare I hope it will actually succeed long term?
Good luck!
 

[JakeJ]

Gratuitous post so I can keep track of this thread.  Well...that and I have tinnitus issues as well.

Thanks for the info jonbee!

[jonbee]

Just an update and some preliminary conclusions.
I've been listening to the shaped noise for about 2.5 months, averaging probably 1.5 to 2 hours per day over the span.
My previous reactions stand- it does lessen the volume of the tinnitus noticeably, maybe subjectively as much as 6 db.
A welcome relief for me. Before the treatment my tinnitus was very much in the foreground and I had to "listen around it" at times. This was annoying 24/7 and a real buzzkill for music enjoyment.
Now, I can ignore it much more easily, and listening to music is less work.
I hope it can help others, but it is a hit and miss treatment, I expect.

[FullRangeMan]

Congratulations for the persistence

[timind]

Another tinnitus sufferer here. I started the Lipoflavinoids 10 months ago and I've kept up with it as I beleive it has helped. Before the pills I had tinnitus fairly loud 24/7. Now I actually have days with no tinnitus, or I have to really concentrate to notice it. Listening to music on those days is pure heaven.

Along with the Lipoflavinoids, I started listening to headphones much more at low volume. I believe this has helped also. My tinnitus always seems less on mornings after an hour of headphones before sleep.

There's a website for tinnitus sufferers which I joined but man it's depressing. Those folks think everything hyped cure is a scam. Lot's of good info there. I can't remember the site name but Google can find it.