Tinnitus has been around for a long time. But perhaps it’s new to you, like a loud used car you can’t take back. Usually, though not always, tinnitus presents as a ceaseless buzzing or ringing in the ears. The sound can be, at times, very loud. However tinnitus is experienced by you, this point is most likely true: if tinnitus is troubling you, you may be searching for some new ways to control your symptoms.
In that, you’re lucky because while tinnitus doesn’t yet have a universal cure, there are a few novel therapies that can help you deal with symptoms. Your tongue is even involved in some of those treatments.
The Newest Way to Handle Tinnitus
Possibly the most novel tinnitus therapy that we’ve seen appears to offer quite a bit of potential, even if it appears a little unusual initially. This device, designed at the Trinity College School of Medicine in Dublin, stimulates both the tongue and ear. Bi-modal neurostimulation is the technical term for this method.
Based on the first tests of this device, the results were rather impressive. Most individuals received treatments for twelve weeks or so. Those same people detected a substantial decrease in their tinnitus symptoms, and the results lasted up to twelve months. But this kind of therapy is still in testing and not generally available yet.
What Can I do Now to Find Tinnitus Relief?
Unfortunately, it will probably be quite some time before novel treatments like this are widely accessible. So how can you deal with your tinnitus now?
Fortunately, there are some newer tinnitus therapy devices available today. And the most common way to manage your tinnitus is a modern hearing aid.
It works like this:
Everyday sounds are enhanced by hearing aids. One reason why tinnitus becomes more obvious as you lose your hearing is that the ringing is the only thing that stays loud while everything else gets quieter. A hearing aid can boost the volume on the rest of the audio spectrum. By raising the volume of outside sounds, your tinnitus sounds will often fade into the background.
Your hearing aid can mask the sound. A masking device could be the answer if your hearing loss is mild. A masking device essentially looks like a hearing aid. And masking technology can be incorporated into modern hearing aids. Your tinnitus symptoms can be masked by sounds produced by this kind of technology. Whatever the best sound is to mask the ringing in your ears will be used, it may be a specific tone or even white noise.
Needless to say, this is just a starting point. We can demonstrate devices that work best for tinnitus. Give us a call.