Tinnitus is nothing new. But it might be the first time you have had to cope with it. Usually, though not always, tinnitus presents as a ceaseless ringing or buzzing in the ears. The sound can be, at times, extremely loud. However tinnitus manifests for you, this point is most likely true: you are most likely searching for new ways of managing your tinnitus if it’s something that’s bothering you.
In that, you’re lucky because while tinnitus does not yet have an overall cure, there are a few new treatments that can help you deal with symptoms. Some of those therapies even involve your tongue.
Newest Approaches to Tinnitus
One of the newest therapies for tinnitus sounds a little weird at first but does seem to show some promise. Both the ear and the tongue are stimulated with this device developed at the Trinity School of Medicine in Dublin. The technical term is bi-modal neuromodulation.
The results were rather striking with this device according to the first tests. 12 weeks was about how long most people were treated. Those same people noticed a substantial reduction in their tinnitus symptoms, and the results lasted up to twelve months. But until the testing phase is finished it won’t be widely available.
What Can I do Now to Get Tinnitus Relief?
Of course, it takes a while for devices to go from research and development to patient accessibility. So how can you manage your tinnitus right now?
There are, fortunately, some tinnitus therapy technology that has recently been released. And one of the best new ways to manage tinnitus is something you’ve most likely already heard of: your hearing aid.
Here’s the way it works:
External sounds are boosted by hearing aids. One reason why tinnitus is more noticeable as your hearing wanes is that the ringing is the only thing that stays loud while everything else gets quieter. A hearing aid can raise the volume on the rest of the audio spectrum. That doesn’t change the volume of your tinnitus, but it could make the ringing less noticeable.
Your hearing aid can mask the noise. A masking device might be the answer if your hearing loss is mild. A hearing aid has a comparable appearance to a masking device. And most hearing aids can be augmented with masking technology. This technology can produce sounds designed to mask your tinnitus symptoms. Sometimes this will be a tone, in other situations, it may be some white noise. Whatever will best hide the humming in your ears.
Obviously, this is just a starting point. We can help you choose the best choice for you so call us for a consultation.