Science of Tinnitus Treatment Part 1 by Dr Mel Siff
Author: Dr Mel Siff Blog // Category: Dr Siff on Injuries/DiseaseSome of you, through personal experience or that of family or friends, may
be very familiar with the fairly common disorder known as Tinnitus, a
persistent type of periodic or sustained ringing in the ears that can make
life a real misery. The most common opinion is that little can be done to
assist the sufferer, but some therapists have found thatTinnitus Retraining
Therapy (TRT) may be of definite value.
WEB INFORMATION
The following sites give a huge amount of research and clinical material on
the nature and treatment of tinnitus:
http://www.ucl.ac.uk/~rmjg101/tinnitus1.html
http://www.earaces.com/TRT.htm
http://www.tinnitus-hyperacusis.com/About/Tinnitus/tinnitus.html
http://www.sonus.com/tinnitus/faqs.htm
SCIENTIFIC ARTICLES
If you have not had need to consult Medline, here is a suitable page to help
find medical articles: Key phrases or words such “tinnitus” or “treatment of
tinnitus” yield numerous references.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/PubMed
One simply has to subscribe free to use this service.
Here is a selection on abstracts on the causes and treatment of tinnitus:
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Jastreboff PJ, Jastreboff MM Tinnitus Retraining Therapy (TRT) as a method
for treatment of tinnitus and hyperacusis patients. J Am Acad Audiol 2000
Mar;11(3):162-77
Tinnitus and Hyperacusis Center, Department of Otolaryngology, Emory
University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia 30322, USA.
The aim of this paper is to provide information about the neurophysiologic
model of tinnitus and Tinnitus Retraining Therapy (TRT). With this overview
of the model and therapy, professionals may discern with this basic
foundation of knowledge whether they wish to pursue learning and subsequently
implement TRT in their practice. This paper provides an overview only and is
insufficient for the implementation of TRT.
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Brand H Neural therapy in tinnitus Wien Med Wochenschr 1983 Nov
15;133(21):545-7 [Article in German]
After the examination by ENT-specialists in 96 cases of tinnitus a
conventional medical therapy with vasodilators and vitamin A has been tried.
This therapy showed unsatisfactory results. Then neural therapy as defined by
segmental therapy with a preparation containing lidocaine (Xyloneural) has
been applied. The results have been so encouraging, that this method can be
advised as basical therapy in tinnitus.
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Marion MS, Cevette MJ Tinnitus. Mayo Clin Proc 1991 Jun;66(6):614-20
Tinnitus, a common complaint, reportedly affects more than 37 million
Americans. Most often, it is associated with a sensorineural hearing loss in
the high-frequency range. Tinnitus, however, is a symptom and not a disease.
Complacency about this symptom complex may cause physicians to overlook a
severe underlying pathologic process. Patients with unilateral tinnitus,
pulsatile tinnitus, fluctuating tinnitus, or tinnitus associated with vertigo
should undergo thorough assessment, including elicitation of a complete
history, physical examination, and audiologic analysis. In many instances,
treatment is effective. Masking of tinnitus, medical therapy, and biofeedback
and counseling are some measures that have been used in the management of
tinnitus.
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Muhlnickel W, Elbert T, Taub E, Flor H Reorganization of auditory cortex
in tinnitus.
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 1998 Aug 18;95(17):10340-3
Dept of Psychology, Clinical Psychology and Behavioral Neuroscience, Humboldt
University, Hausvogteiplatz 5-7, D-10117 Berlin, Germany.
Magnetic source imaging was used to determine whether tonotopy in auditory
cortex of individuals with tinnitus diverges from normative functional
organization. Ten tinnitus subjects and 15 healthy controls were exposed to
four sets of tones while magnetoencephalographic recordings were obtained
from the two cortical hemispheres in sequence. A marked shift of the cortical
representation of the tinnitus frequency into an area adjacent to the
expected tonotopic location was observed. The Euclidean distance of the
tinnitus frequency from the trajectory of the tonotopic map was 5.3 mm
compared with a distance of 2.5 mm of a corresponding frequency in the
healthy controls (t = 3.13). In addition, a strong positive correlation was
found between the subjective strength of the tinnitus and the amount of
cortical reorganization (r = 0.82). These results demonstrate that tinnitus
is related to plastic alterations in auditory cortex. Similarities between
these data and the previous demonstrations that phantom limb pain is highly
correlated with cortical reorganization suggest that tinnitus may be an
auditory phantom phenomenon.