Posted on 06/22/2023 7:05:55 PM PDT by ConservativeMind
Low-level laser therapy and associated photobiomodulation is the most effective of the known treatments for tinnitus, according to a study comparing the main therapies in current use.
Often described as ringing or hissing in the ears, it is considered a symptom rather than a disease, but is unpleasant and in some cases incapacitating. Its known causes can range from a buildup of earwax and insufficient peripheral irrigation in the inner ear to brain damage and bruxism.
Panhóca and his team tested alternative and complementary treatments for idiopathic (with no apparent cause) and refractory tinnitus on more than 100 men and women aged 18-65, divided randomly into ten groups. The treatments tested were laser acupuncture, flunarizine dihydrochloride, Ginkgo biloba (a medicinal plant), and low-level laser stimulation of the internal auditory canal or meatus (transmeatal stimulation), on its own and combined with vacuum therapy, ultrasound, G. biloba or flunarizine dihydrochloride.
The patients were submitted to eight twice-per-week treatment sessions. They were clinically assessed before treatment began, after the eighth session and two weeks later, using a "tinnitus handicap inventory questionnaire" with a total of 25 questions. A functional subscale comprised 11 questions on mental, social, occupational and physical limitations due to tinnitus.
The best outcomes were observed in patients treated with laser acupuncture alone and transmeatal low-power laser stimulation alone. In the latter case, they improved even more when irradiation time was increased from 6 minutes to 15 minutes. Combinations of laser therapy with vacuum therapy or G. biloba, laser acupuncture alone, and flunarizine dihydrochloride alone also had lasting therapeutic effects.
"The positive effects include anti-inflammatory action and relaxation. We believe laser therapy can increase peripheral irrigation, which may be the main cause of the problem in many cases, as well as stimulating inner ear cell proliferation and collagen production," Panhóca said.
(Excerpt) Read more at medicalxpress.com ...
I have a very slight high-pitched sound in my ears, sort of like the sound televisions used to emit, but I don’t find it annoying.
As a rule, I am a big proponent of nutritional approaches to address issues, whenever credible to do so.
Live with it. Cheaper.
Does anyone here know of any nutritional approaches that have worked for them?
Mine was cured with hearing aides.
People who are deaf as fence post often have severe tinnitus. Mine was so bad it kept me up at night. When I got hearing aides the first thing I did was to enjoy the silence and took a nap
If this works I need some of this for my right ear
Really?!
This low level usage actually should give good results. The body’s tissues absorb these wavelengths very easily. Such lasers have been used in other medical procedures for over thirty years with good success
“…sort of like the sounds televisions used to emit”
Yep, same here, closest real sound to it is the ~15kHz whine from an old TV. I’ve had it since childhood. It’s the sound of silence to me. Real sounds drown it out so it’s not a distraction. Allows me to sleep when there are no other real sounds. Total silence is never there but it doesn’t bother me.
Did you go with off the shelf hearing aids or expensive custom ones?
“ Total silence is never there but it doesn’t bother me.
”
Well I get kind of sick of it and it’s a super high pitched ringing like it sounds when a firecracker or firearm goes off next to your head
That was for Mikey
You don’t have to tell me. I know.
When the laser exits the opposite side of the head, generally the tinnitus is solved. As well as other nagging worries.
Okay 👍🏻
Really! I had tinnitus that sounded like a screeching machine. I had trouble hearing anything else. It kept me up at night. I had it for years. The hearing loss was caused by nerve damage and was severe.
The first day I had the hearing aides I literally took a nap with them in. I wish I could sleep in the things.
We bought them at Sam’s club. They cost about $3000. The exam was free.
Sign me up
I’ll check into that it would be great even if the ringing wasn’t as loud.
Yes, same here. I’ve had it for decades. It has gotten worse as I have gotten older . It is starting to drive me crazy.....
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