Tinnitus

[OmanYorkie]

How come thre is no cure yet for tinitus.
I see that a nerve to the brain can now be cut to prevent high blood pressure, so what can not another nerve be identified which can be cut to stop tinitus.
A friend of mine has suffered for 22 years.

[Buenchico]

It's precisely because nerve cells are damaged or destroyed that the most common cause of tinnitus arises. Seeking to repairing such cell damage is not yet possible although developments in stem cell technology might eventually lead to a cure for that form of tinnitus:
http://www.nhs.uk/Con...tus/Pages/Causes.aspx

Chris

[ABerrant]

This week saw reports of research into vagus nerve stimulation as a future treatment...

http://www.businesswe...healthday/648703.html

[Sqad]

Tinnitus is a symptom, not a disease and the causes may be in the cochlear in the auditory nerve itself or in the brain.

If the cause is in the brain then treatment surgical or otherwise is not acceptable.
If the cause is in the cochlear, then destroying the cochlear would make one "stone deaf"
If the cause is in the nerve....... acoustic neuroma....the removing the tumour "might" ease the tinnitus, but this tumour is a rare cause of tinnitus.

One could cut the nerve from the inner ear, the Acoustic Nerve...but that is not an easy procedure and would destroy all hearing as well

ABerrant gives an interesting link which is still in animal studies....but in humans, stimulating the vagus nerve would slow down the heart rate which would be dangerous in the over 60´s, the commonest group to get tinnitus.

[woofgang]

Do you know what? i wish they'd leave animals alone!

[JonnyBoy12]

I have got tinnitus as well, and have been told the best cure for it is suicide. Just joking, although have felt pretty near it at times.

So is there a cure for it now or not? I thought there were tinnitus maskers on the market now.

[Sqad]

jonny....by cure, you mean that one takes tablets or can have an operation to abolish the sound......then NO......there is no cure.

Tinnitus maskers are on the market and indeed one can get them free of charge from the NHS, but they produce a noise (mask) which is more acceptable to the patient than the tinnitus itself.....the tinnitus however remaining.

[gingejbee]

..and you can buy tinnitus "relaxers"- producing a variety of sounds- particularly useful for night-time use to help get to sleep.

[JonnyBoy12]

Oh I did not know that, gingejbee, where can I buy one of those then? I do have to buy them, do I? I am to be given a tinnitus masker in the near future, I believe.

[ttfn]

Have a look on the RNID site jonnyboy - that is from where I purchased mine

[gingejbee]

Sorry, jonny, I have only just seen your question. As ttfn says,there are different ones available from the RNID site - "tinnitus relaxer" into RNID's search box. Yes, you will have to pay but not too dear and worth every penny.