Are You Suffering From Any of These Symptoms as a Result of Tinnitus? Call Today for a Consultation.
■ Mild to severe anxiety
■ Depression
■ Insomnia
■ Negative thinking
■ Triggered fight or flight
■ Crying spells
■ Hopelessness
■ Ringing in the ears
■ Suicidal thoughts
Are you growing more isolated? Do you feel like life will never be the same? Are you refraining from activities that you enjoy? Are you fearful of losing your job? Do you find that your thoughts tend to be negative?
If you answered yes to 3 or more of these questions or symptoms, then we can help. You may be a candidate for Tinnitus Cognitive Retraining Therapy, or TCRT.
With over 20 years of clinical experience, Stephen Geller Katz, LCSW-R developed Tinnitus Cognitive Retraining Therapy and founded the Tinnitus Cognitive Center™ in response to the growing number of Tinnitus sufferers coming to his private practice.
He discovered that by helping people to retrain and reinterpret the thoughts around their Tinnitus, anxiety and depression symptoms began to improve. But even more important so did the Tinnitus.
Pulsatile tinnitus refers to a sound that is generated in the ears as a result, usually, of blood flow problems. This causes the sound to vary with your heartbeat. Dr. Stephen Geller Katz a top Manhattan tinnitus treatment psychotherapist, explains that your pulsatile tinnitus may occur in only one ear. “Although it is sometimes difficult to determine the cause of tinnitus, pulsatile tinnitus is usually the result of a problem with blood flow to the ear.”
Pulsatile Tinnitus is Caused by Blood Vessel Disorders
The heart usually beats between 60 and 100 times each minutes, and that heartbeat is reflected throughout the circulatory system. If you have a problem with your blood vessels, such as a tumor pressing down on a blood vessel or a cholesterol plaque that is partially occluding a blood vessel, this can result in pulsatile tinnitus with each heartbeat. Even high blood pressure can result in changes in tinnitus as a result of your blood flow. This is why Dr. Stephen Geller Katz, one of New York’s top tinnitus treatment psychotherapists, recommends patients with tinnitus avoid things like caffeine or alcohol, which have an effect on blood pressure. Some people develop tinnitus as a result of an abnormal connection between the arteries and the veins. This is known as an arteriovenous malformation, or AVM, and usually only occurs in one ear.
Classification of Pulsatile Tinnitus
Pulsatile tinnitus can be caused by atherosclerosis, an aortic dissection, aneurysms and other abnormalities of the blood vessels. These can include a proliferation of blood vessels near a tumor. There are many reasons for pulsatile tinnitus, and they are usually classified as “arteriovenous,” “venous,” or “arterial,” depending upon the type of abnormal blood vessel.
Medications for Treatment of Tinnitus
There are a variety of medications used to treat tinnitus, and some of these medications that affect the blood vessels include diuretics (fluid pills) like Lasix, and other pills for blood pressure that include verapamil and nimodipine. Stress reduction with medications like Valium or clonazepam may also cause blood pressure reduction.
Surgical Treatment of Tinnitus
There may be some circumstances in which surgical treatment of tinnitus is useful. Most of these circumstances occur when the patient is suffering from some form of pulsatile tinnitus. For example, if the tinnitus is the result of abnormal blood flow through a vein, the vein may be interrupted, or ligated. Sinuses and abnormal blood flow can sometimes be corrected surgically. An aneurysm may be repaired and tinnitus can diminish as a result. Pulsatile tinnitus is also sometimes classified as objective, as there are real changes in blood flow that can be heard by a practitioner, not just by the patient.
Diet Can Be Helpful
Patients who experience pulsatile tinnitus as a result of blood flow abnormalities can reduce symptoms by reduction of salt in the diet, in order to reduce blood pressure. Abstinence from substances like caffeine and nicotine, both of which increase blood pressure, can be helpful, says Dr. Stephen Geller Katz , a leading Manhattan tinnitus treatment psychotherapist.
If you are suffering from pulsatile tinnitus, call today for your appointment with DrStephen Geller Katz , a leading New York City tinnitus treatment psychotherapist. Help is available for tinnitus, so call for a consultation with an expert in the treatment of tinnitus.
Call today for a free 15min phone consultation 646-213-2321
Tinnitus is a very common symptom that consists of a roaring or ringing sound in the ears. It affects people differently, and treatment may depend upon the cause. However, in many cases, the cause can’t be firmly established, and Dr. Stephen Geller Katz, a leading New York City tinnitus treatment psychotherapist, says some treatments are helpful for all types of tinnitus.
Why Try A Natural Treatment for Tinnitus?
Doctors don’t have one medication that works for all patients with tinnitus. Tinnitus is the result of damage to a structure of the ear, and it results in dampening the external signals, causing the brain to produce internally generated noise. There are a number of treatments that can address the symptoms of tinnitus, no matter what the cause. Herbal treatments are often effective, and they don’t always have the unpleasant side effects that can result from medications. Antidepressants and antianxiety drugs that doctors use to try to reduce symptoms of tinnitus can be poorly tolerated by many patients. Herbal remedies often have centuries of anecdotal evidence, and recent studies have show that there is real science behind the use of supplements, herbs, and other natural treatment strategies.
Herbal Treatments for Tinnitus
Herbal treatments for tinnitus have been effective for many people. These treatments include black cohosh, an herb that improves circulation by dilating blood vessels. Rehmannia is an ancient herb that has been in use for centuries in China and other Southeast Asian traditional cultures. Recent studies have shown that rehmannia increases antioxidant activity in the auditory cells, which limits free radical damage that contributes to tinnitus. Gingko biloba is another ancient herbal supplement that is frequently used in modern medicine, particularly in other countries where the use of herbs is more widely understood. Scientific studies have recently shown that gingko biloba is useful for the treatment of a number of disorders, including tinnitus. It is an antioxidant, and it also increases blood circulation.
Vitamins and Minerals
There is strong evidence that vitamin and mineral supplementation can reduce
symptoms associated with tinnitus. One study, published in the American Journal of Otolaryngology, showed that magnesium supplementation helped people with tinnitus improve their symptoms, especially when the tinnitus was related to hearing loss. Another study, by the Institute of Noise Hazards Research, found that many people with tinnitus as a result of noise related hearing loss had a deficiency of B12, and these people experienced improvement after supplementation of their diet with vitamin B12. Some people report improvement of symptoms of tinnitus after taking niacin or thiamine supplements. Finally, people with tinnitus may have a zinc deficiency, and a study performed at St. Marianna University School of Medicine in 1997 found that zinc supplementation improved symptoms in these patients.
Does Acupuncture Work?
Controlled studies, the best form of medical evidence, shows that acupuncture can improve tinnitus. It doesn’t work for everyone, but it may be worth a visit to a traditional practitioner of Chinese medicine.
Magnet Therapy
Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) has been shown to affect the circuits of the brain. Early studies show that it can help improve tinnitus. TMS is used to treat depressions, and researchers feel it is probably most useful in treatment of tinnitus among patients who have a large psychological component to their symptoms. Further study is needed, and Stephen Katz, one of NYC’s leading tinnitus treatment psychotherapists says the jury is still out, although evidence points towards some value of TMS therapy for treatment of tinnitus.
Call today for a free 15min phone consultation 646-213-2321
Tinnitus is a frustrating, chronic disorder that can – at times – make a person feel like they’re going mad. It can be related to a diagnosed medical condition or be completely idiopathic; and when the cause is unknown finding solutions is an exhausting process.
Nutrition and Tinnitus
Nutrition and dietary deficiencies can play a very real role in heath and the progression of disease. The herbal and vitamin market abounds with claims, both supported and anecdotal, for the benefits of supplementation. Vitamin B-12 has been getting a lot of press lately regarding tinnitus and it’s hard to make sense of all the new information.
What is a vitamin anyway?
It’s actually hard to define a “vitamin” as they’re classified by what they do in the body vs. their composition. They function as enzymatic co-factors; meaning they’re needed by an enzyme to do its job. Enzymes and their co-factors are not destroyed when they do their work, nor are they added to the final product, so they can be reused until they break down. Many vitamins incorporate a metal atom (cobalt in the case of B-12, A.K.A “cobalamin”). Some are water soluble while others are fat soluble. Some can be manufactured in the body, while others come only from food.
What is vitamin deficiency?
Vitamin deficiency is when the levels of available vitamin, as measured in the blood, are below a standard set by the medical and biochemistry community. Generally, these standards are based on the levels below which people begin to get sick. The recommended blood concentration of B-12 is between 200-900 pg/ml (picograms/milliliter). Being below this level for long-term can lead to symptoms including megaloblastic anemia and neurological symptoms like numbness in the hands and feet, gait disturbances (problems walking) and even changes to taste and vision.
One point of debate is whether the current markers for high and low are really sufficient for preventing disease. The aforementioned problems certainly arise when levels of B-12 are significantly low, for a long time. But some argue that more mild insufficiencies may contribute subtly to degenerative illnesses. Definitive answers on this are yet to come.
Why am I low in B-12?
Vitamin deficiencies can arise from diet, metabolic problems or a failure to absorb a nutrient properly. B-12 can’t be manufactured by either plants or animals, and is actually formed by bacteria. It is stored in the foods we eat, and its absorption is a complex process.
The majority of dietary Cobalamin is found in meat, egg and fish products – and a diet low in these can make it difficult to keep B-12 levels normal. Vegans must pay special attention to ensure their diets have a full complement of nutrients including B-12. Cobalamin must be bound to protein during digestion, absorption and transportation through the blood. In the stomach, dietary B-12 is broken away from its ingested protein and re-bound to “R-binders” (A.K.A haptocorrins, A.K.A transcobalamin I).
These proteins carry it through to the small intestine where the haptocorrins are degraded and the B-12 binds to “intrinsic factor”. Pancreatic insufficiency or a high (basic) intestinal pH can lead to problems with this step. In the Ilium, intrinsic factor receptors bind the protein/B-12 complex and bring it into the enterocyte (intestinal absorptive cell) where B-12 then binds to transcobalamin II for transport through the blood. A transcobalamin II receptor is used by peripheral cells to take it from the bloodstream, with about 50% of B-12 ending up in the liver for storage.
A failure of any of these proteins or receptor complexes can result in a failure to absorb or transport B-12. It’s common for the production of intrinsic factor to diminish with age, which is why we hear so much about B-12 shots for the elderly.
Does B-12 Deficiency affect my tinnitus?
Whether a B-12 deficiency affects tinnitus is a question currently being studied. It is known that deficiencies in B-12 can cause neurological symptoms due to hypomethylation within the nervous system (resulting from an inability to recycle homocysteine to methionine and ultimately to S-adenosylmethionine). Neurological symptoms usually arise only after long-term, significant B-12 deficiency.
To date, there has been one formalized study showing that individuals already deficient in B-12 are more likely to suffer noise induced hearing loss with tinnitus after exposure to loud noise. While one study does not a scientific truth make, this is a good place to start the investigation. It should also be noted that the study did not address whether supplementing with B-12 is protective or restorative, or if deficient B-12 simply left the hearing more vulnerable. These are things that need to be researched.
What can I do about low B-12?
What to do about a B-12 deficiency depends on its cause. If your diet lacks cobalamin, improve the amount of B-12 rich foods you eat. If for some reason that’s not an option, vitamin pills are an effective alternative.
If the deficiency is an absorptive problem (which can be confirmed by your doctor), B-12 shots are a well recognized therapy. If the failure is with B-12 usage from the blood stream, there are lifestyle changes that can maximize the value of the vitamin that is being absorbed such as maintaining adequate cysteine in the diet.
It’s important to note that the liver stores enough B-12 to supply all the body’s need for 2 to 3 years. This is why symptoms of B-12 deficiency are slow to develop, and a single low blood test is not necessarily time to panic. While the journals report no evidence that taking excessive B-12 is hazardous, a person is concerned about B-12 should work with their doctor and a nutritional specialist to determine the concern, cause and the need to take action.
