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.
What is the future of tinnitus treatment? Tinnitus is a hearing loss or auditory condition that many people suffer from. Sufferer’s feel immense displeasure and irritation due to a constant ringing sensation in their ears that they cannot manage to get rid of. Although, there are immediate solutions like listening to ‘white’ music that exist, they are only temporary. Doctors and researchers are actively looking for permanent and long term treatment options for tinnitus.
In addition to that, current treatment options that most specialists recommend also exist. Therapies likes Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Tinnitus Retraining therapy have proven to be successful in this regard. However, engineers, scientists, and doctors are researching to find better ways to treat this problem. The existing solutions are good but they need a lot of improvement for the perfect resolution of the problem.
The Future of Tinnitus Treatment
This condition is a noise induced hearing loss that can result from listening to heavy metal music or working in an extremely loud environment. It is important to know and understand how we hear and process sound. There are tiny hairs present inside our ears, namely cilia. These hairs are responsible for translating sound waves and sending them off to your brain, which then interprets them and you are able to hear.
According to research by the University of Arizona, the target is the brain and not the ears. It suggests that neuro-inflammation is the real cause behind tinnitus. Inflammation is your body’s way of letting you know that there may be an infection trying to develop in your body. This leads us to the conclusion that inflammation in auditory pathways triggers tinnitus. This also means that anti-inflammation drugs can be useful in treating tinnitus in the near future.
The central nervous system of your brain tends to activate its immune cells (microglia) when infectious germs invade. However, in case of hearing damage or auditory loss, pro inflammatory cytokines start working immediately. These cytokines don’t always seem to be helpful. One specific cytokine TNF, tumor necrosis factor tends to trigger tinnitus. Therefore, anti-inflammatory medication will help in future to regulate its activation and to reduce inflammation.
Another future treatment option is, TMS Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation. (Research by Oregon Health & Science University).This procedure involves producing a cone like magnetic field inside your skull to form a connection with your brain tissues. As a result, they affect the activity of the brain neurons. This procedure is perfect for curing depression. Participants of the study who were tinnitus sufferers stated that TMS worked for them and helped reduce their tinnitus symptoms to a great extent.
Other than that, masking devices and high-quality white sound producing hearing aids in the making that will help tackle tinnitus. These white sounds target the ringing and hissing by drowning out the background noise.
Bottom-Line
To conclude, it is vital to know which type of Tinnitus you are suffering from and what kind of treatment it requires. Treatment options are specific to your condition and the specialists will recommend them after thoroughly investigating your condition. If you have identified tinnitus symptoms in yourself and you want to get rid of them, schedule your appointment with the best Tinnitus specialist in NYC today. We will help you with a solution that meets your needs and helps you live your life like any other normal person.
With growing awareness, tinnitus is in the news. Be a part of the revolution at the Tinnitus Cognitive Center.
Can you capture the sounds of tinnitus?
You are not alone if you suffer from tinnitus. Lipo-Flavanoid highlighted these by interviewing a small fraction of the 50 million affected Americans. Their research is presented in a video highlighting how the condition impacts their daily lives.
The company partnered with Emmy Award-winning Marko Costanzo to shed light on how people are afflicted. The project presents their struggles and the wide set of sounds experienced by people:
How is the VA helping veterans treat tinnitus?
The Veterans Association now endorses a sleep therapy system for veterans suffering from tinnitus. Otoharmonics Corporation won a Federal Supply Schedule and Medical Equipment Supply contract to help soldiers sleep better. Their Levo System is peer-reviewed and is now gaining acceptance in the community. The system is capable of being used at home. It can reduce the intensity and impact of the condition.
How can defective earplugs cause tinnitus?
As a warning to improper use of headgear, two Texas law firms launched a lawsuit in 2019 against a defective ear plug manufacturer 3M. Veterans who wore the defective earplugs experience debilitating tinnitus. The devices did not maintain a tight seal, allowing dangerously loud noise to damage the wearer’s ear canal.
3M previously agreed to pay nearly $10 million in acknowledging that it sold the defective earplugs to the Defense Logistics Agency. The current allegations fall under the False Claims Act.
What innovations are likely by 2025?
In the civilian market, dozens of promising innovations aim to help the increasing number of people suffering from tinnitus. With over 200 disorders related to the condition, companies are likely to release many different products in the coming years.
At the Annual International Conference on Management of the Tinnitus and Hyperacusis Patient, the Aurex International Corp unveiled Aurex-3 system. This system, marketed to professionals working in noisy occupations, aims to provide a shield against tinnitus.
The company also released information on a therapeutic medical technology capable of being controlled over a smartphone.
Over the next few years, companies such as Auris Medical and Merz Pharmaceuticals GmbH plan to release drugs with limited side effects. These drugs will beneficially supplement therapy. Knowledge of the causes tinnitus are becoming more evident and offering new avenues for products to enter the market.
Cognitive therapies lead the pack
Researchers and therapists continue to make headway in the realm of cognitive retraining. Mindfulness gained ground over the past few years. This concept helps people mitigate chronic pain in much the same way as our Tinnitus Cognitive Retraining Therapy does.
Other researchers are finding a significant benefit on having patients turn their focus away from their symptoms and replace negative thoughts with a positive response. Jennifer Gans is now pushing a course aimed at bringing concepts such as ours to the forefront of therapy. Similarly, UC Irvine developed an eight-week course to teach cognitive behavioral therapy to therapists.
This mindfulness concept combined with traditional cognitive therapy can reduce the negative impact of the condition. These approaches continue to gain acceptance in the community.
These advancements, coupled with therapy, are likely to impact the lives of people suffering from tinnitus significantly.
To schedule an appointment and figure out how you can control your symptoms, contact the Stephen Geller Katz, LCSW at the Tinnitus Cognitive Center.
Tinnitus Cognitive Center Stephen Geller Katz, LCSW 646-213-2321
