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.
Tinnitus is a condition that is mainly characterized by hearing ringing, buzzing, humming or hissing sounds in the ear that are not coming from the external environment. Although there is not usually a quick fix for tinnitus, unless it is caused by an easily treatable condition such as a middle ear infection or build-up of earwax, it will usually improve gradually over time. There are a number of treatments for tinnitus available which can help you cope with this condition and better manage the symptoms.
Treating Underlying Conditions:
Firstly, if you are suffering with tinnitus, the best thing to do is speak to your doctor and have them examine your ears to determine whether the condition has been caused by an easily treatable condition. In many cases, tinnitus is a symptom of minor ear issues, such as a perforated ear drum, an infection in the middle ear, or simply a build-up of too much ear wax. If your tinnitus is caused by any one of these conditions, they will usually be easy for your doctor to treat quickly with the appropriate methods, such as a course of antibiotics or earwax draining.
Correcting Hearing Loss:
If you have tinnitus which is mainly caused by age-related hearing loss or otherwise, then dealing with the hearing loss should be the first step to solving the problem. Correcting even minor hearing loss issues can often mean that the parts of your brain which are involved in hearing will no longer need to work as hard when it comes to interpreting sounds; therefore, your brain will not pay as much attention to the tinnitus. The best course of action is to see a hearing specialist who will be able to recommend a suitable course of treatment, such as having a hearing aid fitted or in some cases, surgery.
Counseling and Therapy:
As a continuous condition, tinnitus can often be very disruptive to the life of the patient. Many patients with tinnitus report a lack of focus and concentration due to the sounds that they hear, along with trouble sleeping and in some cases, mental health issues such as depression. Tinnitus counseling can be very useful by helping you to work together with your therapist to understand the condition and find healthy ways of managing and coping with it each day.
Get in touch today to book your appointment for the best tinnitus treatment in New York!
Call today for a free 15min phone consultation 646-213-2321
Anyone suffering from debilitating or chronic tinnitus knows that the condition can be one of the hardest to overcome on a day to day basis. You may feel uncomfortable with everything you do. Tinnitus isn’t just an annoyance for some people. It can get in the way of many day to day activities. That’s when you may seek out treatment or a solution to the discomfort you have. When you work with our LCSW-R in New York City, you’ll learn a great deal more about your specific condition and what treatment options may work for you. One of the options that may help you is sound therapy, including masking devices.
What Is Sound Therapy?
Sound therapy is a term used to describe the use of sound in some way to improve tinnitus. This is done with the use of a device or within a clinical setting. In short, we’ll use external noise to alter your perception of or your reaction to tinnitus, or ringing in the ear. This does not cure your condition, but it may help to reduce just how much tinnitus is impacting your day to day life. And, for many, this is one of the most important steps in overcoming your limitations today.
What Is Masking Device Therapy?
One of the options or types of sound therapy available is masking. In short, masking exposes you to external noise that is at just the right loudness to partially or even completely cover up the tinnitus you experience. This is often done using white noise, pink noise, nature sounds, or other types of subtle sounds. The noise itself comes from the use of sound machines. With these, it is possible to see a temporary break from tinnitus.
Could this option work for you? Most of the time, masking devices are most effective during or immediately after active use. That means they do not last very long in terms of results. However, they do provide relief for many patients. It is for this reason that they are often used as one of the first treatment options for tinnitus in many men and women.
If you are experiencing a ringing in the ears that’s significant and it is causing difficulties in your daily life, reach out to our LCSW-R in New York City to learn more about your treatment options as well as the condition itself.
Call today for a free 15min phone consultation 646-213-2321
Individuals suffering from tinnitus often struggle with many daily tasks. Depending on the severity of the condition as well as how often the patient suffers from it, doctors may recommend one or more tinnitus treatment options. The condition, which is the perception of noise or a ringing sound in the inner ear is not uncommon, but it does require care from a trained LCSW-R provider in New York City.
What Treatment Options Exist?
The first step is to diagnose and treat any underlying health condition causing the condition to occur. In many cases, your doctor will determine there is some type of underlying condition that can be related to the cause. If this is the case, your doctor will treat it properly. This may include:
Removing a buildup of earwax that often can cause or worsen the symptoms of this condition
Treating any existing blood vessel condition that is causing it, which may include through the use of medication or surgery
Changing a medication that may be causing it, depending on the need for that medication.
There are other treatment options available as well. In some situations, the goal is to reduce the sound to make it more bearable. Your doctor may recommend doing this through the use of:
Hearing aids to improve sound and reduce other risk factors contributing to the noise
Using white noise machines that can help to block out the sound
Masking devices can also be used to produce a low level of white noise to suppress the condition.
Your doctor may elect to use medications to treat tinnitus as well. Some medications including tricyclic antidepressants and alprazolam are used to help reduce symptoms and to provide better overall satisfaction with other treatments when paired with them. Medications often have side effects your doctor will need to address as well. Alternative medication is yet another treatment plan your doctor may recommend.
The use of specific supplements, hypnosis, and acupuncture may also lead to improvement in symptoms as well as help patients to overcome the condition.
For those who suffer from tinnitus that is significant or severe, seek out care from a trusted LCSW-R in New York City is a necessary first step. With numerous tinnitus treatment options available, it is possible for your doctor to find a solution that can help you overcome this condition for good or learn to live with it in a better way.
Call today for a free 15min phone consultation 646-213-2321
Tinnitus affects an estimated 50,000 Americans and can be a very real source of frustration and stress in their lives. When a medical treatment cannot be found, many turn to holistic and other lifestyle changes to help control the ringing. Recent research has identified some of the potential relationships between tinnitus and diet.
You hear what you eat – tinnitus and diet
Many people have had the experience of ringing ears and dizziness when fasting for long periods of time. Because the inner ear (especially the stria vascularis) is so heavily energy dependent, the assumption is that any reductions in blood flow, oxygen or glucose can result in disturbances to homeostasis resulting in tinnitus. Research has been progressing on this subject and has been coming to some surprising and some not-so-surprising conclusions.
Hyperinsulinemia and the inner ear
One of the most common findings was a correlation between hyperinsulinemia (chronically high blood insulin) and inner ear disorders. Metabolic disorders have long been suspect in diseases of the inner ear, and some recent studies indicate that high levels of insulin may have a strong correlating factor. Of course, this must be taken with a grain of salt.
First, causation has not yet been identified. There is speculation amongst investigators as to whether high insulin is a direct cause of disease processes or just an indicator. But none have come to a consensus yet. Some believe the real culprit is chronic high or low glucose levels with insulinemia either leading to the fluctuations or resulting from it. Others think insulin may be the cause and better blood insulin control will be an effective treatment. Research continues to determine exactly how insulin, glucose and inner ear function are related.
Second, the correlation between insulinemia and inner ear problems is most strongly indicated in metabolic disorders that affect both hearing (auditory) and balance (vestibular). In one study, up to 25% of participants with insulinemia were also diagnosed with Meniere’s disease. It’s difficult to say if insulinemia is related in the same way to hearing loss and tinnitus alone.
Does diet affect tinnitus
Pró-Fono Revista de Atualização Científica did a direct study on the relationship of diet to tinnitus symptoms. Their suspicion was that triglycerides and cholesterol, as well as glucose and insulin, may have an impact on tinnitus and hearing. Data was collected from self-reporting patients with tinnitus. Volunteers were placed on a diet plan tailored for them individually which was intended to reduce serum cholesterol, triglycerides and maintain more consistent glucose levels. The control group (also with tinnitus) maintained their normal diet while self-reporting. The study was not blind.
In the experimental group, 71.5% of subjects reported an improvement in symptoms. The study also reported a statistically significant number of patients taking the cholesterol drug Atorvastatin showed improvements in tinnitus, although not an improvement in overall hearing levels.
Will changing my diet help tinnitus?
What effect blood levels of glucose, insulin, triglycerides and cholesterol will have on tinnitus is still unknown, however there’s a rising body of evidence that they may have an effect on hearing and balance. The initial research indicates that having healthier serum levels may improve symptoms of tinnitus. Improving one’s diet will certainly have a positive effect on blood flow and energy which is always a positive in any chronic health condition.
Tinnitus is an aggravating condition of unrelenting ringing in the ears. It affects an estimated 12 million people in the U.S., with as many as 2 million suffers finding it difficult to lead a normal life as a result of the noise. Researchers have been investigating the possibility that tinnitus may be related to a disparity in the brain’s processing of hearing and tactile (touch) nerve impulses. Treatments based on external stimulation of these nerves have shown promise for a return to silence.
What is the Vagus nerve?
The Vagus nerve (also known as the 10th cranial nerve) supplies parasympathetic information to and from the medulla. It communicates in one way or another with nearly every part of the neck, face and torso including portions of the Glossopharyngeal nerve (throat and swallowing) and the seventh facial nerve which carries impulses of facial sensation.
What is Vagus nerve stimulation (VNS)?
Vagus nerve stimulation has long been used for the treatment of epilepsy and depression, however new studies have shown that it may also reduce symptoms of tinnitus. In VNS, small electrical pulses are delivered to the Vagus nerve via a pulse generator implanted in the neck. During one study conducted by the University Hospital Antwerp, Belgium, tinnitus patients received two and a half hours of VNS every day for 20 days. The electrical stimulation was paired with audible tones that excluded the hearing frequencies where the tinnitus was active.
Four of the patients in the study experienced a clinically significant reduction in tinnitus by as much as 26 decibels. Three of these sufferers had a 44% reduction in the impact the illness was having on their daily lives. Dr. Sven Vanneste of the School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences at UT Dallas was optimistic;
“VNS-tone therapy was expected to be safe because it requires less than 1 percent of the VNS approved by the FDA for the treatment of intractable epilepsy and depression. […] In all, four of the ten patients showed relevant decreases on tinnitus questionnaires and audiological measures. The observation that these improvements were stable for more than 2 months after the end of the 1-month therapy is encouraging.”
What’s next for Vagus Nerve Stimulation and tinnitus?
The team is already working on a larger study where they hope to use more convenient implanted pulse generators so subjects need not come to the clinic for treatments. This study is one of many showing that nerve stimulation, when used in conjunction with cognitive and behavioral retraining, may be the golden ticket for new treatments to relieve the symptoms of tinnitus.
You hear what you eat – tinnitus and diet
