Closer step to curing tinnitus
I am a life-long sufferer of tinnitus but I consider myself to be one of the very lucky few. Mine developed as a child and I adapted to it from a young age. Although the noises, buzzing and whistling can be so loud I can’t hear people talking close up, it rarely, if ever, bothers me. This is unlike my husband who, after years of hockey umpiring developed tinnitus from one too many player whistle reprimands and has caused him immense challenges ever since. There is currently no cure.
I recently came across this article on the BBC website:
“Researchers at Addenbrooke’s Hospital Cambridge,UK have discovered that lidocaine, the most commonly used anesthetic in the world, turns down the sound in two thirds of sufferers for roughly five minutes. Whilst the drug is dangerous and the effect transitory, the discovery is clear proof for the first time that there is a mechanism for turning off tinnitus.
The golden key is to find a drug that has suppressive effects of lidocaine without the side effects. David Baguley, Consultant Audiologist at Addenbrooke’s Hospital in Cambridge, UK hopes to see a drug available within 20 years.
In Germany, Neurologist Berthold Langguth believes the hearing cells in the auditory cortex (the area of the brain perceived with receiving sound signals) in tinnitus sufferers are overactive and he is looking for ways to normalize them.
By running an electric current through sections of wire he creates a magnetic field. When held over the head of a patient the magnetic stimulation reduces neural activity and diminishes the unwanted sound. One patient has been effectively cured whilst others have found the volume of their tinnitus reduced.”
From my own experiences, there is something in both pieces of research. The only time my tinnitus completely disappeared for around 24 hours was when I received osteopathy treatment around my cervical (neck) region after a riding injury and embarrassingly passed out for a few minutes. Coming round my tinnitus had gone after 15 years. I can’t tell you what bliss it was to have complete silence ….. it then returned with vengeance! On the other hand my husband has always and continues to have incredibly good hearing, so research around hypersensitivity is also on the right track.
Elaine Warburton www.geneticsandhealth.com
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POSTED IN: General Genetics and Health, Genetics of Disease, Lifestyle, Tinnitus, surgical advances
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