TREATMENT OF TINNITUS

Therapy of tinnitus

Therapy for tinnitus is based on the one hand on where the tinnitus originated and on the other hand on the duration and severity. In the case of objective tinnitus, the focus is on identifying and eliminating the physiological source of tinnitus. In the case of subjective tinnitus, the treatment must be adapted according to an acute, subacute or chronic course.

If chronic tinnitus has existed for a long time, a complete cure is almost impossible. It is important to identify the tinnitus-aggravating components and to train the patient accordingly.
Autogenic training and the education of the patient that a fundamental tone will probably always remain in the ear are also very important. Certain habituation techniques help the patient to achieve a state of compensated chronic tinnitus without having a strong impact on daily life. In the case of a recent acute tinnitus, a doctor should be consulted immediately and appropriate therapy initiated.
The top priority here is to ensure blood circulation in the ear with blood-thinning medication. This infusion therapy should be carried out over a period of 10 days.

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Hyperbaric oxygen therapy

Treatment of ringing in the ears

There is also the option of a local anesthetic (Procaine) to be administered in increasing doses. It can also give anti-inflammatory drugs such as Cortisone be tried.Treatment for subacute tinnitus consists of a mixture of the two types of treatment, chronic and acute tinnitus.

Patients with subacute tinnitus should also be made aware that a basic tone will probably always remain and that certain autogenic therapy methods can achieve a state of compensated tinnitus with familiarization training.

Some therapy methods are still being tested, e.g. the so-called hyperbaric oxygen treatment. The patient is in a hyperbaric chamber and is ventilated with pure oxygen through a mask. The overpressure in the chamber leads to increased oxygen enrichment of the Blood and thus of the ear. In some cases, the tinnitus will go away. However, the prerequisite is that the cause of the tinnitus in this case is an undersupply of blood. Similar to the blood thinning measures, hyperbaric oxygen therapy should be used as soon as possible after a Tinnitus to be started. Since this therapy method is still in the testing phase, it is only offered in some specialist clinics. The costs must be borne by the patient himself.

Another therapy method is based on the assumption that the Cause of tinnitus in a defect of the auditory cortex in the brain lies. For some reason this area receives a certain frequency that we pick up with our ears in the form of sound waves every second, not being passed on. Then the part of the auditory cortex that is responsible for this one frequency begins to modulate this frequency itself. Tinnitus at this frequency begins. It has now been considered that this frequency can be played permanently into the patient's ear using a small and almost invisible hearing aid. The auditory area in the brain thus receives the missing auditory area and stops its own production. Initial studies are very promising. Most patients hear that Tinnitus only weak and diminished while wearing the hearing aid. When worn regularly, the hearing center appears to be trained to give patients the Hearing aid can also omit and no longer notice the tinnitus. This very promising therapy is also still in the trial phase and has to be financed by the patients themselves.

Cognitive behavior therapy in tinnitus patients:

The subacute or chronic form of tinnitus usually leaves only the therapy option a psychologically guided so-called cognitive therapy. In this form of therapy, the patient should be shown to live with this disease. Cognitive therapy can be done either alone or in groups. First, the patient is usually given a brief medical introduction to the Physiology of hearing given. Then he will be given various practices on how to draw attention away from the permanent ringing in the ear. This is mostly done with concentration exercises. Today it is known that complaints e.g. Pain can be aggravated if the patients pay particular attention to it or live in an expectation for pain. Can you do it fear to reduce and divert attention through certain maneuvers, this has a discomfort-reducing effect in many cases. In addition to these techniques, the patient is also given support strategies in the event of a relapse of tinnitus hand given.