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Tinnitus….The Latest Buzz by the NIH

10:18 am 0 Comments

The National Institutes of Health recently produced this educational piece.Tinnitus is commonly described as a ringing in the ears, but some people also hear it as a roaring, clicking, hissing or buzzing. For some, it’s a minor annoyance. For others, it can interfere with sleep and grow to be a source of mental and emotional anguish. source.. http://newsinhealth.nih.gov/issue/Aug2011/Feature2

Symptoms, Tinnitus News, Tinnitus Research
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Researcher Receives Grant to Develop Implantable Tinnitus Treatment Device

7:59 pm 0 Comments

It was announced today that a team of Wayne State University researchers have been awarded a grant from the National Science Foundation to develop a 3-D neural probe. It is hoped that this implantable device will suppress tinnitus. Tinnitus currently affects 50 million Americans and more than 250 million worldwide. Many sufferers prefer natural tinnitus treatment, so a minimally or non-invasive treatment would most likely be received well.
Yong Xu, associate professor and associate research director of otolaryngology said of the project…”Our recent work has shown that electrical stimulation is a promising method to suppress tinnitus, once we better understand the mechanisms underlying electrical and chemical stimulation-induced suppression, we will be fully focused on advancing the engineering fabrication to create a minimally, or even non-invasive medical device for diagnosis and treatment.”

Non-invasive tinnitus treatment? Sounds good to us!!! What do you think?

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tinnitus treatment device news

iPod-Like Device Being Developed for Tinnitus Treatment

7:57 pm 0 Comments

tinnitus treatment device newsA new treatment device for tinnitus symptoms is being developed by a start-up of Ohio University. The device is similar to an IPod and according to some reports it may be a giant step in ending the constant ringing in the ears that tinnitus sufferers endure. The MP3 device which is being developed by Sanuthera, includes a pair of wireless ear buds that are similar to other tinnitus maskers. The iPod-like device allows tinnitus patients to program a playlist of background environmental sounds that are used to block out the buzzing, hissing or ringing sounds of tinnitus.
Jeff DiGiovanni, CEO of Sanuthera explains “Unlike many other tinnitus devices on the market, our sounds are not generated by the device, but stored on the device”  It should be noted that the device will also double as a hearing aid, making it a great option for those who suffer from hearing loss as well as tinnitus symptoms.  DiGiovanni hopes to see marketing for the tinnitus device within a year.
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tinnitus cure vagus nerve stimulation

Cure for Tinnitus on the Way?

12:57 pm 0 Comments

A researcher at the University of Texas at Dallas has been given $1.7 million from the National Institutes of Health to conduct research to see if nerve stimulation can be a viable cure for tinnitus. Simply, tinnitus is defined as ringing in the ears, and it affects about 10% of people over the age of 65. For some people it’s just a mild problem and for others it can be absolutely devastating and painful. The doctor who has been given the money from the National Institutes of Health, Dr. tinnitus cure vagus nerve stimulationKilgore, will be researching over the next two years to see whether Vagus Nerve Stimulation will be able to teach the brain to ignore the signals that are telling it to make the ears ring. There have been some other tests that have actually shown that Vagus nerve stimulation can totally reverse tinnitus.

The vagus nerve is also called cranial nerve X or the pneumogastric nerve. It is the 10th out of 12 cranial nerves, and conveys sensory information about the body to the central nervous system. In the past, epilepsy, depression, headaches, and other conditions have been treated with vagus nerve stimulation, which involves using a device that’s implanted about the size of pacemaker.

Dr. Kilgore’s research will be done with a company called MicroTransponder which is a biomedical startup that is trying to produce a less invasive way to use the vagus nerve. Right now the only way to stimulate it is to implant the stimulator surgically.

Right now there really is no cure for tinnitus and the only way to relieve it is to try various treatments. Since it affects about 50 million people in the United States alone, a cure for tinnitus would definitely be very welcome!

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