Tinnitus
Expert care for tinnitus in Stony Brook, NY.
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You Do Not Have to Learn to Live with Tinnitus
There is a misconception that tinnitus is untreatable, nothing can be done and you just have to learn to live with it. After specializing in tinnitus management for over 26 years, Dr. Elena Maresca believes you do not have to learn to live with it. Tinnitus relief is possible.
What is Tinnitus?
Tinnitus is the term for noises heard in the ears or in the head. It may be described as a buzzing, ringing, whistling, hissing, or other types of sound. Tinnitus may be constant or episodic, high pitched or low pitched, steady in volume or fluctuating in volume. It may even change throughout the day in the type of sound you hear. Essentially, tinnitus can be very predictable or very erratic. Tinnitus is a natural phenomenon experienced by 50 million Americans. Persistent tinnitus, which becomes problematic, is experienced by approximately 30 million Americans.
Tinnitus is considered a brain disorder, not an ear disorder. Generally, both disorders originally stem from damage to the same area, the inner ear. Tinnitus and hearing loss are two different disorders; therefore, they need to be addressed differently.
If you compare tinnitus experienced by a patient who does not consider it to be problematic, to a patient who does, there are no significant physical or medical differences. The difference lies in the part of the brain concerned with analyzing weak sound signals.
Cycle of Tinnitus
In many cases, a patient will experience normal tinnitus, which may easily give the idea that something is medically wrong or that they will be stuck with this problem for the rest of their life. This negative thinking is frequently responsible for the initial focusing of the subconscious part of the brain on the small tinnitus signals coming from the inner ear. This focus creates feelings of annoyance, apprehension, and even anxiety and depression. This is where the tinnitus cycle begins.
The emotions, creating a physiological change in the body, increase the brain’s focus on the neurological signal creating a greater awareness of tinnitus. This heightened awareness of the tinnitus increases the stress, anxiety, and negative emotions, which then again creates a physiological change in the body, which increases the awareness of the tinnitus. Essentially, the more you hear it, the more stressed you get, the more stressed you get then the louder it becomes, and the louder it becomes the more you hear it, resulting in the more stressed you get. This is the cycle of tinnitus.
Specialized Tinnitus Treatment
Tinnitus treatment is based on our understanding of the three systems involved in tinnitus: the auditory system, the autonomic system, and the limbic system. Because the subconscious parts of the brain have become trained to focus on the weak electrical signals coming from the inner ear (neurological activity), it is necessary to retrain these subconscious filters. This retraining may be accomplished through a careful combination of counseling, cognitive behavioral therapy, and sound therapy which may include sound generators or combination devices.
In all cases, it is crucial to address both ears and to address the altered filtering of the neurological signals coming from the ear, by the brain. These filters can be reset so they do not transmit tinnitus messages to the hearing cortex (the subconscious part of the brain), which would result in tinnitus no longer being heard or a decrease in the general awareness of the tinnitus.
Interested in learning how to stop buzzing, humming, or ringing in the ears? Contact us today and experience relief from tinnitus.
Hyperacusis
Hyperacusis is when people experience an increased sensitivity to loud sounds. They typically find that moderate sounds are uncomfortably loud and loud sounds are simply intolerable. In other cases, it is not the loudness of sounds, but the type of sound that people find uncomfortable. Reduced tolerance to sound is generated by an auditory dysfunction where external sounds are internally amplified. Retraining therapy may also be applied to hyperacusis where you are trying to retrain the brain to perceive sound at normal tolerance levels.
Long Term Care for Tinnitus and Hyperacusis
Follow-up visits are a crucial part of tinnitus/hyperacusis success. It is important to realize there is no overnight cure for tinnitus and hyperacusis, and treatment may take anywhere from 18 to 24 months.