Are There Any Proven Treatments For Tinnitus?

There is a lot of information floating around out there about the many cures and remedies for tinnitus.  The truth is that there really is no actual cure to be found at the present.  However, there are treatments.  The question becomes, are there any proven treatments for tinnitus?

Probably one reason there is no cure is that tinnitus is usually a symptom of some other condition rather than a disease in itself.  If that condition is cured, then the tinnitus may go away as well.  If the tinnitus is caused by damage to the ears by some excessively loud noise, then it may be difficult to cure that.  The person then needs proven treatments for tinnitus. Many prescription drugs cause tinnitus so it is advisable to beware when taking these fro the treatment of tinnitus.

The use of Ginkgo biloba has been shown in studies to help tinnitus sufferers significantly.  It is considered by most to be a proven treatment for tinnitus.  It is easy to obtain and fairly inexpensive.  However use of the cheaper, lesser known brands has been found to be less effective.  A drawback to this therapy is that it shouldn’t be used by people on blood thinners such as coumadin. 

Proper diet and healthy habits have been known for years to ease the suffering of people with tinnitus.  A diet rich in vitamins, especially the B vitamins, and minerals, especially zinc, is best to alleviate tinnitus.  Quitting smoking and beginning exercise definitely have an affect on circulation, so they help with the blood flow to the inner ear structures.  These are all proven treatments for tinnitus.

Masking devices are the most obviously proven treatments for tinnitus.  They are devices, sometimes hearing aid type devices, which disguise the ear noises of tinnitus.  They work well for immediate relief of symptoms.  They also present a residual inhibition by which ear noises are temporarily diminished for minutes or even weeks after the patient removes the masking device.  This is not a cure because the ease of symptoms eventually goes away and the person eventually has to go back to using the masking device.  It is still a proven treatment for tinnitus.

There have been a number of studies on the efficacy of Tinnitus Retraining Therapy (TRT).  It would seem after most of these studies that TRT is a proven treatment for tinnitus.  It uses a sound generator that sends a special broadband signal that is adjusted over time to habituate the person to his or her tinnitus.  Specialized counseling is also used.