I am an NHS Chief Audiologist and Hearing Therapist who has a special interest in Tinnitus as a condition, and how to best manage it with and for my patients. I have been working in the NHS from January 1993 as an Audiologist and dual qualified as a Hearing Therapist in 2004. A few months ago I was asked to speak at this years British Tinnitus Association Conference. I couldn't think of anything I wished to discuss more than the degree to which people with Tinnitus are persuaded to part with significant amounts of their time and money by people offering unlikely, implausible and miracle 'secret cures'. I feel it's very important that interventions ought to have a plausible mechanism supported by a strong and developing evidence base, and that people who feel they are suffering from Tinnitus should not have that suffering unnecessarily prolonged by ill-evidenced and exploitative 'cures'.
The purpose then of this blog is to lay out clearly the available evidence base for each and every putative treatment for Tinnitus. My intention is not to over-editorialise, but to simply present the evidence in peer reviewed journals and allow you the reader to arrive at your own informed conclusions. If you then choose to engage in a treatment with no proof, or with evidence of active harm such as 'Hopi' ear candles then best of luck to you. If along the way we get into discussions about the positive effects of the 'Placebo Effect' and how this is used, consciously or otherwise by 'Complementary and Alternative Medicine' practitioners then that's great, I'd love to hear your views.
For the purpose of both self-interest and full disclosure let me say that alongside my NHS practice I have a private practice based in Sheffield at http://www.hearingtherapy.net, and more information can be found about me at http://www.timhusband.info.
As a warm up at a truly fat and feeble target I shall be placing my sites firmly on 'Hopi' and other ear candles,
I hope you come along for the ride and enjoy,
Tim
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A Blog looking at the available evidence for Tinnitus treatments. The aim is to present all the peer reviewed published research papers for scrutiny by the readership to help people make an informed judgment about which intervention is right for them. Whilst there will be minimal editorializing there will be posts both on the skills involved in critical thinking, and in the critical appraisal of academic papers.
2 comments:
Hi Tim, has any research ever been done on the percentage of people with previous OCD or anxiety who go on to devlep tinnitus. I get anxious about my health and fixated and obsessed when I developed T almost a year ago. I'm calm and happy today and can't hear it, but always have rainsound on when I sleep as I hate to become aware of the sound in my head. It freaks me out instantly.
I've been offered TRT - I should probably take it.
Hi,
There is known to be an increased prevalence of both depression and anxiety amongst the Tinnitus population. The once study I've seen specifically relating OCD and Tinnitus suggested there exists only a weak correlation between the two. I could find no studies as yet examining the likelihood of the OCD/anxiety population developing Tinnitus although that may well make an interesting area for further research.
It sounds like you are already doing a good job managing your Tinnitus and yes, that perhaps could be further assisted by taking advantage of the help you have been offered,
Regards,
Tim
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