Previously we discussed minerals such as magnesium or zinc, B vitamins or LipoFlavinoids for use in tinnitus relief. Today we will briefly highlight some alternative procedures such as acupuncture, cranio-sacral therapy, magnets, hyperbaric oxygen, or hypnosis that are also occasionally tried. Your doctor might give you clearance to try them for tinnitus given that they generally carry little risk to health. Again, we do NOT advocate/champion any of these; this is purely for informational purposes.
Magnets:
The therapy, transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), sends short pulses of magnetic fields to the brain.
Recent studies have found that about 12 percent of people with chronic tinnitus also suffer depression and anxiety — a rate three times higher than that of the general population. TMS has been approved since 2009 for patients who have major depression and have failed at least one antidepressant. During TMS treatment, the patient reclines in a comfortable padded chair. A magnetic coil, placed next to the left side of the head, sends short pulses of magnetic fields to the surface of the brain. This produces currents that stimulate brain cells. The currents, in turn, affect mood-regulatory circuits deeper in the brain. Each treatment lasts 35 to 40 minutes.
Hyperbaric Oxygen:
Although the pathophysiological pathways of tinnitus have not yet been fully explained, a series of findings indicate that often a malfunction of blood transfer to the inner ear impairs the oxygen content of the affected cells. Studies have shown that the stria vascularis of the basal (high frequencies) turn of the cochlea (hearing organ) consumes three-to-four times as much oxygen as the apical (low frequencies) turn. Tinnitus Hyperbaric Oxygenation permits a controlled increase of the partial oxygen pressure in the blood. The effectiveness of high pressure oxygen therapy is based on raising the partial pressure of oxygen in the blood and thus the pressure difference to tissue.
Hypnotherapy:
Many seek hypnotherapy for tinnitus after trying various other methods to help them cope better with their symptoms, and it is considered an effective complementary therapy.
The medical definition of hypnotherapy is a modified state of consciousness in which the mind is temporarily re-routed, so that the subconscious mind opens up to selective, positive and mood boosting suggestions.
Because there are different types of tinnitus, each person’s hypnotherapy treatment is unique. Hypnotherapists will use a variety of techniques and methods to help sufferers live at relative peace with the noises, and will retrain the brain to be less disturbed by them. By helping the consciousness of tinnitus sufferers to process the sounds like it does everyday background noise, hypnotherapy can make the sounds seem less threatening.
Acupuncture:
Traditional Chinese medicine, according to one source, states ringing in the ears and tinnitus is an alarm that the energy in your kidney meridian is low or deficient. Most tinnitus and ear ringing conditions, unless caused by injury, are related to excessive stress or trauma, which depletes the energy flow to your kidneys. Besides points on the kidney meridian and around the ears themselves, the most potent points for boosting the health of the kidneys are located in your lower back.
Cranial-Sacral Therapy:
Cranial sacral therapy (also known as craniosacral therapy) is a gentle, noninvasive form of bodywork that addresses the bones of the head, spinal column and sacrum. The goal is to release compression in those areas which alleviates stress and pain.
Cranial sacral therapy seeks to restore the natural position of the bones and can decrease stress from chronic injuries as well as provide relief from migraine headaches, neck and back pain, temporomandibular joint disorder, tinnitus and more.
As with any tinnitus therapy or treatment, none of the above mentioned therapies report 100% relief from tinnitus. Several found a modest amount of relief when one of these was combined with another therapy option. Again, consult your physician when trying the above alternative therapies to ensure optimal care.