Monday, January 16, 2012

Hope for a Tinnitus Cure?

Tinnitus is commonly described as "ringing in the ears."  There are two types of tinnitus- Objective and Subjective.  Objective tinnitus refers to tinnitus that is audible to other people.  Subjective tinnitus refers to tinnitus that can only be heard by the patient suffering this condition.

While there is currently no known cure for tinnitus, researchers are continually investigating new treatment methods and potential cures for this condition. A recent beta trial at the Cleveland Clinic showed a 90% success rate in eliminating tinnitus. Currently, the VA is conducting 17 promising clinical trials.

Dr. Michael Kilgard, an associate professor at the Dallas extension of the University of Texas School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences, is presently researching whether a type of nerve stimulation (VNS) can retrain the brain to ignore the nerve signals that simulate ringing in the ears. The researchers in earlier tests found that a particular type of nerve stimulation, when paired with the presentation of alternative tones, appeared to reverse the effects of tinnitus.

Read more about the ongoing research

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