MANAGEMENT OF TINNITUS IN MENIERE'S DISEASE: DIET, MASKING AND ALTERNATIVE PREPARATIONS
Diet
The role of diet in tinnitus management is uncertain. Some diets, such as the low salicylate diet, have not stood the test of time.
Proprietary or alternative preparations
Many individuals report relief with various preparations available from naturopaths and health food shops. Ginkgo biloba is currently a popular preparation. Little is known about their modes of action and it is not the purpose of this article to either disparage or support them. It is up to the individual to try them if desired.
Masking
This has been the mainstay of tinnitus therapy for some years and works on the principle of using an external sound source to divert attention from the tinnitus. It is well known that tinnitus is usually worse when the room is quiet, and often not heard or less objectionable on a busy street. Simple masking uses daily activities and environmental noises such as listening to music, the radio, or audio tapes of surf, rain, a waterfall, etc.
A tinnitus masker places other noises in the ear to mask the tinnitus, and the frequency and volume can be set to suit the wearer. A tinnitus masker looks like a hearing aid. In-the-ear and behind-the-ear types are available. Instead of a microphone picking up sound, the masker directs a soft hissing noise into the ear, which most people find preferable to their own tinnitus. If there is a hearing loss, even of a mild degree, correction of the loss with an appropriate hearing aid can provide sufficient sound stimulation to produce effective masking and to reduce or eliminate the tinnitus.
Often people are reluctant to try a hearing aid (because of the social prejudices associated with wearing a hearing aid), or will object to a hearing aid because "it's the noise which worries me, not hearing". If these people can be persuaded to give a hearing aid a trial, they may be pleasantly surprised by the relief they gain. For more severe cases, tinnitus masker/ hearing aid combinations are available and can work well in some cases. They should be properly fitted under the care of an audiologist.
Masking does not provide an instant cure, and requires working with an audiologist to find the right sound and method of application. Adjustments to the device will usually be necessary.
These techniques rely on the principle that most people can tolerate outside noise better than their tinnitus. Being able to control an external sound can help by providing an active way to get some relief from tinnitus.
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