Tinnitus Treatment Options

Recent studies show that 10% to 15% of the US population, or nearly 30 million people, experience chronic or persistent tinnitus. Tinnitus has been shown to have a direct impact on a person's emotional well-being, hearing , and ability to sleep and to concentrate, in turn influencing basic life functions such as socialization and relaxation.

Only a small number of people contact their physicians or hearing care professionals for help with their tinnitus, perhaps due to the widespread belief that tinnitus is incurable or untreatable. Yet there are several methods for treating tinnitus that can alleviate the impact it has on the patient's quality of life.

A large-scale study by the Better Hearing Institute found that the highest rating of treatment effectiveness was achieved by hearing aids (34%) and music (30%), followed by relaxation techniques (10%). Focusing on substantial to complete relief from tinnitus (greater than or equal to 80% of symptoms), hearing aids were rated the highest (27%) followed by music (20%). Approximately 10% of subjects experienced substantial relief of their tinnitus through prescription medication, relaxation techniques, counseling, or a non-wearable sound generator. Herbs or dietary supplements were not shown to be effective in this study.

Information from Hearing Review, November 2011