 Treatment |
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Medication |
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Medications can
occasionally be used to control tinnitus, although there is
no one medication that works routinely with everyone. You
may consider medical treatment for your tinnitus, although
the side effects associated with these medications can sometimes
be more bothersome than the tinnitus. |
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TRT is a method developed to facilitate
habituation to tinnitus. It is consisted of sound enrichment
therapy and directive counseling. Sound is employed to reduce
the contrast between silence or ambient noise and the perception
of tinnitus. This sound may be in the form of environmental
sounds, amplification or broadband sound generating devices.
A reduction of the perception of the tinnitus is considered
essential to the process of habituation. |
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Hearing
aid fitting |
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If
you have hearing loss, environmental sounds alone may be inadequate
to conceal the tinnitus. Hearing aids can amplify environmental
sounds to an audible level, so not only can they enhance your
listening and communication abilities, but they will also
provide relief from your tinnitus. |
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Tinnitus
masker fitting |
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If
you do not have hearing loss, a tinnitus masker provides pitch-matched
sound in an instrument that either partially or completely
competes with or conceals the tinnitus. |
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Stress
management |
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Stress
can aggravate tinnitus and tinnitus can be very stressful,
creating a cycle that can be difficult to break. There are
different ways to release stress, for instance, breathing,
playing sports, meeting friends, eating, taking a trip to
other countries and etc. You just need to figure out which
way works the best for you. |
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Avoidance
of noise exposure |
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The
prevalence of tinnitus is significantly greater for patients
with extensive noise exposure. Tinnitus will get worse in
the noisy environments. As a general rule of thumb, if the
noise level is high enough that you must raise your voice
to talk over it, then ear protection should be used. |
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Major
factors contributing to successful tinnitus treatment |
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Tinnitus
is not a disease but can be a symptom of ear problems, so
the target of treatment shall not be to ¡§cure¡¨ it. On the
contrary, to figure out and treat the underlying cause(s)
leading to tinnitus is the focus of treatment. |
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Tinnitus treatment shall be conducted by an
audiologist with qualified tinnitus therapeutic background.
(click TRT near you, then click Graduates of London UK TRT course,
and refer to page 7) |
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Tinnitus therapist shall
arrange sufficient time to meet patient in each consultation. |
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Tinnitus therapist shall
obtain detail information from the patient. Case history as
well as reports of hearing assessments and tinnitus evaluation
is necessary for keep track of the patient status from time
to time. Since every case is unique, treatment shall be custom-made
according to the condition of patient. |
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Tinnitus therapist will explain
the test findings to patient. Possible ways to improve the
condition will also be discussed. If patient is required to
undergo further examination by other specialties, the therapist
will arrange for referrals accordingly. |
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The duration of tinnitus
treatment will be depended on the condition of patient. It
might last from 2 to 18 months. Patient shall follow the time
table designed by the tinnitus therapist for follow-ups. Tinnitus
therapists will encourage the patient to contact them whenever
he has further questions on his condition. |
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Useful reminders to tinnitus patients |
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Keep healthy and take enough
rest and sleep. |
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Avoidance of noise exposure.
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Reduce the consumption of
alcohol, caffeine and aspirin. |
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Control the diet, e.g. reduce
the consumption of tea and spicy food. |
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Avoidance of herbal medication
which claimed it can cure tinnitus effectively. |
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**Although no medication
can ¡§cure¡¨ tinnitus at the moment, most tinnitus sufferers can
improve their conditions with the assistance of audiologist
with qualified tinnitus therapeutic background. |
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Suggested
reading: |
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