Blog of 11/19/25

There is a lot of misinformation regarding tinnitus treatment. When searching
tinnitus “cures” online be careful of misleading ads. There are a lot of pills,
supplements, oils, etc. promising false results. They do not work. You will be
successful if you see a qualified hearing healthcare professional who can guide you
through your treatment and success in silencing annoying tinnitus.

Just like hearing loss, every patient’s tinnitus is unique to them. The key to
treating tinnitus is determining the root cause. Tinnitus can be caused by spine
problems, allergies, medication, and, most commonly, damage to the auditory nerve.

According to Lenire, 800 million people a year experience tinnitus, and 90% of patients
with tinnitus also have some form of hearing loss, even if it is not noticeable hearing
loss.

The best way to describe what causes tinnitus is a phantom limb. If I were to cut
my hand off, my brain would remember there used to be a hand there, and it would
generate its own pain from a neural pathway that was previously laid. When there is
damage to the hearing nerve, even a small amount, it changes the auditory input going
to your brain. The brain remembers it used to get stimulation from the damaged area,
and when it doesn’t receive it, it generates its own sound in the form off tinnitus.
Tinnitus can become a vicious cycle as stress and anxiety make the tinnitus
seem louder. Tinnitus doesn’t get louder. It just seems louder when our brains are
stressed, and there aren’t enough resources to suppress the tinnitus.

The great news is we at Davis Family Hearing effectively treat tinnitus every
single day! In many cases, simply treating the hearing loss that is causing the tinnitus
suppresses it immediately. When the brain receives sound where it was missing it, the
tinnitus diminishes. To date, hearing devices (hearing aids and/or cochlear implants)
are the best options for providing relief from annoying tinnitus. In many cases, patients
experience immediate silencing of their tinnitus as soon as hearing aids are fit, and after
patients wear hearing aids for 2-3 weeks, the tinnitus is gone even with the hearing aids
out. Other cases take 2-3 months of consistent wear, but it almost never takes longer
than that.

Most patients simply need hearing aids to treat their tinnitus. However, some
patients benefit from additional sound therapy and relaxation techniques, which Davis
Family Hearing can provide. We pride ourselves in successfully tackling even the
toughest tinnitus cases.

Just know, you are not alone, and there is hope. Tinnitus is very treatable, and
we are here to help!