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USA Today
29-04-2025
- Health
- USA Today
She woke up to cicadas buzzing in her head. Here's how she found relief.
She woke up to cicadas buzzing in her head. Here's how she found relief. Show Caption Hide Caption Siblings with hearing loss have magical ASL chat with Buzz Lightyear A trip to Disneyland in Anaheim, CA, turned magical for siblings Jabez and Evelyn when they met Buzz Lightyear, who knew American Sign Language. Victoria Banks woke up from a nap one afternoon in October 2022 to the sound of cicadas buzzing in her head. The Nashville singer-songwriter waited a full day with the high-pitched, pulsing sound before calling her doctor to check her ears. After a full workup, he said the problem wasn't her ears – it was her brain. Banks, 52, learned she was suffering from tinnitus, the perception of sound when there's no external source. If the brain doesn't receive the sound signals it's expecting, it tries to compensate by creating noise, said Emily McMahan, an audiologist who practices in Anchorage, Alaska. "It's the overproduction of brain activity that the person is perceiving as a sound," she said. Tinnitus typically wanes or goes away for about 80% of the patients who report experiencing it, McMahan said. But traditional treatment methods for the remaining 20%, such as cognitive behavioral therapy or hearing aids, aren't always effective. That changed in March 2023 when a new medical device called Lenire was introduced to the U.S. market. Researchers found over 91% of tinnitus patients saw an improvement with Lenire, according to a Nature study of about 200 patients published April 28. But audiologists say the bimodal, neuromodulation device, which retails for about $4,500, isn't for everyone. Only patients with severe cases who are the most dedicated to treating their tinnitus should be considered, said Patty Kalmbach, an audiologist in Denver, Colorado. "When it's put on the proper patient for the proper reasons, the patient does well," she said. "It's definitely not the only tool in our toolbox but it's been a great tool for us to offer to patients who are distraught and it's their final straw." What is tinnitus? Tinnitus can be triggered by prolonged noise exposure, age-related hearing loss, ear trauma or injuries or medical conditions like blood vessel problems or tumors, according to the Cleveland Clinic. Certain medications, such as chemotherapy, have also been associated with developing tinnitus. Between 10% and 25% of adults experience what's medically termed tinnitus, according to the U.S. National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders, but hearing the sound for three months or more is considered chronic tinnitus. Although it can be characterized by a ringing, pulsing, buzzing, hissing or squealing sound, audiologists say the source of the condition lies in the brain's neural networks. People with tinnitus may experience frustration, problems sleeping, relationship troubles, difficulty concentrating, heightened anxiety, irritability and mental health issues. What's the name for that? Easily annoyed by noises like gum smacking or cereal slurping. 'It gave me relief... it gave me power' Banks was also at the end of her rope right before finding Lenire. Like Carrasco, she tried dietary supplements, meditation, oils and other methods suggested by Internet forums. By July 2023, more than eight months after her tinnitus first appeared, the cicada infestation in her head didn't subside. She had difficulty concentrating on her music and her anxiety was at an all-time high. 'It felt like there's something broken in my body that's never going to be fixed,' she said. 'The inability to control it is probably the hardest thing. You feel powerless.' The Lenire device, which looks like an original iPod, sends currents of tongue stimulation that correspond with noises the patient hears through headphones. Patients must wear the device for at least 60 minutes a day for 12 weeks. Banks wore her Lenire device 30 minutes in the morning and 30 minutes at night. The tongue stimulations felt like fizzy candy, she said. The device works by training the brain to ignore the tinnitus noise and pay attention to the "right" noises, said Ross O'Neill, inventor of Lenire and founding CEO of Neuromod, a medical device company. "Your brain only has so much attention it can give to any one thing," he said. As patients use Lenire, the device "gradually dilutes" the tinnitus sound. Banks' tinnitus began improving after four months of using Lenire. 'It gave me relief,' Banks said. 'It gave me power over something that I didn't have power over.' Lenire isn't for everyone Lenire works differently for each patient and the key to success is consistency, said Kalmbach, from Denver, Colorado. She doesn't recommend the device to patients who have mild tinnitus or aren't bothered by the noises they perceive. In these cases, treatment can risk worsening their tinnitus by drawing more attention to the noise. For those who can benefit from Lenire, "they need to do the work," she said. This means dedicating at least 60 minutes a day to the device without fail or distractions. The treatment is less likely to work if patients skip days or use Lenire while doing other activities, such as watching television or responding to e-mails. It also means improving lifestyle factors that can impact tinnitus severity such as cutting down on caffeine, alcohol and stressors; improving sleep; and treating other mental health conditions. The device is also not recommended for those who have an implantable device; are pregnant; have epilepsy; have conditions that impact tongue sensitivity; or have mouth lesions, sores or inflammation. The device also shouldn't be used for people with objective tinnitus, which originates from the ear canal as opposed to the brain. Some tinnitus patients have also found relief with other treatment options, but sound therapy "is for a very specific group of patients and it's definitely not for everyone," Kalmbach said. "Lenire is a great treatment but I also think it depends on whose hands it is in." Adrianna Rodriguez can be reached at adrodriguez@
USA Today
16-04-2025
- Health
- USA Today
That ringing in your ears you can't shake? There's a name for it.
That ringing in your ears you can't shake? There's a name for it. Show Caption Hide Caption Study: Putting down your phone could improve mental health A new study published in PNAS Nexus suggests that taking a break from mobile internet can significantly boost mental health, well-being, and focus. Fox - 5 NY If you often experience a ringing in your ears or hear sounds that no one else can, you're not alone. According to the U.S. National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders, between 10% and 25% of adults experience what's medically termed tinnitus. That means some 34 to 85 million Americans can relate on some level to hearing noises that don't have an external source — though these sounds have to persist for three months or longer for it to be considered chronic tinnitus. It's also worth noting that, "while millions of people have tinnitus, only a small percentage are significantly bothered by it," says Dr. Tina Huang, an otolaryngologist who treats patients with tinnitus and other hearing issues at the University of Minnesota Medical School. Here's what tinnitus is, what causes it and its most common treatments. What does it mean when your ears ring? What is tinnitus? Tinnitus is defined as "sound that a person hears when there is no external source of the sound," says Huang. Such noises are often described as a "ringing" in the ear, but a multitude of other sounds can also apply. These include pulsing, buzzing, squealing, clicking, chirping, roaring, humming, whistling, hissing and rushing. "Some people even describe the noise they hear as musical," says Sarah Sydlowski, the audiology director of the Hearing Implant Program at Cleveland Clinic. For some people, such sounds can be so loud the individual can't focus on anything else. For others, the noise can be so soft or subtle that it could be easily missed. Sounds can also be high-pitched or very low and can come and go or maintain a more constant presence. Tinnitus can happen to anyone, but it occurs more frequently in adults than children, and is especially common in adults 40 years or older. People with tinnitus may experience frustration, problems sleeping, relationship troubles, difficulty concentrating heightened anxiety and irritability and mental health issues. Did you see? 1 billion young people may be at risk for hearing loss due to 'unsafe' listening habits, study shows What causes tinnitus? All causes of tinnitus are not universally understood. "It's complex because the actual pathway for the creation of tinnitus is not fully mapped in the brain," says Huang. "But we do know there is no genetic component to tinnitus." Instead, environmental factors and getting older play the biggest parts. For instance, age-related hearing loss can affect the brain's auditory nerve and is thereby one of the most common causes of tinnitus. Another common factor is damage related to repeated exposure to loud noises such as deafening music, work environments with loud machinery or frequently attending especially raucous sporting events. "When the 18,000 or so sensory cells in the inner ear are damaged by loud sounds, the ear is less capable of sending signals to the hearing nerve and ultimately to the brain," says Sydlowski. Damaged sensory nerves are thought to be why tinnitus is especially common among veterans — as active military members are sometimes exposed to bursts of gunfire or bomb blasts. Blockage of the ear canal due to earwax or other substances can also cause tinnitus, as can suffering from an ear infection or head or neck injury. "Head trauma in general can cause tinnitus even when it doesn't cause noticeable changes in hearing since tinnitus is brain-generated," says Huang. High doses of certain medications can also contribute to tinnitus. Some of these include antidepressants, NSAIDS, certain antibiotics and anti-malaria medicines. Less commonly, tinnitus is sometimes related to brain tumors, jaw-joint problems or chronic conditions such as thyroid disorders, diabetes or autoimmune disorders. 'Our struggles don't discount us': What people with hearing aids wish you knew What is the best way to treat tinnitus? Treatment options for tinnitus vary depending on what's causing the problem. Sometimes stopping the behavior that causes tinnitus or changing one's medication are all that is needed. Other times, the root cause of the problem needs to be fixed such as treating the underlying injury or condition. Wearing a sound generator or hearing aid can also treat symptoms associated with tinnitus. Sound therapies can be helpful as well, as can tinnitus retraining therapy. "Another of the main treatments for tinnitus is cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) as the main goal of treatment is to make the tinnitus less bothersome," says Huang. She adds that stress reduction techniques and improved sleep can also help. White noise machines can also be useful in masking frustrating or distracting noises. "A fan running or sounds like rain or a thunderstorm playing can help because tinnitus is most noticeable in quiet places where there isn't other sound," says Sydlowski. "Anything that can take your brain's attention off the sound can be helpful," echoes Huang. "Whether tinnitus is barely noticeable to debilitating," adds Sydlowski, "it's important to know that it can be treated and managed."
