There is currently no cure for tinnitus. That being said, treatment and management therapies are available that can help reduce the impact of tinnitus so that people can live a normal active life. The aim of treatments, such as sound therapy, relaxation therapy and cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), is to help people effectively ignore or manage their tinnitus to the point where it is no longer a problem. Some treatments also aim to reduce the stress that can be associated with tinnitus.Of course, if there is an underlying cause of tinnitus that can be easily treated, such as an ear-wax blockage or an ear infection, treating this may get rid of the tinnitus.
Audiologists may recommend one or more of the following options: sound therapy, including sound generators and hearing aids, relaxation exercises such as yoga, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, Tinnitus Retraining Therapy, or Neuromodulation Treatment. Whichever treatment path is recommended to you, it is important to understand that it can take time for things to improve, be it the stress associated with tinnitus or the tinnitus symptoms themselves. If you are living with tinnitus, working on your mindset or your perception of the tinnitus is key. The goal of all treatment plans is essentially the same: to break the negativity associated with tinnitus. Some immediate relief may be achieved, but ultimately the aim is to become more comfortable with the tinnitus, to realise that it’s not life threatening and, most importantly, that patients are always in control of their response to it.
What’s recommended for each patient will depend on the nature of their tinnitus, how it impacts them and whether they have any other underlying problems, like hearing loss, or stress. It may also depend on what is comfortable or acceptable for each patient.