Researchers at the University of Iowa are launching several new studies to treat tinnitus, or ringing in the ears.

A website has been created to allow people with tinnitus to register their interest in participating in these studies. All interested adults with tinnitus can sign up for the Tinnitus Registry, and those who previously visited the registry and were told they did not qualify for the studies are encouraged to visit the site again.

The Tinnitus Registry can be found at: http://survey.uiowa.edu/wsb.dll/127/tinnitusregistry.htm.

Can you hear me now?

Cell phone usage continues to rise and there are concerns over the possible side effects resulting from these handy items. Now, a small clinical study conducted in Austria has concluded that regular cell phone use may increase the risk of developing persistent tinnitus.

Dr. Hans-Peter Hutter of the Institute of Environmental Health at the Medical University of Vienna noted that "high intensity, long duration of mobile phone use might be associated with occurrence of tinnitus. Therefore, we are recommending a far more conscious and cautious way of using mobile phones."

Hutter’s team studied 100 people treated for chronic tinnitus and 100 without it. The participants were asked a variety of questions about their cell phone use.

The study estimated that people who used a cell phone before the first symptoms of tinnitus appeared were 37 percent more likely to develop the condition than those in the control group. Also, people who used their cell phone for at least 10 minutes a day were 71 percent more likely to develop tinnitus than the other study participants.

While individuals reported that they used their cell phones on both ears, instances of tinnitus were usually found in just one ear. The study went on to postulate the the high amounts of microwave energy absorbed was likely responsible for the tinnitus.

However, one American physician, Dr. Thomas Balkany of the University of Miami Ear Institute believes that the study’s data failed to support their conclusions. According to Dr. Balkany the data is “very weak.” He believes that the researchers of the study did not look at other common causes of tinnitus, including stress, anxiety and depression as well as the increased use of MP3 players.

A weak relationship seems to exist between tinnitus and cell phone use, Balkany said, "but it’s not causative in any way." A much larger study would be needed to determine whether cell phones really can cause tinnitus, he said.

Here, at Arches we believe in erring toward the side of caution. In the scheme of things cell phones are a relatively new dimension to our world and long term side effects (if any) have yet to be fully understood. Limiting cell phone usage, using headsets or blue tooth devices are just a few ways to lessen direct contact with microwave energy put out.

Brent Curtis

Source- US News & World Report

ENT doctors often tell their patients with tinnitus to try to avoid, or cut back on salt, alcohol, nicotine and caffeine. But a recent clinical study found giving up caffeine does not relieve tinnitus and caffeine withdrawal might even add to the problem.

The first study of its kind conducted by the Centre for Hearing and Balance Studies at Bristol University in the UK was randomized and placebo based, For thirty days they tested 66 subjects who typically consumed an average of 150 mg of caffeine per day drinking tea of coffee. The aim of the study was to provide evidence for therapeutic practice to the tinnitus community.

The participants usual caffeinated drink was replaced with double-blinded supplies, under one of two conditions: usual caffeine consumption followed by phased withdrawal; or phased withdrawal followed by reintroduction then usual caffeine consumption. The test subjects did not know what they were being given. They would receive caffeine some days and not others.

Participants were required to complete a questionnaire to measure their tinnitus three times during the study; at the start, after they had been withdrawn from caffeine for ten days, and after they had consumed their normal amount of caffeine for ten days. The participants also kept a very brief record of their tinnitus symptoms each day.

“Caffeine had no effect on tinnitus severity,” according to the study. They reported that the mean difference between caffeinated and decaffeinated days was less than half a per cent on the Tinnitus Severity index.

While the participants had significant adverse symptoms from caffeine withdrawal, “no evidence was found to justify caffeine abstinence as a therapy to alleviate tinnitus,” they explained. But researchers pointed out that acute effects of caffeine withdrawal might add to the burden of tinnitus.

Editor’s Note: At Arches, we believe that paying attention to what we consume is important to recovery over tinnitus. Rule of thumb: If your tinnitus is worse after consuming caffeine or any other substance… avoid it.

-Brent Curtis

A report published in the October 11, 2009 issue of the International Journal of Low Radiation provided evidence of a protective effect for Ginkgo biloba extract against radiation damage. Such damage may occur during radiological body imaging techniques, accidents or occupational overexposure.

The researchers  used radiation-induced programmed cell death (apoptosis) to evaluate the protective effect of ginkgo extract. In one experiment, white blood cells from human donors aged 18 to 50 were treated with one of four concentrations of ginkgo extract or a 9% saline solution before being exposed to gamma rays.

The researchers found a significant dose-dependent reduction in apoptotic cells among those treated with ginkgo. While radiation induced apoptosis occurred in nearly one third of irradiated cells not treated with ginkgo, the number declined to 5% or less in cells treated with the highest concentration of the herb.

In another experiment, mice were treated with ginkgo extract or saline before and after receiving whole body ionizing radiation. Examination of the animals spleens found that treatment with ginkgo maintained organ size comparable with that of animals that did not receive radiation, while spleens in irradiated animals that did not receive ginkgo were significantly smaller.

Premium-grade Ginkgo biloba extract is a primary ingredient in Arches Tinnitus Relief Formula.

Barry Keate

Research at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, MA found a protective effect for the B vitamin folate (folic acid) against the development of hearing loss in older men.

The research was based on the 1986 enrollment in the Health Professionals Follow-Up Study. In this study, 26,273 male health professionals who were 40-75 years upon enrollment, completed follow-up dietary questionnaires every two years. The questionnaires were analyzed for intake levels of several vitamins, including folate, and related hearing loss diagnosed since the beginning of the study. The investigation is the first large study to prospectively examine the relation between diet and hearing loss.

The study found that men over 60 whose intake of folate from food and supplements was among the highest 20% of participants had a 21% reduction in the risk of developing hearing loss compared to those in the lowest fifth.

Lead researcher Joseph Shargorodsky, MD, states, “A possible explanation for the impact of age on the relation between folate intake and hearing loss is the increased prevalence of folate malabsorption and folate depletion in the older age group. Higher folic acid intake may be necessary to meet the optimal folate needs in this age group.”

Folic acid is found in Arches Tinnitus B-12 Formula.

Barry Keate

Tinnitus authority and otolaryngologist. Michael Seidman, MD, FACS, was named chair-elect of the American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery Board of Governors. The election took place this October at the organization’s annual meeting in San Diego.

As chair-elect, Dr. Seidman will oversee communication between the AAO-HNS Board of Directors and the local, state, regional, national, and international otolaryngology-head and neck surgery organizations and residents. During his three-year term, he will initially serve as chair-elect, then chair, and finally immediate past chair.

AAO-HNS, one of the oldest medical associations in the nation, represents more than 11,000 physicians and allied health professionals worldwide who specialize in the treatment of the ears, nose, throat, and related structures of the head and neck.

Dr. Seidman is an expert on otologic/neurotologic surgical problems, skull base tumors, cochlear implants, noise-induced hearing loss and tinnitus. He is co-director of the Tinnitus Center, director of the Division of Otologic/Neurotolgic Surgery in the Department of Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery and director of the Otolaryngology Research Laboratory for one of the nation’s most prestigious health systems.

The Department of Defense has awarded a $1.27 million grant to the University of Kansas to study tinnitus. Tinnitus and hearing loss are the number one injury claim made by armed forces personnel returning from duty in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Scientists will focus on whether the regeneration of hair cells in the inner ear can not only restore hearing, but also reduce tinnitus and restore normal brain function to targeted areas. This is the first clinical study that will examine the efficacy of replacing inner-ear hair cells to treat the disease. Researchers will conduct their studies in an animal model and then translate those results so they can be applied to humans. They study will last three years.

According to one of the researchers, Dianne Durham, PhD, professor of otolaryngology, “Our objective is to cure tinnitus, but first we have to find out what causes the ringing noises. Since the inner-ear hair cells transmit signals to the brain, we think replacing them will put us a step closer to our goal.”

An international team of scientists from the US, France and Germany have found a gene associated with a newly identified type of hearing loss. 

The gene is called SLC17A8 and is believed to be the cause of a previously unidentified class of congenital hearing loss. It is characterized by diminished ability to hear high frequency sound. According to a scientist at the University of Michigan Health System, Marci Lesperance, MD, the degree of hearing loss and the ages affected varies in individuals.

The discovery of the gene now allows for a simple screening test to indentify if a patient has a disposition for the specific type of hearing loss associated with SLC17A8 . Researchers found that this new found type of hearing loss is similar to presbycusis, a type of bilateral, age-related hearing loss. They believe that studying the gene will bring greater understanding about age related hearing loss and its causes.

Here’s one for the books… or at least the links. A study published in the British Journal of Medicine warns that certain golf clubs can cause hearing loss and by extension tinnitus.

The popular titanium clubs used by golfers everywhere create a mini sonic boom upon impact with a golf ball. Years ago the sound of a wood driver hitting a ball made a healthy click, but now the intense ping that explodes off titanium clubs creates a sound as loud as a jackhammer or jet engine at take-off.

Recent tests at Florida’s North Palm Beach Country Club with director of golf Mike Gray measured decibel levels on impact. “They design them to be louder, its more exciting. If it sounds louder, it feels like it will go father” said Gray.

Time and again the impact pinned the meter past 130 decibels. 130 decibels equals the noise level in close proximity to a jackhammer and a jet taking off on the runway. By comparison the blast from a gun muzzle hits 140 db and a rock concert clocks in at 132.

The study suggests wearing ear plugs. Tennis anyone?

It can manifest itself in a variety of ways. Some have tinnitus, others have migraines some individual experience a clicking or locking of the jaw, and others have pain on the sides and back of the neck.

Temporomandibular joint (TMJ) disorder affects up to 3/4 of Americans at some time in their life. The TMJ is a complicated joint which connects the lower jaw to the temporal bone on the side of the head. Often the symptoms go away on their own, according to an article published in the New York Times, Personal Health section (2/3/2009). It’s causes are many; environmental, biologic, social, behavioral, to name a few and it impacts women most often. An incredible ninety percent of patients who seek treatment are women.

Those who experience the above symptoms are urged to obtain at thorough examination (often dentists trained in craniofacial care) and assessment of the problem before embarking on a therapy, especially if they have tinnitus or migraine headaches.

While surgery is the last resort there are many simple and safe therapy options:

1) Rest the jaw is the most important.
2) Stop harmful chewing and biting habits.
3) Avoid opening your moth wide while yawning or laughing.
4) Temporarily eat only soft foods, such as soup, yogurt, fish and cottage cheese, pureed vegetables and fruit.
5) Apply heat the side of the face and take nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medication, for up to two weeks.