Hi Barry,
I have pulsatile tinnitus along with ringing in the ear and hearing loss. My ENT doctor has suggested a stapedectomy. Will this surgery take away my pulsatile tinnitus and improve my hearing loss? Is it a risky surgery? My doctor wants to do one ear at a time. any other suggestions for my pulsatile tinnitus? It’s getting in the way of my daily life.
Thank you,
Melissa W.
Dear Melissa,
Pulsatile tinnitus and the problem doctors address for a stapedectomy are two totally separate things. I believe you may have two conditions, both of which can be successfully treated.
Pulsatile tinnitus is always due to turbulent blood flow in an area close to the cochlea. There are many possible causes of this and, once the cause can be isolated, they are usually treatable. The correct specialist to see for this is a vascular surgeon who has the tools to diagnose and treat the condition.
A stapedectomy for otosclerosis is performed if the bones in the middle ear become soft and don’t transmit sound effectively to the cochlea. This most often causes tinnitus. The surgery to fix it is very routine and not risky. It has been performed tens of thousands of times. But it will not help pulsatile tinnitus.
You should ask your ENT if you have otosclerosis, the problem a stapedectomy is designed to rectify.
Wishing you quiet times,
Barry Keate
Hi Barry,
I have experienced tinnitus over a decade. Thunderous noise and high pitched whistle. Also I have had hyperacusis since youth and now have sensorineural hearing loss which is worsening. Suddenly three months ago I developed never-ending songs, musical rhythms, marching bands and male voice choirs in the temporal and parietal lobes. The volume varies from very loud to tolerable and tunes and rhythms change quite often.
The only factor which seems to be involved is stress, hurrying, panicking increases the sound but meditation, relaxation does not seem to function to quieten it. Have you any other suggestions how I can obtain a few minutes peace during the day and at night.
Thank you for your help.
Yvonne H.
Dear Yvonne,
Stress is the number-one aggravator of tinnitus, or whatever else bothers us, and will always make it worse.
The songs, rhythms and choirs you hear are called Musical Ear Syndrome. This almost always happens in those who have significantly impaired hearing. If the brain doesn’t get enough audio stimulation it makes up for it by creating or remembering other sounds. This can be helped by making sure you have enough sound input to put the brain to rest.
Your tinnitus can be helped with Arches Tinnitus Formula. It has been shown in clinical trials to be helpful for the majority of people who use it. It is especially helpful for those who have hearing loss accompanying their tinnitus. In this case we have a 75% to 80% success rate in reducing tinnitus loudness. It must be used for at least three months (four bottles) to get the full benefit so we recommend Arches Starter Kit, a full three month supply at a $20 reduction below retail.
I hope this is helpful.
Wishing you quiet times,
Barry Keate
Good Morning Barry,
In preparation for a recent minor surgery (outpatient), I was advised to discontinue Ginkgo biloba and any other type of blood thinner two weeks prior to the surgery. I had been taking your Tinnitus Formula with Ginkgo Max for a couple of years thinking that it wasn’t helping much. I was wrong.
After two weeks of discontinuing your product there was a marked increase in my tinnitus. I’ve had other surgeries while taking your product, but was never advised to discontinue Ginkgo, and I was never advised of excessive bleeding. So my question is: Is it really that important to discontinue prior to a surgery?
Three weeks after resuming the use of the product my tinnitus is still at a high volume. I know that you advise that it takes about 90 days before the effects of the product can be realized, so am I looking at that window as well, even though I have been using for several years? Thank you in advance, and greatly appreciate your fine newsletter.
Wishing YOU quiet times,
Doug C.
Hi Doug,
I’m happy the Tinnitus Formula has worked well for you. This happens with quite a few people; the reduction is gradual and not noticed until after it is stopped, when it increases to its previous level.
The warning regarding ginkgo is to stop using Arches Tinnitus Formula two weeks before any surgical procedure. It is printed on our label. Perhaps some people can do with less but it’s impossible to tell which person will have bleeding problems and which won’t. In order to be safe, we caution people about the two week period. I cannot advise you to do this but I usually stop about 7 days before any surgery and have not had problems. Some others might though.
I don’t think you’re going to have to wait 90 days for it to return to the lower level. Impossible to say how long but it should start getting better soon.
Wishing you quiet times,
Barry Keate