What they don’t tell you CAN hurt you

You probably heard already that there is no “cure” for tinnitus but this doesn’t mean it can’t be treated.  If we discover the cause we can usually treat it quickly, such as tinnitus due to impacted earwax.  But what if we can’t find a cause or treat the condition that is causing it?  Can over the counter products help?

There are many over the counter products with catchy names that claim to provide relief or a cure such as Tinnitus 911, Ring Relief, Ring Stop, Tinnifree, etc.  There is insufficient evidence to prove that ANY over the counter products today help with tinnitus and in some cases they may actually be harmful.  These products include herbal supplements, vitamins and homeopathic remedies that may be sold as pills, powders, liquids, sprays and teas.

So why are these products allowed to be sold?  Because they are classified as dietary supplements, so they are considered “food” and not a drug.  Therefore, they do not have to declare efficacy.  Manufacturers avoid liability by adding a disclaimer stating that it has not been evaluated by the FDA or Health Canada and that it is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.

My blog photo was taken in the Springtime in my neighbourhood when I was on one of my morning walks.  I came across a newly planted tree with a tag on it that identified it as a ginko biloba tree.  I thought their leaves were quite pretty.  You probably saw ginko biloba advertised as an herbal remedy for tinnitus.  It is known to be a powerful antioxidant that may improve blood flow.  The cochlea is the most sensitive organ in the body to changes in blood flow.  Reduced blood supply to the labyrinthine artery due to vascular problems can lead to outer hair cell death in the cochlea and may lead to subjective tinnitus.  While there are some studies that claim that it can help there are also others claim that it is an ineffective herbal remedy.  Peer reviewed studies are essential to validate these claims.  

Perceived benefits from these products are likely due to the placebo effect or other variables that may have helped, such as stress reduction, diet, exercise, better sleep, etc.   I’m always open to alternative treatments such as acupuncture, even if there is no evidence to support it, but when it is s something that has to be ingested, I advise against it.  If you are taking medications, it is especially important to speak to your physician or health care provider about any supplements before you try them.  They will be able to determine if there are possible interaction effects with the medications you are taking and advise you as to the risk of other side effects.

Tinnitus is just a small part of our lives but it is of great interest to researchers today as the number of cases rise due to the COVID pandemic.  I am well informed of any advances in the field.  If you see or hear anything and are not sure if it is valid don’t hesitate to email me at info@salushearing.com.   Stay health, safe and have a great week!

“Good morning.  How was your sleep?”.  This is what I’m asked every morning when I’m at my favourite B&B in Niagara Falls. 

A good night’s rest is important for everyone.  It helps the brain and body recuperate and develop.  Some benefits include boosting your immune system, improving your memory, strengthening your heart and improving your mood.  There are many things that can negatively impact your sleep.  Speaking to your doctor to determine if you need a sleep coach to address unhealthy sleep habits or to determine if there is an underlying health issues to address, like sleep apnea, is an important first step for anyone who wakes up feeling tired or feels sleepy during the day.   

If you have tinnitus, it can make falling asleep or staying asleep difficult.  One reason for this is that it’s quiet at night and there are no distractions.   Like a candle light in the night, tinnitus is more noticeable.  Some of my patients use a fan to drown out their tinnitus but the most ideal sound source is a tabletop sound generator, like the one in the photo for my blog, as you can control the volume.  Some common sounds that are good to use at night are white sounds (or any variation of static noise), heartbeat and nature sounds like ocean waves or rain.  However, there are a few important things to remember when enriching your environment with sound at night.  

First, it’s important to use a sound that is stable; that is without any erratic fluctuations.  I had one patient who reported worse sleep after using her table top sound generator.  She was using the rain track.  It wasn’t until a couple of weeks later that we solved the mystery, when she commented that her husband wanted her to change the sound because the rolling thunder in the background was waking him up.  Remember that we cannot turn off our ears at night so any sound source must be stable for your brain to tune it out. 

Second, you must set the sound source BEFORE going to your bedroom for the night.  We want to avoid having you enter a quiet bedroom space and worry about what sound to use.  Most people with tinnitus also have hearing loss and keep their hearing aids in a case or charger on their bedside table.  Never the washroom please!  Having the sound in the room on before removing the hearing devices is especially important to avoid perceiving your tinnitus as being louder than it really is. 

Lastly, it’s important to set the sound to stay on throughout the night.  This will ensure that you won’t notice it as much when moving to a lighter stage of the sleep cycle or waking up to use the washroom in the middle of the night and when waking up in the morning.  A common question I get is “how do I enrich my bedroom space with sound if my spouse needs the room to be quiet to sleep?”  You don’t need to move out.  There are solutions that I can explore with you if you need help.

As we say good-bye to 2021, I wish you all good health and happiness … and good sleep is a big part of that!

 

One of the most common questions I am asked today by my patients is whether they will develop tinnitus or if their tinnitus will become worse, if they get the COVID-19 vaccine.

There is no evidence to date of a link between the vaccine and tinnitus.  However, some of my patients have reported developing tinnitus or an increase in tinnitus after receiving their vaccine.  My professional opinion is that it is the stress around the vaccine and self monitoring of side effects that is the cause in these cases.  There is more evidence pointing to sudden hearing loss and tinnitus as a side effect of the COVID-19 virus.

Many people are experiencing COVID fatigue or burnout.  It is completely normal to feel burnout when a person is under prolonged extraordinary stress.  This time of year, with the holidays approaching, we may experience added stress.  Self care is extremely important to cope with this type of burnout and build your resilience.  Self care includes physical and mental care.

Limiting exposure to the news can also help.  My teen son checks the news a few times a week and was upset yesterday when he saw the pandemic stats for Ontario indicated another increase in cases to 1,607.  I was disappointed too and I worry about the impact the gatherings during the holidays will have on the number of cases in the new year.  I am especially frustrated when I hear about the use of fake vaccine documents.  What helps me is to remember what I can and cannot control.   I can control my exposure by using PPEs, and hand sanitizers and getting my vaccines.  And I am also in control my mental and physical health. 

Yesterday the weather was surprisingly mild so I decided to load my husband and son in the car and we drove to Richmond Green Park to walk along their beautiful paved trails.  The sound of the water at the man-made waterfalls was soothing and the exercise and fresh air was energizing.  We had fun watching my son fish chunks of ice out of the pond and throwing tree branches on it to see whose will slide the furthest across the partially frozen pond.  If you were wondering about the selection of photos for this blog it’ll now make sense.  It’s a photo my son with a sheet of ice. We all felt happier after that walk.  

Now I want you to take a look at the hours ahead.  You have a lot to get done, that’s a given.  But taking care of your health and wellbeing should make the list, right up there with taking care of your work, your to dos and other people.  We know that if we manage our stress we will also better manage our tinnitus.  So what are you going to do today to focus on your wellbeing?   Try to zero in on one thing not all the things, it’s one day not a week.   Take a moment with this because research shows when you set aside time to focus and create a plan you’re much more likely to follow through.  There you set a focus and created a plan to prioritized your well being and minimize your tinnitus.  Now go on and conquer the day and week!  

Ever woke up in the middle of the night or before your alarm clock goes off feeling wide awake?

Today I woke up at 5am, not because my alarm went off but because I was excited. Last night I made a decision to be brave and step into the light. As many of you know I’ve been grappling with how to open the lines of communication around tinnitus and extend my reach to as many people as possible.

Yesterday I completed a 2-day online event by Amy Porterfield. Amy is passionate about helping people share their story and knowledge with the world through social media – specifically by creating an online course. During her event she had a lovely speaker named Luvvie Ajayi Jones. It was this woman’s courage to show up in spite of her fear that woke me up this morning.

She shared her mantra with us that she had posted on a sticky note on her desk – “Hold the light” – and it struck a chord with me. It inspired me to make a commitment to start writing to you each week to share my experience and knowledge around tinnitus … to inspire you.

I took a photo to include in my first blog so it’s not so text heavy. It’s a photo of the scratch pad I grabbed from the top of my plug-in fireplace in my room. It’s a special note pad because I took it home after a family stay in New York at the Ritz Carlton Hotel a few years back. We heard the hotel was closing so I brought home the momento and thought I’d finally use it for something special – my first blog draft to you. Ok it’s also true that I was too shy to take a photo of myself for the post and just got a manicure. But you’ll see I’m using my Salus Hearing Centre pen and writing with my notes from Amy Porterfield’s event, that I added to my Remarkable electronic notebook, close by.

 

I’m writing in my room and can’t believe how quiet the house is … only it’s really not. I hear a “loud” noise in my head. I’ve heard it before one night while in bed dreading an exam the next day for, believe it or not, one of my courses from my post graduate certificate program – Advanced Studies in Tinnitus and Hyperacusis Management. The first time I heard it that night I panicked. It was so loud! I can only describe it to you as a jet engine. You know that noise you hear while on the airplane waiting for it to take off? Well in that moment a flood of thoughts came to my mind – What is that noise? Is this tinnitus? Why is it so loud? Is this permanent? I need to sleep or I’m going to be tired in the morning and fail my exam. But then I stopped … I remembered what my professor told me. He said that tinnitus is actually a very soft sound that our brain perceives as being loud.

 

So I tested this … I grabbed my iPhone from my night stand and opened up an app I use sometimes when I have to wait in the reception area for my doctor (back in the pre-COVID days) because I don’t like waiting. The app is actually from a hearing aid manufacturer called Resound – Resound Tinnitus Relief. I like it because not only can I combine sounds that I like but it has these gentle bubbles that float up that I like popping with my finger. Wait where was I? Ah yes, so I turned on the app and I set it to a soft level because we were taught that the volume of the sound we use during sound therapy doesn’t have to be loud. I set the timer in the app for 30 minutes, turned it upside down on my nightstand to block the light and lay in bed in the dark and just focused on the lovely nature sounds … and fell asleep.

 

I can’t remember which sound I chose that night but I would guess it was a combination of water and birds. I was thrilled, the next morning when I woke, to see that it worked. It renewed my commitment to the course and to share this with others who have tinnitus since many have trouble falling asleep because of the noise in their head.

 

So my friend, I thank you for allowing me the time and space to share my thoughts (and distract myself from my tinnitus) in this first attempt to “hold the light”. I promise to write again to you next Monday and every Monday after that to give you tips and inspiration. To know that you’re not alone. I’m here for you and we can do this together. Now go do something you need or want to do like hug your kid, husband, or dog or go for a walk … because tinnitus is just a small part of our lives.

Sincerely Sabrina