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1

Anoobis_117 t1_ishtapp wrote

cool maybe they can figure out how to treat tinnitus now

943

h_phantom t1_ishzz11 wrote

Mine isn't so much the constant ringing as I can't hear high pitched noises. On my yearly hearing exams I can hear deep notes well, but the high pitched ones are impossible. My girlfriend gets frustrated but I really can't hear her well because of it.

15

free-advice t1_isi177i wrote

You know, tinnitus is weird. I handle it way better than I would have thought I would. I do miss true quietness at times. Morning coffee on the back porch for example. But it doesn't drive me crazy either. I am sure there is a volume where I would not be able to say that so I am trying to preserve what I have.

10

3z3ki3l t1_isi1oee wrote

I was basically born with it. Pretty sure I got it from some botched ear tubes when I was about two years old.

Never knew I had it until I was 22, when someone mentioned they heard ringing in their ears all the time, and it was called tinnitus. I thought it was normal to hear ringing in more quiet environments.

13

Theamuse_Ourania t1_isi1w2f wrote

I was born with a cleft lip and palate. OHSU treated me from the time I was 12 to 20. When I was very little I had chronic ear infections as a nasty side-effect of my cleft. I was constantly in and out of surgery before I was 5 getting tubes put in and pulled out of my ears.

I've been told that having all that done is the reason why I can't hear out of one ear. I don't know how but the constant tubes caused a calcium build up around the inner ear bone that vibrates when you hear sound. The surgeons said that it's like someone encased that tiny bone in cement and that there is no current medical treatment to cure it.

Reading this article gives me hope that soon I might be cured and will be able to hear out of that ear for the first time!

127

SirMandrake t1_isi24j6 wrote

Now this seems promising for someone like me with Bilateral sensorineural hearing loss.

9

free-advice t1_isi273w wrote

Yeah I feel like I had mine since adolescence. It has just gotten progressively louder as I have aged. I would swear, btw, that after my bout with covid19 it got way worse.

9

theWora t1_isi3n45 wrote

I remenber when I would go back to my parents' house, in a more rural area, and at night I could only hear the night and crickets in the distance. Last 2 or so years I haven't been able to hear the night, just the ringing in my ears. :(

8

CatFaerie t1_isi3x99 wrote

I don't know when I got mine, either. I used to sneak outside at night in the summer when I couldn't sleep and I thought that was the sound the stars make.

15

pateandcognac t1_isi416p wrote

Iirc, research into reversing hair loss has recently led to a breakthrough in reversing hearing loss and tinnitus by regrowing the auditory sensory hairs. There may be hope on the horizon.

I just learned about this finger thumping technique to help with tinnitus. Gives me some relief, sometimes. Ymmv

edit: I looked it up. here's a link I also just learned that tinnitus is associated with dementia, so there's that.

382

ellieD t1_isi47mu wrote

HUGS!

For the first two years, it was so loud, I cried about it more than once.

It was driving me crazy!

I had to take sleeping pills for a while.

13 years later, there are whole days I don’t think about it.

Very lucky that your brain actually learns to ignore it somewhat.

6

theWora t1_isi4wyc wrote

I'm going to have to look into the science if what makes this happen. Is it the actual ear, drum, or soemthing in there that makes it ring, or is it also related to the brain, like maybe the ear sends false signals to the brain and the brain keeps stimulation going?

2

free-advice t1_isi500g wrote

Yeah I live in that rural environment you visit. I could have peace without that sound. But I've basically found peace with it. The rest of life is good enough that I can't complain haha. I won the lottery.

7

What_the_muff t1_isiayw4 wrote

That's really awful. They can make tiny prosthetic ear bones now, and even shape those that have bone spurs or incorrect shapes. But complete encasing? That would be a problem. This mechanism unfortunately doesn't really help the situation of those like you yet. The best bet would be bypassing the "external" mechanics and going with something like a cochlear implant.

Hearing research is way behind other health fields, makes me very sad since it affects so many people.

36

theWora t1_isibndw wrote

I see. I think for it, it started due to cabling constantly exposed to this high-pitch noise for over a year. The areas I lived it wasn't the best, so there was a lot of noise pollution near me.

2

IndyMLVC t1_isicy0m wrote

This is the quote:

"The auditory neuroscience field has been waiting for these results for decades, and now that they are right here -- we are ecstatic,” said Peter Barr-Gillespie, Ph.D., an OHSU research scientist and national leader in hearing research. “The results from this paper immediately suggest new avenues of research, and so will invigorate the field for years to come.”

151

nerd4code t1_isidk2q wrote

AFAIK it’s usually associated with the cochlea specifically, which is where the body applies the biological equivalent to a Fourier transform to incoming noise. But it can be caused by damage to nerves or certain parts of the brain, or even impacted earwax.

3

jardedCollinsky t1_isij2jt wrote

Good, us Gen Z peeps have earbuds in constantly, we'll need some medical miracles to not be deaf asf bother time we are older

41

tompz t1_isiqqnm wrote

Please can they use this to silence my raging tinnitus? Please?

10

teratogenic17 t1_isirjhh wrote

I was thinking of the research that showed persistence of consciousness after clinical death (PET scans?), and wondering how resilient these molecules are. The Bardo Thos Gröl mentions speaking loudly into the ear of the recently deceased, to comfort them and guide them.

0

Mega__Maniac t1_isiux0y wrote

I actually think this generation are likely better off. Awareness of volume levels is much better, those earbuds limit their volume to much more sensible levels than the ear/headphones of past, and ANC allows for much lower listening levels whilst still drowning out background noise.

Would be interesting to know if it's actually got better or not, as I'm obviously just guessing.

50

JiuVirgil t1_isivm29 wrote

Vvkn. Noooooobooooooooooo

1

klipseracer t1_isiyjov wrote

You know everyone I read about tinnitus, I can begin hearing this. It's like when an old CRT TV is on in the background playing nothing, but can hear the high pitched squealing.

I wonder if it's in my mind or if my mind has just been zoning it out not sure.

My right ear was injured by an ear doctor, who did a job on my ear with the alligator things when I was a kid. I was crying in the chair and had to finish one ear before we left. That ear has been jacked up ever since.

4

Fishydeals t1_isizdkx wrote

That's a classic. But do you also get those 'my ear just got disconnected from my brain and is now slowly getting reconnected through a constantly louder getting eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee' for about 30 seconds until you're back to your usual tinnitus?

6

ournextarc t1_isizkkj wrote

Like the sound they play in movies/games when a flash grenade goes off and all sound stop except that high pitched ring. That. All day. My entire life. It's so damn loud and distracting some times. And the "pops" when it'll suddenly get way louder and more intense in one ear for a few seconds to minutes. So. Much. Fun.

3

Fishydeals t1_isizozt wrote

For me it's completely random somehow. Like I could be super focused playing a competitive videogame, or lying in bed trying to get some sleep.

Glad to know I'm not the only one though.

4

NLP_Onyx t1_isj5m95 wrote

12 years Navy here - sometimes my right ear does it's thing while my wife is talking to me and, while it can be annoying, I try to at least get some laughs out of it when I tell her that the tinnitus is telling me to not listen to her.

5

whattherede t1_isjce1c wrote

The connection between hearing loss and tinnitus is a little unclear, plenty of people have hearing loss without tinnitus, and many people have debilitating severe tinnitus while scoring perfectly on an audiogram.

60

flamewizzy21 t1_isjcrbi wrote

Scientists discover that hearing is indeed caused by sound.

0

immacomputah t1_isjd8ji wrote

Please cure my chronic and debilitating tinnitus. It’s driving me crazy in the worst way. It’s so loud and it never goes away.

1

StinkyTheMonkey t1_isjer6o wrote

Testing was conducted at the Garrett Morris Institute for Auditory Research.

1

love_that_fishing t1_isji2rj wrote

OHSU has always been a leader in tinnitus research. they used to do Tinnitus Retraining Therapy. I looked into it there 20+ years ago.

4

OnlyBubble t1_isjnz5n wrote

OHSU has always been a leader in tinnitus research

1

PretendsHesPissed t1_isjos5r wrote

Same here. Actually have hearing that goes a bit above the average hearing for a human (26k) but still have that delightful 24/7 tinnitus that sometimes loves to pretend it's a multi-instrument symphony playing inside my ears.

YES, I HEAR YOU, CONDUCTOR! NO, I DON'T WANT AN ENCORE.

Dammit. He ignored me again.

20

poppy_otter t1_isjr67m wrote

I have a symphony in the left ear & EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE in the right. I haven’t bothered getting my hearing tested, I just know I rely on subtitles so that the tv is blasting my kid’s hearing…too much anyway.

8

Riversntallbuildings t1_isjrlrr wrote

Two points:

One, does this discovery give us any better shot at fixing tinnitus?

Two, while I appreciate this article, this quote:

*“This is the last sensory system in which that fundamental molecular machinery has remained unknown,” *

Doesn’t strike me as accurate. I thought the sense of smell was the bigger molecular mystery. Especially because people smell differently. What is pleasant to one person is not to others. However, sound is pretty universal and easily measured with tone, frequency & decibels.

1

words_of_j t1_isjzyvh wrote

I wonder if this can pave the way for help with tinnitus?

2

triptick99 t1_iskdk7g wrote

Wow, a baby step to be sure. But, where thus might lead is extremely exciting. I hope I don't die with this monster stalking me anymore!!!

2

PretendsHesPissed t1_iskfutq wrote

Subtitles on everything else I have no idea what's going on.

They're great even for the non-hearing fuct, especially given that right now it's quite popular to deliberately make dialogue and background sounds confusing and inaudible as hell.

6

PretendsHesPissed t1_iskgcqa wrote

Yeah. While it does last longer than I do in bed, it's still a harsh reminder that it's always there.

On the flip side, at least we have comfort in knowing that one of the reasons why life is so hard for us is the permanent disfigurement of our hearing. Yay!

1

anonymous_teve t1_iskj950 wrote

Oh, exciting! Before I click the link I just want to post this and go out on a limb so I can later brag and say I called it: it's gotta be the ears, right?

2

egoic t1_isku9v6 wrote

For others here's something to possibly consider before using the thumping technique: I don't know if it's just me but the thumping technique just got me really really depressed when I found it, because it reminded me what it was like to hear silence again and the effects are quite short-lived. Not saying someone shouldn't try that if it gives them hope or some bit of happiness or relief, but if someone has a lifelong constant tinnitus and they have come to terms with their condition then sometimes it's better to just not think about what's lost and learn to live with life the way it is now. Everyone is different, but it's just something to consider before trying if you're living with the condition

2

MisterBaked t1_iskyfr9 wrote

Same here. I can go a week or more without experiencing it, and then sometimes it'll happen more than once in one day. There doesn't seem to be any trigger for it as far as I've noticed.

I think of it as our ears recalibrating

4

jardedCollinsky t1_islh70m wrote

My main reason isn't that they are louder or anything, but that it's constant. I mean I literally have an earbud in like 8 hours a day, all through work unless I'm talking to someone and at home I use them as well, and I'm not even an extreme case or anything, others wear theirs more than me. But you make some solid points so ig I could see it going either way.

3

Radsthetics t1_islk9w0 wrote

Nice. Great to see something that helps out people.

1

lamya8 t1_islz4jb wrote

I wonder if this will help progress finding treatments for auditory processing disorder.

1

TDalton24 t1_ism7c8e wrote

Over-the-Counter Hearing Aid Act of 2017

Passed the House on July 12, 2017 (passed without objection)

Passed the Senate on August 3, 2017 (passed voice vote)

Signed into law by President Donald Trump on August 18, 2017

I am not pro Trump and quite honestly disgusted by him but Biden did not do this. Although to be fair I am sure he would have. It was bipartisan but you introduced as if Biden did something here and he didn't.

1

TDalton24 t1_ism86mk wrote

Because you can't have it be the wild west as that can be bad for consumers sometimes. So the law actually granted the FDA 3 years to do it. Biden could have made his "statement" on Day 1 of his presidency if he felt like it. My guess is his timing is actually the right choice here as his team felt that everything was ready and in place. I dont give Trump any more credit here than Biden. I don't like either and would begrudgingly vote for Biden on a 2 person ballot. But I don't think this is something that's political. Technology is better and quite honestly the science is better that not enough people with mild to moderate hearing loss were using the old system so this is better even if people don't get as good a fit and usage but atleast will have them in higher numbers

1

vivalavida1357 t1_isoghov wrote

Can someone explain shortly what this means? For hearing loss, which type? Tinnitus? What are we waiting for now with this? Which stage is it in as of today?? Someone tell me if they know.

1

jardedCollinsky t1_isw43r5 wrote

Zoomers man, I know a lot of people who wore an earbud any chance they got all through school and then now at work if they can get away with it. When people work out they do, when people just chill at at home they do. It's constant some days it feels like.

1

MrCloudyMan t1_iu83vue wrote

Well, they found the chemicals that translate vibrations into sound. And it wasnt confirmed on humans, but on an animal whose ears are closely similar to humans.

So theres a long way to go. First they probably need to confirm the same hypothesis on humans. Then they need to see how it is related to the inner hair cells. So were probably looking forward regenerative hair cell medication. When a medication is found, it will need to go through all clinical trials. So overall I'd say 10 years if we are very lucky, otherwise 20-30 years.

2