Hi JohnK,
I think you have a very valid question here. What I find truely interesting is that for as long as I, you or anyone has hunted for an answer, the hearing system is the only part of the body that doesnt have a specific vitamin or mineral that is tied to it. An example would be vit A for eyes, vit E for skin, vit C for the immune system. But nothing for the ears. Whats up with that?

Anyway I think that Gene therapy is going to play a big part in curing this affliction because in a sense it will be regenerating those damaged areas and restoring ones hearing to a greater level. But we will have to wait and see.

Pat

My question is, if hearing could be restored to its best human level, would t be gone?

Does tinnitus become a permanent imprint on the brain and the audiority system after some duration of time, or if these absent frequencies would be restored and recognized by the audiority system, would tinnitus vanish (either immediate or gradiual) ?

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I have hearing loss. In my case I'm reasonably certain that my tinnitus is due to the damage to the hair cells in my inner ear. If these hair cells could be regenerated/restored then I suspect that my tinnitus would disappear. So I guess I'm saying that I don't believe that tinnitus(symptom) is permanent if the cause of it can be rectified.
The problem though is that they still do not know which part of the auditory system is responsible for tinnitus.
Some food for thought! If an infusion of lidocaine can silence tinnitus for a short duration of time then it suggests to me that tinnitus is not a permanent inprint in the brain. Very much like pain I suspect. they are both symptoms of a disorder/injury. We know that pain subsides and disappears when the cause is successfully treated or when it heals.

I have been tested once a year -- my last test was last Feb. and test each time to have perfect hearing. So, if I ask myself would I still hear my tinnitus if my hearing was perfect, yes in my case. I know michangel has tested as having perfect hearing as well. She's 38. I'm 30. I think age is very relevant. I don't expect to still have perfect hearing in 10 years.

I wrote about a not so long ago visit to the dentist in which, after lidocaine, I had to run into a street side Dairy Queen bathroom for some quiet and plugged my ears in disbelief my tinnitus had all but stopped. So I do not believe (not in every case at least) tinnitus is irreversibly/permanently embedded in our process. I've always felt just as Greg -- if the damage can be corrected the ringing will stop. But where that damage resides, what parts of the ear and brain it spans and how to address those parts could take a while to figure out it seems.

I spoke to a well renowned t researcher last year and I presented this question. Usually t is associated with some kind and some degree of hearing loss, then why is t also present for those who do not experience any hearing loss. The response was "that is the question that is really baffling us currently in research".

In most Ent offices they test your hearing up to 8000hz ...in a TRT clinic you are tested up to 12000hz so you could very well have perfect hearing up to 8000hz and drop like a rock after. But in my opinion, I think that your would have a very high pitched tinnitus if that was the case.

Greg brings up a very interesting point about the lidocane and pain simularities. I have read studies where they can pinpoint where in the brain the t/ hyperactive nerves come from. I beleive that the overstimulating has to come from somewhere to the brain and the brain is trying to compensate. They are really trying to tackle this thing from all angles which is very hopeful. ANM medical has the coordinated reset approach. Neramexane has the pharmaceutical approach, and you cant forget about the stem cell approach as well as some other angles being utilized like rTMS.

I was wondering about people with out hearing loss.

Could it be that somehow the hair cells got damaged in another way and it just didn't affect the hearing?? Or maybe the part of the brain that affects hearing got damaged and it is putting out the wrong signals to the brain?

My husband has tinnitus and perfect hearing, and as many of you have, I have high frequency hearing loss at a low level.

I hope the gene therapy will be the answer and soon.

I have flutuating t which changes after a sleep during the night. It can get worst after any quick nap(in which I never nap anymore).

Apparently, the t is worst if my sleep consist of dream-s with some anxiety. Usually after a loud hissing day-sleep will quiet the t the following day, unless I have much stress.

Therefore the best way I can find relief from many bad t days, is to find a way to control anxiety and stress.

Each person handles that differently. For me its distractions, pursing things enjoyable, staying positive as possible.

For others it may be masking.

I have high frequency hearing loss at a low to moderate level. I have had this for years before I got T. After I had a head trauma in 01, the T started. So I can't attribute the T to hearing loss, I know mine came for my head trauma. It's in the brain I think, or maybe when I hit my head I damaged hair cells in my ear. Who knows? I only have T in my right ear, the side where I had my concussion.

Also wanted to say that TRT is helping me, the T is so low I don't even know I have T. Most days I don't hear it at all

Hi JohnK,

Can you point in the direction of the research that says that 85% of people with tinnitus have hearing loss? That is, if you have citations that would be great. I keep trying to do my own research and it's hard to find what seems like valid information.

Thanks.

soctamu, that will be hard to validate because the 85% percentage citation is often utilized by ENT clinics offering hearing evaluations and hearing aids - so that number works for them.

Good luck finding a viable source for it.

The 85% question...
Too long have I've been researching this tinnitus. I saved alot on a now broken computer. My new computer has bigger keys, so less typing errors (85% not being an error me thinks) but the links are now missing links. Try hear-it.org maybe? Older ATA research should somewhere have a near percentage. An audiologist I visit thinks the figure is actually closer to 100% with the exception of some head injuries. ...I'll look into these allegid facts and report back. I can say for a fact that one may have high frequency hearing loss and not know it.

I have had moderate high frequency hearing loss in right ear only for 10 to 15 years documented by annual physicals required by my employer with no tinnitus until about 2 yrs ago. My T was triggered by loud music. Have no way of knowing if the hearing loss contributes or not. I worked for 30 yrs. in a high noise profession.

Oh, I forgot one interesting fact. My hearing loss is in my right ear, The tinnitus is in my left ear. Go figure.