by Neil Bauman, Ph.D. A man asked, Does listening to music at low volume levels, but for 5-6 hours or more every day, make tinnitus worse? Is it better to listen via speakers or headphones? Listening to music at low volume levels should not bother your tinnitus (or make it worse). That’s a general rule […]

by Neil Bauman, Ph.D. A lady explained, I have tinnitus most of the time—day and night. It nearly drives me mad as I have an irregular heart beat, once going into fibrillation. I hear every heartbeat which scares me. I guess I am hearing it as the carotid artery is close to my ears. This […]

by Neil Bauman, Ph.D. A lady asked, Is an extract of pine bark (pycnogenol) still of interest in treating tinnitus? You are referring to an article that came out 3 years ago on October 13, 2010 entitled, “Pycnogenol effective in relieving tinnitus symptoms: Study“. In case you aren’t familiar with it, pycnogenol (pik-NAH-jen-all) is a […]

by Neil Bauman, Ph.D. The American Tinnitus Association (ATA) has a cool Tinnitus Sound Masking Library on their website. (Note: You have to be an ATA member and log in to the “Members Area” in order to access this webpage.) This is the ideal way to make your own environmental background files so you can […]

by Neil Bauman, Ph.D. A daughter wrote, I enjoy reading your newsletter because my dad cannot hear. He had a cochlear implant last year. He also has loud tinnitus, which we hoped the CI would help. Unfortunately, it didn’t, and his doctor hasn’t been able to help. He’s 85 and sometimes he says it’s unbearable. […]

by Neil Bauman, Ph.D. A lady wrote, I have been reading your site and samples of your book on tinnitus and I think you are the person to ask. I recently fell ill with a sinus cold and a sore throat. The cold went away after about a week. Two to three days after this, […]

by Neil Bauman, Ph.D. There is some interesting tinnitus research going on into the mechanisms that cause tinnitus, and the mechanisms that keep tinnitus “running” once it occurs. Researchers have noticed an emerging pattern associated with tinnitus. Exposure to loud sounds leads to cochlear damage and hearing loss, even though this damage is often not […]

by Neil Bauman, Ph.D. A man wrote, I mowed my lawn for the first time this year, and about halfway through the job my tinnitus began to get louder. I wore a pair of ear muffs rated at 25 db noise reduction, but my mower is not that loud to begin with. However, I did […]

  by Neil Bauman, Ph.D.   After reading one of my emails to a group, a lady remarked, WHOA! I did not know that caffeine can cause tinnitus. I drink a lot of diet pop mostly Diet Coke or Diet Pepsi and have had tinnitus for 10+ years. Tell me more. It has been “conventional […]

  by Neil Bauman, Ph.D.   A man wrote, I am seeking information about ultrasonic dental scaling and hearing damage. In November 2011, I experienced my first ultrasonic scaling and immediately felt the worst pain in my inner ear ever. After leaving the dentist I had fullness in my ears and constant tinnitus that continues […]

by Neil Bauman, Ph.D. One technique for dealing with your tinnitus is to mask your tinnitus with other soothing sounds. This is an especially good way to deal with your tinnitus if you have trouble getting to sleep. The VirtualDreamer website has a number of tinnitus-masking sound files that you can download for free. For […]

by Neil Bauman, Ph.D. A lady wrote, Thank you for providing this blog. Many of your previous responses have provided so much helpful information to me already. I’m a musician and I’ve been conscious of taking care of my ears. More often than not, I wear earplugs when rehearsing. When playing live I will have […]

by Neil Bauman, Ph.D. The Center for Hearing Loss Help has just released what is probably the most comprehensive list ever compiled of the hundreds of drugs, herbs and chemicals that have been associated with tinnitus. Neil Bauman, Ph.D., the author of the books, “Ototoxic Drugs Exposed” and “When Your Ears Ring—Cope With Your Tinnitus—Here’s […]

  by Neil Bauman, Ph.D. © February, 2013   In the past few years, scientists have discovered that tinnitus can arise in various areas of the brain when too much spontaneous neuronal activity takes place, and, for whatever reason, the normal inhibiting mechanisms fail to suppress it. As time goes by, researchers are more and […]

by Neil Bauman, Ph.D. One man explained, For a quick fix for tinnitus, I take a shower. Whenever I shower, I always let the water gush into my ears for 30-60 seconds, back and forth, ear to ear. I do this first thing (when I can remember) so that I don’t forget. (Sometimes I have […]

  by Neil Bauman, Ph.D. A lady wrote, I have had high-pitched tonal tinnitus for 14 months. It’s been at the same level pretty much everyday, although once in a while it gets a little lower, but it’s always there 24/7. I have noticed that if I move my jaw, my tinnitus in my left […]

by Neil Bauman, Ph.D. Since no one tinnitus treatment program works for everyone, over the years researchers have developed a variety of different tinnitus treatment protocols. Each of these work for some people—perhaps someone with a specific kind of tinnitus—and maybe not for everyone else. One such treatment protocol is the “Phase-Out” tinnitus reduction system. […]

by Neil Bauman, Ph.D. You’ve all heard the old saying, “If you can’t lick them, join them.” Bet you never thought that this could be true in dealing with your tinnitus sounds. Carol came up with a cool way to deal with her tinnitus—one that lets her sleep in spite of her incessant tinnitus. Here’s […]

by Neil Bauman, Ph.D. A man wrote, Generally speaking, if a person has tinnitus and sound sensitivity caused by taking medications, does the tinnitus level go down once the medication is discontinued? What is the normal time period to cause such a side effect? Does it happen even if the medication is taken for only […]

by Neil Bauman, Ph.D. A lady asked me about a reported new drug cure for tinnitus. She wrote, I wonder if you’ve heard anything about Caroverine? What are your thoughts? She referred to an article published in Hearing Review on January 19, 2012 (1). This was in turn picked up from an article published back […]