Stimulating the tongue with electricity reduces tinnitus

When I last had an otoacoustic hearing test (about 6 months ago) this was the range that showed a gap and seems to align pretty well with my tinnitus frequency.

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But it’s antidepressants that cause my tinnitus (sertraline).

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I’ve had relatively minor tinnitus for years – and it most definitely was caused by very loud techno music at lots of raves and clubs!

I am interested in this development. It’s not bothersome really, but if it ever got worse as I age it would be nice to know there might be a relatively simple therapy.

And no, I don’t abuse my hearing like I used to any more! It was pretty stupid, and I’m lucky the tinnitus wasn’t much worse.

This might be imaginary, but I feel like staying well-hydrated tends to help. It’s also worse when I’m very tired. If there’s almost any background sound, I don’t really notice it much at all. In very quiet environments I hear it, but thankfully it’s not distracting and I can basically tune it out.

I always thought it was from the cells in your ear dying, and triggering some kind of unstoppable signal?

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Whether or not you’re into the psychedelic angle of this course, it’s also a great primer on brain and cognitive function, based on our best current understanding. Dr. Gallimore is great, he does research in Japan at the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology.

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Came for Sterling Archer reference. Phrasing.

.one hasn’t got worse though I suppose my hearing has. It does get worse with a head cold.

I thought it was something to do with hairs trapped and always firing. Which is why some people get relief with the Epley manoeuvre which is supposed to dislodge crystals.

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Lingle (vb.)
To touch battery terminals with one’s nose.

Adams, Lloyd: The Meaning of Liff

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I’ve often wondered whether there have ever been any real studies to support these hypotheses, or whether they arose from doctors just spitballing reasons that sounded good. Given the idiosyncratic ways that my (relatively minor) tinnitus pops up, I kinda doubt that it has anything to do with the cilia in my ears.

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Looking at medical literature there doesn’t seem to be a consensus on the pathophysiology so you’re right. I guess it’s kind of hard to work out on a living subject and not particularly suitable for post mortem investigation either.

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I feel you, man. I’ve had tinnitus in my left ear since a very specific incident in 2013. Luckily, it’s the “cicadas in field” sound and not a high pitched whine, which I don’t think I could deal with. People with it, get it. Those who don’t, just don’t. It’s sort of like having had a kidney stone (which I have): unless you’ve experienced it, you really can’t relate.

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Show of hands – who pronounces it TINN-ih-tiss, and who pronounces it tin-EYE-tiss? Just curious.

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Just as it’s spelled.

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I imagine there’s also a chance it can have more than one root cause, or may even be a different phenomenon that manifests similarly. Headaches can represent anything from slight dehydration to a brain tumor, after all.

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Has me thinking what a tongue electrode for my tens unit would look like. I know they have them for every other orifice.

Even a few minutes without tinnitus would be wonderful. Unless the electrode touched a silver filling.

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Back in the late 80s, I worked as the computer tech for a law firm. Everyone had a computer terminal instead of a pc. When the terminals got towards their end of life, their electronics would start to emit a high pitched whine, but they still functioned fine otherwise. I would always install these in the offices belonging to the older partners or secretaries, who were oblivious and didn’t mind. Anyone under 30 couldn’t stand the noise though, and accused me of being cruel. Flash forward 25 years and I started to develop a high pitched tinnitus. So I figured I got it due to karma.

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That thounds amathing.

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Does it cause a dry mouth? Is this the technique called Reverse Pavlovian Conditioning?

Jason Stratham taking it to the next level.

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TINN-ih-tiss

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I really don’t miss the whine of the flyback transformers used in CRTs.

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