Triumph over Tinnitus: Natural Tinnitus Treatments that Work

Foreward to the 2nd Edition by Donna Segal, Doctor of Audiology

Tinnitus is a much misunderstood phenomenon for many people. It is extremely frustrating and can often be devastating. It can take a person from one day being vital and full of energy to being unable to cope with daily living. As a Doctor of Audiology with 22 years of clinical experience, I have been intrigued by this myserious condition. There actually was never a course in my graduate work on tinnitus and its relationship to hearing. Even with all the research that has been done, the source is still unknown. The research appears to suggest that the mechanism is more "in the brain" that in the ear itself. Many physicians are baffled by this condition as well. Once the physician has ruled out any medical source, most physicians are at a loss. They will often tell the patient that "it is just something to learn to live with." Patients are often given medication in hopes that it will ease the symptoms. The medication often just masks the underlying symptoms. Patients are often left with a sense of helplessness and are unsure of where to seek information.

Triumph over Tinnitus is an excellent resource for any person experiencing tinnitus as well as healthcare practitioners who encounter those with this condition. It is very easy to read and well outlined. It begins by presenting a clear explanation of tinnitus to educate the reader which often eases their mind about their symptoms. It then explains the origin and basics behind Sound Therapy and how it can be used to ease the symptoms of those experiencing tinnitus. The variety of testimonials presented is very informative and provides support in the reader's understanding of how Sound Therapy can be used to assist tinnitus sufferers. There are step by step instructions on how to use Sound Therapy. The chapter on prevention explains a variety of approaches that have been well utilized and are currently available for tinnitus sufferers as well as tips on preventing the possible development of tinnitus. I particularly enjoyed the chapter on nutrition and wholistic therapies.

Over the course of my career, I have read so many books on tinnitus, and have searched for one that was well written, clear and concise that I could recommend to tinnitus sufferers. I have found it in Triumph over Tinnitus. I would recommend this book to anyone contacting me about tinnitus as well as to all of my tinnitus patients. This is also a great book to be used along with the other books and articles that I have students read for the doctoral level tinnitus course that I teach. This is a must read for audiologists.

Please read this book from beginning to end. You will learn so much, either for yourself, or for someone you know that experiences tinnitus-related symptoms. Knowledge is power.

This book wil empower anyone with tinnitus.

Thank you Rafaele for writing this book that easily unravels this confusing and often debilitating condition. I send my blessings that it will heal all those that read it on many levels.

Donna Segal AuD
Doctor of Audiology
Specializing in Tinnitus in Private Practice
Perception Plus, Inc
Indianapolis, Indiana USA

Foreward to the 1st Edition by Professor Lynn Chenoweth

Like many other areas of health dysfunction, the causes and manifestation of tinnitus are complex. While the human body has an amazing capacity to deal with complexity through physical and emotional resilience, this particular condition can become quite debilitating for those that experience it. When people face chronic and intractable health problems like tinnitus they learn to recognise that the path to healing takes the form of a gentle art. Reading the body's expression of health dysfunction plays an important part in this process. In this way healing will occur as the person takes note of the disharmony occurring and works with the body's natural forces to re-energise.

While this idea is not new, in the present age many people are recognising this philosophy and both turning back to the healing traditions of the past, and turning forward to new forms of complimentary medicine.

Sound therapy has been a component of India's ancient system of Ayurvedic medicine for centuries. The notion that sound waves can be transferred to target specific areas of the body to achieve therapeutic goals is not new.

However, Tomatis' application of sound therapy to exercise the muscles of the middle ear is new. This technique has been shown to influence the ability to hear a wider range of sound frequencies and is the way to re-pattern the hearing range and attention span, for example. Evidence arising from the testimonies and case studies presented in this Handbook provides us with a new conceptualization of treatment for tinnitus. These success stories provide sufferers with a new and exciting path to follow.

Like all new ideas surrounding treatment for difficult health conditions, some may discount its usefulness outright, some might be willing to test it out for some time, while others will embrace it wholeheartedly in their search for explanation and meaning. For those who are unsure, I encourage you to test out Sound Therapy for yourself in your journey towards health and wellbeing.

Lynn Chenoweth
Professor of Aged and Extended Care
University of Technology Sydney
Director, Health and Ageing Research Unit
South Eastern Sydney Area Health

Introduction

It was quite by accident that I embarked on the path of public education about tinnitus. In fact, I had never heard of tinnitus when, at age 20, I first encountered Sound Therapy.

A chance meeting in Paris with a Canadian doctor who was there to study as a Sound Therapist led me to recommend Sound Therapy for my mother. My mother did not have tinnitus, but she had two other hearing problems for which Sound Therapy was recommended. One was hyperacusis, or sound sensitivity. The other was a difficulty in focusing on a conversation in a noisy room, commonly known as the "Cocktail Party Syndrome".

On my recommendation, my mother was one of the first clients of the Canadian doctor when he opened his clinic in Montreal. The treatment cured her listening problems and also gifted her with boundless energy, a blessed end to her insomnia and a fantastic boost to her creative writing: these she was told were the "side effects" of Sound Therapy!

Because Sound Therapy revolutionised her life, six years later my mother went on to release this extraordinary tool to the public for the first time ever as a self-help listening program. She did this with the help of the Benedictine monks of St Peter's Abbey in Saskatchewan. She tells the full story of this adventure in her book Sound Therapy for the Walk Man, later republished as Part One of our joint book Sound Therapy: Music to Recharge Your Brain.

After the first release of her book, my mother began receiving letters from people who claimed that Sound Therapy had cured, or greatly reduced, their tinnitus. My mother and I shared this information in many radio interviews throughout North America and Australia, and every time we mentioned it, the radio station received hundreds of calls. One time after a national radio interview with Tony Delroy on his show, Late Night Live, in Australia, my phone rang non-stop for three days. It was clear that the public was desparate for help with tinnitus.

In the past twelve years I have spoken to thousands of individuals who suffer with tinnitus in Australia, Canada, the US and other countries. The story I have heard from them over and over again is that their doctors and specialists alike tell them that there is no treatment for tinnitus and that they will just have to learn to live with it. Since 18% of the population has tinnitus, it is not surprising that so many people are seeking alternative treatments.

As founder and director of Sound Therapy International, I have lectured to hundreds of community groups and professional associations about Sound Therapy and its application to tinnitus.

Sound Therapy does not always help tinnitus, although evidence gathered so far indicates that 80 - 90% of tinnitus sufferers may derive some benefit from the program.

As I became acutely aware of the struggle and suffering of the millions of people with tinnitus, I decided to gather all the information I could find to give them the resources for dealing with this disturbing condition. This book describes a number of non-medical approaches to treating tinnitus, so that people will know where to start looking once the medical options have been exhausted.

More importantly, this book explores the preventative steps that can be taken along with wholistic options for general health. None of these treatments conflict with medical practice; they are simply geared to supporting the balance and strength of the whole person. In fact many of the recommendations in chapters 5, 6, 8, 9 and 10 can be applied with positive results by any person, whether or not they have tinnitus, producing better health not only for the ears but for general functioning in all areas.

Rafaele Joudry
Author
2001, updated March 2007

About the Author

Rafaele Joudry is a leading Australian speaker and author who has toured Australia, Europe and the USA to educate about the impact of sound upon our health. She is passionately concerned about the detrimental effects of noise and shares practical information and the tools to make sound a vitally healing element in our lives.

Educated in England and Canada, Rafaele has a background of social work and community education, which engendered her interest in listening as the foundation of all communication.

Together with her mother Patricia Joudry, Rafaele pioneered the introduction of Dr Tomatis' Sound Therapy as a portable listening system. The Joudrys have played a significant role in making Sound Therapy accessible to the public, enabling individuals from all walks of life to benefit from Dr Tomatis' unique discoveries.

Listen to "Triumph over Tinnitus" author Rafaele Joudry being interviewed on Radio 2GB about tinnitus

Table of Contents

Chapter 1. Tinnitus: What is this noise in my head?

Why read this book? Is there hope? What is tinnitus? Prevalence of tinnitus. Understanding tinnitus. Related conditions. Causes of tinnitus. The ear and how it works. Hearing loss. Sleeplessness from tinnitus. The search for solutions for tinnitus.

Chapter 2. Patricia Joudry "Just give me quiet!"

Cocktail Party Syndrome. Growing up with Patricia Joudry. Sound Therapy pioneers. Sound Therapy in Montreal. Music to Recharge your Brain. Sound Therapy in the prairies at St Peter's Abbey. Taking Sound Therapy home. Spreading the word about Sound Therapy.

Chapter 3. The Listeners Speak

My tinnitus never came back. Wrestling with hearing loss and tinnitus. Truck driver has breakthrough. Sound and supplements work hand in hand. Healing the healer. Rocker goes classical. It came out of the blue. Relief at last. I never knew it was called tinnitus. Antidote to industrial noise. I felt like I was falling through the floor. Tinnitus disappears at 81. Beekeeper stops buzzing. Cocktail Syndrome as well as tinnitus.

Chapter 4. Tomatis, irrepressible pioneer

Family background. Schooling. A physician in the army. Ear, nose and throat specialist. Audiometric tests for singers. Marriage. Left brain and right ear. The benefits of high frequency sound. Tomatis' interpretation of tinnitus. Sound Therapy for Meniere's disease. Sound Therapy for hearing loss. Combined treatments for tinnitus. A doctor's view of Sound Therapy.

Chapter 5. Prevention: addressing the cause

The ambulance down in the valley. The causes. The wholistic approach. The limitations of research. Can you avoid getting tinnitus?

Chapter 6. How to use Sound Therapy

Easy as 123. How much should I listen? Best practice for Sound Therapy. How are Sound Therapy recordings different from a normal recording? Analogue mastering. Why is Sound Therapy now on CD? Some words from Patricia Joudry. The final result.

Chapter 7. Medical treatments

Drugs. Surgery. Tempero Mandibular Joint. Syringing the ear. Other options.

Chapter 8. Retraining and psychological methods

Sound Therapy. Commerical sound degradation. The Sound Therapy process. Some common myths about sound quality. How Sound Therapy works on the brain. Other retraining methods. Psychophysical retraining.

Chapter 9. Herbal Medicine and Wholistic Therapies

The causes of tinnitus. Chinese medicine. Treatment options. Prevention. Combinations of treatments. Evidence for success. Orthodox versus wholistic medicine.

Chapter 10. Nutrition for the ear

The ear's role. The ear needs nutrients. Tinnitus. The chemical basis of hearing. Physical factors affecting hearing. Treatment with supplements. Treatment through diet.

Chapter 11. The gift of illness

A personal example. Helen Walden's story. Illness as a wake-up call. Learning to pay attention. Teachers and healers. Enjoy your journey.