Cognitive behavioural therapy

Cognitive behavioural therapy
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Cognitive behavioural therapy is often used to address phobias, but it can also benefit those with tinnitus, even if the expert doesn’t necessarily specialise in tinnitus, Sherlock says. You’ll learn techniques like deep breathing or muscle relaxation to use when you’re in a moment of high anxiety to change the way you react to the condition. “It’s flipping ‘I hate this’ into ‘this makes me uncomfortable, but I can deal with it,’” Dr Sherlock says.

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Tinnitus retraining therapy

Tinnitus retraining therapy
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Tinnitus retraining therapy is one of the tinnitus cures that’s specific to the disorder. By combining sound therapy with education, experts help make the condition less scary, Sherlock says. “The goal of education is to demystify tinnitus,” she says. “Once they know what the threat is or isn’t, over time the brain is much less likely to keep reacting to it.”

Tinnitus activities treatment

Tinnitus activities treatment
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Tinnitus activities treatment uses the same principles of education and sound therapy and targets the session towards a patient’s specific problems, Sherlock says. “If a patient’s primary problem is they can’t concentrate, they might go in for one or two sessions to discuss activities to help concentrate,” she says.

Medications to calm down

Medications to calm down
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Although no medicine will directly treat the noise you’re hearing and act as a tinnitus cure, anti-anxiety drugs might be helpful if the sound has you at wit’s end, Dr Robb says. “If tinnitus patients have the chance to discuss medications with their physician, they should do that, especially in the early stages and if they can’t sleep and are anxious or fearful or on alert or in pain,” he says. But if you’re going to start a behavioural therapy, be careful not to take them too much, because they could slow down your progress, he warns.

Gentle massage

Gentle massage
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Sometimes, built-up neck or jaw tension or an injury can aggravate tinnitus, but a chiropractor or physical therapist could help. “Working on that spasm or joint disorder may soften tinnitus to a lower level,” Dr Robb says. Just make sure the muscles are worked gently – violent, rapid twists will only aggravate the condition, he says.

This article was medically reviewed by Dr Michael Spertus on November 22, 2019.

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Source: RD.com

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