Put a Spotlight on Tinnitus Research

No... not yet... but with our help some day they will... and with them we will...

 

A personal message from Prof. Dr. Berthold Langguth (a neurologist at the University Hospital of Regensburg, and the chairman of the Tinnitus Research Initiative):


500 years of reformation

Would Martin Luther have better treatment options for his tinnitus nowadays?

Today it is the five centenary of the day, when Martin Luther published his Ninety-Five Theses on the Power and Efficacy of Indulgences, which was later dated as the reformation day. The theses debated and criticised the Church and the papacy, but concentrated upon the selling of indulgences and doctrinal policies about purgatory, particular judgment and the authority of the pope.

What is less known about Martin Luther is the fact that he suffered from severe tinnitus. In his own words he wrote: "When I try to work, my head becomes filled with all sorts of whizzing, buzzing, thundering noises." The pain became so severe that in his late life he hired a strong man or even two to prevent him from physically hurting someone or even himself during very painful bouts of tinnitus.

When we consider how much changes mankind witnessed in the last 500 years, it is almost completely incomprehensible, that nowadays many people still suffer similarly from tinnitus like Martin Luther did 500 years ago.

But even if treatment options haven’t changed so much there is a difference between 1517 and 2017: we are now able to tackle the problem by a systematic scientific approach. Whereas Luther perceived the tinnitus bouts as satanic punches, we are now able to classify them as alterations of neuronal activity. With this knowledge it is only a matter of time and effort till we will be able to have better therapeutic means available. And in the quest for these treatments we might be able to learn from Martin Luther.

He was a well trained scholar, but this did not prevent him from rebelling against established structures. This mixture of excellent science together with innovative approaches and thinking out of the box has been introduced in tinnitus research by the Tinnitus Research Initiative and has now deeply infiltrated the tinnitus field.

The diversity and the creativity of the Research Topic “Towards a Better Understanding of Tinnitus Heterogeneity” is just an example.

In order to support this approach, please visit the research topic and browse through all the different articles.

Best,

Berthold

 

This would all be much more helpful if tinnitus didn't have so many mechanisms of action.

By that I mean it can both start and be perceived in many different locations and caused by many things. (i.e. sounds in the ear, sound in the head, unilateral, bilateral, buzz sound, whoosh sound etc., caused by nerve damage, sound exposure, drugs etc.)

Tinnitus is much like cancer, no two people are exactly the same and with that like cancer no one treatment works for everyone. Not being pessimistic, just don't think it can be nailed down.

 

Thank you for this article. It helps me to know that a prominent person 500 years ago suffered as much as I do.

I'm at work today and there is excavation on a site next door. They will be drilling down over six months to create a 6 storey underground car park.

The combination of the drilling (two at once into the bedrock) and my tinnitus makes it very difficult to work.

Sending kind thoughts to everyone dealing with background noise on top of our tinnitus.

 

It is the same as 500 years ago.

He can't say there will be better methods, because now no method exist.

 

Interesting and fascinating point about Luther and tinnitus, but there are more than a few RC's who have researched his life and theology and who would take serious issue. That he boldly addressed abuses initially is outside-the-box thinking, but the tale of the tape reveals a severely problematic follow up. Do the research.

 

That's not a very optimistic view.

Let's put it this way. Tinnitus has many causes i.e. conditions albeit many only temporary that trigger tinnitus but the mechanism is the same. The temporary cause or condition can be rectified but the mechanism persists.

However the mechanism has a number of parts and at least one has little to do with the original cause. Identifying these is the first step.

I'll continue later . . . . . . . .

 

Of course he wouldn't. Sure we know more about it, but there's just absolutely nothing for it. I guess we know WHY we're suffering, but not how to stop it.

Although watching Martin Luther beat some modern tinnitus "therapist"s ass for telling him to "get used to it" would be pretty funny.

 

Understanding the why is a hugely important step in figuring out what treatments will work and how they may work. Without a full knowledge of the mechanisms we cannot progress.

I think back to when I got tinnitus. 2003 isn't a lifetime away but in terms of the level of understanding and scientific rigour that has been applied since then it feels like it.

We have made a staggering progress and a huge part of that has come following the formation of the Tinnitus Research Initiative.

For those new to tinnitus I can understand the frustration that there is no cure. But you really should take stock of the position we are in now. I have traversed from a relatively isolated person with tinnitus who saw little help or understanding, to someone who is genuinely humbled by the level of interaction and progress of the scientific community.

 

Well. As much as it sucks having this, I've concluded that at least it is not painful, annoying as hell and distracting at times, but not painful, and mine is loud. I doubt a cure will be found, too many variables with this. It is comforting to know that you are not alone. Unfortunately, millions deal with the same thing.

 

I wonder how much Martin Luther spent on indulgences, believing they would cure or ease his tinnitus. This explains his motivation for publishing the Theses! So, if the Protestant Reformation began even in part because of tinnitus, what else could a cure solve? War on Terror? Partisan politics? Global warming?!
OK, maybe not global warming, but think of it - if tinnitus is so frequently the root of insomnia and distraction, so many other afflictions will be eased. Kind of like a simple bulging disc causing pain and numbness from head to toe. Let’s get it done!

I am confident a “cure” will be found, but it will require a different way of thinking - fourth dimensional, so to speak - where instantaneous measurements of physiology give way to identification, analysis and prediction of system interactions, with a healthy dose of chaos-theory based math - like meterology is doing with weather prediction - but far more intense. We have to learn how the brain learns and stores detailed information - not the ability to find a specific image or memory, but involuntary stimulus-response imprints. Do we even know what “normal” is? Do we know for certain that people WITHOUT tinnitus are truly capable of “hearing” silence? Or are those people exceptionally rare? Once tinnitus is recognized by the individual, does it actually have anything to do with hearing?

“Doc, insomnia is causing me eye pain.”
- “When did it start?”
“This morning, while drinking coffee.”
- “Take the spoon out of your cup.”

Please let it be this simple.

Not long ago, we bled patients to treat many afflictions. Antibiotics only appeared around WWII. Now, we’re using holographic imagery to plan and simulate complex surgery, implanting devices to allow the deaf to hear, and more. Unfortunately, we also now have many industries and professionals who would suffer if we cured things like cancer, mental illness... tinnitus... The obstacles are not always the limits of our abilities.

 

Please stop spreading BS from depressed feelings without any factional arguments (referencing to WW2... yeah right).

This is the chart on PubMed showing the number of research papers since 1979:


And this is the same chart projected on an exponential curve:


Do I need to say more... a cure will be found... be patient!

P.S.: Please don't react to this post if you don't know what exponential growth is.

 

Well for tinnitus this is not the reason. As I think not much money is made from selling the cure for tinnitus because there is no cure. And just a few treatment options available and most treatments are just stupid.

But maybe with stem cells, but first there would be cure for deafness and only after that for tinnitus. So not for another 20 years or so.

 

You're probably completely right.

 

Sometimes I truly think guys like these really don't deserve any kind of cure or even some relief. Truly. They're not only spreading their bullshit like there's no tomorrow, but trying to make people feel as shitty as they are, too.

Don't excuse them by saying they're depressed or they don't know the research. They don't give a fuck. They're simply bad people wishing the worst for the rest of us so we can all share their miserable life.

They feel better the worse we get. That's their cure.

 

Is it the "boner" of growth?

 

I just wanted to say congratulations to @Markku and @Steve and everyone on Tinnitus Talk who's working to make a difference.

Even if you don't want to be very active, you can always do something. Donate some money to Tinnitus Talk, TRI or even ATA, spread the word, etc. Anything is better than becoming a "PhD in armchair criticism".

Best to you all,
Zug

 

Awesome. Could the Tinnitus Talk community do something to help? I‘ll read the papers tonight.

 

@Markku,

How can we help, so that tinnitus researchers and hearing treatments collect all possible victories?

 

I hope this will not be necessary.

And all effective discoveries / studies will be carried out in the near future.

 

They should announce the winner shortly. Damn, it would be awesome if tinnitus would win this thing...

I just looked through all the finalists, the research topic for tinnitus has incredible 2.2 million views? None of the other finalists come even close...

So that should give it a great chance to win? Am I missing something?

 

Article collection on the vestibular system wins Frontiers European research prize

Research Topic showcasing effective new treatments for common health disorders wins this year’s Spotlight Award, with second and third place awarded to collections on tinnitus and megaquakes.

An outstanding research collection on the vestibular system — the inner ear organ responsible for balance and orientation — is the winner of the 2018 Frontiers Spotlight Award.

Vestibular Contributions to Health and Disease gives new hope to millions of people suffering from dizziness, vertigo and fainting. Edited by Dr Bernard Cohen, Dr Richard Lewis and Dr Jose Antonio Lopez-Escamez, the research collection brings together powerful new methods for the diagnosis and treatment of these common disorders. This includes the first-ever effective treatment for Mal de Debarquement Syndrome, where people continue to feel off-balance long after a boat, plane or lengthy car journey.

“The burden of vestibular disorders is growing, especially in aging populations,” says Dr Cohen. “But at present, most physicians have very limited ability to diagnose and treat such disorders — and may not even be aware of some of them.”

“Patients suffering from vestibular disorders deserve access to better diagnoses and new therapies,” adds Dr Lopez-Escamez. “Winning the Spotlight Award is an opportunity to raise awareness of the impact of these disorders and to attract new researchers to this topic.”​

(At least people are paying more attention to the inner ear? )

 

Well, I mean, like @Autumnly said, at least it has something to do with the ear... Although a shame that tinnitus didn't win.

 

Given the low-view count, the non-existent social media virality, the modest number of articles, as well as the almost absent altmetric score, it is hard to understand how this year's research topic took the prize. There were people in the background campaigning very hard for the "tinnitus heterogeneity" item to succeed. If I had had severe tinnitus on top of all this, I would have felt very defeated some two years down-the-road. Instead, it feels mostly like a distant memory.

On a slight side-note, one has to wonder if the tinnitus community is cursed:

• The Danny Boy campaign will probably go down in the history books as the worst performing GoFundMe campaign ever (when considering re-shares vs. funds raised).
• The ATA got heavily criticized for not supporting its chronic member base earlier this weekend.
• And now the Frontiers Research Topic didn't win even though it was leading in pretty much every way.

How much worse can it get...???

 

Yeah. We are. You'd think the high prevalence of tinnitus in veterans would drive more interest, but just look how many vets are even on Tinnitus Talk...