Treble Health: Exploitation of Tinnitus Sufferers

New here, hate talking or even thinking about my hyperacusis and (relatively mild) tinnitus so I don’t plan to stay long, but I wanted to share an ad that Treble Health put out. It really rubbed me the wrong way.



They decided it would be fruitful to offer tinnitus maskers at a discount — so only a few thousand dollars instead of several thousand — for Black Friday and Cyber Monday.

Are you shitting me?

A “Cyber Monday deal” for your debilitating condition? Who is this for? Who do these people imagine are holding out for a “tinnitus deal,” and what are their other patients supposed to make of this? “Ah shucks, I shoulda just put up with the ringing until Cyber Monday!”

Anyway yeah, Treble Health are the usual charlatans who push decades-old erroneous conflations of hyperacusis with misophonia and phonophobia, and Ben Thompson is an arrogant and impersonal douche, utterly bereft of self-awareness and the bare minimum of professional conduct. Just look at the dozens of clickbait-y videos he puts out on a regular basis. They’re parasites, businessmen masquerading as doctors so they can earn a regular buck from some of the most desperate people. They should be run the hell out of business.

 

I waited almost 5 months for an appointment at the VA thinking they were going to offer me the latest and greatest tinnitus therapy. They offered me hearing aids as sound maskers and CBT for tinnitus. This is basically what Treble Health offers. It doesn't seem to me like they are out of line with their treatments.

 

This is more of an indictment of the barely-existent standard of care for tinnitus/hyperacusis patients than anything else.

 

I spent 9 months feeling suicidal when my tinnitus became loud. The only thing that helped me cope with it at all was heavy doses of psychiatric meds. Even that only helped for about 3 months and then I was back in tinnitus hell. So, I understand your frustration.

You are right. The current treatments are not very therapeutic for many of us. CBT and sound therapy is helpful for some though, so it's either offer people the only treatments available or offer them nothing at all. There is literally nothing better they can offer.

 

I’m sorry to hear about your experience. Personally Clonazepam has been more helpful to me than any sort of behavioral intervention — I often feel like I’m too good at argumentation to not deconstruct the “conventional wisdom” of CBT/TRT. I’m aware of the risk of dependency; I think I manage my consumption well enough that I can say the pros of Clonazepam most definitely outweigh the cons in my case.

 

Behavioral interventions didn't help me at all either. I initially saw a health psychologist who tried to help me develop more realistic and positive narratives around my experience. At the end of the appointments I just felt angry because it wasn't helpful at all in helping me cope with the feelings of constant panic.

I do have a prescription for Lorazepam. They said I could take it as needed, but if I had followed that advice I'd have taken it daily. After reading about some people's experiences with benzo withdrawal, I decided it wasn't worth it. Fortunately things have become easier with time. And that was something I had completely given up hope for.

 

Cheers to that. I’ve mostly lost hope that I will improve, but who knows. Stranger things have happened.

 

Unbelievable! Can you imagine this being done with any other illness or disorder?

 

I haven't had any consultation with Treble Health but I have watched Ben's YouTube videos for at least the past year. I don't think of him as a conman but he is a businessman who has a successful business.

I don't care for his clickbait subject titles but that's what people do on YouTube to get maximum exposure. He's marketing himself & his business but at the same time he's TRT trained & has devoted lots of time making tinnitus videos for many who seek self-help, i.e. meditation series videos.

So I would say he's not the type of person we should be attacking & "cancelling".

He's a legitimate Doctor of Audiology who is offering best options available today for tinnitus. There are others who are selling quackery cures & devices for a quick buck. Those are the ones we need to avoid & expose.

 

@NebulousWoe, how do you manage the Clonazepam? Once or twice a week?

 

He has produced some useful videos - ruling out many silly ear drops and other exploitative so-called treatments. He does not generate enough traffic to make more than pocket money out of his channel so naturally he is looking for clients. There is no obligation to purchase any of his products. I have heard a tailored approach is expensive and is mostly aimed at habituation with some sound therapy and diet changes. He is at least properly qualified - unlike Liam Stops Tinnitus and others making money out of this.

 

I used to only take it on weekends and Wednesdays. I managed that for quite a while, now I take it every other day, sometimes every day if I’m feeling crummy enough.

 

@NebulousWoe, I understand man. What dosage? It's the only thing that brings my tinnitus down. I've asked to trial Gabapentin but was refused. I find 0.75 mg seems optimal as going up to 1 mg doesn't necessarily give more relief.

 

I generally take 1 mg. I’m prescribed 2 mg, but cut them in half so I don’t have to keep going to my GP’s office for refills.

 

Does it calm your symptoms or just make you stress less?

 

I don't particularly like Ben Thompson, because he claims sound therapy can cure tinnitus, and his consultations are ridiculously priced.

However, out of all the scammers, I'd say he's the lesser of all the evils. At least he talks a little bit about upcoming treatments (not a single word about XEN1101 - probably because he can't profit from it).

 

Fuck that Doogie Howser looking motherfucker. He is a snake oilist in my book. I remember commenting on one of his videos. He just told me to reach out to his team. I posted a reply about TRT not being so different than standard of care in a study posted off this forum. It was deleted pretty quick.

He has a video where he has the audacity to more or less say that if Kent Taylor had reached out to him, he may still be around.

Someone says he makes helpful videos. OK, then so does Julian Cowan Snake Hill. They are in cahoots. I believe they have videos with each other. I blocked him a long time ago.

 

Both actually. On Clonazepam, I am less sensitive to sound, my middle ear muscles spasm less, and my tinnitus is less intrusive. As much as I resent the overemphasis on the lymbic system by most TRT-adjacent theorists and practitioners, the correlation is undeniable.

And I don’t mean to say that Dr. Ben or Treble Health are the scummiest scumbags out there — FAR from it — just wanted to share this particular email and highlight how incredibly tone-deaf and patronizing it is.

 

Yeah he gaslit Kent Taylor with mental health. This motherf*cker never experienced what true suffering is (he mentioned in a video that he realized his tinnitus was "very severe" when he heard his tinnitus in a particularly quiet part of the forest at night when camping).

Either way, he may not be as bad as the rest, but he's still a snake.

 

To @bobvann and @AnthonyMcDonald:

Remember that Judy Collins song, "Send In The Clowns?"

It was only a matter of time before the USA would produce a charlatan equivalent to the UK's Julian Cowan Hill.

I recall that in, I believe, three videos Julian Cowan Hill said that, if you write the word "HATE" on a piece of tape and affix it to a steel cooker, the alleged negative force contained within the word will penetrate the cooker's steel side and worsen the molecular composition of whatever is in the cooker (the examples he gave were ice and rice). Similarly, the word "LOVE" when affixed to the cooker will improve the substance's molecular configuration.

These guys are more despicable than those phony psychics who, for a payment, will promise to furnish you with the winning lotto numbers.

Julian Cowan Hill will also delete any comment (such as mine) that reported that Cranial Sacral "Therapy" did absolutely nothing (even though it is posted on every Medical Quackwatch site).

 

I actually tried Cranial Sacral Therapy on a few occasions because it was covered under my health plan if it was performed by a licensed RMT (Registered Massage Therapist). Did squat. Doogie is very aggressive with his campaign. Don't let him fool you.

If they are so confident this shit works, why not offer $$ back guarantee.

 

I'm a little confused why there is so much hatred. Doesn't he operate like a standard audiologist with standard treatments? Do we hate all audiologists or only the ones that make YouTube videos?

They give people hope compared to fucking ENTs. "I don't know what you expect me to do."

 

Not only him. I have experienced local snake oilists (it's in my many posts) including my local health authority. Doctors and ENTs tell you the truth. There is nothing that actually works for everyone.

From what I understand, Ben Thompson gets people to send records or go get an assessment since they cannot test you themselves. He has changed his business name once already. It used to be Pure Tinnitus.

 

But is TRT considered snake oil? He quite often says it's not necessary to buy markers and that TRT doesn't work for everyone. It's just the only 'official' thing to try at the moment. Quite a few people on here claim TRT has worked for them. I'm not sure myself because I originally healed from hyperacusis over the same 18 months without TRT but hey, whatever works for people or even gives them hope.

 

A lot of people habituate on their own. I am all for those who can habituate.

I just found from my interaction with Ben Thompson, all he was interested in was for me to connect with his team. Why would I do that? At least some of the local stuff was partly covered by my health plan.

TRT is being touted as the gold standard, claiming it "heals" tinnitus in up to 98%, which is kind of not true. Sound therapy has made things worse for some, inducing hyperacusis in others.

TRT is being sold as offering complete habituation, yet those who defend it on Tinnitus Talk still suffer greatly, or offer advice to avoid certain situations using headphones etc.

From what I understand, complete habituation is living one's life like one did prior.

My local clinics were only interested in selling me expensive hearing aids and refused to work with me when I challenged them that hearing aids were not necessary for my minor hearing loss.

The therapist that said I was ok using bone-conducting headphones, blamed her failure to treat me on misophonia, stating she was not trained in that.

I was right; I went to my GP on Monday who found fluid in my right ear. The shit can get worse for some and that should not be denied.

 

One thing I know - wishing for silence is perfectly understandable, maybe even unavoidable, but it is counterproductive.

I reached the sorry conclusion that it had gone, and gone for good.

Since I accepted this fact, started practicing daily meditation, and started gratefully accepting ‘stillness’ into my criteria, I became a much happier bunny.

Try studying the teachings of Eckhart Tolle.

Dave xx
Jazzer

 

You have come a long way Dave; Very proud of you!

 

Thank you brother - you were the very first guy to hold my chin above the water, and I’ll never forget that.

Best wishes,
Dave xx
Jazzer

 

He’s at it again, can’t miss out on this *checks notes*... Tinnitus Holiday Sale. I’m removing myself from their mailing list. Makes me sick to my stomach that I ever gave them a cent.

 

I hate people who profit from others in need, that happens a lot with people struggling with health conditions.