University of Minnesota Tinnitus Research with Acoustic and Body Stimulation

[antonio77]

Probably due to lack of funding. I keep telling people, it's not so much that there aren't effective tinnitus treatments out there, it's that there isn't enough money to allow them to prosper or reach the green-light stage. So they get shelved or abandoned altogether.

It's criminal the way the governments of this world manage money. A lot of problems could be solved if cash was utilized properly. The USA, for example, spends 54 billion in space exploration instead of funding research and treatments for countless diseases. It should be prioritizing its people, not stars, planets and galaxies that are light-years away, tucked-away from existence and totally unreachable. We'll never go to those places, will we? So why does it even matter? What's the point of knowing something exists if you can never hold it in your hands? What's the point of pursuit if it defies possession? What it boils down to is sad: people are greedy and evil.

I have always thought about the absurdity of space research, the extraordinary amount of money that is useless, but also that those space research centers have many of the smartest people in the world. If only all that money and talent were dedicated to treating neurological diseases!

 

[antonio77]

So, I just logged on as I was curious if there was any new research and to check on old friends. No tinnitus for me and life is good.

Do they keep in touch with you to study your case? it is evident that something happened so that after 30 years your tinnitus disappeared.

 

[kelpiemsp]

I just read the 25 pages of this thread as I was not aware that this was actually a separate bimodal stimulation device.

I want to congratulate you on defeating tinnitus through actual scientific intervention. You are probably one of the lucky few walking this planet.

Are you still experiencing any spikes? Have you since attended 'too loud' events, flew planes etc?

I've had a few moments of tinnitus, nothing that lasted longer than a couple of days. It was always accompanied by a significant change in hearing (allergies or sinus infection).

Do you know how many other people received this treatment? Were others cured as well?

Unfortunately I do not

Wasn't the University of Minnesota device similar to Lenire? Sound with the electrical impulses to the tongue? I would assume it would have similar results as Lenire.

In theory, yes.

In practice, it would simply not be cost effective. I spent 12 months getting treatments, being hooked up to an EKG (or ECG?) and being hooked directly up to what I can only assume is a higher grade of equipment.

Thanks for the update. I was wondering if you have managed to stay tinnitus free since stating it was gone after the trial. Now we know. Not sure if I should feel optimistic about this or sick to my stomach. Predominant feeling is jealousy.

Life is great, but I'll never forget how horrible tinnitus is.

Do they keep in touch with you to study your case? it is evident that something happened so that after 30 years your tinnitus disappeared.

A couple of times, but I'm sure the funding is out and the people have moved on.

 

[Mentos]

I have always thought about the absurdity of space research, the extraordinary amount of money that is useless, but also that those space research centers have many of the smartest people in the world. If only all that money and talent were dedicated to treating neurological diseases!

I guess many research in the past centuries was commented this way... progress of civilization requires research in many directions, some of them seemingly useless.

 

[Padraigh Griffin]

I've had a few moments of tinnitus, nothing that lasted longer than a couple of days. It was always accompanied by a significant change in hearing (allergies or sinus infection)

Unfortunately I do not

In theory, yes.

In practice, it would simply not be cost effective. I spent 12 months getting treatments, being hooked up to an EKG (or ECG?) and being hooked directly up to what I can only assume is a higher grade of equipment.

Life is great, but I'll never forget how horrible tinnitus is.

A couple of times, but I'm sure the funding is out and the people have moved on.

I mentioned your case to Dr. Brendan Conlon of Neuromod (Lenire) and suggested that many would be prepared to pay a lot of money for this intense treatment hooked up to ECG like Dr. Lim had success with you in University of Minnesota. He just brushed it off.

I left the meeting wondering who genuinely had the bigger problem with their 'ears'.

Why not bring this out as a commercial treatment?

I'd pay all the money I have to get this cure.

 

[InNeedOfHelp]

I've had a few moments of tinnitus, nothing that lasted longer than a couple of days. It was always accompanied by a significant change in hearing (allergies or sinus infection).

What is great about your example is that bimodal stimulation eliminated your tinnitus including the spikes. My biggest concern was that bimodal would reduce tinnitus but we would still not be able to live a normal life due to sound sensitivity that remains, including spikes, worsenings etc. But apparently the neuroplasticity resets that too.

I hope that Dr. Shore's device, even if 50% reduction is the case, stops the spikes and the worsenings. I would manage my loud tinnitus without a problem if I knew that it wouldn't spike (permanently) so easily.

 

[AfroSnowman]

I would manage my loud tinnitus without a problem if I knew that it wouldn't spike (permanently) so easily.

Opposite for me. If I could just get the normal down to a livable level, I'd have plenty of resiliency to deal with the odd bad days or weeks.

 

[just1morething]

So, I just logged on as I was curious if there was any new research and to check on old friends. No tinnitus for me and life is good.

Glad you're doing well with no tinnitus. I'm having my grade 5 internal derangement crunchy left TMJ surgery next month by a doctor in Robbinsdale, MN. He's doing a fat graft procedure to my left jaw. I'm hoping my highly annoying left ear hissing stops as it really makes me irritable. Yesterday it was static which was even worse. Imaging showed I have inflammation around my left ear canal.

I have neuropathy in both feet as well with numbness and stinging. I had back surgery in May but that didn't fix it so far. It seems Lyrica gives me some relief.

 

[Padraigh Griffin]

Glad you're doing well with no tinnitus. I'm having my grade 5 internal derangement crunchy left TMJ surgery next month by a doctor in Robbinsdale, MN. He's doing a fat graft procedure to my left jaw. I'm hoping my highly annoying left ear hissing stops as it really makes me irritable. Yesterday it was static which was even worse. Imaging showed I have inflammation around my left ear canal.

I have neuropathy in both feet as well with numbness and stinging. I had back surgery in May but that didn't fix it so far. It seems Lyrica gives me some relief.

Best of luck with your surgery! Internal derangement sounds pretty bad but I'd imagine most tinnitus sufferers have another form of 'internal derangement'

Sincerely hope all goes well and you get relief.

 

[JJL]

Hi everyone,

I'm looking for more information on the University of Minnesota Hubert Lim trial. From what I've gathered, it seems that @kelpiemsp was able to suppress his tinnitus using a bimodal stimulation device that used specific timing determined by qEEG or EEG.

When checking the University of Minnesota website (click link), I noticed pictures of what looks like an rTMS machine, but I haven't seen @kelpiemsp mention rTMS being part of the protocol. If rTMS was used, wouldn't that have been worth noting? Just based on the loud noise those machines make alone!

Does anyone have first-hand experience or deeper insight into this trial? Specifically:

• Was rTMS actually used in combination with bimodal stimulation in this protocol?
• How was qEEG or EEG used to determine timing for the stimulation?

I know this is a long shot, but any details would be greatly appreciated. This trial seems promising, and I'd like to understand it better to see if it could be relevant for those of us struggling with severe tinnitus.

Thanks in advance for any information you can share.

 

[Kam75]

I remember @kelpiemsp, the "fortunate" person who experienced silence for the first time in 31 years after trying the University of Minnesota device.

It is incredibly frustrating to know that a device capable of silencing tinnitus is sitting unused on a university shelf.

Dr. Hubert Lim is currently the Chief Scientific Officer at Neuromod, the company that developed Lenire, which unfortunately showed only modest results.

The great hope is that Neuromod will eventually release an improved version of Lenire, drawing on Dr. Lim's experience, and finally give us a way out of this suffering.

But for now, we can only hope.

 

[Fightthearmy]

I remember @kelpiemsp, the "fortunate" person who experienced silence for the first time in 31 years after trying the University of Minnesota device.

It is incredibly frustrating to know that a device capable of silencing tinnitus is sitting unused on a university shelf.

Dr. Hubert Lim is currently the Chief Scientific Officer at Neuromod, the company that developed Lenire, which unfortunately showed only modest results.

The great hope is that Neuromod will eventually release an improved version of Lenire, drawing on Dr. Lim's experience, and finally give us a way out of this suffering.

But for now, we can only hope.

You are really reaching, my friend, and also being very generous about the merits of Lenire.

 

[Kam75]

You are really stretching it, my friend, and also being very generous about the merits of Lenire.

What does it mean that I'm "reaching"? Do you mean that I'm exaggerating?

If you think I'm exaggerating, I invite you to read @kelpiemsp's profile. He wrote this himself in 2019:

"I am currently experiencing silence for the 1st time in 31 years. No wonder people are so upset. What a strange and nice feeling."

We have no recent updates from him, which makes me think he is probably living a relatively normal life now (I hope so).

Regarding Lenire, I said "modest results" because, on the internet, we mostly come across negative feedback. People who get better rarely come back to the forums to talk about it. I have an example: there was an Italian guy on Tinnitus Talk who told me in a private message that Lenire completely cured his tinnitus. He never mentioned it publicly on the forum.

That kind of silence from success stories gives the impression that the device is a scam. It might not work for more severe cases like ours, but it could help others.

Cheers.