What are the coming cures and treatment for tinnitus? According to you, how many years are we from a cure for traumatic sound induced tinnitis?
This is a question I received on Quora. Here's my answer...
I think the treatments will continue down the psychological route, as we understand more about the differences between those with tinnitus and those who really *suffer* with their tinnitus. This is where my work is focused, determining what’s different about those two groups of people and how I can transfer successful strategies from one to the other.
I feel tinnitus is so diverse and common that it’s unlikely to be cured. However, as we understand more about the mechanisms by which the inner ear is damaged (recent research on loop diuretics for instance has pinpointed exactly how temporary damage and tinnitus are caused with those), we can understand how to prevent or reverse some instances. Such may be the case with trauma-induced tinnitus.
Bearing in mind that tinnitus is something that will pop into existence for 85% of people if they are deprived of sound for a time. Bear in mind also that I can “think tinnitus louder” if I choose to try. It’s so nebulous and so deeply connected to our psychology and our personality, it’s unlikely to have a single cure. And I’m definitely not going to be able to guess at a timeframe!