The Narrow Path Ministries

I got tinnitus around 4 months ago when i noticed a hissing sound was not leaving my left ear. It was horrible as it was always present and very disturbing to my concentration and ability to sleep.
I had barely ever heard of this condition and didn't know anyone that had it as far as i knew. The first thing i did was go on You Tube and watch every video i could find about it. After sifting through dozens of these i narrowed down the best possible therapies to two therapies which both involved music or sound.
Neuromonics which seeks to train the brain to blend in the tinnitus sound with high frequency music, like violin music. This is what i tried first on my own as i constantly listened to classical music, even while i slept i listened using an Ipod. It did calm me down and did allow me to sleep.

However eventually i decided a brand new therapy called "notched music" actually could lower the volume of the tinnitus sound and provide real physical relief. At first it seemed very complicated as i had to download music and learn to notch out the tinnitus frequency range. It was kind of high tech and seemed difficult at best but then i found a website that provided a tinnitus frequency tester online and allowed you to e-mail the music and get it notched and sent back to you by e-mail.

Notching means to remove a range around your tinnitus frequency level in the music file , which is the level you can't hear at. Tinnitus occurs when the brain is expecting to hear this frequency and can't, so it then recreates this frequency inside your brain, in the cortex. The notching encourages the bad neurons to start mimicking the neurons outside the range and then stop recreating this sound. This idea only came about at the end of 2009 and it was only a theory but there now have been a small sample of tests and it appears to work.

After listening for a month i got good results as the volume did reduce but one day it just came back and i was at my wits end. I found out that initially when you do this your frequency can change and you need to test it every other week for 6 months.

I found a new site called "audionotch.com" where you can test yourself and for a nominal price (it's non profit) it creates white noise with your frequency range notched out
and it sends this file to Itunes on your computer and you can then just download it to your Ipod. It seems white noise may be more effective then music.

Been doing the whitenoise therapy now for a few weeks and it helps and i'm learning as i go on.

I just have found out many people have this condition and doctors have no real cure so if you have it or know anyone that does, check out audionotch.com and try it.

BTW many people have had this condition including Martin Luther and currently William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy and many folks in the music industry. It can come from being exposed to loud music or noise or from hearing loss in general.

The point is that this is a very pervasive condition that is really under the radar and doctors really do not treat it. They tell you to get a hearing aid and be on your way.

You have to listen to the notched music or white noise about 2 hours a day, so i divide it into four 30 min increments.

steve7150 wrote:William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy

hmm... Maybe McCoy was right about the transporter..

Hi Steve,
Sorry to hear of your tinnitus. I feel for you since my wife has suffered from a variation of this. She was exposed to a gunshot while standing next to me. I guess the topograhpy and other factors really amplified the sound and she had issues for the better part of a year. She is much improved, but still sensitive to loud noises. I pray that God would see fit to heal you.
John

Hi Steve,
Sorry to hear of your tinnitus. I feel for you since my wife has suffered from a variation of this. She was exposed to a gunshot while standing next to me. I guess the topograhpy and other factors really amplified the sound and she had issues for the better part of a year. She is much improved, but still sensitive to loud noises. I pray that God would see fit to heal you.
John








Thank you John. Tinnitus and noise sensitivity are often connected so i'm glad your wife is improving. I do believe God's hand is behind audionotch.com since it is a Godsend.

I discovered I had it sometime ago and it was attributed to sitting in front of the trumpet section in our orchestra. Every once in a while I think about it - it is like a demonic spirit that convinces you that it is your friend and so you don't mind it being around. Just kidding.

One good thing resulted - my doctor ordered an ultra sound of the arteries in the neck that often get clogged in older age and i learned mine are not clogged at all. What fun!

Thanks for the information - I might ought to look into that.

Thanks for the information - I might ought to look into that.

User avatar
Jepne








Sounds like yours doesn't bother you to much. My situation is improving i think by the therapy working and perhaps my brain is just adjusted to it somewhat. I now listen to the white noise while i sleep using an IPOD with speakers built into a headband. I look like quite a sight.

I'll bet you do look a sight! I have thought that it could drive me crazy - I have been blessed with it not - but it would be nice to be rid of it - absolutely.