Complementary Therapies for Significant Dysfunction from Tinnitus: Treatment Review and Potential for Integrative Medicine

Tinnitus is a prevalent and costly chronic condition; no universally effective treatment exists. Only 20% of patients who report tinnitus actually seek treatment, and when treated, most patients commonly receive sound-based and educational (SBE) therapy. Additional treatment options are necessary, h...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Evidence-based complementary and alternative medicine 2015-01, Vol.2015 (2015), p.1-8
Main Authors: Tucci, Debara L., Bechard, Elizabeth M., Dmitrieva, Natalia O., Hazelton, A. Garrett, Price, Rebecca, Wolever, Ruth Q., Shaffer, Janet K.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Behavior modification
Care and treatment
Counseling
Education
Integrative medicine
Medicine
Patients
Review
Sound
Tinnitus
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Summary:Tinnitus is a prevalent and costly chronic condition; no universally effective treatment exists. Only 20% of patients who report tinnitus actually seek treatment, and when treated, most patients commonly receive sound-based and educational (SBE) therapy. Additional treatment options are necessary, however, for nonauditory aspects of tinnitus (e.g., anxiety, depression, and significant interference with daily life) and when SBE therapy is inefficacious or inappropriate. This paper provides a comprehensive review of (1) conventional tinnitus treatments and (2) promising complementary therapies that have demonstrated some benefit for severe dysfunction from tinnitus. While there has been no systematic study of the benefits of an Integrative Medicine approach for severe tinnitus, the current paper reviews emerging evidence suggesting that synergistic combinations of complementary therapies provided within a whole-person framework may augment SBE therapy and empower patients to exert control over their tinnitus symptoms without the use of medications, expensive devices, or extended programs.
ISSN:1741-427X
1741-4288
DOI:10.1155/2015/931418