TMS: New Personalized, Drug-Free Treatment for Tinnitus
Are you tired of your ears constantly ringing? Have you tried countless ‘miracle cures’ that don’t help? TMS can help! Tinnitus, more commonly known as ringing in the ears, affects 15-20% of adults. If you have tinnitus without an underlying physical cause, a highly tailored form of transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), called MeRT or Magnetic Resonance Therapy, may be the treatment you need. Read more about MeRT HERE.
The team at BrainStim Centers, Inc. in Encino and Valencia, California, precisely treat the area of your brain associated with tinnitus and use MeRT to relieve your symptoms by restoring nerve function.
For expert tinnitus treatment, call the nearest office or book an appointment online today.
What is Tinnitus?
Tinnitus is associated with overactivity in the inner and outer ear. According to the American Tinnitus Association, Tinnitus is the perception of sound when no actual external noise is present. Tinnitus can be both acute (temporary) and chronic (long term). Common symptoms are:
- Ringing
- Rushing
- Buzzing
- Clicking
- Whistling
- Hissing
Tinnitus is subjective and each person may experience it in their own way. Some cases of tinnitus are debilitating and life-altering, while some are manageable.
What causes Tinnitus?
Many patients learn that they don’t have a physical problem that explains the ringing in their ears. For others, tinnitus is the symptom of an underlying problem such as:
- Inner ear damage
- Age-related hearing loss
- Earwax buildup
- Noise trauma to the ear
- Auditory nerve problems
- Pressure on the eardrum
- Eustachian tube dysfunction
You may also develop tinnitus from taking certain medications. Stress and tinnitus share a two-way connection. Stress may cause tinnitus and having tinnitus frequently leads to stress and anxiety.
How is Tinnitus treated?
Brain scans performed on patients with ringing in their ears show that tinnitus is associated with hyperactive nerve activity in a specific part of the brain.
MeRT is a non-invasive treatment that sends magnetic pulses safely through your scalp and into a precisely controlled area of your brain. These pulses stimulate nerve cells, improving the balance of brain chemicals and restoring normal brain function. In treating Tinnitus, MeRT delivers electromagnetic pulses to the targeted areas which can reduce the severity and perception of Tinnitus.
***Patient results may vary. This is an experimental treatment that includes 5-10 sessions of TMS.
You don’t have to decide right away
Take the easy Steps to Determine if MeRT is the Right Treatment
We understand that you may not feel certain whether MeRT is the right treatment for you or your loved one. MeRT is a relatively new, cutting-edge treatment and you may not have heard as much about it yet. But this is not a decision that you need to make. There are multiple steps to take to determine if MeRT is the correct treatment.
First, you should talk with our New Patient Coordinator. She is here to help, to listen, explain and answer any questions you have. You can discuss your symptoms and history. She can explain the protocols, details of treatment, and fees. You can ask her all the questions you want.
At this point, if you would like to take the next step in seeing if MeRT treatment is right for you, we can set up an appointment for an EEG (a simple, painless, and non-invasive brain scan), right here in our clinic.
A few days after this is done, once your test results are in and have been analyzed, Dr. Mark Liker, Neurosurgeon and our Medical Director, will call you for a consultation to discuss your EEG results and possible treatment protocols.
If between you and the doctor, you both determine that MeRT may be the right treatment for you, the next step is a short Assessment Period. This entails a short period of treatment, followed by a new EEG to see if you are responding to the treatment. This is determined by comparing the new EEG results to the first EEG that was done before treatment started. Symptom improvements are also thoroughly assessed.
If there is a positive response to treatment during the assessment period, you will have likely noticed some improvements starting to take place, and we can then schedule for the additional treatment duration.
So, as you can see, there are many steps involved in ensuring that you receive only treatment that will benefit you.
You may also be interested in the many RESEARCH STUDIES that have been done.
It doesn’t cost anything to talk to us…
It doesn’t cost anything to talk to us…Would you like a Consultation with our New Patient Coordinator?
Our New Patient Coordinator is here for you. She has helped many individuals and can understand a lot of what you may be going through. And there are no obligations to move forward. She can explain our process, the costs involved, scheduling of treatment, possible insurance benefits, and any other details you want to know. She can answer any questions you have. She’ll take the time you need to know whether or not you should take the next steps.