Nuheara IQbuds Boost

[bantams]

Hi, Thinking about buying Nuheara IQbuds to see if they will help with coping with my Tinnitus.

Would like to know if anyone as bought these and have they helped with there Tinnitus. They claim they help to cope with Tinnitus and at £279 might be worth a try.

[daverussell]

How will you know these devices (including the ear mould) will be specific to your needs? Does the cost include regular check ups and maintenance? Read BTA advice on hearing aids and tinnitus...

tinnitus.org.uk/hearing-aid...

[bantams in reply to daverussell]

Thanks Dave for your reply, no the cost does not include check ups and maintenance, will do some more research into them, just trying to find something to help me habituate as well as keeping busy and going out walking.

[daverussell in reply to bantams]

You are certainly doing the right things already, but I don't think the earbuds are going to do what you think. My audiologist told me something similar when I enquired a noise generator on my hearing aids to help with Tinnitus. She said that all that would happen is that I would become reliant on them. I admit I use the Beltone Tinnitus App, which helps me relax and divert my attention form Tinnitus when I'm trying to sleep or read quietly. I have to admit I have become reliant on them.

You may be interested in this about habituation...

"If the tinnitus-related activity is not negatively reinforced, this neural activity is blocked from reaching conscious perception (i. e. habituation occurs)... If tinnitus-related activity is negatively reinforced (e. g. because tinnitus is concomitant to a life event or associated with negative thoughts), the limbic and autonomic nervous systems are activated, attention is directed to tinnitus, and tinnitus-related distress develops.. Habituation theory has remained largely theoretical, although tinnitus treatment approaches such as relaxation therapy, attention diversion techniques (directing attention away from tinnitus), and stress reduction by means of cognitive restructuring methods (aimed at altering beliefs about the tinnitus) have been based on its main premises. To treat tinnitus distress (or facilitate habituation to tinnitus), it was recommended that stress and arousal levels be reduced and to try and change the meaning of the tinnitus signal for the patient [28]. Research to date has yielded mixed evidence for the validity of habituation theory [7].."

Cima, R.F.F., Mazurek, B., Haider, H. et al. A multidisciplinary European guideline for tinnitus: diagnostics, assessment, and treatment. HNO 67, 10–42 (2019). doi.org/10.1007/s00106-019-...

... I'm coming to the conclusion, with my own experience, that any positive action I take makes me feel better...

"It is unknown if any one form of sound therapy is superior to any other.

" - pubs.asha.org/doi/abs/10.10...

[TinnitusUKPat Partner]

I would echo Dave's thoughtful response on this - try to avoid becoming dependant on a specific device to help you sleep. If that device needs to be fixed, replaced or becomes obsolete, could that run the risk of making you feel much more worried or anxious about your tinnitus getting out of control because the thing you see as controlling your tinnitus isn't available.

In stress counselling, one of the approaches to managing panic is to acknowledge that it isn't an anti-stress device which is helping you, but more that a positive belief in your ability to cope with a situation is letting you see situations differently.

You could have the IQbuds on your night table every night and never use them, feeling secure that they are there if ever you want to wear them. The thing which is controlling your tinnitus in a situation like that is not the earbuds, but your belief that the tinnitus can be quiet and that you are controlling your reaction to it.

At that point, it doesn't matter what the thing is which offers you a visual reminder of your control over the situation - it could be normal ear plugs, or something completely unrelated - it's more that you acknowledge that you can control your fear and your response to tinnitus and that you are not letting it control your life.

[bantams in reply to TinnitusUKPat]

Hi Pat, Thanks for your reply and advice, yes I understand what you are saying, it`s just that sometimes as much as I try to put my Tinnitus to the back of my mind I still get times when I struggle coping with it.I know it will not go away just trying to find things that might make it easier to manage my T.