Limerick-based charity explores new ways to treat tinnitus
A LIMERICK-based centre for deafness and hearing loss is promoting mindfulness as a means of living with varying degrees of tinnitus.
Tinnitus is the perception of sound in the ears or head when there is no external sound present.
Kathleen Daffy, Community Resource Officer at Chime, the National Charity for deafness and hearing loss on Pery Street in Limerick city stressed that one in every 10 individuals have the condition.
However, one in 10 people do not suffer with it, she added, emphasizing that only “one percent of society are living with debilitating, intrusive and problematic tinnitus.”
Corbally native Niamh Browne McMahon woke one morning in 2014 to a persistent ringing sound in her ear, as if she had just spent the previous night at a concert.
“I got out of the bed and the floor went from under me,” she told the Limerick Leader, speaking of her double diagnosis of tinnitus and vertigo.
After going to ShannonDoc, Niamh was told to take tablets for six weeks, which would “fix” or “cure” her.
“I remember my son, who was a toddler at the time, found it all very funny. He would be calling me, and I couldn’t figure out where he was, because of what was going on,” she added.
After visiting several physiotherapists and ear, nose, and throat specialists all over the country in search of answers, Niamh eventually visited the Chime Resource Centre in her native Limerick.
“It was the searching for answers that was the hardest part of the journey,” she admitted.
Kathleen stated that Chime recognises that there is no ‘quick fix’ or cure for tinnitus, however, it is a condition that can be managed to the extent that it no longer has a “serious effect on everyday life.”
She added that all levels of tinnitus can have a “serious psychological impact” affecting a person’s sleep, concentration, and focus.
For Niamh, who at the time of diagnosis, was a full-time business owner and mum of two, the move to mindfulness and meditation made all the difference.
Kathleen recommends the “putting the welcome mat out” approach, explaining that our brains elevate the perception of a sound, when it believes it to be a threat.
“Tinnitus isn’t causing the problem, it’s our subconscious reaction to the sound that is making it so intrusive. It’s all about understanding and accepting it,” she concluded.
For anyone who may be experiencing tinnitus in Limerick, call into the Chime Resource Centre for free of charge services and support.