Mindfulness as a Way of Managing Tinnitus
The recipient of a PhD in biology from Yale University, Thomas Brutnell serves as the Vice President for Research and Development of Gateway Biotechnology. In this role, Thomas Brutnell oversees the operations of the company, which include studies on plant natural products, developing a pipeline for drug discovery and conducting pharmacogenetics studies in an ongoing clinical trial. Gateway Biotechnology is currently developing products that can help prevent noise-induced hearing loss and tinnitus. Tinnitus refers to the perception of sound where there is no external source. For most people, the sound rings in the ear and may be perceived from inside the head or at a distance. The sound may come in the form of a chirp, whistle, buzz, hum, or hiss. Anyone can experience short-term tinnitus, especially after being exposed to very loud noise or during periods when using certain medications (like aspirin and NSAIDs). Despite the fact that nearly 10% of the population suffers from some form of tinnitus, our understanding of the biochemical and molecular underpinnings of tinnitus remains unclear. Although chronic tinnitus can interfere with a person's day to day life, not all affected persons suffer from the condition. In many cases the more a person worries about the sound or pays attention to it, the worse it gets. Many people have learned to habituate with chronic tinnitus by being mindful of how much attention they are giving it and encouraging their minds not to get exhausted with worry. Although mindfulness does not make tinnitus go away, it helps eliminate stress from the condition, thus helping affected individuals cope with it.