By J. D. Rider 

While it’s common for people with hyperacusis to ask us for medical advice, we can’t supply it for several reasons, among them the fact it would be irresponsible for those who aren’t clinicians to step into that role. However, patients make a valid point that doctors they see give bad advice, proving the teaching that patients should trust their clinicians is fallible. In spite of that, even for someone who is understanding of sound intolerance, giving specific advice would be illogical because hyperacusis itself is a condition whose very nature is highly individual. Whether taking medications, carefully exposing to sound or avoiding it, or turning to experimental surgeries, advice from self-proclaimed experts who’ve seen success can hurt another person. The same is true for those whose pessimistic views condemn all forms of treatment.

All viable treatment paths offer success and devastation in equal parts. Imagine if Hyperacusis Central instructed you to take X medication, or try X for sound exposures, or do X surgery, and your symptoms worsened dramatically. How would you react? How would we react? How could we expect to maintain a semblance of respect, acumen, or sound responsibility?

What we can do is share the stories sufferers have supplied, and in them they almost always recount successes, failures, or neutral outcomes about these very topics. It’s up to you to listen to your body, engage in thorough research, and find a doctor who’s willing to try what’s appropriate.

Hyperacusis Central strives to offer balanced information for three conditions—loudness hyperacusis, pain hyperacusis, and vestibular hyperacusis—which share a single name: hyperacusis. This sharing causes confusion for medical professionals, who sometimes group other conditions like misophonia under the same umbrella. We rely on science as much as possible (through research helmed by our Scientific Advisor Kelly Jahn, etc.; also see our What is Hyperacusis? page), yet the research is in its infancy, with much of the mysteries unsolved.

All the researchers are doing awesome work: Kelly Jahn, Dan Polley, James Henry, Megan Beers Wood, Manoj Kumar, Wei Sun, and Thanos Tzounopoulos. Their efforts are going a long way. Yet until we have more answers, advice on how to treat these conditions will be steeped in volatility. It’s a guessing game, and no one can claim omniscience at this point about the causes of hyperacusis and tinnitus, or the treatment paths one should undertake. All we have are theories and the knowledge that people’s responses to treatments differ.

In time, helping the cause may clear the foggy paths. Imagine if the funding for research were higher, much higher, as it is for many health conditions. Worldwide, ears get almost nothing. You can be a part of change if you donate to Hyperacusis Research, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization whose mission is multifaceted: raising funds for research, developing treatments for hyperacusis, and improving the quality of life for those who suffer from it and its comorbid conditions, like tinntius. The donations are tax deductible as much as the law allows. Any help, big or small, goes a long way. We thank you in advance for contributing. Donations can be made by check (please make checks payable to Hyperacusis Research Limited, Inc., and mail them to this address: P.O. Box 1295, Marlboro, MA 01752) or credit card, or through a DAF (Donor Advised Fund), or a Facebook fundraiser or other online platform. All these options are outlined on Hyperacusis Research’s website (click HERE to visit it), and can be accessed from the drop-down menu at the top of the page. Look for DONATE NOW.

From everyone who has a form of hyperacusis or loves a person who does: Thank you.

*AI wasn’t used to write or edit this article.