Audine Ltd.:

Tinnitus Counselling / Tinnitus Retraining Therapy 

When you spoke to your GP about tinnitus, you might have been referred to an ENT (Ear, Nose and Throat) Consultant. You would have had the opportunity to talk about your tinnitus and why it's troublesome for you. You may have had tests and further investigations done. Having had your investigations, you might have been encouraged to try some strategies to help you with your tinnitus. These are multifaceted, often very useful and a good way to help you reduce the impact of the tinnitus in your everyday life. We will be able to discuss these with you in more detail. The tinnitus management options are designed to help you live more easily with your tinnitus. As there is currently no cure for tinnitus, our focus is trying to improve your quality of life.

Hyperacusis management 

Hyperacusis, also called sound or noise sensitivity, is a condition when everyday sounds seem much louder than they should. It can sometimes also be painful. Your sensitivity to noise can affect relationships, school or work and your general wellbeing. Hyperacusis can affect one or both ears. It can come on suddenly or develop over time. A person may also experience other forms of sound sensitivity like certain sounds can make you angry i.e. Misophonia, when certain sounds make you anxious i.e. Phonophobia or it your ears have trouble adjusting between quiet and loud sounds i.e. Recruitment. Therapeutic approaches and Counselling can help manage these conditions and we can discuss this with you in more detail.

Vestibular Rehabilitation / Balance Retraining

Our inner ears are like tiny spirit levels which send information to the brain every time we move. Our brain also needs information from our visual pathways and the proprioceptors across our body to maintain our balance. If the inner ear isn't working properly for some reason, or it there is a slight mismatch in the information coming in from our other sense organs, our balance will be affected. This can be due to viral damage, inflammation, or a restriction to the blood supply, and the result will be dizziness or unsteadiness. This can mean that your head spins and you feel sick, but more often people describe feeling light- headed, drunk, 'spaced out' or detached from reality. Sometimes it feels as if the ground isn't solid under you. Whatever form it takes, the dizziness will be very frightening and people naturally become very stiff & anxious as a result. However, it hardly ever has a serious cause, and can almost always be managed with a course of Vestibular Rehabilitation/Balance Retraining Exercises. These work in two ways. Firstly, they encourage you to loosen up and to move more freely. Secondly, by gently provoking the dizziness in a safe environment, your brain learns to compensate for the dizziness, so it gradually becomes less of a problem.

Custom made Swimplugs and Noiseplugs

Service is available to have ear impressions taken to make variety of custom-made Swimplugs and Noiseplugs. Please contact us to discuss your needs.