Dr. Dawn Heiman, Dr. Emily Johnson, and Dr. Stephanie Michaelides

We've found that it's all about the process, like a recipe, that delivers positive outcomes for our patients who suffer from tinnitus.

We believe in starting the process with you telling us your history via a secure video portal. Right away, you are meeting with a Doctor of Audiology who is assessing your level tinnitus and helping you start on the right path to success and explaining your next steps.

We educate you thoroughly about the treatment process in our Online Tinnitus Educational Seminar where you will learn why bothersome tinnitus occurs, what is happening in your brain, the different treatment approaches you can start today at home.

You will be evaluated extensively in our office by one of our exceptional Doctors of Audiology who has specialized education and experience treating tinnitus, including the Lenire Treatment device. (You can start treatment during that appointment.)

We believe in involving you and your unique circumstances when creating and implementing your tinnitus treatment plan. We also believe in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to help you reduce your reaction to tinnitus.

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Lenire is the first device of its kind to receive a grant of approval from the FDA to treat tinnitus. This follows a large-scale clinical trial designed to meet the FDA's requirements during which 83% of patients recommended Lenire for the treatment of tinnitus. The large-scale trial's results were consistent with real-world evidence from 204 patients*.

Bluetooth headphones, which are provided, deliver customized sounds to activate the auditory nerve to the brain.

Tinnitus is the sounds you hear inside your head or ears.  Some people refer to it as “ringing in the ears,” although the sound doesn’t have to be ringing; it can also be buzzing, hissing, whistling, or other sounds. Tinnitus is not a disease in itself. Rather, it is a symptom, which can be caused by a number of different conditions.

For many people, tinnitus is merely a nuisance. However, for others, it can interfere with their daily activities. It may be hard to hear others speak with the acoustic interference of your tinnitus. Concentrating on work or study may also be difficult for tinnitus sufferers, because tinnitus is distracting. In some cases, it may even keep people from sleeping at night.

Causes of tinnitus

Tinnitus is very common, with official estimates indicating that up to 20% of the population experiences it. Many different conditions can cause tinnitus. The most common cause is prolonged exposure to loud sounds. When this is the cause, the patient may have both tinnitus and hearing loss. Age-related hearing loss can also be associated with tinnitus.

However, there are also other causes of tinnitus. These range from benign conditions, such as a buildup of earwax, to more serious ones, such as Meniere’s disease (a disease of the inner ear).

Treatment of tinnitus

At Advanced Audiology Consultants, we offer tinnitus treatment for people suffering from this condition. The first step in treating tinnitus is to determine the underlying cause. If it’s something treatable, such as an ear infection or a buildup of wax, then treating the cause will generally be enough to get rid of the tinnitus.

If the underlying cause of tinnitus is something more difficult to treat, then the treatment is focused on helping the person with tinnitus to function as well as possible in daily life. For the majority of tinnitus sufferers, whose condition is caused by prolonged exposure to loud noises over the course of years, the damage cannot be reversed. However, there are treatments available that can minimize the effect of tinnitus on your daily life.

Drs. Heiman, Michaelides, and Johnson have received specialized training in multiple tinnitus management techniques.  They take a thorough history, conducts a comprehensive evaluation, takes time to explain why tinnitus can occur, and then helps you create a plan you can use for different scenarios in your day.  They may suggest using sounds in your world to help you manage your tinnitus.  Sometimes personal tinnitus maskers are recommended. The goal is to help each person move forward with the tinnitus and empower them with knowledge, specific tools, and a plan to manage their tinnitus.

Some patients benefit from a tinnitus masker, which produces sounds that can help to cancel out the sound of the tinnitus. For those who suffer from both hearing loss and tinnitus, a device that includes both a hearing aid and a tinnitus masker can be used. There are three hearing aid manufacturers that make hearing aids with FDA-approved tinnitus maskers. For our patients seeking tinnitus treatment, we will help you choose the best one for you.

If you’re experiencing tinnitus or other symptoms of hearing loss, call for a consultation to find out how we can help you. If this is a life-threatening emergency, please call 911.

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Woodridge, Downers Grove, Lisle, Naperville, Bolingbrook, Plainfield, Lemont, Darien, Westmont, Hinsdale, Oak Brook, Lombard, Glen Ellyn, Wheaton, Aurora, and Chicago.