Meet Dr. Sara K. Downs, an audiologist who has been working with tinnitus patients for over 20 years.
In addition to Audiology, Dr. Downs is Certified in Mind-Body Medicine and the Safe and Sound Protocol. She has additional training in nutrition, sleep hygiene, and coaching approaches; all can have an impact on successful tinnitus management. This holistic method of treatment called Integrative Tinnitus Therapy (ITT) is based on the neurophysiological model of tinnitus and the polyvagal theory.
Tinnitus is a multi-system symptom affecting the auditory and nervous systems. In many treatment approaches only one system is addressed. ITT uses both sound therapy to stimulate the auditory system and a specific retraining protocol to address the part of the nervous system responsible for intrusive tinnitus. Each treatment plan is tailored to the individual based on which areas of life are being affected by the tinnitus most. Such as: sleep, mental health, relationships, concentration and communication.
“Many people come in anxious and distraught, feeling like ‘Tinnitus has them’ and they can’t escape the sound in their heads. Our goal is to help patients get to a place where they have tinnitus, but only if they listen for it — where they are in control of whether or not they hear the tinnitus.
We encourage the body’s natural abilities to habituate in a process that is comforting and supportive, achieving phenomenal outcomes with much shorter treatment times than traditional Tinnitus Retraining Therapy. At the close of the treatment plan, most patients report that they are no longer bothered by tinnitus; many no longer hear it at all.”
— Sara King Downs, Au.D.
Dr. Sara K. Downs in the News
Hearing Wellness Center’s Sara Downs can help people with tinnitus manage their condition. See her insights in this Prime Women article.
Hearing Wellness Center’s Sara Downs continues to educate patients about the symptoms of tinnitus and helps them find relief. See her insights in this Next Avenue article.
What do you do if you have tinnitus? Sara Downs explains tinnitus and when to see an audiologist for treatment in this Bloomberg article.
Hearing Wellness Center’s Sara Downs discusses a new model for Tinnitus Treatment that was published in the ATA.org’s magazine Tinnitus Today.
Discover how mind-body medicine is revolutionizing the treatment of tinnitus in this compelling case study. Sara Downs explains by integrating mind-body skills development, we explore a holistic approach that offers new hope for those struggling with the persistent ringing in their ears.
Hearing Wellness Center’s Sara Downs discusses how exploring a comprehensive approach combining Tinnitus Retraining Therapy and mind-body techniques brought significant relief to a 62-year-old man suffering from severe tinnitus. This case study highlights the urgent need for more audiologists to specialize in tinnitus management to meet growing patient demands as published on the American Academy of Audiology’s website.
Dr. Downs is frequently invited to speak and teach about her approach to tinnitus treatment. She has developed a clinical curriculum to share the ITT protocol that has evolved out of her twenty years of experience in treating tinnitus with her audiology colleagues.