Anyone successful in dealing with Tinnitus?

I have had tinitus for at least 15 years. As I type this in a quiet office I can hear it loudly in both ears.it is always a little louder in my right ear which also has a little more hearing loss. A cpl of years ago I read an article that stated the tones my be the brains way of substituting sound to compensate for the lost hearing. I don't know if that is true or not. My thinking is if the mind creates the noise the mind can overcome it.

I have found in my case that relaxing, taking a long hot bath with my ears below the water line, and concentrating on relaxing and reducing the noise through meditation can at times reduce it to the point where I have to concentrate to hear it. Mind over matter? I don't know, I don't even care, all I know is I can on occasion reduce the noise level substantially. I would not have believed it was possible a few years ago. My tinitus is not mild. I can hear it over normal conversation when it is at its worst.

For the record I am 50 and have been in construction my entire adult life with lots of loud music in my youth.

To all you naysayers out there: How can you be so sure hair cell degeneration in the Cochlea is the reason for your tinnitus? Is your tinnitus constant or does it come and go. Or at least increase or decrease? If it isn't constant doesn't it stand to reason that something you are doing is affecting your hearing? And if something is affecting your hearing, then shouldn't you have some control over the problem?
There is something called Cranial sacral fluid which, no surprise, goes up your spinal canal from your sacrum (a small triangular bone at the base of your spine) to your head. Dr. Fullford, an osteopathic doctor, found by unlocking children's sacrum, he could eliminate their terrible headaches.
Do your symptoms increase with stress? Stress causes the muscles to tighten and lock up the spine more. It also happens with age. Especially if you live the life of a blob or have had trauma to the spine.

I think each one of us might have different reasons that have brought our problem to the point where it is currently at. My tinnitus constantly increases or decreases along with my hyperacusis. There is probably not "one" common thing everyone could do to decrease there symptoms. At one point, I unplugged my stereo and thought I wouldn't be able to use it anymore. (a very low point) I'm doing fairly wll now as long as I'm careful in regards to noise exposure in "ANY" situation.
Cdc... What did you mean..."life of a blob"?

If there really is a cure, I too want to know about it. I have simply learned to live with it, and that is my best recommendation to you. It won’t kill you, it doesn’t hurt, and in fact it’s physically harmless. I know people who have let it emotionally and mentally consume them. My brother-in law wears a set of headphones all day long and listens to “different noise” to take his mind off the ringing. That’s just crazy. Get your mind right. Grasp the facts. You can still hear, you can still enjoy music, you can still conduct business and communicate, make love, laugh, run, jump, skip….It doesn’t have to be something that gets you down, hinders your lifestyle or preoccupies your thoughts. YOU ARE OKAY. Now, live your life…This is how I have beaten the damn thing! I hate to see anyone end up like my brother-in law.

By the way, my Tinnitus is so severe that I truly can’t “hear” the quite. If I go into the wilderness to a peaceful isolated place that is as quiet as things get on earth, I just can’t appreciate the lack of sound because of the damned ringing. This is one of the few times that the ringing really affects my lifestyle. At this point, I say #$%@ it, and I have a drink of my favorite medicinal and I take in the visual beauty of the setting. I still appreciate the serenity; I just don’t get to experience the phenomenon of silence.

Hi Slaw, a day in the life of a blob would be sitting in a chair, then sitting at a desk, then sitting in the car, then sitting at the dinner table, then sitting in front of the TV, then going to bed.

As the risk of showing how little I know:

Equalization of pressure in the ear may have an influence on hearing problems. Musicians can open and close their Eustachian tubes at will.

Lymphatic drainage is also related to motion in the spinal column and can be related to the ears.

I know people who are fairly active but still have no motion in their sacrum. When they lie on their back with their knees bent and calves on a chair, they get dizzy in a minute as their spine is so locked up.

The point is, M.D.'s are overlooking a LOT of potential causes.