Treating Tinnitus

Tinnitus covers a number of sounds. It’s most often called “ringing in the ears” but those with tinnitus symptoms may hear whistling, hissing, swooshing and ringing – sometimes all at once.

According to the American Tinnitus Association (ATA), an estimated 50 million Americans experience tinnitus to some degree. Of these, 12 million have symptoms severe enough to seek medical attention and roughly 2 million are so debilitated; they are not able to function on a “normal” day-to-day basis.

For the 2 million severe cases, the individual’s ability to work, his/her personal relationships with spouse, friends and neighbors are affected and, ultimately, quality of life is significantly reduced.

Causes of Tinnitus

• Tinnitus is more common in older people – a clear indication that tinnitus is age related. As the delicate mechanism of the inner ear wears out, tinnitus is sometimes the result.
• Exposure to loud noise can cause temporary tinnitus.
• However, if the exposure to loud noise is regular and on-going, and the ear doesn’t have the opportunity to heal itself, the condition can easily (and quickly) become permanent.
• Autoimmune and other types of disease is another cause of tinnitus.
• Temporary tinnitus can be caused by something as simple as the build-up of ear wax that can be safely removed by an audiologist or physician.
• Finally, certain medications, like anti-biotics, cancer chemo drugs and even plain old aspirin, can cause bouts of tinnitus. 

Treating Tinnitus

Although there is no cure for tinnitus, there are many way to make the tinnitus less annoying and disruptive. And according to the experts, the best “cure” is prevention. Be aware of the sounds around you and when you are exposed to loud noises, take steps to protect your ears.

If you’re going to mow the lawn, buy a pair of ear plugs to protect what nature gave you. Good hearing.

When you’re exposed to loud noise, give your ears a chance to heal themselves. Take breaks from the MP3 player. Quiet time provides the ear mechanism the opportunity to return to normal listening levels – without tinnitus.

For persons with hearing loss and that are experiencing tinnitus, consider wearing hearing aids. A recent survey of 230 hearing health professionals, performed by the Better Hearing Institute, “found that six out of ten patients reported some relief of their tinnitus when using hearing aids and two of ten reported major relief.”

Stay clear of stimulants that can aggravate tinnitus. Caffeine, nicotine and some decongestants can aggravate an existing problem. Take low dose aspirin. Also, don’t take aspirin for every little ache or pain.

Discuss the severity with an audiologist specializing in tinnitus therapy. There are various therapies and treatment options available for person with tinnitus such as Tinnitus Retraining Therapy, Behavior therapy and the Neuromonics Tinnitus Therapy.

Indeed, there are things we can all do to lessen the likelihood of tinnitus taking an unwanted place in our lives. This becomes all the more critical when you consider that there’s no cure for the condition.

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