Tinnitus
Experience relief from ringing in the ears
What is Tinnitus?
Tinnitus represents one of the most elusive mysteries facing audiologists, ENTs, and neurologists. There are two major types of tinnitus – objective and subjective.
Objective tinnitus is a sound near or in the ear, which other people can hear. There are many possible causes, including jaw misalignment, debris sitting on the eardrum, dental problems, a malfunctioning eustachian tube, and blood vessels too close to the surface of the ear canal.
Subjective tinnitus refers to an auditory perception not directly produced from a physical or external sound. The patient is the only one who can hear subjective tinnitus which may be described as, “hissing, static, roaring, crickets, humming, ringing, or music.” It can range from low- to high-pitch, consist of multiple tones, or sound like noise. It may be constant, pulsing, or come-and-go. It may begin suddenly or increase gradually. It can be perceived in one ear, both ears, or simply “inside the head.”
Tinnitus Treatment
While there is no known cure for most forms of tinnitus, it is not true that nothing can be done about it.
Because tinnitus is not a hearing disorder, but a symptom of a treatable disease, it is important to try to identify and resolve a cause before deciding on the management approach. Tinnitus might also be a side effect of certain prescription medications. Even with professional help from an audiologist who specializes in tinnitus, it may be necessary to try different approaches separately or in combination.
You don’t need to suffer with tinnitus, as a variety of tinnitus management procedures are available. Since there are many possible causes of tinnitus, no single treatment is a universal cure. Often, it’s appropriate to seek help from a team of professionals including audiologists, physicians, psychologists, dieticians, dentists, or chiropractors.
That being said, tinnitus is MOST commonly an indicator of cochlear or neural damage, and the gold standard treatment is full-time “sound therapy” in the form of prescription hearing devices with or without added habituation signals included in the prescription settings. While hearing devices won’t stop ringing in the ears completely, they can greatly help you experience relief.
Tips for Tinnitus Relief
Here are a few helpful tips that can alleviate the effects of tinnitus.
- Proper nutrition and nutritional supplementation.
- Avoid and protect against loud noise exposure.
- Set up a low-level noise rich environment with soft comfortable sounds such as music, fans, ocean waves, etc.
- Get plenty of sleep.
- Watch for medication side effects and interactions.
- Drink plenty of water – 8 to 10 glasses daily.
- No diet sodas or other drinks with aspartame.
- Limit your intake of coffee, alcohol, tobacco, and caffeinated beverages.
- Switch to green tea, chamomile, or herbal tea.
- Reduce salt/sodium intake.
- If diabetic, control your sugar levels with diet, exercise, and medications as needed.
- Reduce your stress levels.
- Get up earlier to avoid being rushed.
- Find someone you can talk with to share your burdens.
- Attend tinnitus support groups.
- Exercise at least 10 minutes, 3x per week – include strength training with cardiovascular or aerobic exercise.
- Do something you enjoy and get a partner to pull you along on days when you don’t feel like exercising.
The American Tinnitus Association is a non-profit group based in Portland Oregon with the sole purpose of finding a cure.
