Tinnitus Cure

Tinnitus Treatment

Tinnitus is a nightmare condition for those who suffer from it. It disturbs daily life and – worse than that even – can interfere with sleep in a major way.

Tinnitus is the medical name given to the symptom of “ringing in the ears”. It sometimes accompanies the development of hearing loss or deafness but sometimes tinnitus appears on its own.

Tinnitus can develop at any age but is more common in older people.

The noise of tinnitus is sometimes described as high pitched or tinkling in nature but some people hear different noises. Each individual is different.

Only the person who suffers from tinnitus can hear the noise. In most cases it is always present – both day or night – but is often made less evident if there is other noise going on in the background.

No-one really knows what causes tinnitus but it is associated with noise induced hearing loss in many patients. Musicians or factory workers often develop it. Some medications can induce tinnitus on a temporary basis – these include aspirin or quinine but other medications have sometimes been reported to trigger it. 

Ear wax can cause tinnitus in some cases – the noises go away when the wax is removed from the ear.

Other rarer causes include trauma to the ear, ear infections, menieres disease, jaw problems, benign tumors or heart disease. Check with your doctor.

Tinnitus varies in severity between different patients. In some the noise is not enough to bother them. Others have their lives ruined by the tinnitus noise.

Treatment for Tinnitus
There are many options for tinnitus treatment. Here are some of the commoner choices:

• Amplification with a hearing aid. Sometimes improving the hearing improves the tinnitus
• Masking device – these look like hearing aids but produce a constant low level noise in the ear which has the effect of stopping the brain focussing on the tinnitus noise
• Biofeedback – many patients can be taught how to stop their brain from focussing on the noise from their ear. This is easy to learn and often succesful
• Surgical Treatment with Cochlear Implant or Electrical Stimulation – this works about fifty percent of the time but surgery of this kind is a major undertaking and should not be taken lightly
• Other treatment options include medication such as antidepressants or local anesthetics. Some gain relief from alternative therapy.

To read more about tinnitus treatment you can click on the links below:

The American Tinnitus Association

Tinnitus Guide from Medline Plus

The British Tinnitus Association