Tinnitus

Over 50 million Americans have experienced tinnitus and about 11 million of these people have sought some sort of relief from medical or non-medical practitioners.

Tinnitus is the name for ear noises or "head noises" that originates from a Latin meaning of 'ringing' or 'tinkling'. Tinnitus can be described as abnormal sounds or noises in the head or ears that is not from an external noise source. This sound or noise can be present in the head and can be heard in one or both ears.

Tinnitus may come and go, you may be aware of a constant sound or you may hear it in one or both ears. The noise may be low, medium or high-pitched. There may be a single noise or two or more components.

Tinnitus can affect both gender groups regardless of age. However, the exact cause of tinnitus is not known. Symptoms of Tinnitus may also vary from one patient to another by tone and extent of disturbance that it causes.

We have had countless emails and queries about a tinnitus treatment that works

Here are various symptoms of tinnitus -

Since some of these symptoms may also represent other conditions such as Recruitment, Meniere's and Vertigo, it is advisable to learn more about each of these conditions. Tinnitus symptoms can vary in tone and in pitch from:

• A low roar
• High squeal
• A whine
• Roaring
• Hissing
• Musical
• Crackers
• Ringing
• Whistling
• Tinkling
• Buzzing
• Humming

When the ringing is constant, it can be annoying, distracting and most patients cannot lead normal lives. Typically patients are told "to learn to live with it.

What causes Tinnitus?

Tinnitus is not a disease or an illness, it is a symptom generated within a person's own auditory pathways. The precise cause of tinnitus is still not fully understood but it is usually associated with some sort of hearing deficit.

Tinnitus may result from a blow to the head, large doses of aspirin, anemia, noise exposure, stress, impacted wax, hypertension and certain types of medications and tumors.

Most tinnitus comes from damage to the microscopic endings of the auditory (hearing) nerve in the inner ear. If these nerve endings get injured, it could result in hearing loss and often tinnitus.

Some of the factors that cause or worsen tinnitus include the following:

• Loud noises are always accused of destroying or damaging the cilia in the inner ear.
• Wax against the eardrum
• A tumor on the auditory hearing nerve
• Old Age (advancing age is accompanied by a certain amount of auditory nerve impairment and tinnitus)
• Otosclerosis (stiffening of the middle ear bones)
• Allergies
• High or low blood pressure (blood circulation problems)
• Diabetes
• Thyroid problems
• Certain foods such as soy, wheat, chocolate and red wine
• Injury to the head or neck
• Meniere's disease (results from an increased pressure in the inner ear which also causes deafness and vertigo)
• Ear infections or sinus inflammation
• Anaemia
• Disorders of the heart and blood vessels, particularly in the head
• An autoimmune disorder SLE (systemic lupus erythematosus)
• An abnormality of the Eustachian tube
• Medications such as anti-inflammatories, antibiotics, sedatives, antidepressants and aspirin can also worsen tinnitus.
• Marijuana is also known to worsen pre-existing cases of tinnitus.
• Bariatric Trauma – pressure induced, injuries from SCUBA diving, cabin pressure in aeroplanes etc.in susceptible people.

Why is Tinnitus worse at Night?

It is worse at night because the distractions of everyday activity as well as background sounds tend to make your tinnitus less noticeable. However, at night when your surroundings are quieter, your tinnitus may seem louder.

Our hearing capacity always reaches its maximum in the night, when most noise sources such as air conditioners and computers are switched off. A tinnitus patient can hear the sounds in his/her head as clear as one could hear a gun shot.

Tips to lessen the severity of tinnitus -

Instead of learning to live with this annoying condition, several measures can be taken to reduce the severity of Tinnitus. To achieve this, one can do the following:

• Avoid exposure to loud sounds and noises
• Exercise daily for normal blood circulation
• Have your blood pressure taken
• Avoid coffee, tea, cola and tobacco (stimulants)
• Decrease your intake of salt (impairs blood circulation and causes water retention)
• Get adequate rest
• Reduce the usage of earphones

Other Hearing disorders

1. Recruitment
2. Hyperacusis

Other conditions that may cause Hearing disorders

1. A tumor on the hearing nerve
2. Allergic reactions
3. Meniere's Disease
   1. Bacterial and Viral causes of Meniere's disease
   2. Biological causes of Meniere's disease
   3. Environmental causes of Meniere's disease
   4. Causes of Meniere's Disease
4. Certain medication may cause tinnitus
5. Other factors and conditions that may cause tinnitus
6. Damage to the cochlea
7. Ear infections and/or sinus inflammation
8. Ear wax build up or improper removal
9. Abnormality of the Eustachian tube
10. Loud noises
11. Old age or Otosclerosis
12. Stress and Blood pressure