Can you hear a low buzzing sound when all other noises have died down at night? Do you have problems going to sleep due to a constant ringing sound that you seem to hear? If you do, you are probably suffering from a condition called Tinnitus. Know all about Tinnitus, its causes, symptoms, diagnosis and treatment.
What Is Tinnitus?
Tinnitus is a disease that is marked by the perception of sound without the presence of an actual source of sound. In other words, this condition causes sufferers to hear noises even in the absence of a sound source.
Tinnitus ear disease is a rare condition that is becoming very common these days thanks to the overuse of earphones.
What Causes Tinnitus?
Tinnitus is usually caused by exposure to loud sounds. Unusually high sounds for even the slightest duration may affect the ear canal and result in a number of ailments like ear infection, drainage from ear and wax build up in aural drums. Tinnitus is one of these diseases.
Natural loss of hearing capabilities due to ageing and congenital hearing defects are also causative factors of this disease. Tinnitus can also arise as a side effect of using certain medications.
Tinnitus Symptoms
The typical symptoms of Tinnitus are the perceptions of ringing, whistling, clicking, whining and buzzing sounds in the ear despite the lack of ay external stimuli that can be held responsible for producing these noises.
People with Tinnitus also suffer from a brief amount of hearing loss. They are unable to hear many actual external sounds clearly.
Persistent Tinnitus can also give rise to mental problems in patients. Individuals with the condition may suffer from fatigue, clinical depression and irritability. Many people also have musical delusions, which indicate that they have a perception of hearing musical sounds even in the absence of such sources.
Tinnitus Treatment
The treatment of Tinnitus involves detecting the underlying condition. If the causative factor is found to be loud noise, treatment may involve use of sound-masking equipments and hearing aids. These are some effective cures for Tinnitus caused by loud noise.
Tinnitus remedy also includes use of Tinnitus medications. Administering Lidocaine injection into the ear has been found to temporarily reduce Tinnitus symptoms. Using Tricyclics like Amitriptyline and Nortriptyline in small doses has been found to produce similar effects.
Use of medicines like Acamprosate, Sertraline and Acamprosate has also proved quite effective in curing the symptoms resulting from Tinnitus hearing loss.
Objective Tinnitus can be treated with the aid of Botulinum Toxin and Gamma Knife Radiosurgery. In case of earwax plug, clearing the ear canal can be highly useful to stop Tinnitus ringing.
In people with Tinnitus vitamin or zinc deficiency has been often pinpointed as causes. This type of mineral deficiency can be cured with the help of Vitamin and Zinc supplements.
Antidepressants and anti-anxiety medicines are very useful in patients who develop Tinnitus due to mental illnesses.
Tinnitus Natural Cures
Want to know how to cure Tinnitus naturally? Some of the popular Natural Tinnitus Cures involve
Avoiding caffeine
Increased intake of caffeine is believed to be a reason for Tinnitus development. Sufferers are often advised to avoid caffeine for faster recovery.
Avoiding smoking
Over intake of nicotine is also associated with Tinnitus symptoms. Cutting down smoking has been found to be quite effective in curing Tinnitus symptoms.
Limiting salt intake
Over consumption of salt is also attributed to this disorder. It is best to limit your salt intake to a minimum for early recovery from this syndrome.
Herbal Remedies for Tinnitus
Is there a cure for Tinnitus the herbal way? Good news is, there are certain effective natural remedies for Tinnitus. Any of the following methods can be used to treat Tinnitus.
Pineapple intake
Eating fresh pineapple every alternate day can reduce inflammation in the ears and cure Tinnitus after a point of time.
Magnesium consumption
In case of loud-noise induced hearing loss Tinnitus patients should consume 500-1,000 mg magnesium every day. This has been proved quite effective in reversing hearing loss due to loud sounds such as listening to music for long hours in high volume.
Ginkgo biloba application
Direct application of Ginkgo biloba, the maidenhair tree extract, has been seen to expand blood vessels thus increasing the flow of blood and restoring audibility. It is one of the most trusted Tinnitus remedies.
Pulsatile Tinnitus
Pulsatile Tinnitus is one of the more severe kinds of Tinnitus. This medical syndrome is marked by a rhythmical noise that beats with the pulse rate of a person. It is a rare form of Tinnitus that arises in people suffering from problems like vein abnormality, hypertension, Eustachian Tube disorder and abnormal artery.
Pulsatile Tinnitus is said to result from an increase in blood flow in areas like the base of the skull, veins and large arteries in the neck and smaller blood capillaries in the ear.
Tinnitus Retraining Therapy
Tinnitus Retraining Therapy is a popular medical therapy aimed at people who suffer from ringing sensation in the ears. Noise generators are used in this Tinnitus therapy to make a background noise. Prolonged exposure to this sound helps cure the condition. Tinnitus Retraining Therapy (TRT) is a new treatment for Tinnitus. In this therapy Tinnitus patients often make a slow progress.
Tinnitus Test
Tinnitus diagnosis involves playing sounds of particular amplitude before a person suffering from Tinnitus. Sample sounds are played at under-5 decibels and over 70 decibels to gauge the extent of Tinnitus in sufferers.
Tinnitus Association
The American Tinnitus Association (ATA) is the biggest non-profit organization in America that is working to treat Tinnitus. Founded in 1971, it is headquartered in Portland, Oregon and serves and operates in the United States.
If anyone in your family is having Tinnitus or you are suffering from the condition yourself, it is advisable that you go for an early treatment. Delay in treating the condition can give rise to complications like chronic Tinnitus and make the disease a permanent problem. So it is best that you go for an early treatment to get Tinnitus relief and faster recovery from the condition.
References:
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/tinnitus.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tinnitus
http://www.wrongdiagnosis.com/sym/tinnitus.htm
http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-tinnitus.htm
