Tinnutus:- Symptoms, Causes, Medication, Treatment, Cure, Relief, Prevention and Remedy of Tinnutus

Tinnitus Types

Causes of Tinnitus

Most tinnitus comes from damage to the microscopic endings of the hearing nerve in the inner ear. The health of these nerve endings is important for acute hearing, and injury to them brings on hearing loss and often tinnitus. If you are older, advancing age is generally accompanied by a certain amount of hearing nerve impairment and tinnitus. If you are younger, exposure to loud noise is probably the leading cause of tinnitus, and often damages hearing as well.

There are many causes for "subjective tinnitus," the noise only you can hear. Some causes are not serious (a small plug of wax in the ear canal might cause temporary tinnitus). Tinnitus can also be a symptom of stiffening of the middle ear bones.

Tinnitus may also be caused by allergy, high or low blood pressure, a tumor, diabetes, thyroid problems, injury to the head or neck, and a variety of other causes including medications such as anti-inflammatories, antibiotics, sedatives, antidepressants, and aspirin.

Treatment will be quite different in each case of tinnitus. It is important to see an otolaryngologist to investigate the cause of your tinnitus so that the best treatment can be determined.

Tinnitus Medication

The type of sound heard with the tinnitus does not necessarily indicate what the underlying cause might be, nor whether the cause is serious or trivial. You will be carefully examined by a specialist, usually an ENT (ear, nose and throat) surgeon or an audiological physician (doctor specialising in hearing).He or she will take account of your symptoms and may perform a number of tests, which include hearing tests, balance tests and blood tests.If the doctor feels that a further investigation of the inner parts of the ear is required, a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan of your head may be organized

Tinnitus Treatment / Cure / Releif

If an underlying cause of tinnitus can be found, then of course, it should be treated. Hypertension should be lowered and anemia corrected. Meniere's disease, characterized by tinnitus, vertigo and hearing loss, may respond to diuretics and vasodilators, but if your tinnitus does not improve with time, your doctor may suggest various treatments, ranging from home remedies and commonsense measures to highly specialized surgical treatment.

One simple treatment is to play background music while at home. This often blocks tinnitus and is especially useful when trying to fall asleep. A Beethoven sonata is soothing to one's clamoring ear and helps to invite slumber.

Tinnitus maskers are helpful to some. This device fits like a hearing aid and is tuned to play sounds at the same frequency as the person's tinnitus, thus producing a dampening effect on the unwanted noise. If hearing loss accompanies tinnitus, a hearing amplifier alone may raise incoming sound enough to block the tinnitus. A hearing aid and masker in one unit can also be tried.

Low doses of tranquilizers can reduce tinnitus, perhaps by direct effect on the cochlea or acoustic nerve, or perhaps by alleviating anxiety which often accompanies tinnitus.

Oral antidepressants may be effective for symptom relief.

If stress-induced tinnitus is present, psychological counseling, hypnosis or biofeedback may be beneficial. These can help reduce the emotional tension that produces unwanted muscle spasm in the tiny tensor tympani or stapedius muscles within the ear cavity.

Your physician may also suggest surgical treatment.

Tinnitus Prevention

Limit or avoid exposure to loud noises, such as music, power tools, gunshots, and industrial machinery.

Wear protective earplugs or earmuffs if you cannot avoid loud noises. Do not use wadded-up tissue or cotton balls. These do not protect adequately against loud noises, especially the more dangerous high frequencies, and they may become lodged in the ear canal.

Be careful when using stereo headphones. If music is so loud that others can hear it clearly or you can't hear other sounds around you, the volume is too high.

Cut back on or eliminate alcohol and beverages containing caffeine.

Stop smoking and using smokeless tobacco products. Nicotine use may cause tinnitus by reducing blood flow to the structures of the ear.

Exercise may prevent tinnitus because it improves blood flow to the structures of the ear. Tinnitus occurs more frequently in obese adults

Vitamin B12 helps the body produce a substance that protects the nerves in the inner ear, and some think it protects against tinnitus. Good sources of vitamin B12 include milk and dairy products, meat, and eggs.

Tinnitus Remedy

Avoid loud noises as much as possible. Gunshots, jet engines, jackhammers, chain saws, industrial machinery, and loud music can cause the problem to begin with and will aggravate it when due to any of the other causes.

Reduce your intake of alcohol, caffeine, nicotine, and aspirin. Be sure that any medications you are taking do not affect the ear as a side effect.

Since stress aggravates tinnitus, the various types of relaxation techniques are helpful. Biofeedback, hypnosis, and acupuncture can also be helpful.

There are also times when a hearing aid works for those with both tinnitus and decreased hearing. The sounds that the aid picks up from the environment can reduce or eliminate ringing.

A device on the market--called a tinnitus masker--is worn like a hearing aid. It emits a low humming noise like a breeze through the trees--a sound that is familiar and pleasant and is easily ignored, thereby masking out the ringing.

When to Call a Health Professional

If tinnitus becomes persistent and interferes with your daily activities or sleep.

If ringing occurs with dizziness, loss of balance, vertigo, nausea, or vomiting.

If tinnitus persistently affects only one ear.