If you have tinnitus, or "ringing in the ears" it may feel like no one else in the world can really understand what you're going through. But in fact, chronic noise in the ears affects 1 in 5 people according to MayoClinic.com. From a mild buzzing to a loud constant roar, tinnitus can affect your life and health negatively in many ways. It can cause sleeping problems, memory problems, depression, anxiety and ongoing stress. Tinnitus is often thought of as a medical condition, but it's actually a symptom that may be caused by any number of medical problems.
Risk factors for tinnitus include being male, Caucasian, suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, long-term exposure to loud noises, being over 65 years old and having age-related hearing loss. Underlying causes of tinnitus include injury, movement in the ear bones, TMJ disorders, acoustic neoroma, blood vessel disorders and Meniere's disease.
Before discovering which tinnitus treatment will be most effective, your health care professional must first discover the cause. If you're at risk and are experiencing hissing, ringing, whistling, clicking, roaring or buzzing in your ears for more than two weeks make an appointment with your physician.
Medical Treatments
After a physical examination and series of questions your doctor might suggest:
• Earwax removal
• Change in prescription medications
• Surgery or other treatments for an existing vascular condition
Medications
Medications don't cure tinnitus, but they may help alleviate the symptoms. Unfortunately, the medications that help are also habit forming and may cause many unwanted side effects. They include:
• Niravam
• Xanax
• Tricyclic antidepressants such as nortriptyline
Hearing Devices
If your doctor concludes there are no medical causes for tinnitus the next step is to see an audiologist for a comprehensive hearing examination. Age-related hearing loss is one of the most common causes of tinnitus. Hearing devices and accessories are reliable treatments and may include:
• Hearing aids
• White noise machines (for sound suppression)
• Personal sound masking device (a hearing-aid sized white noise device)
• Tinnitus retraining device
Complementary and Alternative Medicine Treatments
There is little scientific evidence to support alternative treatments for tinnitus, but many sufferers do report relief from the following remedies:
• Dietary supplements such as ginkgo, zinc and lipoflavonoids
• Acupuncture
• Counseling (especially when tinnitus is a symptom of stress or depression)
• Hypnosis
• Stress management
• Reduced alcohol intake
• Eliminating sugar substitutes from the diet
Don't suffer with tinnitus because you think nothing can be done. Your discomfort could be resolved by a simple visit to the doctor's office. And in the rare chance the ringing in your ears is being caused by a serious medical problem, seeking treatment for tinnitus could just save your life.
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