Tinnitus is the sensation of hearing sounds in your ear when no external sound is present. These sounds can have several different characteristics including ringing, buzzing, roaring, whistling, hissing, chirping or humming. The noise may vary in pitch from a low roar to a high squeal, and you may hear it in one or both of your ears. Tinnitus may come and go, or you may be aware of a continuous sound. Pulsatile tinnitus is a noise in your ear that follows the same rhythm as your heartbeat. Nearly 36 million Americans have some degree of tinnitus. It is important to understand that tinnitus isn't a disease. It's a symptom that can be caused by a number of medical conditions. Most often tinnitus is caused by damage to the microscopic hair cells in the inner ear that are responsible for hearing. Injury to these small delicate structures causes hearing loss and often tinnitus.
Noise Exposure
Exposure to excessive noise levels can cause damage to the structures of the inner ear. This damage can result in tinnitus and deterioration of hearing sensitivity. Large machinery, guns, rifles, construction equipment, chain saws, and MP3 players or iPods, if played loudly for long periods of time, are common sources of damaging noise.
Medications
Medications whose side effects damage the inner ear are referred to as ototoxic drugs. Long-term use of ototoxic medications can cause hearing loss, tinnitus and dizziness. The most common types of ototoxic drugs are aspirin, antibiotics, diuretics and cancer drugs. However, there are thousands of drugs with ototoxic side effects. Discuss medications’ potential ototoxic side effects with a pharmacist or physician. For a complete list of otoxic agents refer to Neil G. Bauman’s Ototoxic Drugs Exposed.
Chemical Exposure
Researchers have identified up to 56,000 chemicals that may cause damage to your ears such as tinnitus, hearing loss and dizziness. Many of these chemicals are commonly found in the workplace and can also exist in household products. Some of these ototoxic chemicals include adhesives, grease and spot removers, insulation, paint and paint thinners, varnishes and wood preservatives. For a complete list of otoxic agents refer to Neil G. Bauman’s Ototoxic Drugs Exposed.
Some Others
Allergies
High or low blood pressure
Blood circulation problems
Diabetes
Thyroid problems
Injury to the head or neck
Various types of head and neck tumors
Tinnitus Management
The first step in managing tinnitus is to see an audiologist and physician to determine possible causes for the tinnitus. With the help of a medical provider, an appropriate plan can be determined to eliminate, treat, or remediate the underlying problem or pathology triggering the tinnitus. However, addressing the underlying problem may or may not eliminate or reduce the tinnitus.
Initial Tinnitus Management Strategies
Patients who are most successful in managing their tinnitus take a proactive role in the process. The following recommendations enable patients to try and reduce the severity of their tinnitus and increase tolerance to the tinnitus.Avoid exposure to loud sounds and noises.
Discuss medications’ potential ototoxic side effects with a physician.
Reduce excessive doses of aspirin with physician’s approval.
Avoid nicotine, caffeine, alcohol, and tonic water, which contains quinine (the same substance as the medication used to treat malaria).
Reduce exposure to ototoxic chemicals.
Check and monitor blood pressure.
Decrease salt intake. Salt impairs blood circulation.
Exercise daily to improve circulation.
Get adequate rest and avoid fatigue.
Manage stress.
Try herbal supplements. Ginkgo biloba, Chelated zinc, and deodorized garlic may have specific pharmacological actions that can help reduce tinnitus. Discuss this option with your Physician
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Utilize a fan, soft music or low-volume radio static to help mask the tinnitus.
Secondary Management Strategies
Some patients may require additional management strategies. Audiologists can help determine the best management strategy necessary.
Hearing Aids Hearing aids can provide considerable relief to individuals with tinnitus and hearing loss. Hearing aids can reduce the perception of tinnitus by masking the tinnitus with amplified environmental sounds. Patients who wear hearing aids may perceive a mild or complete reduction of their tinnitus in addition to improved hearing.
Tinnitus Maskers
Masking devices resemble hearing devices but are designed to produce low-level sounds that can reduce and in some cases eliminate the perception of tinnitus. Masking devices can also produce the phenomenon of residual inhibition where the reduction or elimination of tinnitus perception continues for a short time after the masker is removed.
Tinnitus Retraining Therapy
Tinnitus retraining therapy (TRT) attempts to cause habituation of the tinnitus. Habituation occurs when the patient is no longer aware of their tinnitus except when they focus their attention on it, and even then the tinnitus is not annoying or bothersome. TRT combines low-level steady background sounds with one-on-one patient/clinician directive counseling. The patient enriches his or her background sound environment for a minimum of eight hours a day usually with in-the-ear sound generators. Tinnitus Retraining Therapy can take 12-24 months before a patient no longer needs the in -the ear -sound generators.
