Sounding it Out
Question by Masshole: How serious can the symptoms of tinnitus get, and when should I start to worry?
I’ve suffered from tinnitus for more than ten years now, but in the last few years symptoms have really started to take a turn for the worse and now the condition has become quite painful physically. I experience constant earaches, headaches, soreness/tingling, and occasional vertigo (though no insomnia). Anyone know of any alternative remedies (e.g. acupuncture, herbal medicines, etc.,) that may help?
Let me elaborate a bit….I know what caused my tinnitus: it was my years and years of constant headphone use (something which has made me feel like a bit of a spokesperson for people who use I-pods).
There’s no question about that because I’ve never had any tumors and I don’t suffer Meniere’s Disease.
I think the original symptoms (while somewhat alarming) didn’t really bother me. Only since the physical pain started has this really started to make life difficult.
Best answer:
Answer by Billie
Tinnitus can be due to a lot of things: certain medications like aspirin, diuretics etc; hearing loss; meniere’s disease or even a tumor. Sometimes, the cause is unknown, too. Usually, you would be referred to an otolaryngologist and they will check your ears and order a hearing test. Depending on the results, they will either prescribe meds, hearing aids or ask for further work ups to be done (MRI/CT scan – if they suspect a tumor). So please see your doctor first before going for alternative therapy.
After reading your additional details: maybe it would help to get a new hearing test and see if it has changed … your diagnosis may change too since it seems like its been years since you have last been seen by your doctor … if there is nothing worse than a hearing loss (or even none) then hearing aids may help – just to dampen the sound of the tinnitus – you may also try turning on the radio/TV at a low level at night – again, to mask the tinnitus (usually tinnitus is worse at night). Hope this helps!
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Tinnitus – Causes and Solutions
Some people put the worldwide estimate of the number of people who have tinnitus is over one billion. Of this number, about twelve million is the US suffer from the symptom enough to seek medical attention Many people scratch the their heads and ask "What is it?" when tinnitus is brought up.
Tinnitus is the term given to ear ringing noises. What happens is that you start hearing noises when no noise is actually present. It is not a sickness. Tinnitus is caused from another condition, or condition.
The noises created by tinnitus has been termed:
• a ringing
• whistling
• bumble bee like noises
• cracking
• hissing sound
and can range in intensity from subtle to piercing.
What the exact cause the ringing in the ears experienced by those with tinnitus is not yet completely understood by experts in the medical field. What is known however is that some medical maladies are usually behind the tinnitus. Noise-induced hearing loss is the number one trigger of ringing in the ears. When damage to the delicate inner ear structures occur, those ringing in the era noises are sure to follow. The inner ear contains tiny hairs which convert sound waves entering the ear into electrical impulses.
The electric impulse will travel to the brain via the auditory nerev which converts it to sound. Loud sound and prolonged exposure to it damages these tiny hairs. Even in the absence of external noise, the damaged hairs will send signals to the brain which interpreted as noise, the ringing sounds in the ears.
Many other conditions may also cause tinnitus. A build of of earwax can also cause tinnitus. Many prescription drugs as well as OTC drugs can cause tinnitus as a side effect.
Because of the fact that there are different cause of tinnitus, the treatment for each tinnitus patient could vary from the next person. Curing the tinnitus is often as simple as treating the underlying condition that is causing it. For those who continue to suffer from the ringing, therapy which is designed to train the mind to ignore the distracting noise is often utilized to help the person return to a normal way of life. Many people always have a fan in the room when they sleep as the noise of the fan is often found to mask the tinnitus noises. Often people who have hearing loss with the tinnitus can experience relief by using hearing aids.
The advice provided is for research purposes only. No medical advice is meant. As with any condition it is advisable to talk with a health professional before taking any medical counsel.
Tinnitus is the perception of hearing a ringing sound or some other sound in the ears. This ringing is heard even though there is nothing creating the sound externally. The sounds range from ringing to buzzing, whistling, roaring, hissing, or clicking sound. Tinnitus is experienced by 1 in 5 people sometime or the other in their lives.
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