Tinnitus

Tinnitus

        Tinnitus is a condition that is hard to classify and to define: some specialists claim that tinnitus is not a disease, but a symptom of some other, more serious, illness. Others are of the opinion that while tinnitus can be a symptom, it can also be a separate problem.

       But what is tinnitus really? The standard medical definition goes like this: any and each unusual sound (be it ringing, whooshing or thumping) that you hear, but does not have an exterior source is called tinnitus.

       There are various forms of tinnitus: the continuous form (the hardest to live with and the only one that has no certified cure so far), the intermittent form (usually, this variation of tinnitus is caused by trauma or loud noises and it does not last for more than ten to twelve weeks) and pulsatile tinnitus (also known as the only curable form).

Pulsatile tinnitus

        ...read more about pulsatile tinnitus: Pulsatile tinnitus

       This form of the "sound disease" is the only one that has a truly valid cure. While the other variations of tinnitus are caused by damage to the cochlea (the part of the auditory system that sends information to the brain) or to the neuropathways (the connection between the cochlea and the brain), pulsatile tinnitus has a much more palpable and, therefore, treatable, cause.

       On the side of your head, just beneath the external pavilion of the ear and on the back of your neck there are blood vessels that can suffer alterations. These, in return, lead to problems with the blood flow, which causes loud noises heard by your ear. If these noises are in perfect synchronization with your heartbeat, you suffer from pulsatile tinnitus.

Tinnitus symptoms

        ...read more about tinnitus symptoms: Tinnitus symptoms

       In the early stages of tinnitus, only the most attentive of people would notice the changes in their inner natural sounds. This condition is known for its sneakiness, hiding itself behind the noise of a car, a fan, a melody or even, your own heartbeat.

       However, the most common tinnitus symptoms are: modifications in the acuity of your hearing, sudden sounds present in your ear, nausea, dizziness, headache, pain in your ears or the impression of having an imaginary plug inside your ear canal, blocking it and dampening the noise.

Tinnitus causes

        ...read more about tinnitus causes: Tinnitus causes

       When looking for causes of tinnitus, you have to keep in mind that many people out there tend to mix up the cause with the effect. So, if you hear that anemia causes tinnitus, then that is true. But if someone tells you that tinnitus leads to blood pressure problems, you should let them know they have it backwards.

       The usual suspects when it comes to tinnitus causes are: afflictions of the ear, from a common infection to complete hear loss, perpetually loud noises, auditory nerve tumors or issues with your blood flow.

Tinnitus treatment

        ...read more about tinnitus treatment: Tinnitus treatment

        Unless you suffer from pulsatile tinnitus, there is no guaranteed to work treatment for you. Tinnitus is treated these days just like the flu: while there is no chance of killing the cause, we can make sure the symptoms are less annoying.

        Some methods of treatment imply better ear hygiene (wax accumulations can cause tinnitus), regular visits to a psychologist or psychiatrist (for improving the quality of your life and trying out something called tinnitus retraining therapy), a tinnitus masking device and even, in extreme cases, surgery. You have to keep in mind that there are no approved drugs for use in tinnitus treatment, but that there are some that are recommended, such as lydocaine, antidepressants and some agonists.

Tinnitus cure

        Is there a light at the end of the tunnel for tinnitus patients? Can their illness finally be eradicated? Yes, certainly yes. But not anytime soon. The only known cure for tinnitus is in its very early stages of developing and it is extremely expensive: stem cells. These are collected from the surrounding areas of the auditory nerve and placed next to the cochlea, hoping that they will develop new auditory receptors.

        The success rate is phenomenal, but its availability to the public is still long in coming, so you should take into consideration relieving your symptoms in the meantime.

Tinnitus retraining therapy

        If your tinnitus is getting out of control and it is starting to cause disturbances in your daily life, you should consider attending tinnitus retraining therapy. It is a method of habitual therapy, which teaches you how to coexist with your illness, while changing your entire life perspective. Psychologists and psychiatrists claim that this method of treatment is an almost sure bet, having a success rate of more than 80%.

        However, there is one downside to tinnitus retraining therapy: if you are not willing to believe in its power, it will not work. It is, in fact, a method of self-healing.

Tinnitus relief and tinnitus masker

        When anything else fails, do not despair. Tinnitus retraining therapy is not working for you or you simply do not have the time to apply it? Do not worry. Simply visit your attending physician and ask him or her about tinnitus masking devices. These little gadgets are, in fact, hearing aids with a twist. The medics will put you through a series of tests and figure out, hopefully, what makes your tinnitus quiet. They will record the sound and insert it inside your hearing aid. Then, you can turn it on and experience some tinnitus relief.

Tinnitus stress and tinnitus hearing loss

        Tinnitus is a disease that creates a vicious circle: if you are too stressed out (due to your job, your health or your personal life), you are likely to start hearing weird noises in your head. On the other hand, tinnitus sufferers are easily angered, have a short attention span and little control over their emotions in certain situations. The diagnosis for all that is, of course, tinnitus stress.

        Every form of tinnitus implies some sort of hearing loss: from high-pitched hearing problems, which are hard to notice and even harder to treat, to common auditory problems, like the loss of acuity and the dampening of sounds. This process is, unfortunately, unavoidable and unstoppable. However, you can slow its progress by staying away from loud sounds, having excellent ear hygiene and using certain drugs.

Ear noises

        There are many kinds of ear noises involved in tinnitus: from the easily recognized thumping of pulsatile tinnitus, to the whooshing and piercing sounds of the continuous form. All of these indicate that there is something wrong with your auditory apparatus.

        However, not all ear noises are caused or symptoms of tinnitus: for example, the ringing in only one of your ears can indicate a neuroma (an auditory nerve tumor).