Sunday, April 20, 2008

Home Remedies for Tinnitus

Home Remedies for Tinnitus

Description of Tinnitus -Tinnitus, from the Latin word "tinnire," meaning to ring or tinkle like a bell, is a hearing ailment that affects over 35 million Americans. Tinnitus is not itself a disease but a symptom resulting from a range of underlying causes. Noises that can cause tinnitus with long-term exposure occur in the home and workplace environments. Other causes of tinnitus are allergies, diabetes, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, ear wax buildup, tumors, Meniere's disease, medications (sometimes too much aspirin) and old age (the natural degeneration of hearing).

Causes

Tinnitus is not itself a disease but a symptom resulting from a range of underlying causes. [2] Causes include ear infections, foreign objects or wax in the ear, nose allergies that prevent (or induce) fluid drain and cause wax build-up, and injury from loud noises. One of the most common causes of tinnitus is damage to the microscopic endings of the hearing nerve in the inner ear. Benign causes, such as noise from TMJ, openings of the eustachian tubes, or repetitive muscle contractions may be the cause of objective tinnitus. Other causes of tinnitus are possible and an evaluation by a physician is indicated.

Symptoms

Symptoms of tinnitus are frequently found in elderly persons and are often associated with hearing loss related to the aging process (presbycusis). Although there are no specific cures for tinnitus, anything that brings the person out of the "fight or flight" stress response helps symptoms recede over a period of time. Most people find that by taking steps to reduce or mask the noise or by treating its underlying causes, their symptoms improve over time. Few studies document that magnesium relieves tinnitus symptoms, but many patients have experienced relief by using magnesium (Attias et al.

Treatment

Treatments may include hearing aids, sound-masking devices, medicines and ways to learn how to cope with the noise. A number of techniques and treatments may be of help, depending on the cause.

Medications

Medications to deal with the psychological fallout of tinnitus is often useful -- antidepressants and anti-anxiety medications can be very helpful. Tinnitus is also a side-effect of some oral medications, such as aspirin, and may also result from an abnormally low level of serotonin activity. It is also important to check medications for potential ototoxicity. If ototoxic medications must be administered, close attention by the physician to prescription details, such as dose and dosage interval, can reduce the damage done.

Monday, April 14, 2008

Preventing Tinnitus

Preventing Tinnitus:

Prevention is the number one way to avoid the causes of tinnitus. Protecting yourself from the initial cause will help ensure that you will not suffer from the disease worsening. This is very common. Some people thing tinnitus will not affect them and they are careless with their ears. Hearing is not something you want to mess around with. Life with out sound is a lonely one and when there is a chorus of ringing and buzzing to go along with the silence it could absolutely drive you insane.

The reason tinnitus sets in has to do with the inner working of your ears and your auditory nerve. This nerve cell is crucial for your hearing and the prevention of many other very painful effects of messing with that nerve. There are a plethora of miniature hairs deep in the depths of your inner ear. These little hairs are very important because they assist in the process of the brain interpreting the pressure of sound waves into what your brain comprehends. Loud noises over a period of time can harm these hairs. The noise will bend or break these hairs and interfere with the movement that generates the cell to discharge an electric current through the auditory nerve.

That sounds confusing but in short the damage to the hairs allows noise to leak into your auditory nerve in the form of that annoying buzzing sound. The damage to these hairs can greatly further the effects of hearing loss in old age. One other thing to consider when trying to decipher the cause of your tinnitus is how loud and how often you listen to music through your headphones. The constant loud noise being so close to your inner ears can be very damaging and further the tinnitus.

There are a very high percentage of people all over the world that take over the counter or prescription drugs on a daily basis. The side effects of certain kinds of drugs can range from drowsiness to vomiting. Tinnitus could be one of the side effects that go along with some of these drugs. Be sure and talk to your doctor before starting any over the counter of prescription medicine to be sure tinnitus will not be in your future. One of the most commonly used drugs that can have a side effect of tinnitus is aspirin.

It is very important to review and school yourself on all of the side effects that go along with any drug that you consume. Some side effects of some drugs can be detrimental to your health and could eventually be fatal if used in the wrong way. Your doctor can and should by obligation inform you of any side effects that might come along with the drugs that you may be taking. You can also talk to your pharmacist if you have any questions about what the side effects are of any drug you might be taking.

Tinnitus is only a side effect of aspirin if it is used in excess causing an overdose. Aspirin should not be given to children to reduce any of the symptoms of the flu such as a fever. This can potentially be fatal in some cases. It is called Reyes syndrome and it can also affect teenagers.
If you have had treatment of hypertension or edema, you may have had loop diuretics. The drug that is used to treat these could potentially cause tinnitus. Hypertension and edema are usually associated with congestive heart failure.

Quinine is another drug that could potentially have the side effect of tinnitus. Quinine was first used to treat malaria and is still used today to treat some strings of malaria in specific situations. This is not a commonly used drug to treat malaria, but it could show up in your future medications. Preventing small pox could be another reason why you might use the drug quinine. Your doctor may also prescribe you quinine if you have complained about leg cramps interrupting your sleep or are suffering from arthritis. Other uses for quinine are to reduce fever, relieve pain and reduce inflammation.

Amino glycosides are used to treat bacterial diseases that you probably have not heard of but can possibly cause tinnitus as well. Tinnitus is not guaranteed to be a side effect of these drugs but is a definite possibility and should be kept in consideration.

There are also a number of diseases that tinnitus could possibly be a symptom of. These diseases can range from being serious and out of your control or minor and a disease that is manageable. A lot of these diseases can be prevented with simple lifestyle changes. A healthier diet and some exercise can change your life drastically and to your advantage.

Otosclerosis is a disease that affects the bones that support the area around the temple. These bones are referred to as the temporal bones. This is a very sensitive part of the human head and should always be taken to a serious degree. Otosclerosis causes these bones to deteriorate with the consequence of losing some or all of your hearing. This can also cause headaches that will be very painful almost to the extent of a migraine. Along with loss of hearing will come tinnitus. The tinnitus will be very apparent because of the loss of hearing. Silence amplifies the ringing or buzzing sound that is constantly pounding through your head.

TMJ is a disease that affects the jaw and cranium areas. The joint that is affects is the joint we use to eat, talk, chew and swallow. The pressure and force that is caused by TMJ can affect the nerves on either side of the head and cause a very uncomfortable problem. This is a painful disease that could potentially have the symptom tinnitus.

Acoustic neuroma is a problem that involves a cranial tumor. The tumor that grows in or around the auditory system is usually not a life-threatening tumor. In some rare cases the tumor can grow to the size where it can eventually become life threatening, but there is always surgery that can remove it from your head completely. This affecting the nerves in the head can result in the symptom tinnitus.

Menieres disease is a health issue that concerns the structure of the inner ear. This is a disease where tinnitus is one of the primary symptoms. The other major symptom experienced when suffering from menieres disease is extreme dizziness. It is, in most cases, confined to one ear and is accompanied by severe loss of hearing.

Lyme disease is one that most people have had experience with or are familiar. Lyme disease, also known as borrelosis, is the result of a bacterial infection due to a tick bite. Lyme disease is very serious and should not be taken lightly. The kind of tick that causes Lyme disease may vary and should be taken seriously.

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Types Of Tinnitus

Types Of Tinnitus

There are two different types of tinnitus. There is subjective tinnitus, when you are the only one who can hear the noise and there is objective tinnitus, where the noise is not just in your head, but the ringing from your ear can be heard by your physician. Usually the noise that occurs in objective tinnitus is only able to be heard through listening instruments used by your doctor.

They are very similar in the fact that there is ringing involved in the inner ear that is very difficult to cope with and does not go away. Subjective tinnitus is when the victim is the only one who can hear the monotonous ringing sound in the inner ear. This kind of tinnitus can drive a person crazy because there is absolutely nothing to be done about it.

The sound is most often described as a roaring, ringing, humming, beating or a whooshing sound. The reported sound can be different from person to person but has the same monotony in most cases. This can be very loud in the ear of the person suffering from it.

It can be loud enough that surrounding noises may even be drowned out by the relentless buzzing or ringing sound. This can affect a person while they are working and trying to communicate with other people. The sound can even disrupt a person while they are trying to sleep.

The ringing is not always that extreme but in most cases it is a huge distraction. Subjective tinnitus is more of a nuisance than a serious problem but is not something to be taken lightly. It is most commonly associated with long term exposure to loud deafening noises and the hearing loss that goes along with old age.

Often the long term use of specific medicines can be the culprit for the exasperating ringing sound. An injury can to your head or the area around your ear and neck can cause the noise in your head. The other form of this nervous system phenomenon is called objective tinnitus. Just like subjective tinnitus the characteristics of objective tinnitus also include the roaring, ringing, humming, beating or whooshing sound. Objective tinnitus can also defer you or at least distract you from all of the other surrounding noises.

The difference between the two kinds of tinnitus is in objective the sound can be heard by a second party. Objective tinnitus can also be known as Pulsatile Tinnitus. This is due to the fact that the ringing sound will stay in rhythm with the beat or pulse of the heart. Objective tinnitus is usually a symptom of a more serious disease.

The most common diseases that are associated with objective tinnitus are the following:

High blood pressure can be a factor that can be prevented with a healthy diet.

Lessening the stress levels in your life will also keep you clear of tinnitus. This can include reducing your work load, focusing on hobbies that make you happy, and not letting people get to you as much.

Tumultuous blood flow can affect the carotid artery by clogging it up and causing noise in the head. A very serious problem that objective tinnitus can be associated with is neck and head tumors. If this is the case, tinnitus is probably the least of your worries. This can also kink the arteries and cause noise in the head.

Malformation of capillaries is a disease that affects the connection between your arteries and your veins. If the veins are not formed in the proper way with the arteries, a kink or obstruction will cause the noise in the inner ear.

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What Are The Causes Of Tinnitus?

What Are The Causes Of Tinnitus?

The causes of tinnitus are endless and it can be hard to identify the exact problem. It is hard to measure tinnitus because it is only heard by the person suffering from it. Unless you are dealing with objective tinnitus which is when the doctor can also hear the annoying buzzing or ringing sound.

There are a number of tests that they can perform but your best bet is to discover what the cause of your tinnitus is then it will be easier to cure or at least help.

The first thing to consider when diagnosed with tinnitus is whether it is subjective tinnitus or objective tinnitus. Subjective tinnitus is a much more common type of tinnitus than the objective form. Objective tinnitus only affects few people compared to subjective tinnitus.

If you have a ringing, roaring, buzzing, or swooshing sound in your inner ear and your doctor cannot hear with a professional instrument then you have subjective tinnitus. If your doctor can hear the buzzing or ringing coming through his listening device then it is objective tinnitus.

Subjective tinnitus is the most common form of tinnitus and is usually the one of the two that is less serious. The most common cause of the subjective form of tinnitus is hearing loss due to the aging process. If the inner ear has had extensive exposure to loud speakers or equipment the hearing loss could set in at a younger age.

The age that tinnitus usually sets in is around fifty or sixty. The age that tinnitus sets in is dependent upon the amount of trauma the inner ear has endured over the duration of your life. If the trauma to the inner ear has been extensive and in excess, then the tinnitus that accompanies hearing loss may set in at a younger age. If tinnitus does set in at a younger age there is a possibility that it could be something more serious disease.

Loud noises are a cause for a large percentage of people suffering from tinnitus. This is why it is recommended to wear earplugs while working around loud obtrusive noises, attending loud concerts, or surrounding you with other traumatic noises.

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