Finally a Cure For Tinnitus
Finally a Cure For Tinnitus. US scientists may have made strides towards finding a cure for tinnitus. According to them, mice suffering from the condition can be stopped from making noise by blocking a protein that leads to brain inflammation.
This new treatment can assist individuals whose tinnitus interferes with their concentration, sleep or focus and is available through otorhinolaryngologists specializing in tinnitus care.
What is tinnitus?
Tinnitus occurs when you hear an unpleasant buzzing, ringing or other noise which only you are aware of; usually this symptom indicates another medical condition and treating that will usually alleviate it; otherwise treatment may be needed to lessen its impact on everyday life.
Doctors don’t fully understand what causes tinnitus, though it has been associated with hearing loss, head injury and many common health conditions. Tinnitus may also be caused by medications including aspirin and antibiotics as well as antidepressants, narcotics sedatives antihypertensives loop diuretics ototoxicity side effects or vestibular schwannomas which form tumors in nerves connecting your inner ear with balance and hearing functions.
A general practitioner (GP) or hearing specialist known as an audiologist will be able to diagnose it by asking about your symptoms and conducting an exam on your ears. They will perform a standard hearing test which involves transmitting sounds into each ear one at a time while asking you to raise your hand when hearing them; additionally they may request MRI or CT scans in order to look for tumors, blood vessel abnormalities or any other causes of tinnitus.
Tinnitus caused by hearing loss is typically easier to treat than those without an apparent cause, with audiologists offering hearing aids designed to amplify external noise and mask your tinnitus, or other devices designed to make it less noticeable. Some individuals find relief using tabletop or smartphone sound generators which play soothing sounds such as waves, waterfalls, or rain; others try relaxing techniques or joining support groups as a source of help.
Your tinnitus may become more bothersome when you are stressed or tired, so try getting enough rest, cutting back on caffeine, alcohol, and stimulants like tobacco; and talking with your GP – they may refer you for psychological therapy to learn the necessary coping skills and strategies for living with your tinnitus.
Finally a Cure For Tinnitus Symptoms
Finally a Cure For Tinnitus. Tinnitus noises may be described as ringing in the ears; however, they may also make hissing or clicking sounds and be low or loud in intensity; it may affect both ears simultaneously or just one. Tinnitus may cause mild annoyances to daily activities; in approximately 10% of cases however, its disruption impacts quality of life so severely that professional help may be required to treat it effectively.
Scientists do not yet fully understand what causes tinnitus, although hearing loss has been shown to contribute to it. Most often tinnitus manifests itself subjectively: that is, a sound heard only by that individual that no other can hear. While objective tinnitus occurs less frequently – for instance the sound of blood flowing through an artery or vein- it may still exist as noise emanating from outside your body (ie arteries or veins moving).
Many people who suffer from tinnitus find relief through relaxation techniques and taking relaxing herbal remedies such as Ginkgo biloba. Other natural treatments may also include massage, relaxation techniques, masking tinnitus through headphones and listening to frequency-filtered music or white noise through headphones. Studies have demonstrated the efficacy of mindfulness meditation on decreasing symptoms; another way can be taking antidepressant medication such as Celexa.
Doctors can diagnose tinnitus by asking about its characteristics and history, examining their head and neck, conducting a comprehensive hearing test and/or sending their patient to an otolaryngologist (ear nose throat doctor) to rule out conditions which cause or worsen tinnitus.
These conditions include middle ear infections, disorders that clog the ear canal (such as wax or fluid build-up), issues with the eustachian tube due to allergies, stiffening of bones in the middle ear (otosclerosis), tumors in the head or neck region, jaw joint problems caused by teeth grinding/clenching or injuries sustained to head/neck areas as well as medications including nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and aspirin that aggravate or worsen tinnitus symptoms. Medications such as nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and aspirin can exacerbate or intensify tinnitus symptoms further.
Causes
Researchers have linked tinnitus to increased activity among neurons that transmit sound signals to the brain, and are developing drugs to control this activity as well as investigating if certain forms of brain stimulation could reduce it.
Tinnitus may be caused by damage to either your hearing nerve or cochlea, the spiral-shaped organ in each ear that detects sound waves. Overexposure to loud noises can also damage sound-sensitive cells in your inner ear; once damaged they don’t grow back so tinnitus will likely occur as well as hearing loss.
Other causes for tinnitus could include excess earwax that blocks your ears and makes the surrounding sounds seem louder, or the condition tinnitus recursive temporal lobe epilepsy (TRLE), which can trigger it in certain people. Other conditions, including fibromyalgia, Lyme disease and thoracic outlet syndrome may lead to side effects from medications or cause it as symptoms from other medical issues that lead to tinnitus symptoms.
Most people have experienced some kind of buzzing, ringing or roaring noise in their ears at one time or another. Although usually harmless, tinnitus can become distracting or even debilitating in extreme cases; over 50 million Americans report it interferes with their lives to some degree while two million suffer from severe cases that impact daily living significantly.
Some cases of tinnitus are symptoms of other issues that can be treated or managed, such as insomnia. Your doctor may suggest sleeping aids if tinnitus is due to insomnia or another sleep disorder; they can also assist in finding hearing aids if tinnitus coincides with hearing loss due to long-term exposure to loud sounds; for medication-induced tinnitus, your physician can change dosage or prescribe another drug; finally, primary care physicians or otolaryngologists can test for hearing loss as well as tinnitus to determine its source and manage it accordingly.
Treatments
Tinnitus sufferers seeking relief may benefit from sound therapy. This treatment utilizes white noise or “notch” sound waves to mask any distracting ringing in their ears and give relief. There are freestanding noise machines as well as apps which create similar sounds on smartphones or tablets; both may provide relief, however. Although hearing aids and combination devices offer greater support in terms of amplified sounds generation as well as hearing amplification capabilities may provide more lasting results than these alternatives alone.
Counseling may help the patient learn how to better cope with tinnitus. Studies show that cognitive behavioral therapy helps people learn ways to lower anxiety levels and enhance quality of life through techniques such as relaxation, meditation, journaling, etc.
Medication may help with symptoms associated with tinnitus such as depression, irritability and difficulty sleeping; however these drugs don’t treat its underlying cause and could even prove harmful for some patients.
Two new treatments that may offer significant tinnitus relief include acoustic neural stimulation and tinnitus masking: these technologies may play an instrumental role. Acoustic neural stimulation utilizes frequency-filtered music via headphones to alter brain neural circuitry and make you less sensitive to tinnitus; Tinniwell provides home-based treatments similar to acoustic neural stimulation by using heat to promote blood flow in outer and middle ears, thus alleviating tinnitus symptoms in those with constricted blood vessels.
Researchers in the lab are conducting extensive studies to understand what causes and how best to treat tinnitus, with findings suggesting increased activity of central auditory neurons following damage to the cochlea as one cause of its symptoms. Researchers hope to identify drugs which will inhibit this increased activity and thus alleviate symptoms.
Yale Medicine ear, nose and throat doctors stay up-to-date with the latest research regarding tinnitus and are ready to work with you to find an effective long-term solution. Dr. Julie Prutsman studied under Pawel Jastreboff (renowned tinnitus expert) and is part of TRT Association.