The A to Z of Tinnitus Remedies
Tinnitus symptoms are continuous ear ringing, buzzing or hissing in the inner ear that only the tinnitus sufferer can hear. Tinnitus sufferers may experience ringing in the ears all day, or it may come and go in phases. Tinnitus noises may also vary in pitch and volume, depending on the amount of inner ear damage to the cochlea, a network inside the ear that is crucial for good hearing. While there is no long-term cure for tinnitus, experts have agreed that certain vitamins can be beneficial for alleviating the effects of hearing loss and tinnitus.
Below is a list of the 4 best vitamins for tinnitus relief:
Vitamin A
The cochlea of the inner ear stores large amounts of vitamin A, and relies on sufficient stores in order to receive and interpret sound efficiently, according to Dr. George E. Shambaugh Jr, author of “Healing with Vitamins.” In his book, Dr. Shambaugh recommends vitamin A, in conjunction with vitamin E, as an effective tinnitus treatment. Good sources of vitamin A are orange fruits and vegetables, such as cantaloupe, yams, carrots and pumpkin. Tuna and spinach are also high in vitamin A.
Vitamin B12
Vitamin B12 is essential for a healthy nervous system. Vitamin B12 affects the way we touch, taste, see and hear, so it is not surprising that vitamin B12 deficiency leads to symptoms such as altered taste perception, visual disturbances, numbness or tingling, and chronic tinnitus. One Tel Aviv study, which focused on Israeli servicemen with tinnitus, found a high correlation between symptoms of tinnitus and vitamin B12 deficiency. Vitamin B12 occurs naturally in lean meats, fish, eggs and dairy products.
Magnesium
Magnesium is another essential vitamin, which is included in many tinnitus remedies. Nutritionists believe that a magnesium deficiency corrupts the ability of the cochlea to function properly by constricting vessels that lead to the inner ear. Magnesium occurs naturally in food sources such as brown rice, bananas, beans and oats.
Zinc
Zinc is another nutrient that is associated with tinnitus and hearing loss. A study featured in Otology and Neurotology determined that low levels of zinc may be a cause of tinnitus. The University of Michigan Health System reported in 1985 that 25% of tinnitus sufferers who had low zinc levels noticed a marked reduction in tinnitus symptoms when they increased their zinc intake. Foods that are highest in zinc include oysters, wheat germ, veal liver and sesame seeds.
Read more about tinnitus treatment and prevention:
5 Mistakes Tinnitus Sufferers Make
Gingko Biloba as a Treatment for Tinnitus
Stop that Ringing in your Ears: Get Tinnitus Treatment Now
Top 5 Noise Cancelling Headphones
Sources:
http://www.livestrong.com/article/261616-vitamins-for-ringing-ears/
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8639287
http://www.ehow.com/about_5468633_vitamins-tinnitus-relief.html
http://www.healthaliciousness.com/articles/zinc.php
A start-up of Ohio University is working on a new treatment for tinnitus symptoms; the device, similar to an iPod, will be a giant leap towards ending the constant ringing in the ears which tinnitus sufferers have to endure, according to many reports.
Sanuthera, Inc. is developing an MP3 device which includes a wireless pair of ear buds. Similar to other tinnitus maskers, this iPod-like device will allow tinnitus patients to program their own playlist of background environmental sounds which effectively block out the irritating buzzing, hissing or ringing noises characteristic of chronic tinnitus. Patients who wish to use this tinnitus retraining therapy will also receive counseling to help them learn how to focus on the white noise emitted from the wireless device and eventually train themselves to ignore the tinnitus ear ringing.
Tinnitus Retraining Therapy: the Sounds of Silence
How will this Sanuthera device differ from other tinnitus masking devices?
“Unlike many other tinnitus devices on the market, our sounds are not generated by the device, but stored on the device,” explains Sanuthera CEO Jeff DiGiovanni. Also, this device will also double as a hearing aid, making it a good option for people who suffer hearing loss and tinnitus. Sanuthera received $337,000 funding from TechGROWTH Ohio (TGO) towards development of a prototype of this tinnitus miracle cure.
DiGiovanni is hopeful that marketing for the tinnitus device will begin within a year.
What are the symptoms of tinnitus?
About 50 million Americans have experienced some form of tinnitus. Tinnitus is not a disease, but rather a condition in which sufferers hear an ongoing noise in one or both ears that is not relevant to any existing noise in the environment; only the tinnitus patient can hear the noise, which is usually described as ringing, buzzing, hissing, clicking, roaring, chirping or screaming. Tinnitus symptoms can be restricted to one ear, both ears at the same time, or may alternate between sides. The severity, pitch, volume and frequency of tinnitus symptoms vary according to the level of inner ear damage or In some cases tinnitus symptoms come and go, and in other situations the tinnitus noises are constant, often waking the chronic tinnitus sufferer in the middle of the night. Tinnitus sufferers often go through bouts of depression and anxiety as a result of loss of sleep and desperation at the lack of any long-term cure for tinnitus.
Tinnitus Symptoms Drive Many Sufferers to Suicide
What causes tinnitus?
Tinnitus correlates with a variety of underlying conditions, the most common being:
- Age-related hearing loss
- Noise-induced inner ear damage
- Puncturing of the eardrum
- Chronic ear infections
- Diseases such as Meniere’s disease
- Temporomandibular joint disorder- Is TMJ Causing Your Tinnitus? 7 Exercises to Release Jaw Tension
- Drug interactions, such as anti-inflammatories, birth control, antibiotics, quinine or antidepressants
- For more information about tinnitus causes, please read The Many Causes of Tinnitus.
Sources:
Organized Wisdom, Med City News, Ohio University, Ohio State University Medical Center
Have researchers discovered a tinnitus cure which will put an end to chronic ear ringing? Scientists from the University of Western Australia (UWA) believe they hit upon a promising link to the symptoms of tinnitus.
Tinnitus is a hearing loss related condition which causes sufferers to hear constant ringing in the ears; sounds described as buzzing, sirens, clicking, whooshing and chirping have no relevance to any real existing noise. Severity of the tinnitus symptoms vary by pitch, volume and frequency. A tinnitus specialist must administer a hearing test in order to properly diagnose tinnitus. In certain situations, hearing aids equipped with background white noise are prescribed to alleviate some of the tinnitus symptoms, if not actually curing the tinnitus for life.
Also read: Tinnitus Retraining Therapy: the Sounds of Silence
Tinnitus is caused by age-related hearing loss, inner ear damage to the cochlea, excessive noise exposure, chronic ear infections and drug interactions. While scientists understand many of the basic causes of tinnitus, experts are still at a loss to understand exactly how tinnitus symptoms are produced.
There is now ample scientific research pointing to a particular set of nerve cells which controls how we perceive sound; scientists from UWA believe they are closer to understanding which part of the brain correlates with abnormal nerve cell activity responsible for causing hearing loss and tinnitus; a section of the brain previously ignored as a possible clue to finding a long-term cure for tinnitus.
Relying on an animal model which can be used to replicate tinnitus symptoms and monitor brain activity, researchers hope to link increased electrical behavior in a specific point of the brain’s circuitry with a direct cause for tinnitus and other ear problems. If successful, this discovery could open the door to developing a more effective tinnitus remedy.
Also read: Stop that Ringing in your Ears: Get Tinnitus Treatment Now
Associate Professor Wilhelmina Mulders, co-author of the study said, “If we can establish a direct link between this increased brain cell activity and tinnitus we may be able to move a step closer to finding a way to treat tinnitus.”
Their research is published in a paper, entitled Hyperactivity in the Ventral Cochlear Nucleus after Cochlear Trauma, was published in the Journal of Neuroscience.
Also read:
Objective Tinnitus: It’s Not All in your Head
Anxiety and the Brain: Stanford Study Discovers Off Switch
Sources:
Music legend Phil Collins, renowned former lead singer of Genesis and accomplished musical choreographer, is stepping off the stage of his career. The 60-year-old performer has announced that health problems, including hearing loss, have made it impossible for him to continue as a musician.
Phil Collins on the cover of Rolling Stone
Did chronic noise exposure make the music die?
Your ears can only handle so much stimulation; hearing loss and tinnitus, a condition where sufferers hear a constant ringing or buzzing in the ears, are common ailments of musicians, as exposure to unhealthy levels of decibels is one of their occupational hazards. Jam sessions, never-ending concert line-ups and frequent iPod ear bud usage all account for irreversible damage to the cochlea in the inner ear.
Celebrities raise tinnitus awareness
How much is too much?
The National Institutes of Health define noise induced hearing loss as damage done to the ears as a result of constant exposure to loud noises greater than 75 decibels. Comparatively, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) sets a safety standard of no more than 110 decibels. Musicians, stunt men and individuals who have served in the army or the air force are constantly exposed to decibels much greater than the amount advised by health experts; as a result they are most likely to suffer from irreversible hearing loss and tinnitus.
How can we protect our hearing and avoid the symptoms of tinnitus?
- If you work in an setting which requires constant exposure to loud noises, be vigilant about wearing protective earplugs.
- Avoid wearing iPod ear buds; opt instead for volume-controlled safe headphones which can be purchased on the internet.
- Listen to music on a moderate setting.
- Turn off the television or radio when not engaged; don’t be tempted to keep them on as “background noise.”
Sources:
Nearly 36 million Americans suffer from tinnitus, a constant buzzing, roaring or chirping sound in the inner or outer ear. While some head noise is normal, individuals with severe tinnitus are plagued with incessant babble throughout their day. Routine activities such as checking one’s email and driving to the market become unbearably difficult and full of distractions. Many patients of this incurable disease fall into bouts of anxiety and depression.
What causes tinnitus?
Tinnitus is often caused by exposure to loud noises; musicians and army soldiers make up for a large percentage of its patients. Health experts predict an increase in tinnitus and other hearing-related diseases as a result of the popularity of noise-cancelling iPod earbuds which produce unhealthy levels of noise waves and may cause permanent ear damage.
Musicians warn teens to lower the volume
Most people are unaware of this affliction; many probably have it and didn’t realize they were not alone. Celebrities such as Wil.i.am of the Black Eyed Peas and William Shatner are trying to change all that.
Wil.i.am told the Sun that music is his only escape from the constant ringing of tinnitus; much of his success can be attributed to his inability to slow down.
Music is his only escape
“I don’t know what silence sounds like any more. Music is the only thing which eases my pain,” says the singer for the Black Eyed Peas.
Jack Black, famous for his rowdy rocker persona, also warns teens to protect their hearing in this YouTube video:
Heavy metal drummer Lars Ulrich of Metallica, who also suffers from tinnitus, delivers his speech on hearing loss in this video funded by H.E.A.R:
The Tinnitus Foundation released this montage of famous people with tinnitus, including Pete Townshend, David Letterman, Barbra Streisand and Ronald Reagan.
William Shatner and co-star Leonard Nimoy were often exposed to loud eruptions on the sets of the Star Trek films. In his video for the American Tinnitus Association, William Shatner describes an explosion during filming which forever altered his hearing ability.
Find your inner sanctum.
Tranquility with Tinnitus? Sounds like an oxymoron if there ever was one, but it’s no joke. Finding peace of mind with a constant ringing in your ear or some of the various other sounds associated with tinnitus might seem like a distant dream. Whooshing, clicks, cricket sounds- it seems like more than you can handle.
There might not be any outright cures for tinnitus in this day and age, but there are coping mechanisms to help you find peace of mind: meditation, homeopathic remedies…and faith.
Part I of Tranquility with Tinnitus will help you find your inner sanctuary from tinnitus using three relaxation techniques recommended by the Mayo Clinic.
Setting the Scenario
Begin by finding a nice warm, quiet room free of disturbances. If there is a telephone, disconnect it. Cover the television or computer with a small throw. Soften the lights, set up some soothing “white noise” like a gentle fan or relaxation CD. Take off your shoes, lay down on a mat or soft rug and begin…
1) Autogenic relaxation
Autogenic relaxation means looking inwards with your “third eye,” as it’s referred to in transcendental meditation.
- Slowly breathe in at the count of three;
- Hold the breathe for the count of three;
- Very slowly release your breathe at the count of six, imagining a balloon gently losing air through a pinhole.
- Concentrate on slowing your heartbeat.
- Make a mental checklist of any sensations, sounds or pains which are going through your body; recognize them, accept them and breathe towards them.
- Repeat a soothing mantra; use that mantra throughout the day anytime you feel stressed and feel and need to return to your “safe place.”
2) Progressive muscle relaxation
Progressive relaxation is a great way to give your muscles a massage from the inside. In times of acute anxiety a mini-PMR can be done inconspicuously at your desk or even while dining at a restaurant.
- Lie flat, getting yourself into a relaxed position.
- Will your muscles to let go, release tension.
- Direct your inner eye to your right foot; clench it tightly. Now, let go and feel the warmth as your muscles relax. Repeat with the left foot.
- Slowly and systematically work your way upwards, tightening and releasing your legs, abdominal muscles, chest, back, shoulders and arms.
- Much stress is stored in the head, so don’t neglect this vital area. Focus on your neck, jaws, cheeks, ears, eyes and forehead.
- Many find that PMR, with practice, brings on a deep sensation of euphoria and inner quietude.
3) Visualization
Another common practice is to use your imagination as a tool for relaxation; many meditation CD’s are available which will guide you through various exercises.
- Imagine yourself in your comfort zone; this could be anyplace that makes you feel happy and safe, such as the beach or a rustic woods. See the deep blue ocean, a purplish sunrise or emerald green pastures.
- Focus on all the sounds of your comfort zone; crashing waves, birds winging, etc.
- Now imagine tactile sensations, like the gentle breeze, woolly pine needles, or the warm sun on your face.
- Smell the salty ocean air or the deep incense of the forest.
Many tinnitus sufferers have found their symptoms lessened through practiced meditation. If you have a hectic schedule, try waking up a half-hour early and setting aside that time to meditate. Not only will it get your day off to a good start, it will also give you a sort of mental “home page” to go back to when things seem to be spiraling out of control.
Recommended reading: The Calm Technique: Meditation without Magic or Mysticism, by Paul Wilson
Sources:
Birmingham and District Tinnitus Group
Very often, a traumatic brain injury (TBI) causes tinnitus among soldiers in the armed forces. Unfortunately, powerful roadside bombs, commonly known as IED’s (improvised explosive devices), have been known to cause traumatic brain injuries, which are often accompanied by hearing loss and tinnitus.
A traumatic brain injury (TBI) occurs when an object suddenly hits the head, and this in turn causes a trauma to the brain, according to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke.
The level of damage created by the TBI can be mild, moderate or severe. Symptoms of a TBI can include headaches, dizziness, blurred vision, temporary or prolonged loss of consciousness, ringing of the ears (tinnitus), impaired memory and concentration, and loss of balance. Someone with a severe TBI may have seizures, convulsions or even death.
Fortunately, victims of many TBIs can benefit from treatment. This may involve surgery to repair broken bones, surgery to remove hematomas (blood clots), occupational therapy, physical therapy, speech therapy, and possibly treatment by a psychiatrist.
Even with all the treatment options, however, scientist still have much to learn about the mechanism of traumatic brain injuries, and are trying to determine how to help those affected to recover over a shorter duration of time.
Many soldiers who served in Iraq and Afghanistan are victims of traumatic brain injuries. These include members of the armed forces suffering from tinnitus triggered by their head injuries.
Since our enemies are utilizing roadside bombs (a.k.a. IEDs) at increasing rates, more must be done to protect our soldiers from traumatic brain injuries and, in many cases, subsequent tinnitus.
In an article put out by the Deafness Research Foundation, (Winter, 2010), U.S. Army Specialist Opal Hood makes an interesting point. When going out to battle, no one would neglect to wear a helmet or body armor. Yet, little importance is given to hearing protection. As a result, most of the patients seen at Bagram Air Field, an ENT clinic, are for hearing-related problems.
Opal Hood quotes Air Force Col. Joseph A. Brennan, who has never met even one patient at his clinic who used hearing protection. He says that the troops feel that wearing any type of earplugs could prevent them from performing properly.
As mentioned in previous blogs, there are so many types of earpieces that don’t interfere with communication. From this article it would seem that the Air Force is not doing enough for its members.
While in Iraq, Brennan noted that the biggest problem is hearing loss and tinnitus caused by improvised explosive devices (IEDs). IEDs have noise levels that approach 170 decibels, well above the 85 decibel limit recommended by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH).
There are two types of hearing loss: conductive and sensorineural. Conductive hearing loss is physical damage to the ear, such as broken ear bones. Surgery is the best option for this type of damage.
With regard to sensorineural hearing loss, the nerve in the inner ear is damaged. Unfortunately, the only solution is a hearing aid.
Tinnitus is yet another result of nerve damage to the ear. This is a phantom noise that a person hears even when no auditory stimulus is present.
There are two types of tinnitus: objective and subjective. The advantage of objective tinnitus is that it can be measured by an ENT. With subjective tinnitus, however, the severity is based solely on the claim made by the patient.
Additionally, “blown-out” eardrums are another effect of the high noise levels from IEDs. However, these holes can heal by themselves or can be corrected by surgery.
Perforated ear drum:
Brennan told a story of a soldier who could not hear as a result of ruptured eardrums, and nearly died because he could not hear his fellow soldiers telling him how to avoid the shower of bullets.
Furthermore, Brennan points out that even a hearing loss in one ear can impair a soldier’s ability to tell which direction a gun is being fired, and subsequently endanger his life.
Once again, this is totally unnecessary with the presence of so many high-tech earpieces on the market that are specifically made for such situations. It’s a travesty. Ironically, after a hearing-impaired service member leaves the military, the Veteran’s Administration provides him with hearing aids.
For those retired service members who suffer from tinnitus, they will benefit from Tinnitus DX, a homeopathic remedy for tinnitus.
Sara Graves (www.ameriforce.net, 2007) laments about rising trend of tinnitus and hearing loss among service personnel. She quotes David Fagerlie, the CEO of the American Tinnitus Association (ATA), who says that regarding veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan, there will be more spending on disability compensation for suffering related to tinnitus and hearing loss than for any other medical injuries.
According to this article, the ATA reports that 49 percent of all soldiers exposed to explosive blasts in Iraq and Afghanistan had tinnitus.
It is predicted that if nothing is done, the United States Department of Veterans Affairs will be paying out nearly one billion dollars in disability compensation by 2010.
Sara Graves interviewed Theresa Schulz, PhD, President of the National Hearing Conservation Association (NHCA), who notes that an effective way to prevent hearing loss among service members is by educating them about different methods of hearing protection. She cites Communication Ear Plugs and Combat Arms Plugs as examples.
The problem is that people like to make excuses for not using them. There are solutions for every excuse. If the earplugs don’t fit right, ask for different ones. If someone needs to hear the radio, specialized earplugs are made for this. Basically, there is no legitimate excuse.
Fortunately, specialized earplugs that enable communication are becoming increasingly popular. It’s only a matter of time before the ATA, the NHCA and other such organizations succeed at combating this hearing loss and tinnitus trend.
Until then, those who suffer from tinnitus will want to use Tinnitus DX, a homeopathic remedy for tinnitus.
During aging absorption decreases, vitamins and minerals deplete, while cortisol, cholinesterases and MAOs, increase. Blood sugar levels also tend to fluctuate. Additionally, bone density decreases, especially the cochlear bone structure. These changes have been associated with hearing loss and tinnitus. – in a study of 350 patients, Ginko extract diminished tinnitus by 82%
