| Tinnitus (pronounced either tin-night-is or tin-it-is), or ringing in the ears, is the sensation of hearing ringing, buzzing, hissing, chirping, whistling or other sounds. The noise can be intermittent or continuous, and can vary in loudness. It is often worse when background noise is low, so you may be most aware of it at night when you’re trying to fall asleep in a quiet room. In rare cases, the sound beats in sync with your heart.
Tinnitus is very common, affecting an estimated 50 million adults in the United States. For most people the condition is merely an annoyance. In severe cases, however, tinnitus can cause people to have difficulty concentrating and sleeping. It may eventually interfere with work and personal relationships, resulting in psychological distress. About 12 million people seek medical help for severe tinnitus every year.
Although tinnitus is often associated with hearing loss, it does not cause the loss, nor does a hearing loss cause tinnitus. In fact, some people with tinnitus experience no difficulty hearing, and in a few cases they even become so acutely sensitive to sound that they must take steps to muffle or mask external noises.
Some instances of tinnitus are caused by infections or blockages in the ear, and the tinnitus can disappear once the underlying cause is treated. Frequently, however, tinnitus continues after the underlying condition is treated. In such a case, other therapies — both conventional and alternative — may bring significant relief by either decreasing or covering up the unwanted sound.
What are the most common causes of Tinnitus?
Acoustic Trauma & Hearing Loss
Hearing loss is the lead cause of tinnitus. It most commonly occurs due to trauma, such as acoustic shock (ie reaction to loud noise). Ear infection and other physical trauma to the ear are as well may cause hearing loss or tinnitus. Less obvious causes are Meniere’s disease, characterized by dizziness and hearing loss and mercury/lead poisoning, which destroys the function of neural pathways. Hearing loss may be difficult to reverse but Tinnitus symptoms can be diminished by a steady intake of antioxidants.
Medication& Toxicity
One side effect of a medical regiment is the high number of toxins being released into the system. This toxic overload can be caused by a regiment as intensive as chemotherapy or as benign as aspirin, and everything in between. Bodily toxicity is best addressed by a regiment of antioxidants and Alpha Lipoic Acid which help clear the system.
Metabolic Disorders /Psychological Stress
A number of metabolic and psychological conditions have been associated with tinnitus. Metabolic problems such as Diabetes, thyroid disorders and others can result in the symptoms of Tinnitus. Anxiety and depression have been noted as causes for tinnitus. These conditions can be addressed through supplementation of minerals and nutrients to support healthy functioning.
Aging
Many accept that hearing loss accompanies the process of aging. However, a number of causes lay behind the hearing loss in aging, and a majority of them are reversible. With age certain minerals in the body deplete, while some toxins increase in concentration. As an individual gets older he produces more compounds such as cortisol, cholinesterase and MAOs, which are toxic, and cause blood sugar levels to fluctuate, which can induce symptoms of tinnitus. Additionally, bone density decreases, especially the cochlear bones structure. The effects of aging on hearing can be reversed by supplementing the depleted vitamins and minerals, by removing toxins and with the help of antioxidants to scavange free radicals.
Nutritional Deficiencies
Deficiency can occur due to a myriad of reasons ranging from absorb difficulties to leaching of nutrients from the body. Studies have noted that when depleted of CoQ10, Zinc, vit A, vit B12, selenium, chromium, magnesium one is much more likely to develop symptoms of tinnitus. Studies also showed that when the mineral and vitamin levels are replenished the symptoms lessen or disappear. |
