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September 6th, 2010 |
Ringing in the ears syndrome, which is medically referred to as tinnitus, is a symptom in itself because it occurs due to some other problem such as ototoxic drugs, undiagnosed ailments or hearing disorders. However, it has certain signs and symptoms that can help a person to identify its onset. The symptoms of tinnitus are noises in the ears without any external stimulation. The noises may be of various types such as humming, buzzing, clicking, chirping, whistling or roaring.
The predicament of the tinnitus suffers is a little difficult for the others to comprehend. The tinnitus noise may sometimes get unbearably loud. It goes without saying that such a disturbing problem can affect one’s life in more than one ways. The tinnitus patients find it difficult to concentrate and they may find it cumbersome to accomplish any task that is assigned to them.
Here are the illnesses associated with the symptoms of ringing ear syndrome:
1. Insomnia is a common problem in people who suffer from tinnitus. Sleep disorders can further damage the quality of life of those who suffer from tinnitus. The damage correlates with the severity of tinnitus.
2. Depression is a psychological illness that afflicts the people who suffer from tinnitus. When the tinnitus signal is generated in our auditory system, the limbic system, which is another part of the brain, connects an emotional response to it. This is somewhat similar to the feeling that we get when we scratch our fingernails down a blackboard. Tinnitus is much more than a mere perceived sound. It can trigger stress and anxiety responses in the body. Due to this factor some individuals suffering from tinnitus find it quite tormenting. It causes a lot of difficulty in reading, sleeping, concentrating. It can take a toll on familial relationships and day-to-day activities. Several studies have confirmed that there is a strong connection between tinnitus and depression, anxiety and stress disorders.
3. Another psychiatric illness that is prevalent amongst tinnitus patients is a suicidal tendency.
Thus, we find that the frustrating problem of tinnitus can trigger various other illnesses. Hence, one should try to curb tinnitus so that its aftermaths can be avoided.
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September 1st, 2010 |
Viral infections of various types can cause a hearing loss in humans. Such viral infections include:
1. Chronic otitis media or glue ear that can cause a subtle hearing loss.
2. Viral labyrinthitis that is characterized by a sudden, unilateral loss of hearing.
3. Viral meningitis can cause hearing loss and tinnitus.
4. Congenital cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection can cause loss of hearing in the children.
5. Idiopathic Sudden Sensorineural Hearing loss or ISSNHL that can be caused by viral cochleitis.
6. Vestibular neuronitis which is a viral infection of the vestibular nerve can also cause a hearing loss.
Alternative treatments for hearing loss caused due to viral infections provide a holistic solution.
This can be adequately proved by the following natural, home based remedies:
1. Use a blow drier from some distance into the ear to remove any trace of water trapped inside the Eustachian tube.
2. Put a few drops of warm olive oil into each ear.
3. Avoid the smoke from cigarettes as it can choke our Eustachian tubes.
4. Some drops of lobelia extracts should be put into the ears and massaged gently.
Nutritional therapy:
1. Vitamin C intake can strengthen our immune system. This helps the body in combating the viral infections and preventing hear loss.
2. Zinc is found to cure ear infections.
3. Avoid junk and processed foods. Eat healthy.
4. Include calcium in your daily diet.
5. Breast feeding reduces the chances of such infections in infants.
6. Nutritional supplements such as vitamin B- complex vitamins and iron supplements reduce the risk of chronic ear infections that can cause a hearing loss.
7. Vitamin A and C, bioflavonoids and zinc should be used to cure chronic ear infections in kids.
Herbal therapy:
1. Herbs such as echinacea and goldenseal are natural antibiotics that can cure ear infections. They promote a strong immune system and help in controlling viral infections.
2. Chinese herbal therapy is also widely popular in curing ear infections.
3. Put some drops of garlic juice into the ear as it is a powerful and natural antiseptic herb. It kills virus, parasites, bacteria, fungi etc.
Thus we find that there are various alternative therapies that can uproot the viral infections that lead to a hearing loss. They are safe and natural and look into all the aspects of the problem.
August 28th, 2010 |
What Causes Non-Pathological Head Noise?
Pathology implies a diseased condition. Apart from pathological causes tinnitus can also occur due to several non-pathological causes such as the following:
1. Toxic substances such as mercury, antibiotics, aspirin, cisplatin etc. can cause tinnitus.
2. Noise-induced hearing loss is often accompanied by hyperacusis, which is a reduced tolerance to noise. Acoustic trauma can destroy the hair cells in the cochlea and the neurons in the dorsal cochlear nucleus and the acoustic nerve. It is believed that the automatic repair process in these nerves is the primary cause of chronic tinnitus.
3. Temporomandibular joint syndrome and whiplash can also cause tinnitus.
4. Neck injury and electrocution that is caused by a direct and blunt neck trauma can trigger tinnitus.
5. Due to aging, the cells that secrete the inhibitory neurotransmitter glycine are lost. Glycine carries the inhibitory signal from one neuron to the next. When glycine-carrying nerve fibers are lost due to old age the inhibitory signal is also lost and some other neurons begin to fire spontaneously leading to tinnitus.
6. Dental problems such as an injury of the nerves during the process of extraction of a wisdom tooth have also been reported to cause tinnitus.
7. Ear-related problems such as ear wax impaction and conductive deafness that is caused by the perforation of eardrum can lead to tinnitus.
8. In around 80% of the tinnitus sufferers muscle spasms in the neck or head are the causal factor.
9. If syphilis is left untreated then it can also cause a fluctuating hearing loss and tinnitus. Migraines and sinus infections are also associated with tinnitus sometimes. Inflammation of the Eustachian tube can also produce tinnitus.
In all of these non-pathological causes of tinnitus the process usually starts with some injury in the ear. Later on, the brainstem gets involved and tinnitus is produced. Conventional medical thinking had suggested that tinnitus arises due to an injury to the middle ear or the vestibulocochlear nerve and hence is difficult to treat.
However, today the researchers have realized that rewiring of an area in the brainstem known as the dorsal cochlear nucleus plays a significant role in tinnitus. Recent breakthroughs based on this theory have lead to effective forms of treatment.
August 21st, 2010 |
What Safety Precautions should be taken when working in a Noisy Place?
Our auditory system is quite sensitive and delicate and it cannot tolerate noise beyond a particular level. The experts on acoustics state that a prolonged exposure to noise of around 85 decibels and above can damage one’s hearing.
Our ears do not have any pain receptors to warn us about the damage to the auditory system. Hence, it is our own responsibility to understand the capacity of our hearing system and to take safety measures to protect it.
In order to avoid the problem of noise pollution at workplace it is essential to follow some safety measures such as:
•There should be a sound level meter to measure the loudness of sound.
•The noisy machineries should be transferred to a sound proof room.
•Efforts should be made by the company to generate the minimum amount of noise at the workplace. This can be done by preventing a metal-on-metal impact, purchasing less noisy machinery, preventing the machinery from vibrating against some other surface and fitting silencers where ever possible.
•There should be a periodic examination of the machinery to ensure that any extra noise is not being produced.
•Workers should work in less noisy areas. If this is not possible then they should use hearing aids. The companies are obliged to provide its workers with suitable protection for ears.
The following hearing aids can be used by the workers:
1.The ear plugs are available with a noise reduction rating or NRR. This rating indicates how many decibels of noise can be reduced. An ear plug can fit just inside the ears. It should be of a right shape and should be at the right angle so that it can provide proper protection. Customized ear plugs can be a suitable choice for many workers.
2.Semi-aural inserts come on a band that gets fit below the chin or behind the neck. They should be used to protect against noise up to 87 dB only.
3.Ear defenders mostly come on a band that can be fitted across one’s head. For the workers who require head protection also the ear defenders can come attached to a helmet.
If these safety measures are followed then one can protect the precious auditory system that makes our life easier for us.
August 16th, 2010 |
Our diet is closely linked with the tinnitus problem. Generally speaking, the foods that have a positive effect on our health help in the treatment of tinnitus also.
The intake of the following foods should be curbed to cure tinnitus:
•A high salt intake tends to worsen tinnitus. This happens due to a plausible reason. If we take salt in excess our blood vessels get restricted. This increases the blood pressure. Consequently the blood supply towards the ears, eyes and the brain reduces. A lot of people who have a habit of munching chips and other salty snacks usually complain of tinnitus. However, if they control their habit of eating salty snacks then they report of improvement in their tinnitus noise. Most of the packaged foods should be avoided as they have a high intake of salt.
•Saturated and trans-fats can produce multiple adverse effects on both our body as well as tinnitus. The people who suffer from tinnitus require an increased blood flow towards the inner ear for removal of the toxins and for maintaining healthy cells. The saturated fats increase triglycerides and trigger atherosclerosis. Atherosclerosis can reduce the blood supply and a reduced blood supply towards the ears is a major cause of tinnitus.
•Flavor enhancers are a part of the most of the pre-packaged and processed foods. The chief flavor enhancer used in the food industry is Monosodium Glutamate or MSG. Monosodium Glutamate breaks down into Glutamate in our body which is the prime culprit in causing tinnitus in a large number of people.
•A sugar metabolism disorder known as hyperinsulinemia is found in a number of tinnitus patients. This disorder occurs due to ineffective delivery of sugar to the cells. Sugar metabolism has a vital role to play in the normal functioning of the auditory system, which entirely depends on the sugar and oxygen from the blood supply. If this supply of nutrients gets disrupted then there is an imbalance.
Hence if one is seriously interested in controlling the distracting and frustrating tinnitus noise, then a little control over one’s diet can go a long way in curbing tinnitus.
August 9th, 2010 |
A hearing loss can occur due to various factors such as excess ear wax, acoustic trauma, age etc. There are different types of hearing loss. A hearing loss that is caused by some mechanical problem in the middle ear or the external ear canal and obstructs the conduction of sound is known as a conductive hearing loss. This type of a hearing is the easiest to treat and can occur either by simple factors such as excess ear wax or due to complex problems such as a tumor. Children who have ear infections usually experience a conductive hearing loss due to the buildup of fluid in their ears.
On the other hand, the sensorineural hearing loss involves the nerve cells or the inner ear. This type of hearing impairment usually implies damage to the inner ear or the acoustic nerve that may lead to nerve deafness. Within the cochlea there are hair cells, nerve endings and fluids which all work in cohesion to process sound. These structures are quite fragile and can get damaged easily. Due to this factor the sensorineural hearing loss is the hardest to treat and is one of the most challenging problems faced by the medicinal practitioners.
Sensorineural hearing loss can occur due to the following factors:
o Aging
o Certain drugs
o Brain tumors
o Congenital abnormality
o Childhood infections
o Congenital infection
o Demyelinating diseases
o Viral infection of the inner ear
o Hereditary
o Loud noise
o Meniere’s disease
o Sudden changes in pressure
The treatment that is used now-a-days for sensorineural hearing loss includes the following:
• A hearing aid, which is a tiny electronic device that can fit into the ear.
• A cochlear implant, which is an electronic gadget that is implanted behind the ear. Unlike a hearing aid that amplifies sounds, the cochlear implant directly stimulates the auditory nerve fibers in the cochlea.
• Vasodilative agents.
• Low-salt diets.
• Instructions in speech reading or lip-reading
• Anti-vertiginous and tranquilizing drugs
The above-mentioned treatments have helped in restoring the hearing levels in specific cases. However, a lot of scope still exists for further research in this area.
August 4th, 2010 |
White noise generators or CDs are a boon to the patients suffering from Tinnitus as the abnormal sounds that they tend to hear, get masked by the white noise. This article may prove useful to all those people who would like to not only get a short term relief by masking the ringing in their ears, but also to wipe it off completely by retraining their brains to stop paying attention to these irritating sounds by the process of auditory habituation.
Tinnitus is characterized by ringing in the ears which causes a lot of disturbance and irritation to its patients. A convenient way to protect one self from the side effects of these constant or intermittent annoying sounds is to mask them by some other more pleasing sound.
White noise plays an important role in masking the ringing in the ear. It consists of the entire spectrum of the frequencies which are audible to a human ear and works as good masking agent.
By gently stimulating the nerve cells, it programs them in such a way that the Tinnitus sounds are not noticed by the mind. At times when the patients try to sleep at night, the environment is usually peaceful. The silence makes them much more aware of the disturbing sounds arising due to Tinnitus, which otherwise get concealed due to the din during daytime.
At such times, the white noise Tinnitus generators come handy because they minimize the contrast between the Tinnitus sounds and the pin drop silence.
White noise Tinnitus CDs prove to be more effective then home remedies such as a noisy fan or air conditioner which can cause distress due to the unpleasant sounds they produce. The sound of the white noise Tinnitus CDs can be controlled to suit one’s mood.
White noise machines produce pure white noise which helps the patients of Tinnitus to ignore the abnormal sounds they hear which prevents them from focusing or concentrating on any work.
The pure white noise is a soothing sound such as the ocean waves or rainfall. Those persons who suffer from Tinnitus may have a problem in leading a normal life. The less inexpensive white noise Tinnitus CDs come to their rescue, in which the bass and the treble can be changed by the listeners to conceal the high or low background sounds at any place.
Not only do the white noise MP3 recordings and CDs give instant relief to the Tinnitus patients but over a period of time, they also bring about auditory habituation in which the brain does not react in negative way to the unpleasant Tinnitus sounds. It gets retrained to ignore the Tinnitus noise.
Tinnitus retraining therapy or white noise therapy is a recent advancement in the medical field. By exposing the patients to the white noise produced by a generator, till a particular period of time, the brain is forced to listen to the actual sound and ignore the Tinnitus sounds they tend to hear.
Posted in Loud Noise, Masking tinnitus, Ringing Ears, Tinnitus, Tinnitus Causes, Tinnitus Treatment | 
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July 30th, 2010 |
Generally speaking a surgical management of tinnitus has been successful in some cases but it does not provide a valid and consistent form of treatment for subjective tinnitus.
Surgical failures can also occur because the tinnitus may set up a secondary central focus inside the brain. In such cases, the alternate source of the tinnitus, which is located deep within the brain, cannot be treated surgically.
A study showed that the surgical removal of acoustic tumors with an excision of the auditory nerve in 414 patients resulted in the improvement in the tinnitus only in 40% patients.
In another study, out of 68 patients undergoing translabyrinthine eighth nerve section, 80% of them had tinnitus preoperatively. There was an improvement only in 45% whereas 55% reported the condition to be the same or worsen.
Stapedectomy is a surgical treatment of tinnitus that can improve the hearing in most of the cases but it can cure only 50% of the symptoms of tinnitus. On the contrary, most of the patients with cochlear implants report an improvement in the tinnitus by the use of implant and stimulator.
The cochlear implants have proven to be more suitable for the patients who suffer from severe tinnitus.
Some patients had undergone middle cranial fossa section of the vestibular nerve for the treatment of vertigo. Most of them reported the tinnitus to be the same as before but a considerable number felt that it had worsened.
Some cases of tinnitus in which the option of a surgery is considered are as follows:
• Tinnitus caused due to a tumor.
• If the diagnosis is otosclerosis or fistula.
• In case of venous tinnitus the options of occlusion of the sigmoid sinus, jugular vein ligation or closure of a dural fistula may be considered.
• In certain cases the patients of Menire’s disease may get some relief in their tinnitus by a transtympanic gentamicin.
8th nerve sections are done to treat tinnitus in the rarest of cases because although they may be successful in about 50% but there is a risk of losing one’s hearing in almost all the cases.
Hence, we find that surgery is considered only in extreme situations where the tinnitus noise is extremely loud and there is a methodology to decide if tinnitus can be improved by surgery.
July 26th, 2010 |
In spite of a lot of research being conducted on tinnitus it still manages to elude the medical scientists and continues to be ambiguous. The efforts to decode the mechanism of tinnitus and find out an effective treatment have met with partial success. Although medical scientists have left no stone unturned in exploring tinnitus yet it is mainly due to its complex nature that it still continues to be an unconquered territory.
On the other hand, the natural therapy for tinnitus, which includes herbal therapy and the diet therapy, has gained more popularity because the herbs have a therapeutic effect and our diet is also closely linked with tinnitus.
Moreover, the natural therapy does not produce any side-effects like the allopathic drugs and are considered to be a safe method of treatment. Efforts are being made to employ the natural therapy in a holistic way to uproot tinnitus completely. Diet therapy can be used in conjunction with the herbal therapy for best results. The complex nature of tinnitus makes it essential to control it in a comprehensive way.
Moreover, tinnitus can occur in various conditions as a symptom of different types of disorders such as tumors, high blood pressure etc. Hence, before the natural treatment is commenced it is essential to identify the actual cause of tinnitus and then treat it accordingly. Merely trying to alleviate the symptoms cannot cure tinnitus completely.
The following herbs are used to cure tinnitus due to their medicinal properties:
1. Gingko biloba
2. Hawthorn leaf and flower
3. Goldenseal
4. Black cohosh
5. Myrrh gum
6. Burdock root
7. Bayberry bark
8. Sesame seeds
9. Onion juice
10. Pumpkin and sunflower seeds.
The natural therapy for tinnitus that is based on vitamins includes the following:
1. Vitamin A
2. Vitamin B
3. Vitamin C
4. Vitamin E
5. Zinc.
The diet therapy for tinnitus requires one to make the following changes in one’s diet:
1. Reduction in the intake of salt, Trans fats, saturated fats, sugars, flavor enhancers and refined, processed and junk foods.
2. Following a Mediterranean Diet.
3. Avoiding nerve stimulants such as, tea, coffee, colas, alcohol and tobacco.
Besides these, a few drops of ayurvedic oils such as like Hingawadi oil and the Aparamarga Kshaara oil can also be put in the affected ears to get rid of the tinnitus noise.
July 21st, 2010 |
What are the Natural Ingredients used to Cure Tinnitus?
Tinnitus or the ringing ear syndrome is the perception of noise sans any external stimuli. It is not a particular ailment with a specific cure. It can rather occur due to some undiagnosed ailment or a side-effect of some medication. It is also oft associated with a hearing loss. Drugs therapy and surgeries have met with partial success in curing tinnitus. The surgical treatment can be extremely risky and the drugs can cause side-effects.
However, nature has come to our rescue as there are several natural ingredients that can be used to treat tinnitus successfully, such as the following:
• The authors of a medical study have suggested that there is a close link between deficiency of vitamin B12 and dysfunction of the auditory pathway. On the basis of the study it was observed that there was an improvement in tinnitus in quite a few patients who were given vitamin B12 replacement therapy.
• Around three human studies and one animal study have demonstrated the value of Ginkgo biloba extract or GBE in curing tinnitus.
• A research published in an American journal has thrown some light on the link between omega-3 fatty acid supplements and improvement of certain mental disorders which produce tinnitus as a symptom.
• In a particular study when zinc supplementation was given to patients who were slightly deficient in zinc there was a significant improvement in their tinnitus.
• In the Traditional Chinese Medicine or TCM there are around 20 formulations that can be used to cure various clinical manifestations that have tinnitus as a symptom.
• An experiment was conducted in rats with salicylate-induced tinnitus. It showed that a calcium supplement could ease out the behavioral manifestation of this condition. The results are consistent with the theory that gamma-aminobutyric acid or GABA-mediated disinhibition is involved in the processing of the tinnitus-related neuronal activity.
• Magnesium is required for the normal functioning of the central nervous system as it protects the nerves of the inner ear and is a strong glutamate inhibitor. Glutamate is a neurotransmitter which is produced through the action of sound waves on the hair cells. Researchers believe that the over- production of glutamate can be the cause of tinnitus.
The results of these studies and experiments have proven the effectiveness of the above-mentioned natural ingredients in curing tinnitus.