If you’re bothered by a ringing-in-the-ears sensation, our hearing specialists can help!
One symptom of hearing problems that is common in America today is tinnitus, a noise like ringing and buzzing in the ears. It has also been described as background roaring or the sound of rushing water. Hearing professionals have helped patients battle tinnitus for years. Treatments are available that, as with any medical condition, depends on the person’s overall health, lifestyle and the severity of the condition.
How do you treat tinnitus?
The effect on the patient’s life ranges from mildly annoying to very disturbing. There is currently no cure for this condition, but there are several therapies and equipment items that can help, depending on severity. Some medical treatments are:
- Cleaning earwax and recommending a regular cleaning procedure
- Diagnosing and treating vascular problems in the ears by medication or surgery
- Changing or reducing medications known to exacerbate the problem
- Hearing aids can be programmed to help mask the noise
An audiologist or ENT at one of our locations can examine your symptoms and suggest a treatment plan. A treatment or a combination of the above can help reduce the effects of tinnitus. It is generally recognized that the more severe the condition, and the more stress in one’s life, the worse the condition becomes.
Reduce your stress
Our hearing professionals attempt to reduce the stressful effect of tinnitus by reducing the symptoms. We offer several ways to do this. The services and solutions our specialists recommend include:
• Hearing aids or masking aids: Your audiologist can recommend hearing aids, of course, which are your top choice for helping you hear clearly, comfortably and masking tinnitus sounds. The device is worn in the ear like a hearing aid, but creates low-level background noise constantly to help relieve tinnitus. Widex has this feature available on all of their hearing aids that we fit. It is called the Zen program.
• Background noise machines: Many people with tinnitus already fill their world with background noise like music, television and other machines like air circulators. A noise machine can be set to produce the noise that is most soothing to the individual, such as ocean waves, constant static or storm noises.
• Medications: Drugs like antihistamines can help reduce the symptoms of tinnitus. Also, sedative-type medications have been used, as well as naturopathic supplements like ginkgo biloba and various vitamins, have been shown to improve quality of life with tinnitus.
Stress relief is recommended today throughout the medical profession, regardless of the symptoms of illnesses. Hearing specialists concentrate on the ears and surrounding tissue, of course, but we realize stress is a major threat to many peoples’ wellbeing.
Adjust your environment
Everyone lives in a busy world today that includes noise, pollution and exposure to illnesses. Children and adults both suffer from overloaded schedules. You can help your hearing problems like tinnitus by reducing some of these environmental problems.
Some of these problems are easier to deal with than others. Wearing earplugs or earphones that muffle noise will protect your hearing, especially if you work in a loud environment. Smoking, taking certain drugs and drinking alcohol all contribute to poor circulation resulting in damage to hearing. Try do reduce or eliminate these.
It’s more difficult to avoid pollution but air cleaners and filters in your home will certainly help. Cleaning the air will also help with allergies that can add to respiratory problems.
As with any other problems with your hearing, be sure to call one of our locations for an appointment to deal with tinnitus. Our hearing specialists are ready and able to help you overcome tinnitus and enjoy the world around you again (and all of it’s sounds)!