Tinnitus Treatments

So, as we know, there are basically two types of tinnitus. Patients suffering from objective emit sounds loud enough for others to hear while those with subjective tinnitus usually only hear the sounds themselves.

For each kind, there are numerous tinnitus treatments. Gamma knife radiosurgery, teflon implants and electrical neurostimulators as well as drugs like propranolol and clonazepam claim to help in the treating of objective tinnitus. From a different perspective, there's a whole gamut of treatments identified for subjective tinnitus, given the profuse factors that may cause it.

Some of these tinnitus treatments include: Diverse drugs (such as lidocaine, benzodiazepines, melatonin as well as zinc and gingko biloba additions ), electric kick, surgical repair of the ear to stop leaking of inner ear liquid, external sound treatment to mask the tinnitus sounds and cognitive behavior therapy. If you have been diagnosed as having tinnitus, talk to your health practitioner about which treatment would suit you best.

Of course, tinnitus prevention is generally better than tinnitus cure and this is especially so if you are a musician or are often exposed to loud sounds for lengthy amounts of time. Avoid extended exposure to any sort of sound. Studies reveal that even 70 decibel sounds can damage hearing in the long term. Invest in a great pair of earmuffs or ear plugs to dam out external sounds like those caused by loud electric appliances, mowers, loud music or if you often find yourself in loud environments such as construction sites or loud concerts. With a multitude of noise reduction earphones on the market today, you may be able to find one that meets you requirements. 

Caffeine, alcohol and nicotine can increase or prompt tinnitus if you already suffer with it, so it might be time to finally stub out that cigarette or reduce your daily allotment of coffee.

Today as more and more people are waking up to the seriousness of tinnitus, new treatments are being developed. The newer treatments tend to be more holistic and open to alternative therapies. In my next post, I will be looking at some of these alternative tinnitus treatments, particularly those included in Thomas Coleman's book Tinnitus Miracle.

Tinnitus Symptoms

Tinnitus symptoms are more or less very straightforward - a constant sound in the ear. It is the source or nature of this sound that helps doctors diagnose the severity and form of tinnitus you may be suffering from. Knowing the form of tinnitus you suffer from will determine what kind of tinnitus treatment is best for you. Tinnitus Miracle, for example, has an easy test where you can find out what kind of tinnitus you have, how severe it is and what kind of tinnitus treatment is best suited for you.

Types of Tinnitus

As I've pointed out earlier on this blog, tinnitus is basically divided into two forms - objective and subjective.

Objective tinnitus can be heard by people other than the tinnitus sufferer: either through a stethoscope or simply by listening closely. A particular type of objective tinnitus is pulsatile tinnitus, where the sound "pulses" or keeps time, to the heartbeat for example. Objective tinnitus is associated with muscular and vascular problems. It is not very common and affects less than 5% of tinnitus patients.

On the other hand, more than 90% of tinnitus sufferers have subjective tinnitus, which means that only they can hear the sound in their ears. This kind of tinnitus is associated with many different hearing and ear disorders.

Common Tinnitus Symptoms

Apart from these two basic distinctions, tinnitus symptoms can be varied. The noise itself can be ringing, hissing, whooshing or pulsing. It can be high or low pitched, single or multi-toned. However, there are a few common tinnitus symptoms:

• Insomnia or difficulty in falling asleep
• Lack of focus and concentration
• Depression
• Stress

As you can see, secondary tinnitus symptoms are often psychological or mental. Many tinnitus sufferers find a direct correlation between stress and tinnitus - the more stressed they are, the worse their tinnitus becomes.  This is why some mainstream tinnitus treatments use psychiatric therapies as part of the process. There are also many holistic tinnitus treatments such as Tinnitus Miracle that use easy breathing and relaxation techniques for the same purpose.

Top 10 Tinnitus FAQs: The American Tinnitus Association

The American Tinnitus Association is the largest national nonprofit organization working to cure tinnitus. The ATA funds research in the hope of discovering the source of tinnitus, as well as relief options and ultimately a cure for sufferers.

Here's an interesting link from their website:

ATA's Top 10 Most Frequently Asked Questions

What Causes Tinnitus?

First the good news - we know what causes tinnitus. And now the bad news - conventional medical science cannot cure it. Not permanently at least. Sure enough, your doctor would suggest a few remedies, and it may seem to you that the noises you hear are going down. As a result, you begin to relax believing that a pesky problem has been resolved. But suddenly the sounds return again. This is a very common problem actually.

So let us turn to the causes instead, and see whether we can try to solve the issue from this end.

Here Are Some of the Most Common Causes of Tinnitus

Exposure to noise - Did your mom always tell you in your younger days to turn down the volume? She was right. Exposure to loud noise can give you tinnitus. In fact, rock musicians, and those who work with them, or in night clubs often have it. Those who work in construction sites also have tinnitus. So turn down that volume while you still can.

You could begin to hear all kinds of noises if you have been exposed to just a single high-pitched noise. Or it could be due to a continuous attack of loud noises close to your ear.

This is what happens.

Prolonged exposure to noise can damage the Cochlea and cause tinnitus. So if you cannot simply stay away from all that noise, at least get some protection. Use an ear plug when you can.

Head injury - Take care of your head because a severe blow or a slight bang could make you hear the tinnitus noises. The head is of course one of the most sensitive parts of the human body. But some people cannot live without an injury, such as those who are into sports - boxers and football players. That's why athletes are more prone to a tinnitus attack. Even a dental surgery could make you hear them.

Ear infections and other ear problems - An ear infection, and even sinus can lead to tinnitus as well. When there is an allergy or a sinus infection, the mucous thickens within the inner ear, and this causes more pressure. The extra pressure can lead to tinnitus. Meniere's disease, where the fluid level goes up inside the middle ear is another reason. It could even cause hearing loss.

Prescription medications - Conventional drugs often cause side effects, and tinnitus is one of them. Actually, all kinds of drugs have been blamed for instigating this condition. Such as antibiotics like Aminoglycosides, Erythromycin and Vancomycin, Aspirin or medicines containing it. Anti inflammatory drugs like Advil, Aleve, Anaprox, Clinoril, Feldene, Indocin, Lodine and Motrin have also been blamed. Sometimes people heard noises after taking chemotherapy agents such as Cisplatin, Nitrogen Mustard and Vincristine. And some others have even blamed quinine and loop diuretics for this.

Stress - You must already know that excessive stress is not good for your health. It could result in all kinds of medical problems, and some of them can also be fatal. Stress can cause tinnitus too. A lot of it is damaging for your immunity, and this can lead to a misfire in the sound/brain waves. This adversely affects your nervous system, and makes you hear the noises.

Depression - Some people believe that depression causes tinnitus. And there are those who say that tinnitus causes depression. But most of them agree that there is a relation between these two. And anyway, if your tinnitus is bothering you endlessly, it can make you depressed. Naturally this will further complicate matters.

Take on these causes to achieve a permanent relief from tinnitus. Just tackling the symptoms will never work. After all, if the causes remain, the symptoms are bound to return.

The only way you could ever get rid of your tinnitus for good is by following the holistic approach to healing. By using a multidimensional treatment for tinnitus, we are tackling all tinnitus causative factors and eliminating these triggering elements from the root. This is the only path for permanent freedom from tinnitus.


This article is based on the book, "Tinnitus Miracle" by Thomas Coleman. Thomas is an author, researcher, nutritionist and health consultant who dedicated his life to creating the ultimate Tinnitus solution guaranteed to permanently reverse the root of ear ringing and naturally and dramatically improve the overall quality of your life, without the use prescription medication and without any surgical procedures. Learn more by visiting his website.

William Shatner Speaks on Tinnitus

Noted television and film actor William Shatner is one of the millions of tinnitus sufferers in the world. In this video, the actor best known for his portrayal of Captain Kirk on Star Trek shares his own experiences in coping with tinnitus.

(Video courtesy: American Tinnitus Association)