| Tinnitus affects almost 40 million people in the U.S. and it is reported that over 12 million suffer enough to seek medical help or tinitus treatment. The condition is defined by ringing, whistling, humming, buzzing, whirring, or other noises inside the ear, when there are no corresponding outside noises to cause these sounds.
Tinnitus can come from problems in inner ear, outer ear, middle ear, or imbalances in the brain. One of the present-day main causes of tinnitus is thought to be over-exposure to loud noises. Other possible causes include, but are not limited to, stress, infection, certain medications, or too much ear wax.
It's generally agreed upon that in order to treat tinnitus successfully, you first have to find the root cause of tinnitus and treat that. Your doctor can help you understand where your tinnitus is originating with your medical history, an examination, and certain tests. There is no known cure for tinnitus and in many cases, there is no specific tinnitus treatment. It could disappear on its own, or it could be a permanent disability that you will learn to manage and deal with.
Many patients have found success with treating tinnitus with changes in lifestyle, improving your immune system, and other alternative treatments. Changes in lifestyle basically means making sure you are eating healthy foods and avoiding unhealthy foods. If you do this already, then than your eating habits are not the cause of your tinnitus.
However, if you find that you are eating fast foods, processed foods, junk food, and lots of excess salt, then this change could be your solution. Excess salt restricts blood vessels, increases blood pressure and reduces how much blood and oxygen are getting to your eyes, ears and brain. As your blood pressure increases, so does the volume of the noise in your ears.
Try to stick to fruit and vegetables, lean protein, whole-grains and fatty fish. Cook with olive oil instead of butter or other oils. Avoid salt, caffeine and alcohol which all may aggravate your condition.
In order to enhance your immune system, try to get enough sleep and a little bit of exercise every day. This doesn't mean that you need to work out every day. Just take a walk or climb the stairs at the office every once in a while instead of taking the elevator. Getting the right amount of sleep and exercising also help to reduce stress which is also believed to contribute to tinnitus.
Finally, certain "new age" or alternative therapies are also helping some people who suffer from tinnitus. These can include acupuncture, biofeedback, habituation, and even hypnotherapy, which has been reported to benefit more than 50 percent of the people who have undergone it. Hypnosis places you in a heightened state of awareness and focused concentration so that you can retrain the brain to break the sound which is bothering you.
This "Tinitus Treatment" article is not meant to substitute the advice of a medical professional. |