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Tinnitus – Can You Find a Cure For Tinnitus?

Treatment for Tinnitus

Tinnitus Cure

Tinnitus Treatment

Tinnitus is a nightmare condition for those who suffer from it. It disturbs daily life and – worse than that even – can interfere with sleep in a major way.

Tinnitus is the medical name given to the symptom of “ringing in the ears”. It sometimes accompanies the development of hearing loss or deafness but sometimes tinnitus appears on its own.

Tinnitus can develop at any age but is more common in older people.

The noise of tinnitus is sometimes described as high pitched or tinkling in nature but some people hear different noises. Each individual is different.

Only the person who suffers from tinnitus can hear the noise. In most cases it is always present – both day or night – but is often made less evident if there is other noise going on in the background.

No-one really knows what causes tinnitus but it is associated with noise induced hearing loss in many patients. Musicians or factory workers often develop it. Some medications can induce tinnitus on a temporary basis – these include aspirin or quinine but other medications have sometimes been reported to trigger it. 

Ear wax can cause tinnitus in some cases – the noises go away when the wax is removed from the ear.

Other rarer causes include trauma to the ear, ear infections, menieres disease, jaw problems, benign tumors or heart disease. Check with your doctor.

Tinnitus varies in severity between different patients. In some the noise is not enough to bother them. Others have their lives ruined by the tinnitus noise.

Treatment for Tinnitus
There are many options for tinnitus treatment. Here are some of the commoner choices:

• Amplification with a hearing aid. Sometimes improving the hearing improves the tinnitus
• Masking device – these look like hearing aids but produce a constant low level noise in the ear which has the effect of stopping the brain focussing on the tinnitus noise
• Biofeedback – many patients can be taught how to stop their brain from focussing on the noise from their ear. This is easy to learn and often succesful
• Surgical Treatment with Cochlear Implant or Electrical Stimulation – this works about fifty percent of the time but surgery of this kind is a major undertaking and should not be taken lightly
• Other treatment options include medication such as antidepressants or local anesthetics. Some gain relief from alternative therapy.

To read more about tinnitus treatment you can click on the links below:

The American Tinnitus Association

Tinnitus Guide from Medline Plus

The British Tinnitus Association

Add comment January 20th, 2006

Itchy Ears

Itchy ear
 
Itchy ear treatment
 
Causes of an itchy ear

Inflammation or infection in the outer part of the ear can cause a maddening itch. An itchy ear can be the most awkward symptom in the world.

The condition is known formally as Otitis Externa but is also sometimes called swimmer’s ear or jungle ear.

The itchy ear of otitis externa is caused by inflammation in the skin of the ear canal. The ear canal is the tunnel you can just about get your finger into at the outer part of the ear.

Sometimes the problems arises due to  a chronic dermatitis or inflammation reaction. This is most common in people who have a very dry or dandruff prone scalp.
The inflammation is caused by infection – sometimes fungal infection, sometimes bacterial infection and sometimes a bit of both

Our ears are open to water on a regular basis – swimming, showering and bathing. When water gets into your ear, it brings with it those bacteria or fungus particles. Usually the water runs back out; the ear dries out, and the bacteria and fungi disappear. But sometimes the water remains trapped in the ear canal, and the skin gets soggy. Then the bacteria and fungi grow, flourish and infect the ear.

When otitis externa starts, the ear at first feels blocked and an itchy ear develops. Thereafter the ear canal swells up – sometimes to the point of closing. A runny milk colored liquid may drain out and the ear becomes tender to touch and often very sore.
 
 
Treatment of Itchy Ears due to Otitis Externa

Try to dry your ears well after swimming or bathing
Use alcohol drops, or a mixture of vinegar and alcohol if you swim very regularly
Buy a soothing ear drop mixture from your local pharmacy
You may need your doctor to treat you with antibiotic or antifungal ear drops. The infection is sometimes so bad that oral medication is required. This is rare.

If the ear is full of debris from wax and previous infections then you might need an ear nose and throat surgeon to wash the ears clean under direct vision. This is known as ear toilet.

Take care with ear drops for itchy ears if you think you might already have an ear infection, or if you have a perforated, ruptured, or punctured eardrum, or if you have had ear surgery – get advice from your doctor in these circumstances.

Further reading on this topic
Swimmers Ear 

Add comment January 10th, 2006