All tinnitus sufferers should...

All tinnitus sufferers should ask their physician and/or pharmacist about the potential for ototoxic side effects BEFORE starting a new prescription. In her book When the Hearing Gets Hard, author Elaine Suss names several potentially ototoxic substances. She lists them in three categories:(1) substances that most physicians consider ototoxic; (2) substances that many physicians consider potentially ototoxic; and (3) substances that may be ototoxic in rare cases.
The ototoxic effects of the substances in the third group are considered to be reversible--the effects diminish when you stop taking the drug. Ms. Suss does not list dosages.

Related Symptoms and Conditions

Meniere's Disease
Endolymphatic Hydrops
Hyperacusis
Temporo-Mandibular Joint Syndrome (TMJ)
Lyme Disease
Arnold Chiari Malformation

Objective and Subjective Tinnitus

Tinnitus can be described as "ringing" ears and other head noises that are perceived in the absence of any external noise source. It is estimated that 1 out of every 5 people experience some degree of tinnitus. Tinnitus is classified into two forms: objective and subjective.
Objective Tinnitus
Tthe rarer form, consists of head noises audible to other people in addition to the sufferer. The noises are usually caused by vascular anomalies, repetitive muscle contractions, or inner ear structural defects. The sounds are heard by the sufferer and are generally external to the auditory system. This form of tinnitus means that an examiner can hear the sound heard by the sufferer by using a stethoscope. Benign causes, such as noise from TMJ, openings of the eustachian tubes, or repetitive muscle contractions may be the cause of objective tinnitus. The sufferer might hear the pulsatile flow of the carotid artery or the continuous hum of normal venous outflow through the jugular vein when in a quiet setting. It can also be an early sign of increased intracranial pressure and is often overshadowed by other neurologic abnormalities. The sounds may arise from a turbulant flow through compressed venous structures at the base of the brain.
Subjective Tinnitus
This form of tinnitus may occur anywhere in the auditory system and is much less understood, with the causes being many and open to debate. Anything from the ear canal to the brain may be involved. The sounds can range from a metallic ringing, buzzing, blowing, roaring, or sometimes similar to a claanging, popping, or nonrhythmic beating. It can be accompanied by audiometric evidence of deafness which occurs in association with both conductive and sensorineural hearing loss. Other conditions and syndromes which may have tinnitus in conjunction with the condition or syndrom, are otosclerosis, Menier's syndrome, and cochlear or auditory neve lesions.
Hearing loss, hyperacusis, recruitment, FMS, and balance problems may or may not be present in conjunction with tinnitus.

source- bixby.org

TOP 5 FACTS ABOUT TINNITUS

One in seven people have experienced the symptoms of tinnitus - noises inside the ears or head
70 per cent of GPs surveyed have never had any training on the condition, new research from national charity RNID reveals today.
The charity found that 15 per cent of those surveyed - which equates to more than seven million people across the UK - had experienced tinnitus, often described as ringing, whistling, humming or buzzing in the ears or head, for more than a day.
The research has found that tinnitus can cause severe distress and suffering - disrupting people's work, relationships and sex lives - less than a third of doctors surveyed say they have had any training on the condition.

RNID is revealing the shocking extent of this hidden health problem on the same day it launches a new web service - www.tuneouttinnitus.org.uk - with information to help those with tinnitus understand the condition and advice on simple techniques and equipment to manage it.
RNID is calling for GPs to take a more understanding and holistic approach to patients with tinnitus, directing those with mild tinnitus to RNID for help and referring those whose condition has a severe impact on their lives to an ear, nose and throat specialist.
TINNITUS QUICK FACTS
What is tinnitus? Tinnitus is the medical term for noises heard in the ears or in the head. It is often described as 'ringing in the ears', but can take the form of many different sounds such as whistling, buzzing or whirring.
How many people have tinnitus?

New RNID research shows that one in seven people experience the symptoms of tinnitus.
What causes tinnitus?

Tinnitus can be caused by many different things, such as exposure to loud noise, an ear infection, certain prescribed drugs, stress, or a combination of all of these.
What can I do to manage my tinnitus?

If you are concerned you may have tinnitus or about the effect tinnitus is having on your life, make an appointment with your GP. There is currently no cure, but there are many things you can do to manage it, such as relaxation techniques and products and music to distract from the sound. If you suspect you may have a hearing loss, hearing aids could help you.

TOP 5 FACTS ABOUT TINNITUS
1.The word 'tinnitus' derives from the latin 'tinnire' meaning, 'to ring'.2.Although it's commonly described as 'a ringing in the ears', it can also sound like whistling, buzzing, whirring, or even music.3.Alcohol can make tinnitus worse4.Tinnitus can occur at any age, even children can experience it5.Many people who are profoundly deaf also have tinnitus.

source-gm.tv

Tinnitus News

Some people describe the phantom sounds as so constant and so disabling, they've quit their jobs, living almost as shut-ins in a world dominated by ringing, buzzing, hissing or roaring very often only they can hear.The disorder is called tinnitus. And only now, after having languished for decades as an orphan disorder, are dramatic advances being made. Experiments are under way mostly in Europe, using sophisticated imaging techniques that allow doctors to "see" areas in the brain where sound signals are no longer translated - progress that could help doctors target new treatments.Dr. Mark Shikowitz, professor of otolaryngology at North Shore University Hospital in Manhasset, estimates that 36 million people in the United States suffer from tinnitus and 7 million are hopelessly crippled by a constant cacophony in their heads. The American Tinnitus Association puts the estimate of those with the condition at 50 million.
"Loud noises are the most common cause" of tinnitus, a condition that inevitably becomes more common with age, Shikowitz said. Young people, he added, are not immune because they, from one generation to another, have had a preference for ear-damaging music."In the '60s and '70s it was the rock concertgoers who were getting it at a young age," he said. "Now it's the kids with iPods."Similar ringing and hissing are becoming major disabilities reported by soldiers returning from Iraq and Afghanistan who've suffered blast injuries in war zones. Patients treated for cancer with certain chemotherapy drugs also develop tinnitus. Aspirin is a known cause of the condition, although the ringing or hissing subside when patients stop taking the drug."Mine is a constant hissing at a high pitch, but sometimes there is clicking associated with it," said a Manhattan resident who is part of an American Tinnitus Association awareness campaign. Despite being part of the country's largest tinnitus advocacy organization, he doesn't want his name publicly linked with the disorder.He has no idea what triggered the tortured sounds. But whatever it was, he said, it also robbed him of some of his hearing: "Sometimes it's like a steam kettle." He says he is so severely encumbered that he can no longer hold a job.Tinnitus treatments run a wide gamut from the holistic to the electronic. Vitamin B-12, zinc and ginkgo biloba all have been suggested. Maskers - devices that produce "white noise" at a pitch above that of the tinnitus - also are sometimes recommended, Shikowitz said.The trouble emerges when tiny hair cells deep within the inner ear are damaged. "In the middle ear there are two bones that vibrate," explained Lynn Spivak, who holds a doctorate in audiology and is director of the hearing and speech center at Long Island Jewish Medical Center in New Hyde Park."Those vibrations are transmitted to the inner ear, and the hair cells are responsible for transducing those vibrations into electrochemical energy, which causes stimulation of the auditory nerve fibers in the brain," she said.As people age, hair cells naturally diminish, causing more trouble with hearing and an increased incidence of tinnitus.Richard Salvi of the hearing center at the University at Buffalo, who is researching tinnitus treatments, said several advances in Germany and Belgium are making their way to the United States. One involves imaging the brain through positron emission tomography - PET - in which a scan reveals the part of the brain where signals are not translated into meaningful sound.Shikowitz said not all tinnitus is subjective, the kind brought on by loud noise or age. With objective tinnitus, even the physician can hear through a stethoscope a noise caused by a muscle problem in the inner ear. Ringing and hissing also can be caused by vascular problems, a benign tumor or multiple sclerosis, he said.
BY DELTHIA RICKS

This is difficult, but neccesary

Finding a tinnitus treatment is important. But defining the severity of tinnitus is rather difficult at the moment. Those who have hearing loss because of it may be able to find relief with hearing aids. There are various hearing aid types available. You can always consult your doctor about it. Hearing aids have been known to help many people. Though tinnitus is not the disease but a symptom, it still has lots of damaging effects. In your case, maybe you can minimize that damage through the help of a hearing aid.

Tinnitus Overview

Tinnitus patients vary in their level of hearing such sounds. Some only hear the noise in the background, as bit quiet but still there. Others though hear the noise very loudly, even to the point of other noises not being heard anymore. This in a way is a hearing loss. In cities and countries that are industrialized, tinnitus is very common. Objective tests are not really that effective in measuring or assessing the levels of tinnitus. This is because it has always been looked at as a phenomenon that is subjective. Because of this tinnitus treatments are not that well defined either. Intensity and frequency of this disorder is often difficult to ascertain. That is why diagnosis is usually in the range of “catastrophic” and “slight.” Tinnitus can greatly affect a person’s life because daily activities such as sleeping and of course conversations can sorely suffer.