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.
Thursday, August 2, 2007
Wednesday, August 1, 2007
Progress in explaining tinnitus via brain imaging
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.
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.
Tuesday, July 31, 2007
Learn more about tinnitus
The term is taken from the Latin word of ‘ringing’. This disorder is basically described as a person’s hearing of a certain sound though there are no external factors causing that sound. The sound being heard is usually described as a constant ringing noise. This noise can be heard by both ears or by only one. Some people who are affected with this though describe hearing other sounds such as beeping, songs, tunes, locusts, crickets, roaring, clicking, ticking, and whistling sound, humming, hissing, buzzing, whining, and whooshing sounds.One thing must be made clear here. Tinnitus is not the disease. Rather, it is a symptom of many ear disorders. These underlying causes include presence of ear wax, foreign objects, ear infections, menieres disease, and an injury from a very loud noise.Tinnitus can also be a side-effect from taking oral medications (e.g.: aspirin), and abnormal lowering of serotonin activity level.
Monday, July 30, 2007
Hi world!
Hello world! Thsi is great to know when looking for tinnitus relief!
Ear drops: To calm the vata in the ears, ten drops of warm sesame oil is applied daily to each ear. The oil is allowed to remain in the first ear for five or ten minutes, then that ear is cleaned, and the same procedure is followed with the other ear, with the patient lying on the other side. Typically, this treatment should alleviate tinnitus, and most other symptoms of vata, within eight to ten days.
Consumption of caffeine, nicotine, or cocaine can exacerbate tinnitus, as also excess TV viewing, Computers, or sleeping near an equipment emitting RF field. Avoid too much exposure to loud noises, music, speakers, and professional activities which involve high frequency sounds.
Ear drops: To calm the vata in the ears, ten drops of warm sesame oil is applied daily to each ear. The oil is allowed to remain in the first ear for five or ten minutes, then that ear is cleaned, and the same procedure is followed with the other ear, with the patient lying on the other side. Typically, this treatment should alleviate tinnitus, and most other symptoms of vata, within eight to ten days.
Consumption of caffeine, nicotine, or cocaine can exacerbate tinnitus, as also excess TV viewing, Computers, or sleeping near an equipment emitting RF field. Avoid too much exposure to loud noises, music, speakers, and professional activities which involve high frequency sounds.
Thursday, July 26, 2007
Home Remedy
Vacha (Acorus calamus) oil nasya, has a powerful effect in
calming and balancing the Prana Vata which causes tinnitus. An sesame oil in
which calamus root is boiled on low fire is taken nasally, five drops
per nostril, at night and in the morning. The nasya should be warmed to body
temperature before administration. nasya helps to nourish the senses to
eliminate excess vata from senses Though nasya should be administered by a
Vaidya (ayurvedic doctor), one can learn it from him and then it becomes home
remedy.
Head massage and foot massage, wherein the soles of the feet are
massaged with warm sesame oil, has a specific effect in reducing the noise
in the ear. At bedtime, warm sesame oil should be applied to the soles of
the feet and also to the scalp. This treatment rapidly normalizes the prana
vata.
Sunday, July 22, 2007
Home Remedies for tinnitus
Tinnitus can be caused due to aging, exposure to loud noises, allergy, blood circulation problems or any head or neck injury all of which causes damage to the hearing nerve in the inner ear. Constant noise of varying pitch in the ear or both ears is quite annoying and distracting.
· Avoid exposure to loud noises.
· Keep your blood pressure in check, decrease intake of salt, tobacco, alcohol, oily/fatty foods, sugar, cola, tea, coffee and caffeinated beverages as they might aggravate the problem.
· Chewing dried fruits helps to increase blood circulation in the ear area.
· Avoid stress and exercise regularly for better blood circulation in your body. · Learn to ignore the noise and divert your mind in other things of your interest. Consult a (specialist) otolaryngologist to investigate the cause as the treatment will follow after knowing the exact cause.
· Avoid exposure to loud noises.
· Keep your blood pressure in check, decrease intake of salt, tobacco, alcohol, oily/fatty foods, sugar, cola, tea, coffee and caffeinated beverages as they might aggravate the problem.
· Chewing dried fruits helps to increase blood circulation in the ear area.
· Avoid stress and exercise regularly for better blood circulation in your body. · Learn to ignore the noise and divert your mind in other things of your interest. Consult a (specialist) otolaryngologist to investigate the cause as the treatment will follow after knowing the exact cause.
Friday, July 20, 2007
Source Of "Ringing Of The Ears" Extends Beyond Hearing Systems
a ringing in the ears that affects millions of people - may be related to visual as well as auditory brain activity, according to a study in the February 27 issue of Neurology, the scientific journal of the American Academy of Neurology. Researchers made the connection while studying the origin of this unwanted sound.
The study focused on eight patients with gaze-evoked tinnitus (GET), an unusual condition in which tinnitus loudness and pitch increase during lateral gaze. GET may develop after surgical removal of tumors of the auditory nerve. The researchers expect that the findings from their study of this rare condition will open the door to a broader understanding of the brain abnormalities that cause tinnitus.
As researchers mapped the brains of GET patients, they found an unexpected imbalance between the auditory and visual parts of the brain.
Normally, these different brain areas communicate with each other to determine which perception should be given priority.
In normal subjects, lateral gaze suppresses auditory brain activity, but not so with GET patients. This failure of one sensory system to suppress the activity of another may be an important feature of tinnitus.
"This is the first research to show that a failure of the complicated way our brain systems talk to each other contributes to the cause of tinnitus. Tinnitus is not the simple problem we hoped for," said Alan H. Lockwood, MD, study co-author. Lockwood, Professor of Neurology, Nuclear Medicine and Communicative Disorders and Sciences at the State University of New York at Buffalo, and the Veterans Administration Western New York Healthcare System, also co-authored the first research which showed tinnitus sensations came from the brain in the central auditory system, and not the cochlea.
"It remains to be seen what other parts of the brain are involved in the cause of tinnitus," added Lockwood. "However, this is an important step in unraveling this complicated story."
Tinnitus is a perception of ringing or buzzing in the ears that affects 50 million people in the US according to the American Tinnitus Association. Tinnitus is more common in men and in people over the age of 65. Severe tinnitus is associated with depression, anxiety, sleep disruption and other symptoms that significantly impact patients' quality of life.
A neurologist is a medical doctor with specialized training in diagnosing, treating and managing disorders of the brain and nervous system.
The American Academy of Neurology, an association of more than 17,000 neurologists and neuroscience professionals, is dedicated to improving patient care through education and research.
The study focused on eight patients with gaze-evoked tinnitus (GET), an unusual condition in which tinnitus loudness and pitch increase during lateral gaze. GET may develop after surgical removal of tumors of the auditory nerve. The researchers expect that the findings from their study of this rare condition will open the door to a broader understanding of the brain abnormalities that cause tinnitus.
As researchers mapped the brains of GET patients, they found an unexpected imbalance between the auditory and visual parts of the brain.
Normally, these different brain areas communicate with each other to determine which perception should be given priority.
In normal subjects, lateral gaze suppresses auditory brain activity, but not so with GET patients. This failure of one sensory system to suppress the activity of another may be an important feature of tinnitus.
"This is the first research to show that a failure of the complicated way our brain systems talk to each other contributes to the cause of tinnitus. Tinnitus is not the simple problem we hoped for," said Alan H. Lockwood, MD, study co-author. Lockwood, Professor of Neurology, Nuclear Medicine and Communicative Disorders and Sciences at the State University of New York at Buffalo, and the Veterans Administration Western New York Healthcare System, also co-authored the first research which showed tinnitus sensations came from the brain in the central auditory system, and not the cochlea.
"It remains to be seen what other parts of the brain are involved in the cause of tinnitus," added Lockwood. "However, this is an important step in unraveling this complicated story."
Tinnitus is a perception of ringing or buzzing in the ears that affects 50 million people in the US according to the American Tinnitus Association. Tinnitus is more common in men and in people over the age of 65. Severe tinnitus is associated with depression, anxiety, sleep disruption and other symptoms that significantly impact patients' quality of life.
A neurologist is a medical doctor with specialized training in diagnosing, treating and managing disorders of the brain and nervous system.
The American Academy of Neurology, an association of more than 17,000 neurologists and neuroscience professionals, is dedicated to improving patient care through education and research.
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