Does anyone have any cures for tinnitus (ringing sound in ears)?

[Teri Anne]

A few months ago, I developed tinnitus, a ringing sound in my ears, that, for the most part, now never goes away.  Previously, I had had it on rare occassions for twenty seconds.  Now, it's nonstop and very annoying.  Some friends of mine have tinnitus, also, and they say to just ignore it.  I have a feeling that, for these people, the ringing sound is not as loud as in my head.

I've tried Googling "tinnitus" on the internet but have not really found anything that helps.  I've tried various herbs and vitamins.  I DO note that the ringing sound seems to get worse if I have caffeine or chocolate (which, I think, has caffeine).  I've never had a problem with caffeine before.  I used to take Anacin daily which has caffeine.  I now don't take things with caffeine but the ringing is continuing.

I've heard of some people getting earphones that put white noise in your ears to disguise the high pitched ringing sound of tinnitus.  That doesn't sound like a good solution to me.  I've heard that, for some, tinnitus is caused by hearing loss in ears that was caused by loud sounds throughout our lives.  I have experienced loud sounds (particularly movies and music) but have tried stuffing Kleenex in my ears when facing those sounds.  All, apparently, to no avail.  Or maybe I'm predestined for hearing loss.  My mother was deaf in one ear -- that happened in early childhood.

Are there any other solutions that anyone knows about other than diet?  Are there any diet things that have worked for you?

Thanks in advance,

Teri Anne

[NickSister]

I don't think diet is going to help. If this is caused by hearing loss, then you can't get your hearing back. You might have a condition that is treatable though. I would suggest seeing an audiologist (or whatever they are called) and get them checked. This could be one of those things that are more successfully treated the quicker you act on it.

[LynnER]

I really wish someone did know of a cure for it aside from total deffness...

A few years ago I had a massive ear infection that killed roughly half my total hearing, and since then, tinnitus has kicked in... Im a musician and am around loud noises through out most of my time, be it practicing, at shows, or at either of my jobs...  I do use good earplugs, but once the damage is done its done, and it will slowly progressively get worse...  I can nolonger tell the diffrence between most people over the phone and depend on caller ID to know who im speaking with...  I can tell the diffrence between male and female, and in accents... but most everyone now sounds the same unless in person... <and even then theres allot of Huh? could you repeat that? involved>

[saraswatidevi]

Check out this article.
http://discount-vitamins-herbs.net/tinnitus.htm
Homeopathics might be worth a try. If you do want to try this approach contact me off line and I will explain about the remedies.

One of the testimonials on this page say Reiki cleared up the tinnitus.
http://www.michelchevalier.com/Reiki-and-Toning-Testimonials.html

[Wing Walker]

Hi, Teri,

I have had that ringing for so long now that I don't pay it much mind.  I'm not saying that there is no cure because i have heard that there is.  I suggest that you see an audiologist for a hearing assessment and ask for the name of an ENT doc for treatment.

Hope this helps.

Wing Walker

[Sister Seagull]

One other cause of tinnitus is problems with the TMJ (temporomandibular joint).  I have a bad TMJ and have tinnitus.  Most of the time, it doesn't bother me, but if I'm in a really quiet place, I can hear an annoying constant ringing.  I'm just hoping it doesn't get worse...

Also, check with your dentist to see if you grind your teeth in your sleep (or ask someone who might have heard you doing it).  This can cause or worsen TMJ and make the tinnitus worse too.

And one more thing: try looking into trigger point therapy.   Clair Davies put together an excellent book on how to do it yourself, or you could see a massage therapist.

[Hazumu]

Terri;

I have 10 percent VA disability for hearing loss.  The notice-ability of my tinnitus varies, but as far as I can figure, the 'noise floor' doesn't vary, except for (I assume) a slow, steady creep upward 0.1dB by 0.1dB.  During my retirement outprocessing, the chief audiologist at the army hospital (Madigan, at Ft Lewis) remarked on 'the severe chop' in HF acuity in my left ear.

In spite of this, I'm still mixing tracks in my videos.  I compensate, I dial in a few extra dB in the monitors overall, and throw on an extra couple of dB of 'tizz' to compensate for my loss of HF acuity.  Nobody's told me my tracks are funny sounding -- in fact I get praised for full-sounding tracks (it's all in knowing the tricks  )  That plus the brain compensates for loss of acuity.  Still, cocktail-party deafness is a bitch...

You should probably get your hearing checked by a specialist, just to establish a baseline if nothing more.

Feel free to contact me one-on-one via PM.  That way we can geek-out on audio matters without mystifying/boring others not so inclined. 

Karen

Posted on: May 19, 2008, 08:13:52 AM

Im a musician and am around loud noises through out most of my time, be it practicing, at shows, or at either of my jobs... 

Can you say 'hi-hat'? >

=K