Hearing loss has many causes, such as excessive and persistent noise damage, trauma and disease. The severity of hearing impairment can range from mild to severe; with age being the leading contributor for hearing loss and tinnitus among older individuals.
Tinnitus sounds can range in pitch from low roars to high squeals and be heard in one or both ears, sometimes becoming so loud as to interfere with concentration or hearing external sounds.
Sufferers often ask people to repeat themselves and listen to music or TV at louder volumes, making speaking on the phone and keeping up conversations more challenging.
What could cause Tinnitus? Tinnitus symptoms may result from anything from simple earwax buildup, noise damage, trauma, infections or more serious medical conditions; therefore consider Tinnitus more of an effect than a disease itself and consider all possible causes as potential contributors. Possible examples may include:
Loud and persistent noise over long periods.
Earwax or fluid buildup in the eardrum and inner ear, trauma to the eardrum from an object such as cotton buds puncturing, punctures from objects being dropped on or against it and infections due to viruses or bacteria from any source.
Diabetes or high blood pressure (common among older people).
Heart conditions, brain injuries, strokes or tumors in the brain. Certain heart disease medications may damage inner ear function – sometimes permanently.
Ototoxic medications, including antibiotics used to treat various cancers or serious infections.
Aspirin can sometimes have adverse side effects on hearing health; to mitigate potential issues it is advisable to consult your physician and pharmacist regarding any hearing concerns that may arise from taking medications.
Can Tinnitus Be Treated? Your family doctor may be able to diagnose and treat your hearing problem. Or you could take part in a hearing test.
Make an appointment for a no-cost and no-obligation hearing test with one of the many conveniently located clinics and speak to an audiology healthcare provider about treatment for tinnitus – any of these options might help:
Hearing aids must be prescribed by a doctor following consultation with an ear specialist. Nonprescription, nonregulated over-the-counter noise amplifiers have recently become available and Cochlear implants are permanent electronic devices designed to alleviate severe tinnitus symptoms.
Tinnitus retraining therapy may provide effective results in treating moderate tinnitus; when combined with other modalities, its success increases exponentially.
Notched sound therapy uses neutralizing sounds to distract patients from hearing constant tones caused by tinnitus.
Acupuncture may help alleviate tinnitus sounds and diminish their severity, while hypnotherapy as an approach for deep relaxation has proven successful. Anti-anxiety drugs may also provide some relief to sufferers of tinnitus.
Relaxation techniques such as deep breathing and yoga may help relieve the stresses that cause hearing loss, such as stress-inducing noise. Apps which send visual or vibration signals may serve as helpful coping devices (for instance a visual doorbell or phone number).
Alerting devices with visual cues, such as smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors.
How Does Notched Sound Therapy Work? Some sufferers of tinnitus who seek relief have turned to notched sound therapy with great success. Unfortunately, others have not seen as dramatic of results when trying this relatively new therapy, yet results still vary widely between patients. As it’s so new research is still ongoing despite not providing an immediate cure; but the future looks bright.
Notch sound therapy was first derived from music therapy provided for returning soldiers during World War II, leading to sound wave therapy being practiced beginning in 1950s by British osteopath Sir Peter Guy Manners as part of rehabilitation treatment for injured service members. He developed his first machine specifically to create healing sound vibrations.
Notched sound therapy utilizes healing sounds tailored specifically for each individual’s subjective tinnitus frequency and “notched” so as not to match its pitch directly. A hearing specialist would determine which pitch of tinnitus to treat by turning a “notch” in their hearing device in accordance with that pitch.