Don’t Let Tinnitus Ruin Your Life—Here’s the Help You Need
For ages, living with tinnitus was a daily burden. With a constant ringing or buzzing in your ears, possibly accompanied by dizziness and hearing problems, it seemed like an endless cycle. However, tinnitus patients have more options at their disposal than ever. While they may not be the ultimate care, they can downplay the symptoms of tinnitus or symptoms of medical conditions that could be triggering the whistling in your ears.
Medical Intervention
If you begin to experience frequent ringing in your ears, it’s time to contact your healthcare provider. A doctor will conduct a physical exam and may order for certain blood work to check for underlying medical conditions that can trigger tinnitus. High cholesterol especially can have an impact on that ring or hiss that is keeping you up at night. A doctor may recommend prescription medication to take care of these underlying issues or expand into other possible options depending on the severity of hearing loss.
You may be sent to an audiologist for a hearing test to better assess the level of hearing loss, or to a specialist to determine any damage to the inner ear or the middle ear. These tinnitus issues can be triggered by something as simple as an ear infection, or just age-related hearing loss. A specialist could recommend a hearing aid at a certain decibel level to help improve your audio quality, potentially helping to combat the ringing and buzzing that distracts you from your daily tasks.
Therapeutic Options
While there is no exact cure for tinnitus, there are several remedies to consider, one of which is cognitive behavior therapy. Cognitive behavior therapy, or CBT, is a type of talk therapy that helps people with tinnitus learn to live with their ailment. This form of therapy essentially teaches tinnitus sufferers how to live with the loud noises, rather than letting them drive you up the wall. Several studies have found that CBT improves the irritation and annoyance of tinnitus symptoms by addressing underlying mental health issues like depression and stress that set off the noises.
Sound therapy has worked as an effective intervention for tinnitus patients. Different products emphasize specific aspects of the condition. For example, sound masking devices expose the patient to external noise at a loud enough volume that partially or completely covers the noises being created by their tinnitus. These same devices can sometimes divert a patient’s attention from the sound of tinnitus. In more complex cases, neuromodulation uses a specialized sound to minimize hyperactivity thought to be the underlying cause of the condition.
All-Natural Solutions
Just like a litany of other ailments, there are more holistic and natural approaches to dealing with underlying causes of tinnitus. Rather than use prescription medication that may carry some risk of side effects or even addiction, supplements like Tinnitus 911 use a combination of vitamins, minerals, and other natural ingredients to help curb these underlying conditions. By addressing these conditions, the symptoms of tinnitus can wane over time.
For example, vitamin B-6 helps to improve mood and reduce stress, a common trigger for the buzzing noise that some tinnitus patients experience. Folic acid also works to better promote brain health and is used to treat mental health disorders like depression that can also set off tinnitus. Natural ingredients like juniper berry are utilized for their antioxidant properties. These anti-inflammatory qualities help to reduce physical pain, while also promoting good heart health. Overall, the best way to deal with the symptoms of tinnitus is to assess the severity of the condition and find the approach that best puts the noises at bay for you.
