What is Tinnitus?

Do you have ringing in your ears? This is frightening, especially when you realize that these sounds are coming from within you. Most people are stunned to know that our internal organs can make sounds.

Tinnitus is a medical condition in which a person hears all kinds of strange clicking, ringing, buzzing, whistling or hissing sounds with their ear.

Wikipedia states “Tinnitus /ˈtɪnɪtəs/ or /tɪˈnaɪtəs/; from the Latin word tinnītus meaning “ringing” is the perception of sound within the human ear (ringing of the ears) when no actual sound is present.

Tinnitus is not a disease, but a condition that can result from a wide range of underlying causes: neurological damage (multiple sclerosis), ear infections, oxidative stress,^[1] foreign objects in the ear, nasal allergies that prevent (or induce) fluid drain, wax build-up, and exposure to loud sounds. Withdrawal from benzodiazepines may cause tinnitus as well.”

Tinnitus is common: about 20% of people between 55 and 65 years old report symptoms on a general health questionnaire, and 11.8% on more detailed tinnitus-specific questionnaires.^[2]“

What’s so worrisome about this condition for a lot of people is that, there’s actually no physical source of these sounds. The sounds are actually perceptions that are often referred to as “phantom noises”.

So What Causes These Noises?

Of course you will want to know why you are hearing these noises. Tinnitus is actually not a disease, it is a symptom of a problem that is rooted deep, somewhere within your body.

To determine what underlying medical condition may be causing your tinnitus, you should see your doctor for a general physical exam, including a careful examination of your ears. Because tinnitus can be a side effect of some drugs, be sure to inform your doctor of all medications you are taking..

If the source of the problem remains unclear, you may be sent to an ear specialists or a hearing specialist for hearing and nerve tests.

It could be a simple problem like ear wax or an ear infection. Or it could be the side effect of a drug. Or something more complicated.

Some people will have tinnitus because their Cochlea is damaged. The most common cause of tinnitus is exposure to loud noises. The noise can be a sudden burst, or it could be a constant banging that hits the ear drum and travels inside.

While the noises of tinnitus can be heard day and night, it is often worse at night. In a few people, the noises come and go as they please. And there are others who hear them all the time.

Treating Tinnitus

You don’t have to live with tinnitus - some find it almost impossible to do so. Seek treatment immediately! Unfortunately, conventional treatments only treat the symptoms and usually only provide temporary relief if any.

The best and safe way to cure your tinnitus for good is to follow a holistic approach to healing. This will use a multidimensional treatment that will tackle the causative factors and eliminate trigger elements. This is the only path for permanent freedom from tinnitus.

1. ^ Pall, M. L.; Bedient, S. A. (2007). “The NO/ONOO- cycle as the etiological mechanism of tinnitus”. The international tinnitus journal 13 (2): 99–104. PMID 18229788.
2. ^ Demeester K, van Wieringen A, Hendrickx JJ, Topsakal V, Fransen E, Van Laer L, De Ridder D, Van Camp G, Van de Heyning P. (2007). Prevalence of tinnitus and audiometric shape. B-ENT. 3 Suppl 7:37-49. PMID 18225607.