Tinnitus

Tinnitus can be described as "ringing" ears and other head noises that are perceived in the absence of any external noise source. It is estimated that 1 out of every 5 people experience some degree of tinnitus. Tinnitus is classified into two forms: objective and subjective.

Objective tinnitus is the rarer form consisting of head noises audible to other people in addition to the sufferer. The noises are usually caused by vascular anomalies, repetitive muscle contractions, or inner ear structural defects. The sounds are heard by the sufferer and are generally external to the auditory system.

Subjective tinnitus may occur anywhere in the auditory system and is much less understood, with the causes being many and open to discussion. Anything from the ear canal to the brain may be involved with noises ranging from metallic ringing, buzzing, blowing, roaring, clanging, popping or non-rhythmic beating. Tinnitus can be accompanied by some deafness.

What causes tinnitus?

In recent studies, no known cause was identified for 43% of tinnitus patients and noise exposure was the cause for 24% of the cases. Other causes identified are:

Allergic Reactions:

• Specific foods, including, red wine, grain-based spirits, cheese, and chocolate
• Foods rich in Salicylates
• Aspartame
• Marijuana

• In some cases, tinnitus has been a side-effect of Lyme disease

Growths and Tumors

Health Care with Tinnitus

The following lists some of the major areas that should be addressed in everyday health care that might help reduce the effects of tinnitus:

• Wax/Dirt Build-up in the ear canal
• Severe Ear Infections
• High Cholesterol
• Vascular Abnormalities
• Stress
• Diet and Other Lifestyle changes such as avoiding alcohol, tobacco, caffeine, foods high in fat and sodium, quinine/tonic water
• Intracranial Hypertension

Help living with tinnitus:

Although there is no known medical cure for tinnitus, hypnosis has been proven to be highly effective in reducing the severity of this ailment. By training your mind, hypnosis will enhance your ability to tune out the noise created by tinnitus. Once your medical professional eliminates all possible medical reasons for the ringing in your ears, hypnosis can be very useful in masking the noise generated by tinnitus. Hypnosis is also highly effective in helping reduce stress and anxiety, a principle cause of tinnitus, by helping you to relax.

At Key Hypnosis we will put together a program individually designed to help you cope with your tinnitus.