Tinnitus is very common; this is an issue that everyone has experienced in their life at least once. This is an auditory illusion that includes a hum, buzz, ring or some other type of sound that isn’t coming from an external source. Since this is so common and an experience that everyone experiences at least once in their life, it’s not considered serious.
At most, this auditory illusion can be a bit nerve-wracking. However, this doesn’t mean it can’t be serious. If it lasts for prolonged periods of time, it’s a sign that something is happening within the body.
So, the biggest question is, why doesn’t tinnitus have a cure? Why are there treatments, but not a cure to indefinitely put a stop to it? The reason why there isn’t a cure for tinnitus is for the fact that it’s a symptom and not a condition. As you know, symptoms don’t have cures, they’re simply just symptoms that can be easily treated. That’s all that tinnitus is as well.
Even if the only thing you’re experiencing in terms of your hearing is tinnitus, then you need to realize that it’s a symptom and that something greater is happening. While there actually isn’t a cure for tinnitus, it’s important to know that treatment methods are available, as tinnitus can have serious effects on a person’s mind and body if they experience it for too long.
So, What Causes Tinnitus?
This tends to pop up when an underlying condition is present. There are technology multiple reasons why a patient may be having to deal with tinnitus but in short, it’s just a symptom to something bigger. Sometimes, the human body will have tinnitus for a few minutes and will stop. But the biggest cause is prolonged exposure to loud noise.
If you’ve ever been to a concert, firework show or somewhere very loud, you may have noticed that you eventually get tinnitus. Most of the time, this is temporary and lasts anywhere from a few seconds to a couple of days.
While this aspect of tinnitus isn’t serious, there can be potential for more permanent causes of the tinnitus symptom to come up. Changes within the body such as a head injury, benign tumors on an auditory nerve, ear infections, Meniere’s disease, jaw issues and even alcohol can make tinnitus last longer, if not permanently.
That’s why it’s very important to have regular checkups with your local audiologist. They’ll be able to help you sort this out and will help figure out the underlying cause so the treatment stage can begin.
What Are the Treatment Methods for Tinnitus?
Since there isn’t a cure for tinnitus, it doesn’t mean that hope is lost. There are plenty of treatment methods that audiologists use to help combat tinnitus. It makes the symptom drastically easier to deal with or it can completely erase this symptom. So, what are some of the different types of treatment methods that audiologists used on their patients to treat tinnitus?
The Discussion of Life Changes
Your audiologist may suggest that you make some lifestyle changes to see if that will affect tinnitus or not. This is especially more prevalent if you’re consuming alcohol regularly or have smoking habits. These are two well-known factors that cause age-related hearing loss and tinnitus to happen much earlier in life.
Cutting Out Medication
There are some medications that have tinnitus as a symptom. While this isn’t something that’s too common, it can indeed happen. One of the well-known causes can be nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAID), but there are also prescription medications that can cause it as well. Your audiologist will most likely ask you what medicines you’re prescribed as they will instantly know which one may be causing the tinnitus.
Earwax Removal
Sometimes, it’s excessive earwax build-up that’s causing the tinnitus to happen. This form of treatment is one of the most common ones when dealing with tinnitus. The procedure only lasts for a few minutes. It includes the audiologist getting a micro-suction tool to clean out the patient’s ears of excess earwax.
Masking Hearing Aids
Hearing aids with masking features can help in making tinnitus less noticeable for the patient. The device looks a lot like a hearing aid however, there is a small difference. It has a masking feature on it. It will produce low-level white noise to reduce the perception of tinnitus. Most patients seeing an audiologist for tinnitus will have a trial at this form of treatment. While this technically isn’t a treatment to get rid of tinnitus, it does help patients deal with tinnitus much more easily.
Even though there isn’t a cure for tinnitus it’s best to know that there are ways of treating it, and there are ways to prevent it as well. If you have tinnitus and you’re needing assistance on how you can better manage it, then please contact the Alliance Center for Hearing by calling us today at 701-751-6232.
