Cures for Tinnitus - Are There any Cures for Tinnitus?

Tinnitus, pronounced ti-NIGHT-us, is a condition characterizes by a persistent buzzing, ringing, hissing, roaring, or whistling sensation in the ears even when nothing is present to produce those sounds. Typically, the phantom sounds of tinnitus are more noticeable in situations of low background noise, like a quiet living room or movie theatre.

This can make it extremely difficult for persons with tinnitus to fall asleep at night. Unfortunately, tinnitus is a symptom of a variety of medical conditions, not a disease, there for there are technically no known cures for tinnitus. However, depending on the medical condition that is causing a person to experience tinnitus, there are some options for managing it.

The best way to determine if you or someone you know is experiencing tinnitus is to consult a licensed audiologist and complete a comprehensive hearing test. While this testing won’t produce any cures for tinnitus, it may suggest ways of reducing its effects on quality of life. Tinnitus is often caused by advanced age, most commonly around the age of 60, excessive exposure to loud noises, and a build-up of hardened earwax in the ear canal.

Often excessive earwax can’t be removed with normal swabbing and must be removed by a physician through a more sophisticated procedure. Although it may not be known by many people, tinnitus can also be a side effect of over 200 different kinds of medications, especially those that are taken in high doses or for long periods of time. Ask your physician or contact the American Tinnitus Association to see if your medications might be causing you to experience tinnitus.

Despite the fact that there aren’t currently any cures for tinnitus, there are some things you can do to treat it. If you think that one of more of your medications are causing the tinnitus, reducing the dosage or switching to a different drug might be one way to eliminate the symptoms.

If you suspect that the tinnitus might be caused by a medical condition like high blood pressure, thyroid abnormalities, allergies or a sinus infection, seeking medical attention or making lifestyle changes to treat the condition may clear it up.

Because tinnitus can also be irritated by increased by certain things, like loud noise, alcohol, nicotine, tonic water and caffeine, removing these things from your environment may help with the symptoms.

Also, adding ambient or white noise, like that of a fan or softly playing radio might help to mask the symptoms of tinnitus that are more noticeable when there’s a lack of background noise. As always, it is usually a good idea to seek qualified medical advice when seeking management methods or potential tinnitus cures.