[Harp-L] Subject: Re: Tinnitus - Latest

[EGS1217@xxxxxxx]

In the ongoing thread about hearing issues (some attributed to the high  
decibel levels musicians are specifically exposed to), here's the latest on  
Tinnitus from Bottom Line Secrets. Some interesting developments. The news 
that  it could be even caused by a tumor (although rarely) was entirely 
surprising to  me:
 
Elizabeth
 
"Quiet the Ringing in Your Ears 

Aaron G. Benson, MD
University  of Michigan Health System

Perhaps you hear a high-pitched ringing...  perhaps a buzzing, chirping, 
whistling or whirring. Nobody else can hear it --  but the 
quieter it gets around you, the worse the noise in your 
head.  This bothersome condition, tinnitus, afflicts an 
estimated 10% to 16% of  Americans. 

Tinnitus most often develops when a person has hearing loss  
caused by nerve damage from prolonged or extreme exposure 
to loud noise.  It also can be a side effect of antibiotics, 
aspirin, diuretics and some  cancer drugs. Tinnitus usually 
appears after age 50 but is increasingly  common in younger 
people due to high-volume use of personal music players  
(iPod, Walkman). It can occur during pregnancy due to 
increased blood  volume -- and may or may not go away after 
delivery. 

Tinnitus  usually is not a serious health problem, but it 
should be evaluated -- so  consult an otolaryngologist.

Referrals: American Tinnitus Association,  800-634-8978, 
www.ata.org. There is no cure, but various strategies can  
ease symptoms and help you cope...  
http://link.bls.bottomlinesecrets.com/r/BXFUP4/BMKUN/818KG/NP5EM/JIK0N/T3/t/

Cut  caffeine and salt. Caffeine (in coffee, tea, cola and 
chocolate) constricts  blood flow to the ear... and salt can 
raise blood pressure, aggravating  tinnitus. 

Keep ears clean. Excessive earwax can muffle outside noises  
and amplify internal ringing. 

Home remedy: Mix hydrogen peroxide  with an equal amount of 
water, and place two drops in each ear weekly. Or  see your 
doctor to have your ears irrigated.

Reduce stress. Muscle  relaxation, meditation, biofeedback, 
exercise and other stress-reducing  techniques may alleviate 
symptoms. 

Fill the room with white noise. A  constant low-level 
background sound masks the inner ringing. In a quiet room  
and at bedtime, turn on a fan or tabletop fountain, or use 
a white-noise  machine (about $30 to $60 at home-products 
stores). 

Wear a tinnitus  masker. This miniature white-noise device 
resembles a hearing aid and fits  behind or in the ear. 

Cost: About $2,000. To obtain one, ask your doctor  for a 
referral to an audiologist. 

Try a hearing aid. This eases  tinnitus for about half of 
people with significant hearing loss. It  amplifies outside 
sounds, which obscures inner sounds.  

Retrain  your brain. A new treatment provided by trained 
audiologists, tinnitus  retraining therapy (TRT) may help up 
to 80% of patients. Sometimes  improvement is noticed after 
just a few sessions. Typically, you attend  weekly or 
monthly hour-long sessions during which you wear a special  
hearing aid programmed with a facsimile of your particular 
tinnitus  sound. You are shown how to train your brain to be 
less sensitive to the  ringing.

Rarely, tinnitus may be caused by a tumor. Call your doctor  
without delay if your tinnitus sounds like a pulsing or 
whooshing... is  heard on only one side of your head... or 
is accompanied by dizziness or a  sudden decrease in ability 
to discriminate between similar words, such as  cat and hat. 

E-mail this  Article:
http://link.bls.bottomlinesecrets.com/r/BXFUP4/BMKUN/818KG/NP5EM/KEDVG/T3/t?
a=100000035