Healing Tinnitus

Even if you did listen to your parents about not playing your favourite music full blast through your headphones, you could still experience tinnitus. In fact, it’s a highly common condition that can be temporary or last a lifetime. While exposure to loud noises is a known cause, there are numerous others, from head injuries and age, to bone disorders and medication.

WHAT

It’s a complicated condition because of the numerous possible causes. The most common type of tinnitus is called subjective, which relates to sounds that only you can hear. Subjective tinnitus can be caused by problems in your inner, outer or middle ear, as well as the auditory nerves or the part of your brain that interprets nerve signals as sounds. The sounds you hear can increase in volume when you’re stressed, tired or during exercise. Tinnitus can also make it difficult to hear properly, especially in noisy places like restaurants or parties.

Objective tinnitus on the other hand can be heard by a practitioner during an examination of the ear – this is very rare and relates to either a blood vessel problem, muscle contractions or a middle ear bone condition.

WHY

With tinnitus there’s a what and a why. The ‘why’ is more complicated than the what. Here are some reasons you could be experiencing tinnitus. *Age-related hearing loss that results in tinnitus is called presbycusis. *Exposure to loud noise can cause temporary tinnitus, but if you’re exposed over a period of time, it could become permanent.

*Earwax blockage causes irritation to the ear and can cause tinnitus.

*Ear bone changes – otosclerosis is the stiffening of your middle ear bones.

*Head injuries or neck injuries can affect the inner ear, brain function linked to hearing or the hearing nerves – usually only in one ear.

*Acoustic neuroma is a non-cancerous tumour on the cranial nerve running from your brain to your inner ear, affecting hearing and balance. *Atherosclerosis causes major blood vessels to lose their elasticity and blood flow becomes more forceful, so you can actually hear every heartbeat. *There are also numerous medications that are ototoxic and can cause tinnitus, such as antibiotics, cancer medications, diuretics, malaria medication, some antidepressants and aspirin if taken in very high doses.

did you know?

Harpsichord music is often recommended as sound therapy for ear problems. Some music therapists recommend big band music and reggae as beneficial forms of music for the nervous system and sense organs of the body.

HELP Understanding the cause is obviously the first point in understanding how to treat it – there certainly isn’t a quick fix. There are some natural interventions that can ease or stop the symptoms. We’ve listed a few:

*Acupuncture has an excellent success rate in healing tinnitus and because it addresses the whole person, acupuncture can explore and understand the root cause of your tinnitus.

*Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) is also an effective treatment – it assists in reducing stress and helps to re-train your brain to lessen the impact of the noises you’re hearing.

*There are numerous different homeopathic treatments for tinnitus, depending on what the predominant sound is – buzzing, roaring, ringing, etc.

*For example, Kali carb helps with roaring noises with itchy ears; Salicylicum acidum for loud roaring; and Coffea cruda for buzzing in the back of the head.

*Ginkgo biloba plays a key role in improving blood circulation and this improves the functioning of the ear, reducing ringing.

*Garlic reduces inflammation and improves blood circulation. 6 *Ginger helps improve blood circulation, helps get rid of pathogens and fights free radicals. It also has aspirin-like properties for pain reduction.

*Melatonin has also been found to help reduce the sounds of tinnitus, as has vitamin B12.

*Antioxidants like vitamin C have a positive effect on tinnitus as well.

*On an emotional level it may be helpful to ask, ‘is there something I don’t want to hear?’ or ‘Am I blocking messages from within?’

MELT AWAY EAR WAX

To keep your ear ways clear of wax build, gently melt it away using mustard oil. This naturally causes capillary dilation, increases circulation and has antifungal and antibacterial properties. *Simply warm two tablespoons of mustard oil on the stove top. Ensure it’s not too hot and put a few drops into your ear. Allow the oil to sit for 10 minutes and then tilt your head so the oil drains out. Repeat daily for a few days.

If you are experiencing tinnitus, especially long-term, you don’t have to live with the symptoms forever. There are natural ways to deal with the problem and seeing a wellness practitioner will help you understand the root cause, how to prevent it happening in the future and how to ease the symptoms.