TINNITUS  or ringing ,whistling,buzzing sound in ear is a queer thing.

It’s actually like you can hear the parts of your brain moving.

It’s one of the most mysterious complaints  we face as doctor’s.

Have you ever had that feeling of buzzing  in ear when you had a cold?

That’s what is Tinnitus.

An irritating background  buzz.

For people who suffer from this.It’s more than irritation. It’s life consuming.

What causes Tinnitus?

• Excessive noise
• Head trauma
• Hypothyroidism or hyperthyroidism
• Hypertension
• Ear infections
• Anaemia
• Otosclerosis
• Diabetes
• Certain drugs

 

Uncommon cause

• Acoustic Neuroma
• Meniere’s disease
• Paget disease

 

What tests should you do to start treatment  early?

 

• Pure tone audiometry
• Tympanometry
• Short increment sensitivity index
• Tone decay test
• Thyroid hormone profile
• Blood sugar
• Lipid Profile
• CT Brain

Depending on the above reports

• MRI Cerebellopontine angle

 

Tips to live with Tinnitus

The best way to fight this problem is to rewire your brain.

You make your brain believe, you are not bothered by the sound.

Pretend it’s your personal background music.

Pretend  its the neighbours.

Haven’t you ever put on music to drown out noisy neighbourhood fights?

 

In order to avoid being irritated ,medicines will help.To some extent . 

Mindfulness can help decrease the stress of tackling this problem.

 

Lifestyle changes needed include:

1)Go to bed with TV or music on to block the noise.

Very easy to do and one of the best ways to live with tinnitus .
2)Exercise :Makes you tired enough to fall asleep  quickly.

When you work hard you sleep like a log.
3)Neuro vitamins like Vitamin B6 B12 and combination  of  antioxidants.They  help protect your nerves against age related nerve degeneration. 

Tinnitus specific drugs have  varied results.
4)Avoidance of smoking and alcohol helps prevent further damage to the nerves.
5)Tinnitus retraining therapy

A type of cognitive  behavioural therapy .
6)Tinnitus maskers:These are like hearing aids. But act as buffers to block the ringing sound in  your ear.

 

Disclaimer :This is information for educational purpose.For full evaluation  always visit your doctor.

Day 28 #NaBloPoMo