In some countries, tinnitus, or chronic ringing, hissing, or buzzing in the ears, affects 10% of adults. People with hearing loss often have the problem, though it may be present without hearing loss. In the past, people with the infuriating condition have been told by doctors that they will simply have to learn to live with it. Sadly, this has left many people with everyday lives that are severely affected, and has caused serious psychological problems in some people.
Today, there are many approaches to the treatment of tinnitus. The first step in treating it is finding out if there is a specific cause. If it is related to hearing loss, correcting the hearing loss through the use of hearing aids can often relieve the tinnitus as well. In the very rare cases where tinnitus is caused by a tumor on the auditory nerve or circulatory problems in the carotid arteries, medical treatment of the underlying conditions often cures the problem.
In many cases, chronic tinnitus is caused by prolonged exposure to loud sounds, whether from working in an industrial setting or listening to too much loud music. Sometimes these cases can be treated with hearing aids, white noise machines, and lifestyle changes such as changes in the diet. But sometimes tinnitus is intractable, and scientists are now turning their research toward finding help for those difficult cases.
One promising new type of research involves stimulation of the vagus nerve combined with introduction of sounds at specific frequencies. This technique has apparently cured tinnitus in rats, and human trials are planned for launch in 2011. This technique apparently “rewires” the brain so that it does not produce the nerve impulses that cause the ringing sounds, and if this is the case in humans, it could represent a major breakthrough it the treatment of tinnitus.
People with chronic tinnitus, occasional tinnitus, or even those who have never experienced it should all be vigilant about protecting their ears from loud noises. Preventing hearing damage is one of the best steps anyone can take to prevent the development of tinnitus.
