Ringing in the Ear Vitamin Therapy: Will It Work?
Tinnitus is a sensation of noise that exists internally. Usually it is considered as a symptom rather than a disease. The causes of tinnitus are hearing loss, otosclerosis, jaw misalignment, Meniere’s disease, ear infections, and blood circulation problems. However, a lot of cases of tinnitus apparently exist alone without an identifiable cause. There are many treatment options available, and ringing in the ear vitamin therapy is just one of the many.
The B Vitamins
Many people who have devoted their expertise in finding the right treatment for tinnitus believe that lack of B-complex vitamins lead to hearing problems, one of which is tinnitus. The B vitamins are a group of complex substances that have interrelated functions, primarily in keeping the proper metabolism of the human body. Perhaps the most significant function of the B-complex vitamins is to maintain proper functioning of the nervous system. They are also known to help the body release energy and relieve stress. It is believed that taking the B-complex vitamins may offer more benefits than taking a single type of B vitamin.
The B vitamins are water soluble and are not stored in your fat tissue. Hence, your body loses them on a daily basis as they are processed right away and the excess is removed by the body through the excretory pathways. However, much of our diet today is composed of processed foods, which have little B vitamins. Hence, our diets are deficient of these nutrients to some extent. According to experts, lack of such vitamins can lead to ailments like tinnitus. Vitamin B complex deficiency can result in hearing impairment, anemia, skin problems, vision problems, and nervousness. Studies also indicate that this deficiency may also result in ringing in the ear. Vitamin therapy consisting of B vitamins may correct this problem.
What research says?
Research indicates that people with tinnitus lack Vitamin B1 and B12. These two vitamins are important for the appropriate functioning of the human nervous system. However, the direct association between tinnitus and lack of these vitamins cannot be established yet. There are only few studies conducted so far, and these studies point to a possibility that Vitamin B-complex deficiency can cause auditory dysfunction.
Despite the lack of definitive research on this subject, vitamin remedies for tinnitus have been released. Nutrient supplementation for tinnitus has become a popular. People look for natural remedies because there is no appropriate treatment. The positive thing is that many people who went through this form of nutrient therapy have experienced alleviation of their tinnitus.
On the other hand, there are natural sources for Vitamin B-complex for those who do not prefer to get them in pill form. Meat, legumes, and wheat germ are good sources of Vitamin B1. Swiss cheese, tuna, eggs, milk, and ham are good sources of Vitamin B12.
Is there a dosage instruction?
Unfortunately, there is no available medical literature regarding Vitamin B-complex treatment for tinnitus. Doctors generally do not prescribe vitamin supplements to treat tinnitus. But you can go to your nutritionist to check for vitamin deficiencies first. It is not wise to get a bottle of Vitamin B-complex supplements if you are unsure you lack these vitamins. Only medical tests can indicate that you lack these vitamins. Tinnitus is just one symptom to look out for, and not all people with Vitamin B1 or B12 deficiency suffer from tinnitus. At the same time, not everyone with tinnitus lack these vitamins.
Ask your doctor if it is safe to take these vitamin supplements if you are also taking other medications. Ringing in the ear vitamin therapy may either interfere with or enhance other therapies. Well, the good thing is that the B-complex vitamins are not toxic at the right doses. Over-dosage can cause abdominal pains though. There is also a possibility that such supplements may interact with metformin, proton pump inhibitors, and other medications.
More on Nutrient Supplementation
Aside from Vitamin B-complex, there are other vitamins that may help ease tinnitus. Vitamin A, for instance, is said to keep the tissues in the ears fine. In so doing, it helps keep your hearing in good condition. Deficiency in this vitamin may lead to problems in the inner ears. Good sources of Vitamin A are green leafy vegetables, yellow vegetables, blackberries, blueberries, and oranges.
Another vitamin that is important for tinnitus sufferers is Vitamin E. One of the functions of this vitamin is to enhance the supply of oxygen to different parts of the body, including the ears. Good sources are vegetables, dried beans, whole grains, fish, and eggs.
Aside from ringing in the ear vitamin therapy, mineral supplementation is also important. Tinnitus is also associated with lack of magnesium and zinc. As a result, nutrient supplement formulas for tinnitus may contain these minerals. There are studies that show that certain dosages of zinc and magnesium can reduce perception of tinnitus. Then again, it’s important to see a nutritionist or a doctor to find out if you can safely take mineral or vitamin supplements.
Treating and Preventing Ear Disease
Ear disease come as infections or hearing disorders, and they are not uncommon as you might have thought. Almost everyone has had an ear infection, and millions suffer from hearing impairment and ringing in the ears (tinnitus).
Ear Infections
There are two common types of ear infections—otitis externa and otitis media. The first one is outer ear infection, usually involving the ear canal. The other one is infection of the middle ear.
Outer ear infection is usually due to left moisture in the ears during bathing or swimming. It is sometimes called swimmer’s ear because swimmers are usually the ones afflicted by this infection. You can also get this disease if you scratched your ears.
Otitis media or middle ear infection is usually a complaint of children. It occurs when fluid congests the middle ear space. It may be a result of colds or sinus infection that has affected the Eustachian tubes. Inflamed Eustachian tubes causes decreased pressure in the middle ear, and this leads to fluid buildup.
Ear infections can be treated through eardrops and antibiotics. Decongestants are given to people with middle ear infections to relieve congestion. Anti-inflammatory drugs may also help. However, you have to visit your doctor before trying any treatment.
Preventing of ear infections involves keeping your ears dry, avoiding the use of cotton-tipped swabs to clean the ears, avoiding overzealous cleaning of the ears, treating colds and sinus infections right away, and blowing your nose softly. You should also know the signs of ear infections, like earache, ear discharge, feeling of fullness or pressure in the ears, muffled hearing, and foul smelling ears.
Eardrum Perforation
A hole on your eardrum causes ear pain and conductive hearing loss. It happens when your eardrum ruptures due to middle ear fluid pressure as a result of otitis media or due to an injury brought about by poking your ears.
You should go to your doctor if you experience earache and muffled hearing. An ear examination will be ordered to see the condition of your ears.
Perforated eardrums can be treated through analgesics to relieve the pain. In many cases, nothing needs to be done as the injury heals on its own. Healing takes a few weeks, and hearing will improve as recovery continues. A minor surgery can be conducted if the affected eardrum does not heal by itself.
To avoid perforation of your eardrums, you should avoid inserting anything into your ears, treat ear infections promptly, and avoid impacts to the ears. Extremely loud noise can also cause the eardrums to rupture, so stay away from loud speakers and other sources of loud noise.
Meniere’s Disease
When you suffer from episodes of vertigo, dizziness, tinnitus or ringing ears, hearing loss, and feeling of fullness in the ears, you probably have Meniere’s disease. This disease has unknown cause, but it is associated with excess of fluid in the inner ears. Abnormally high fluid pressure disrupts normal functioning of the inner ears. Thus, hearing and balance are affected.
There is no definite treatment for Menieres disease, but there are medications and therapies that can relieve vertigo, which is the most disabling of all symptoms. Tinnitus and hearing loss that accompany the attack are temporary and bearable. All the symptoms recede after the attack. Low tinnitus may linger, but hearing improves and vertigo subsides. Patients generally feel better during the remission, but the next episode can occur anytime.
Meniere’s disease can be managed through diet modification. Since it’s due to increase of fluid in the inner ears, managing fluid balance in the body is important. Hence, avoiding salt and caffeine is necessary.
Noise-Induced Hearing Loss
The number of adults losing their hearing is increasing, and experts warn that this is most likely due to frequent exposure to loud noises. Loud noise destroys the hair cells in the cochlea, and this destruction cannot be repaired. Permanent damage results in irreversible sensorineural hearing loss. The usual early sign of sensorineural hearing loss is loss of sensation of high frequency noises. What follows is trouble understanding speech, as the hearing deteriorates. Severe hearing loss may ensue if the old habit of listening to loud sounds is not stopped.
Noise-induced hearing loss can be managed through hearing aids, which should be adjusted to work according to the degree of hearing loss. Hearing aids should also be adjusted to amplify only the frequencies that are no longer heard properly.
NIHL can be prevented by, of course, staying away from noisy places. Wearing of earplugs is crucial for people who work at noisy environments. At home, you must turn your television, DVD player, and music player at moderate volumes.
Ringing in the Ears
This is a rather strange condition, which is not a disease exactly, but one that can cause other conditions, like insomnia and depression. Medically, it is known as tinnitus, and it is not classified as an ear disease. It is often described as ringing in the ears because many people with this problem complain they can hear ringing noise inside their ears.
The cause of ringing in the ears should be identified to determine the right treatment. However, tinnitus may often exist on its own without apparent culprit. In this case, treatment is targeted to managing the perception of noise. Treatments available are masking, counseling, and relaxation therapy. Medications are not prescribed unless you are suffering from anxiety or sleeplessness. Then again, long term use of medications is not recommended.
Tinnitus can be avoided by steering clear of loud noises, wearing earmuffs when necessary, and managing stress properly.
Living with Hearing Disorders
The hearing is a complex system in the body that operates in such a complicated fashion. Yet you hear at such a rapid speed that you can take the entire process for granted. Who would have time to bring to consciousness such a process? Then again, we only realize the importance of our hearing once we suffer from hearing disorders.
There are a number of common disorders that affect the hearing. Some of them are not really classified as disorders but bring considerable discomfort and intrusiveness, just like disorders do. A hearing disorder can occur at birth or it may develop as a person grows. It can also be a result of an injury or a complication of an illness. Nonetheless, any hearing disorder is characterized by abnormal hearing. It can be plain below average hearing sensitivity, hypersensitive hearing, or hearing of non-existent noises.
Hearing Loss
There are generally two types of hearing loss, which are conductive and sensorineural hearing loss. The former is caused by earwax, ruptured eardrum, or fluid buildup in the middle ear. Bone abnormalities in the ears can also cause conductive hearing loss, which occurs when the sound waves that pass through the ears are not transmitted properly. That results in muffled hearing, which can last for as long as the abnormality or blockage remains in the ear.
Sensorineural hearing loss is caused by damage to the nerve that conducts impulses from the ears to the brain. This damage is usually caused by exposure to loud noise. It can also be caused by a tumor or an infection. Aging may also lead to sensorineural hearing impairment that is believed to be a result of cumulative damage sustained over the years. Use of medications may also cause degeneration of auditory nerve fibers, and this can also result in either temporary or permanent hearing damage.
The treatment for hearing loss depends on the type and cause. Blockage in the ears, which causes conductive hearing loss, can be removed through simple procedures. For instance, impacted earwax can be removed by an otologist or even a GP. The patient can go home afterwards. Ear infections, which result in temporary hearing loss, can be treated using antibiotics.
Sensorineural hearing loss can be managed through wearing of hearing aids, which amplify incoming sound so it could be heard more easily. Hearing aids today have been significantly improved to optimize amplification of certain frequencies. Studies show that people with hearing loss usually have problems hearing certain frequencies. Hence, hearing aids are adjusted to amplify only the affected frequencies.
Ringing in the Ears
Millions of people suffer from this strange condition characterized as perception of ringing noise inside the ears. This condition is called tinnitus, and it is a peculiar subject in the area of audiology. The often misunderstood condition is said to be a symptom of a disorder. However, the culprit is sometimes unidentified.
Experts believe that the usual cause of tinnitus is loud noise exposure. This explains why many musicians and factory workers suffer from this condition. It also explains why it is associated with sensorineural hearing loss. Tinnitus can be triggered by stress or ototoxic medications like aspirin. It may be temporary or permanent. It can exist in one ear or both ears.
There is no cure for tinnitus, but there are many ways to manage it. One is through maskers, devices that emit a steady stream of broadband noise. Tinnitus maskers provide relief by making the ringing inside the ears imperceptible. Once the masker is turned off, tinnitus becomes perceptible again. That is the major limitation of masking devices. On the other hand, if you have hearing loss at the same time, you will be advised to wear hearing aids. The amplification of external sound diminishes the perception of internal noise.
Other treatments for tinnitus include homeopathic remedies, which provide relief without causing side effects. Natural remedies usually work by activating the healing mechanism of the body. Other alternative treatments are acupuncture, acupressure, and herbal treatment.
Hyperacusis
Some people are intolerant to noises and may have exaggerated reactions to noises, which do not at all bother others. They are suffering from sensitive hearing or hyperacusis. Another form of sound intolerance is misophonia, which is a selective type of noise intolerance. It is hard to pin down the causes of hyperacusis, but experts think inner ear damage due to loud noise exposure or aging is the culprit. Just as the cause is hard to determine, it is also hard to find a suitable treatment. In most cases, afflicted individuals would have to live with the condition. Retraining therapy can help people with abnormally sensitive hearing. Wearing of masking devices is said to bring about relief. There remains no definite treatment procedure for hypersensitive hearing.
Advice to Everyone
Regular screening of the hearing is important to detect early signs of hearing disorders. It is recommended that people be screened for hearing loss every three years. Those who work at acoustically hazardous environments should have hearing assessment more often. Go to your doctor, too, if your ears are ringing or if you have developed abnormal sensitivity to certain sounds or noises.
Advice for People with Muffled Hearing
People can suffer from hearing loss, which can be due to exposure to very loud noise or adverse reactions to medications. Ear infections and head injuries may also lead to hearing problems. Sometimes, you fail to notice you have muffled hearing or you deny the signs that your ears are no longer functioning properly.
One important advice is to recognize the signs of hearing loss, which include inability to understand speech and conversations, asking people to repeat themselves, turning the volume of the television louder than other people at home prefer, the presence of a constant ear ringing and having trouble understanding people in noisy background.
You should go to your doctor for medical evaluation. Different factors result in hearing loss. Many causes of hearing loss are irreversible. The common cause is exposure to loud noise. Some causes of hearing loss can be corrected. Such causes include cerumen impaction and eardrum perforation.
Sensorineural hearing loss, on the other hand, cannot be reversed and can only be addressed through hearing aids. An ear specialist can evaluate the degree of your hearing impairment and adjust a hearing aid to match your hearing loss. You cannot buy a hearing aid by yourself.
Once your hearing has gone muffled, you can no longer expose your ears to loud noises. Stereos at home should be kept at moderate volumes. You should be concerned about the medicines you take because many can harm your ears and can actually cause other unwanted ear conditions such as tinnitus problems.
Natural Cures for Tinnitus: The Path to Relief
Tinnitus is a sensation of phantom noise inside one or both ears. Doctors do not classify this as a disorder because they think it is a symptom. The problem is that a lot of cases of tinnitus exist alone, without apparent underlying disorder. Statistics shows that it is a fairly common condition, experienced by millions of people. It is commonly associated with hearing loss, although some people with tinnitus do not have hearing problems aside from their noisy ears.
The condition is often called ringing in the ears because a lot of people hear some sort of ringing noise. The high-pitched ringing noise is heard in one ear or both ears, but some sufferers hear a noise that seems to hover above their head. The perception of tinnitus varies from person to person. Although many hear it like steady high-frequency noise, others hear roaring or thundering sounds. In fact, there is a small percentage of tinnitus sufferers who hear rhythmic noises.
Patients look for natural cures for tinnitus to get relief. Conventional medical science offers certain drugs to relieve tinnitus. Some of these medicines include Lidocaine and Xanax. Both these medications are not made exactly for tinnitus, but they are used because doctors found out these were able to help tinnitus patients. Lidocaine is an anesthetic, while Xanax is an anxiety medication.
Tinnitus treatments do not always come as drugs. Therapies to treat ringing ears include masking, tinnitus retraining therapy, cognitive behavior therapy, counseling, stress management, and relaxation therapy. Those with hearing impairment may see relief through hearing aids. Other scientific means to treat tinnitus are cold laser therapy and transcranial magnetic stimulation.
Understanding tinnitus is important for the proper treatment. Doctors usually identify a possible cause and treat that possible cause. A GP, for instance, will check your ears for the presence of impacted cerumen or a perforated eardrum. Ear infections can also cause tinnitus. These diseases can be cured successfully through simple procedures. Once they are treated, tinnitus usually goes away, provided no other condition is causing it.
Usual cases of tinnitus are brought about by noise-induced destruction of hair cells in the cochlea. This type of tinnitus is incurable because the destruction of hair cells is irreversible. This also explains why a lot of tinnitus patients are diagnosed with hearing loss. The damage to hair cells means sound can no longer be transmitted to the brain as efficiently as when hair cells are all functioning normally.
No medication regenerates dead hair cells. Medical practitioners acknowledge that. This leaves a lot of patients troubled, thinking they are bound to live with their ringing ears for the rest of their lives. The absence of available medication for tinnitus prompts many sufferers to seek alternatives. Fortunately, there are available alternative medicines that promise to treat ringing in the ears to some extent.
Natural cures for tinnitus are quite popular because they promise relief and minimal side effects, unlike prescription medications for tinnitus which cause long term adverse effects. Natural “cures” come as herbal or homeopathic remedies, which come from herbs and natural substances. They exist in various formulations. For instance, some formulations mix herbs, vitamins, and minerals for the best effect.
Popular herbal remedies contain Ginkgo biloba, which has been used by Chinese doctors to cure a lot of diseases. This herb improves the blood circulation in general, bringing more nutrients and oxygen to the tissues in the ears. This is not the best option for all sufferers. Some think it does not work. Others say it works slowly. Its effectiveness is arbitrary, a case to case basis.
Homeopathic remedies are different from herbal preparations in many ways. Herbal preparations use herbal decoctions to cure diseases. The curative agent in herbs are extracted and used to treat tinnitus. Homeopathy is just different because it makes use of potentially toxic or harmful substances. But these substances are diluted many times until an extremely dilute solution is obtained.
According to homeopaths, such preparations are potent enough to stimulate the body’s natural defenses. Homeopathy works by the principle of “like cures like.” It means that a substance that causes illness can also cure illness. It only depends on the amount. Fact is that every substance becomes harmful at certain amounts but extremely useful at comparatively small or minute amounts.
Now, tinnitus patients should remember that nothing can cure tinnitus. Even the previously mentioned alternative remedies cannot cure tinnitus. Hence, it is inappropriate to refer to them as natural cures for tinnitus. They can alleviate ringing in the ears to some degree, but they can never work to target the cause of tinnitus or correct the main disorder.
The so-called natural cures for tinnitus work generally by improving a person’s health and immune system. Improved well-being is, however, necessary for combating the negative effects of tinnitus—stress, anxiety, and sleep problems. When you feel better, you become more equipped to deal with tinnitus, thus increasing your chances at habituation.
Many experts believe that the right path in treating tinnitus is not the path to elimination but the path to habituation. The former is virtually impossible to achieve, but the latter is.
