Information contained in this section
What is tinnitus?
It is a noise which has no external source but which can be heard in one or two
ears or even 'in the head'. The noise is usually a hissing, buzzing, ringing or
whistling etc but sometimes the pitch may change and the volume can vary from
fairly quiet to extremely loud.
What causes tinnitus?
Tinnitus is a symptom and not a disease and there
are many different causes for it. It is also important to remember that it is
not a fatal condition. It often starts suddenly and may be connected to an injury to the head.
Another cause is exposure to loud noises, for example gunfire, working in
shipyards or heavy industry or listening to loud pop or rock concerts. Sometimes
it comes on in later life. However some people find it difficult to say how it
started - "it just came".
So what can you do about tinnitus when it starts?
Telephone the Tinnitus Helplines of the BTA (British Tinnitus Association) on 0800 018 0527 or the RNID (Royal National Institute for Deaf People) on 0808 808 6666, preferably from Monday to Friday, 10 am to 3 pm. They will give you advice and send you literature. The BTA have several Information Sheets including All About Tinnitus, Self Help, Good Night Sleep Tight, Drink Drugs and Food, Sound Therapy and Suppliers and Contacts.
Go to your GP. and ask him or her to check that is nothing obviously wrong (such as an ear infection) and also ask for a referral to a hospital ENT Department. The consultant there may ask you to have a hearing test or arrange for you to have a course of counselling and he may refer you to an audiologist.
Do not disregard any hearing loss that you may have - the trouble is that it comes on so gradually over the years that you often don't notice it (not like your eyesight getting worse; you know when you find it difficult to read print without spectacles!) If you need a hearing aid but do not have one your brain will perceive the tinnitus more easily because the brain has to concentrate and strain in order to hear better and thus it hears the tinnitus more easily as well. So if you need a hearing aid then just using one can sometimes make the tinnitus less noticeable.
Join "Whistle Stop" your local self-help group. Many people find that it helps just to talk to other sufferers, who have learnt to cope with their tinnitus.
An estimated 98000 people in Essex have experienced noises such as buzzing, ringing or whistling in the ears or head. These noises do not have an external source and the condition is called tinnitus.
People often feel they have no support because there is no known medical cure and the condition attracts very little scientific research. Since it is Tinnitus Awareness Day on Tuesday (22nd March), I would like to encourage local people with tinnitus to get in touch with the British Tinnitus Association's (BTA) local group in the area to get the information, advice and support they need.
BTA has linked up with RNID, the largest charity representing the nine million deaf and hard of hearing people in the UK and Action for Tinnitus Research (ATR) to develop Tinnitus Awareness Day. The three charities hope to dispel the myths surrounding tinnitus (see below), which creates further misunderstanding and distress around what can already be devastating to those who experience it.
We would welcome anyone in the Essex area to get in touch with "Whistle Stop" by phone or email.
Myth: Tinnitus is all in the mind.
Fact: Although many people think that tinnitus is a psychological
condition this is not the case. Tinnitus can be generated anywhere in the
auditory system - in the ears, nerves of hearing or the auditory pathways in the
brain.
Myth: Tinnitus is due to high blood
pressure or a serious medical condition.
Fact: This is very rarely the case. Although tinnitus may occasionally be a
pointer towards underlying medical conditions, it can also be found in people
with normal hearing.
Myth: Tinnitus only affects older people.
Fact: Tinnitus affects people of all ages, including children.
Myth: Tinnitus is a form of hearing loss.
Fact: Tinnitus is not a form of hearing loss: in fact people with completely
normal hearing may experience tinnitus.
Myth: Tinnitus causes deafness.
Fact: This is not true. However, although tinnitus does not cause hearing
loss, the opposite is true and hearing loss
can sometimes give rise to tinnitus.
Myth: Tinnitus worsens with time.
Fact: This is not true. In the great majority of cases, tinnitus tends to
improve rather than get worse over time.
Myth: There's nothing that can be done to
help.
Fact: There is no absolute cure for tinnitus in the form of a drug
therapy, however there is much that can be done to help people to manage it
effectively.
Myth: Tinnitus is only heard as ringing.
Fact: People with tinnitus have
reported hearing a huge range of noises such as whistling, buzzing, humming,
revving engines and even music.
Myth: Tinnitus is only experienced in the
ears.
Fact: Although some people describe hearing tinnitus in their ears other
people describe it as being inside the head or even around the outside of the
head.
Myth: Tinnitus interferes with sleep.
Fact: Many people with tinnitus think that it wakes them up. When people
wake naturally it is more likely that they are thirsty or need the bathroom
rather than being woken by their tinnitus.
Myth: Botox cures tinnitus.
Fact: To date a very small scale study in the US which injected botox around
the ears showed some positive effect of botox on tinnitus, but further large
scale studies need to be conducted in order to draw definitive conclusions.