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How To Stop Tinnitus At The Source
If you have tinnitus, you know how annoying it can be. Although commonly referred to as "ringing ears”, some people hear hissing, roaring, whistling, chirping or clicking instead of, or in addition to, ringing. It can be constant or just occasional. And the volume can range from barely audible to roaring.
It is medically accepted that there is no tinnitus cure at this time, but there are many ways to manage it. Better yet is to stop tinnitus at the source. All the tinnitus remedies in the world probably can’t overcome your continued exposure to doing what is causing it in the first place. It would be like trying to get rid of a headache when your head is in a vise. Let’s look at some things that are known to cause or aggravate tinnitus that you can eliminate from your lifestyle.
There are some lifestyle choices that aren’t just bad for your health in general, but also are known to contribute to tinnitus. These include smoking, too much salt, sugar, artificial sweeteners, MSG, caffeine, and drugs, whether they be over-the-counter or prescription. The families of drugs that can cause tinnitus are the “anti” families – antibiotics, anti-inflammatory, antihistamine, and antidepressants. If you noticed a correlation between your tinnitus and taking one of these types of drugs, you might want to talk to your doctor about trying something new.
Exposure to noise is considered the leading cause of tinnitus. Most of us face a lot of noise every day - traffic, hairdryers, barking dogs, and one of the worst offenders, listening to music with headsets. And if you work in certain occupations, you are at risk for tinnitus and hearing loss. Musicians, construction workers, firemen, and people in the military are some examples of people that are exposed to high levels of loud noise on a daily basis. Then there is the occasional really loud situation such as when you cut your grass, attend a rock concert, or a screaming police car whizzes by you. Control the volume on situations you have control over, like keeping the volume down on your iPod. And avoid the situations you can’t control as much as possible, and use ear protection as necessary.
Tinnitus can also be caused by certain medical conditions such as allergies, diabetes, high or low blood pressure, or thyroid conditions. Getting any medical condition under control can help stop tinnitus symptoms, too.
Sometimes tinnitus can be caused by something as simple as too much ear wax or an undetected ear infection. It is best to see your doctor to rule these two things out.
It is believed that type A personalities are more prone to getting tinnitus, so get your stress level under control. Consider meditation, yoga, biofeedback or other forms of relaxation. If being still and quiet is too foreign to you, be sure you burn off energy by getting plenty of exercise.
It is estimated that over 50 million Americans have some degree of tinnitus, so if you have tinnitus, know you aren’t alone. These suggestions only scratch the surface on how to stop tinnitus. And everyone is different. What helps one person doesn’t necessarily help another. But there is lots of tinnitus help available, so don’t suffer, keep looking, and you are bound to find tinnitus relief soon.
