The big issue for anybody who has contracted tinnitus is obviously what remedies exist. First of all, one has to remember that tinnitus is a nervous disposition, which in many cases can not be linked to obvious causes (which could be removed). So it is all important to first of all avoid any artificial stimulation of the nervous system by caffeine, alcohol or other stimulating drugs. Loud noises and stress should be avoided as well. These measures alone can already bring a substantial improvement in many cases (they did for me at least, and for many other persons I had contact with as well). Once one has applied these measures for a few weeks, one can also try to actively calm down the nervous system by means of drugs or other measures. For me for instance, the occasional painkiller (Paracetamol (Tylenol in the US) or Aspirin) has worked very well to suppress the intensity of the tinnitus both in the short as well as in the long term. Alcohol-free beer also proved to have a calming effect. For some people Ginkgo Biloba had a positive influence. And of course relaxation techniques can be very helpful in calming down the nervous system and thus the tinnitus. Even though neither of these remedies is likely to cure the tinnitus straightaway, they can gradually lessen the intensity of the condition. So patience is needed, but unlike what some people (including doctors) are suggesting, it is not so that there is no chance of improvement and that the only options is to 'learn to live with it'. Yes, for the time being one has to accept the condition (like one has to accept a broken leg) but with some care, determination and patience, it can only improve in the long term (although, with nervous dispositions being a tricky affair, it is likely to take longer than to heal a broken leg). Thomas

Tinnitus is mostly known as the result of being exposed to too much noise, but there are really many more potential causes. One has to remember that tinnitus is a nervous symptom, and nervous symptoms can in general be triggered by a wide range of causes. As a symptom, tinnitus can be vaguely compared to pain, and pain obviously can have a wide variety of cause, be it physical or even psychological (for instance stress). The same applies to tinnitus as well. Apart from being for instance the result of a noise trauma, it can be triggered by drugs (medicines), Eustachian tube (air pressure equalization) dysfunction, ear infections, ear wax, stress, depression and other causes. In some cases there does not even seem to be an obvious trigger, or it can be some combination of causes (including inherited factors). It is practically impossible to protect oneself from all possible causes, as a) these connections are not very well researched, and b) each person reacts differently. The only measures that can generally be taken to prevent tinnitus from occurring in the first place is to use some kind of ear protection (ear plugs) in noisy environments, and probably try to avoid, if possible, taking any kind of medicines in high dosages for an extended period (more than a week or so). Of course, once one has contracted tinnitus, then the problem is an altogether different one, namely trying to avoid to further aggravate the condition and finding measures to improve or even cure it. But I shall speak about this another time. Thomas

Generally speaking, all perceptions of sound that do not correspond to actual external sources can be summed up under the term 'tinnitus'. This includes also brief periods (may be even only a few seconds) of ear noises which most people occasionally experience. In these 'transient' cases it is not seen as a problem at all and people are usually hardly aware of it. It only becomes a problem if the ear noises persists let's say for more than a day, because then the person begins to assume that something is seriously wrong. The resulting anxiety then makes it difficult to ignore the condition and the tinnitus can manifest itself as a chronic phenomenon. The ear noises can come in all possible forms, usually a pitched ringing or hissing, but low frequency hums, crackling noises or pulsating tones are not uncommon either. What is causing these noises in the absence of any external sources? Traditional medicine has always assumed that it has something to do with a damage of the hair cells in the inner ear resulting in 'phantom' signals being sent to the brain (which are then perceived as noises). However, research done in the last couple of decades suggests that the inner ear is in most cases not associated with the problem at all. The tinnitus is now considered to be mainly a regulatory problem of the auditory nervous system (see for instance the Tinnitus.org Website for more). The important point here is therefore that in most cases there is no damage of the inner ear associated with the tinnitus (not a permanent damage anyway). The problem is merely one of an imbalance in the auditory nervous system and how to overcome this. Thomas

My name is Thomas, and I have Tinnitus since 2001. While originally being very bad, it has decreased however over the years and is now so weak that it is hardly noticeable anymore. It has not been a problem anymore for several years now. I have published my experiences already for many years on my site Tinnitus Advice and Tips for a Treatment and Cure and for a few years this has now been supplemented by a Tinnitus Forum. With the present blog, I intend to separately cover some topics in a more detailed fashion than I could to it on the aforementioned sites. The blog format is quite ideal for covering tinnitus related issues, because tinnitus is not so well researched as yet that it could be represented in a systematic way. So I hope this will be a valuable addition to the other formats above. I intend to post a new entry evry 1-2 weeks or so, but generally speaking it will be on an irregular basis as my time allows. Thomas