Treatments and home remedies to tackle tinnitus

Published on: 20 December 2017 Last Updated on: 22 February 2020

What is tinnitus?

The tinnitus is based on perceiving a sound that does not exist in the environment; it is often described as ‘a buzzing, a beep, a noise’ … etc. It can be perceived in one ear, both ears and inside your head. The perception of tinnitus is more intense and constant in the silence of the night, in the absence of activities and other sounds or environmental noises that can mask it.

The majority of tinnitus conditions are subjective and they are perceived exclusively by the patient, although around 5-10% are objective tones generated by parts of the body that can also be perceived by other people, especially by the specialist when exploring the patient (example: murmurs, pulse, etc., generated by the cardio-circulatory system).

This is a common problem in the general population. It is estimated that around 30% of the adult population has perceived tinnitus at some point in their lives, and between 10-15% approximately experience them continuously.

In general, the presence of tinnitus increases with age; it is more common in people over 40. This may continue in the future if the harmful effects of exposure to loud sounds and noises in young people are not controlled.

How is it diagnosed?

Although the diagnostic protocol may vary, it includes the following test: a specific clinical history of patients with tinnitus, questionnaires of subjective self-assessment, clinical examination, audiological tests, imaging studies and complementary tests depending on each case.

The first step of the diagnostic protocol is to obtain information about the characteristics of tinnitus, its possible causes (for example: acoustic trauma, ototoxic, otitis, family history, hearing loss, vertigo, Meniêre’s syndrome), its emotional consequences, (that is to say, emotional tension, anxiety, etc.), through a systematized clinical history.

For patients to whom tinnitus affects them severely, the most commonly used treatments are:

Home tinnitus remedies
Pharmacological treatment
Tinnitus Retraining Therapy (TRT)
Hearing aids
Noise generators
Mixed hearing aids
Psychological and/or psychiatric help

Home tinnitus remedies

Use warm towels

This is a very old trick for those who are used to having all kinds of ringing in their ears. In addition to this, it is an effective formula that helps alleviate all tension, and it is very cheap to set a pot of water to boil or use the water from your own heater in the bathtub.

Zinc

Zinc or Iron are an important supplement in your diet; they help tinnitus disappear.

Fresh pineapple

Those who love home remedies will be pleased with the benefits of fresh pineapple because it is very efficient to help you solve any problems with ringing in the ears. It seems to be related to reducing the inflammatory processes in general.

Pharmacological treatment

There are numerous drugs used in the treatment of tinnitus: vasodilators, anxiolytics, antidepressants, corticosteroids, antiepileptic, diuretics, etc.

Sometimes tinnitus is associated with other symptoms and alterations that can be treated pharmacologically. This is the case, for example, of patients with blood flow deficit affecting the inner ear, anxious-depressive problems, Menière’s disease, autoimmune inner ear disease, acoustic trauma, sudden deafness, migraine, brain problems, etc.

Retraining therapy (TRT)

Tinnitus retraining therapy (TRT) is one of the most widely used treatments today and aims to reduce your sound perception and its consequences, including the reactions of emotional tension, anguish, fear, etc., thus favoring the patient’s habituation to it.

Headphones

When tinnitus is associated with a hearing loss, the use of properly adapted hearing aids can be the most appropriate treatment. Hearing aids, in addition to correcting hearing loss, increase the perception of environmentally sound, avoiding strong silence.

Noise generators

One of the options to treat tinnitus is the use of sounds, which can be: environmental or natural sounds amplified by headphones and also sounds produced by white noise generators. White noise generators have the same shape as hearing aids and produce a broadband noise that is easy to get used to.

Psychological treatment

Some patients present psychological and emotional consequences that may be related to the onset and development of tinnitus and/or interfere with the habituation to it (e.g., stress, anxiety, depression, etc.) and their treatment is essential to reduce or minimize the perception of tinnitus.

Read More:

Content Rally

Content Rally wrapped around an online publication where you can publish your own intellectuals. It is a publishing platform designed to make great stories by content creators. This is your era, your place to be online. So come forward share your views, thoughts and ideas via Content Rally.

View all posts

Fighting the Flaws of Menopause: 4 Treatments for Menopause Symptoms

Night sweats, hot flashes, and mood swings – oh my! It all comes with the onset of menopause. And with 75% of women experiencing these symptoms, know you’re not alone. Treatments for Menopause symptoms need to be taken care off while you want to improve your mood swings. But you don’t have to sit idly by and suffer through it. There are things you can do to ease or even end your symptoms to feel more like yourself. Take back control with these 4 treatments for menopause symptoms. 1. Hormone Therapy: Hormone levels decline with the aging process. When that’s combined with menopause, many women experience the nagging, uncomfortable symptoms it brings. Hormone replacement therapy is a popular way to replenish hormone levels. For women who still have their uterus, a combination of estrogen and progesterone (also known as HRT) can relieve moderate to severe symptoms. Those who have had a hysterectomy only need estrogen replacement. You can learn more about how this menopause treatment can work for you on this page. 2. Night Sweats Relief: Night sweats are the result of having hot flashes in your sleep. But you don’t have to take those symptoms lying down (pun intended). Keep your cool at night by dressing in light layers. Turn on a fan and keep a cold glass of water next to your bed to sip on throughout the night. You can also put a frozen cold pack under your pillow. Turn your pillow often so that your head is always resting on the cooler surface. Or it may help to keep the cold pack near to your feet. 3. Ramp up Your Sex Drive: Menopause can disrupt your sexual function, leaving you to deal with dryness and a decline in sex drive. Fortunately, you have options to combat this. Water-based lubricants can help with dryness. You don’t need a prescription to get it, you can pick it up from most drug stores. Lubricants will ease the discomfort of intercourse. Vaginal moisturizers will also promote a healthy vaginal environment. They will help treat mild vaginal atrophy and keep your pH level low. 4. Diet and Exercise: Keeping yourself fit and healthy is a natural, effective way to treat the symptoms of menopause. And since menopause increases a woman’s risk of developing diseases such as heart disease, diabetes, and osteoporosis, diet and exercise help in more ways than one. Achieve and maintain a healthy weight by eating lots of fruits and vegetables. Exercise on a regular basis. Also, limit processed foods and refined sugar. It’s also a good idea to avoid trigger foods. Alcohol, caffeine, and spicy food are common triggers for hot flashes and mood swings. And since dryness comes with decreased hormone levels, always drink plenty of water. At least 8-12 glasses a day. Treatments for Menopause Give You Back Control: Don’t suffer through menopause a moment longer. With these treatments for menopause symptoms, you can take back control of your body and feel better sooner. Is menopause disrupting your sleep? Check out ways to help you sleep better as you age. Read Also: HGH Therapy Clinic In California 8 Natural Ways To Balance Hormones You Can Restore Your Manly Hormone With Steroids Testosterone Therapy Is Someone You Know Suffering From A Benzodiazepine Addiction? Here’s How To Know

6 Effective Ways to Improve Your Mental Health

Most people focus on building their muscles and abs to look good, but having a great body is not the only determinant of having good health. Another determinant is mental health which is often forgotten even though mental disorders are surging at a rapid rate for the past few years. Therefore, we should spend time building the health of our brains, and to facilitate that, we have listed here six practical ways you can employ to boost your mental health. 1. Develop a healthy net of relationships: Humans are made to be social animals, but loneliness has become the norm of modern times. We mostly have digital voices to talk to like Siri and Bixby. Some reports in the United States have painted an alarming picture that loneliness has the same impact on the lifespan of humans as obesity. Therefore, avoid isolation and prioritize your positive relationships, and even if you do not have any, look for such connections because they will help you in remaining sane in this insane world. 2. Develop the habit of exercising: A growing body of scholarship has found a concrete relationship between exercise and reduction in mental maladies like stress, anxiety, and depression. It is stated that exercise releases 'feel-good hormones' called endorphins, which relieve not only the depression but also improve the quality of sleep. If you find yourself unable to hit the gym, take up some sport like football because it is a more entertaining way of achieving the same set of goals. Although, you are bound to get injured once in a while, but do not let that discourage you. Also, do not take head injuries lightly and get a Neuroquant MRI immediately if you suffer a traumatic brain injury. 3. Keep challenging yourself: Do not get stagnant in your life, because nothing invites depression and anxiety more than monotony and depression. Therefore, even if you are at a good place in your life, keep setting new goals, and work diligently to achieve them. 4. Pay gratitude for all the things you have: Nothing ruins mental health more than negative thoughts like counting all the bad things in your life and practicing self-pity. Instead, make a gratitude journal and jot down all the small and big things you are grateful for, like a good family, decent health, your own home, a fun job, etc. 5. Watch your sleep: Sleeping is a crucial component of a healthy life, such that people suffering from sleep debt for a while tend to develop several mental disorders. Therefore, ensuring a quality sleep is paramount, but be aware that quality sleep is different from quantity sleep. For example, six hours of relaxing quality sleep are much better than nine hours of restless sleep. 6. Take care of yourself: Take some time for yourself and indulge in relaxing activities like traveling with your best friends, sleeping well, eating healthy, and meditating on the beach. Moreover, indulging in activities like massaging also have multiple mental health benefits like partial relief from stress and anxiety. You only live once; therefore, it is your responsibility to take care of yourself and live a life full of health, wealth, and wit, such that you are not left with any regrets. Read also: When Will Social Media Addiction Be Considered a Mental Health Condition? 5 Mental Health Benefits of Massage Therapy That You Must Know. 5 Protein Enriched Food To Improve Mental Health.

What You Eat Affects Your Productivity

You must have heard someone say “you are what you eat” at some point in your life but have you ever wondered what exactly does it mean? We’re all aware that the food we consume fuels our body, yet we tend to focus only on the long-term effects of our eating habits instead of the short term consequences of the decisions we make during lunchtime. Perhaps, our eating choices have a profound effect on our mental performance and productivity levels throughout the day. But how exactly does FOOD have the power to do that? And how can you control your productivity by watching what you eat? If you want to find the answers to all such question, keep on reading this article and we guarantee a lot of things will become clear to you. The Link Between Food And Productivity Our diets have a much greater impact on our productivity than we realize. In fact, eating the wrong foods at the wrong times can turn your day upside down. Essentially, whatever you eat has a way of making its way to your bloodstream and eventually reaching your brain. This is because almost every food item that we eat is broken down into glucose in our bodies. Glucose is a simple carbohydrate that can easily cross into the bloodstream to fuel our entire body and keep our brain awake. So when our body is short on glucose, like on an empty stomach, our brain finds it hard to concentrate, focus and perform. But since everything we eat is eventually broken down into glucose, what difference does it make if we eat a bowl of vegetable salad or two scoops of ice cream? Well, here’s the thing: the ability of a certain food to fuel our body and brain depends on the rate at which it can release glucose into our blood, also called the glycemic index (GI). Foods with a low glycemic index like oats or healthy salads release glucose slowly yet sustainably in the blood, regulating blood sugar levels and optimizing brain activity. On the other hand, foods with a high GI such as white rice an ice cream rapidly release glucose in the bloodstream, providing a burst of energy which the body can use immediately. However, the downside is that you’ll be left unfocused and distracted only after a few hours of eating. Moreover, starchy and sugary foods with high GI can impact sleep cycles and actually kill productivity. A sudden spike in blood sugar level increases insulin production in the pancreases which, in turn, floods the brain with hormones like serotonin. Serotonin is a neurotransmitter that also acts as a precursor for the sleep hormone melatonin and regulates circadian rhythms which manage the internal clock of the body and the sleep-wake cycles. Thus, aligning your diet with the circadian rhythms allows you to harness your full potential and make the most of the day. How To Improve Cognitive Performance With Food Now that we have established the link between food and productivity, let’s learn how you can attain a greater mental efficiency by watching your diet and tweaking your lifestyle. Here are some research-based strategies worth giving a try. Watch What You Eat Perhaps, the most important thing you need to do is to keep a check on what you eat. Processed and junk foods spike blood sugars and have a negative relationship with productivity. Instead, make such healthier foods readily available and stack them in plain sight since you’re more likely to eat the first thing you see when you’re hungry. Here are some brain fueling foods you should consider: Fish: A classic brain-food, fish is rich in omega 3 fatty acids that are known to optimize brain function and development and maintain overall energy levels. Dark Chocolate: Dark chocolate has a high content of caffeine that is a well-known concentration booster. Nuts and seeds: Nuts and seeds rich in Vitamin E and other antioxidants reduce cell inflammation and prevent cognitive decline. Fruits and vegetables: Most fruits and vegetables have a low glycemic index and hence are excellent brain power foods. Carrots, avocados, and blueberries are some choices you can opt for to increase your brain activity. Don’t Skip Breakfast In a study published by Roy Baumeister in his book, all children in a class were asked to skip breakfast before coming to school. Then, half of them were fed with a healthy breakfast after coming to school and it was observed that these children displayed better learning patterns and behavior than the other lot. When the unfed children were given a healthy snack during mid-day, their performance also improved. This study perfectly depicts the significance of eating proper breakfast every morning so make sure not to skip on this important meal even if you’re running low on time. Have Small Meals Throughout The Day Since unregulated blood sugar levels can suppress productivity, it’s wise not to let your glucose levels hit the bottom throughout the day. Thus, feast on small and frequent meals during the course of the day to maintain consistent blood sugar levels. You can have small portions of meals during lunch and dinner time and supplement them with 2 healthy snacks at mid-day and evening to fuel your brain more efficiently. Plan Your Meals Beforehand Last-minute eating decisions are not always the best ones since you’re more likely to cave in on unhealthy food cravings that are quite an inefficient source of energy. Hence, it’s good to plan your meals before you get hungry so that you don’t make unhealthy food choices later on. You can prepare your weekly meals over the weekend to save time on weekdays and stay away from ordering unhealthy food out of sheer laziness. Or you can order weekly meal sets from healthy food delivery services like ActivEats if you don’t have the time to cook for yourself. Perhaps, the key to productivity is in your own hands and making subtle changes in your lifestyle and eating habits like those mentioned above can be a step closer to achieving maximum productivity. Read Also: Eating Good Quality Foods For Diet Love Who You Are: How To Prevent Eating Disorders

Treatments and home remedies to tackle tinnitus

What is tinnitus?

How is it diagnosed?