Treatment and Management of Tinnitus
Wide ranging efforts have been made to treat patients suffering from Tinnitus.
Hearing aids, maskers or a combination of the two are the widely used devices to manage and treat Tinnitus patients. The cause of tinnitus which is more often a symptom than a condition is analyzed. Tinnitus can be caused as a result of blood pressure problems, kidney problems and as a reaction to medications. It can be a result of a reaction to a particular diet, an allergic reaction or a result of stress and anxiety. Treatments include drug therapy, vitamin therapy, hypnosis, bio feedback, electrical stimulation, relaxation techniques, and using assistive devices like earphones. Patients suffering from extreme tinnitus in a quiet atmosphere benefit from a steady mechanical background noise like the whir of an electric fan. Holistic methods used to treat tinnitus include acupuncture and reflexology. Drugs like ginkgo bloba, intelectol (vinpocetine) and melatonin are used to manage and treat Tinnitus. Treatment using dietary changes including zinc in the diet have proved effective in some cases. Many patients find relief when they are treated with electrical suppression and low level laser therapy. Different forms of medication are given to suppress tinnitus caused by pregnancy, cardiac pacemakers, ear diseases, schizophrenia, hysteria and hypochondria. Other forms of treatment that have been effective for Tinnitus patients are magnetic therapy and Tinnitus retaining therapy which is used to teach Tinnitus sufferers to suppress the wasting characteristics of tinnitus. A single effective cure for Tinnitus has not been evolved but the American Tinnitus Association in conjunction with medical researchers is conducting extensive research so that a complete panacea can soon ring true to a Tinnitus patient.
