You may not be sure when it started, but suddenly you no longer find solace in solitude. That ringing, buzzing, chirping, or whistling sound in your head arrived and is refusing to leave. These are symptoms of tinnitus.
While some people may find these symptoms fade over time, others suffer from the lingering tone for weeks, months or even years. Tinnitus is the presence of sound that is not in your external environment – and as much as twenty percent of the population will experience it at some point in their life. The most common misconception with tinnitus is that it isn’t treatable.
“Tinnitus can be caused by a variety of factors including, but not limited to stress, anxiety, certain health issues, exposure to noise, over 250 ototoxic medications, or wax and/or fluid in the ears,” says Dr. Beki Kellogg, founder and lead practitioner of Hope Hearing & Tinnitus Center. “At least one in five adults will experience tinnitus in their lifetime. It’s quite common, although most people don’t talk about it in conversation much. There is a perception that tinnitus isn’t treatable and it’s just something you have to live with, but this isn’t true. It’s important to understand it is not a malfunction of the ear, but a misfiring of auditory signals in the brain causing the issue. It’s actually very treatable because we can identify the pathway in the brain that the tinnitus is taking. Our treatment is founded on evidence-based research performed over a decade on more than 1,000 patients. This is the reason behind the name of the practice Hope Hearing & Tinnitus Center, because there is hope and relief available. Research has proven we can treat tinnitus with an 80% or better success rate, and our treatment is seamless.”
Dr. Kellogg founded Hope Hearing & Tinnitus Center to give those seeking hearing amplification and tinnitus treatment a quality audiology practice to call their own. The brand name was designed as a beacon for sufferers – the assurance that there is hope; and relief is possible. “The sooner you address tinnitus, the better,” Dr. Kellogg says. “Many people had no idea how much their tinnitus bothered them until it was improved with Hope Hearing’s therapy. Tinnitus is a neural cycle in the brain, and it embeds itself deeper the more the cycle continues. Seeking treatment with us can only be beneficial.”
Dr. Kellogg and her team at the Center have made it their mission to educate the public about tinnitus, particularly to let them know those affected with it are not alone and that there are effective treatment options.
Hope Hearing & Tinnitus Center provides helpful points about tinnitus below:
– Stress, anxiety, and other health issues can cause tinnitus. This could be stress of the holidays, the loss of a loved one, an unwanted diagnosis or a sickness. Often since tinnitus impacts people’s quality of sleep their ability to function the next day and complete tasks effectively is impacted. Therefore, it is not uncommon people with tinnitus often feel more irritable, anxious or moody.
– Noise exposure is a leading cause of tinnitus. This could be from a loud rock concert in your 20s to operating noisy farm or factory equipment in your 50s and beyond.
– Most people describe tinnitus as a ringing, roaring, clicking, cicadas, chirping, whistling, buzzing, hissing, or humming sound. It has also been described as a “heartbeat in your ear.”
– The noise may not always seem as if it is directly within your ears. Often people say it’s coming from their head. It can also be steady, pulsating, or intermittent noise toward the back of your head. It can occur in just one ear.
– Tinnitus can occur in people with normal hearing—not just those with hearing loss. It is sometimes noted that people do hear better once their tinnitus is addressed, even those that do not show a hearing loss in the auditory evaluation.
– Tinnitus can affect sleep and mental health. MIT conducted a study linking untreated tinnitus to depression, anxiety and higher cognitive function. Johns Hopkins linked untreated hearing loss and the chances of dementia together. The correlation between the auditory system and cognition is a strong link.
– Tinnitus can be associated with a temporary blockage of sound from a cold or sinus infection. Once cold symptoms dissipate or earwax is removed, the tinnitus may fade away on its own. The side effects of a loud concert can cause tinnitus for 24 to 48 hours, which is called a temporary threshold shift. If tinnitus lasts for longer, consider booking an appointment with a provider at Hope Hearing who specializes in tinnitus treatment.
At Hope hearing our evidence-based therapy is extremely effective. Consistency and time are needed to experience long-lasting relief. Listen to the sounds that may match your symptoms and learn more about tinnitus treatment near you. You can also book an initial consultation online.
