With Hyperacusis, the dynamic range of the ear is affected. The dynamic range relates to the ear’s ability to deal with sudden changes in the volume of sounds heard. In normal hearing, the ear regulates noise by amplifying quiet sounds and muting very loud sounds. Hyperacusis inhibits the central nervous system from responding appropriately to incoming sounds. Every day noises, even pages of a magazine being turned, can sound excruciatingly loud.

Hyperacusis is often a chronic condition, meaning sufferers experience it on an ongoing basis. Between 25% and 40% of sufferers also experience tinnitus. Many hyperacusis sufferers also report a degree of hearing loss, inner ear pain or pressure in the ears.

Often hyperacusis first develops in one ear, but both ears are usually affected eventually. The condition can either develop gradually or suddenly as the result of being exposed to sudden loud noise.
Causes of Hyperacusis include temporomandibular joint (TMJ) disorder, head injury, acoustic trauma, some forms of autism, prolonged exposure to loud noise, Lyme’s disease, Meniere’s disease, damage to the brain or the neurological system and conditions such as schizophrenia and epilepsy. It can also be caused by medications such as antipsychotics, antidepressants and illicit drugs.

Hyperacusis can affect every area of life, as sufferers are driven to take drastic measures to find relief, such as leaving their jobs, moving house to an isolated area or stopping socializing. Sufferers’ mental health can be adversely affected and they are at risk of developing conditions such as depression. Many sufferers resort to wearing ear mufflers or ear plugs in an attempt to muffle the sound. However this can exacerbate the symptoms of hyperacusis and place the sufferer at risk of developing phonophobia, which is an overwhelming fear of noise.

Treatment
Hyperacusis has been found to respond to pink noise therapy. Pink noise most closely matched the spectrum of noise we hear in our normal daily lives and works by desensitizing the ear to noise. It is thought to be better than using white noise as hyperacusis sufferers are more sensitive to the higher frequency content in white noise.

Tinnitus Retraining Therapy using sound generators has also been found to be effective at treating hyperacusis.

If you suspect you are suffering from hyperacusis, consult your doctor for a diagnosis and treatment options.

There are various organizations to turn to for help with your tinnitus. For Americans, there is the American Tinnitus Association (http://www.ata.org). The ATA supports research into tinnitus and is committed to helping to find a cure. The ATA also advocates for support from public policies and provide a lot of support and advice for tinnitus sufferers and their families.

If you are in the UK, then The British Tinnitus Association(www.tinnitus.org.uk) is a useful resource. Their address is Ground Floor, Unit 5, Acorn Business Park, Woodseats Close, Sheffield, S8 0TB
Tel (Freephone): 0800 018 0527

The British Tinnitus Association assists research into tinnitus and gives information on research and relieving symptoms of tinnitus. They publish their own journal every quarter and support local self-help groups for tinnitus sufferers.

Your local library or the internet may have details of a local support group you could join. Sometimes talking to other sufferers can help, as they understand what you are going through much better than others who have never had tinnitus. You may also be able to swap ideas for treatments and lifestyle changes which have worked for others.

If you would rather not have face to face contact with other sufferers, chatting on an online forum may suit you better. A search using Google should identify forums you could participate in; for instance, there is one at mytinnitus.de

If you are in the UK, there is a very good forum run by the The Royal National Institute for Deaf People.

If you are finding your tinnitus unbearable to live with, or you have associated problems such as anxiety or depression, you may benefit from a course of counseling. Ask your doctor to refer you.

Your local library may also have books and resources on dealing with tinnitus and relieving the symptoms, or check out the products in our store.

There are also several ways for sufferers of tinnitus to help themselves to relive the symptoms of this condition. These include regular exercise, a nourishing well balanced diet, using relaxation techniques, maintaining a good upright posture and getting a good night’s sleep.

Symptoms can be relieved or even cured by reducing the amount of stress in your life and learning ways of relaxing. For more ways of reducing stress, read this post. For people experiencing high levels of stress who find it difficult to relax, tranquilising medication may be prescribed, although these can quite often have unpleasant side effects.

Lack of sleep can also cause tinnitus with temporal headaches. If you are finding it difficult to get to sleep or are suffering from insomnia, you may want to discuss this with your doctor. You may be able to relieve symptoms or even cure your condition by making sure you receive at least seven hours of quality sleep each night.

Another reason for tinnitus accompanied with temporal headaches could be a subarachnoid hemorrhage, which is when a bleed occurs in the subarachnoid area of the brain. This can occur following a head injury, or a rupture of one of the main arteries. It is potentially very serious, but also very rare, so if you are experiencing temporal headaches this is unlikely to be the cause.

A lumbar puncture can also bring on a temporal headache, although this does not generally occur until around 12 hours afterwards.
Another cause may be Temporomandibular (TMD) or Temporomandibular Joint (TMJ) Disorders (TMD). Muscles and ligaments linked to the ear can sometimes react against each other, causing signals which are misread and can generate noises heard in the ear. Once this is treated, the tinnitus and headaches should disappear.

Tinnitus can be accompanied by a whole range of symptoms, from headaches to dizziness and nausea. Remember, a headache is only a symptom of tinnitus, not a cause- by eliminating your tinnitus the headache should also disappear.

Tinnitus can be so distressing that people are willing to do anything to find a cure or even some temporary relief from the noises in their ears. Unfortunately this means that there is a market for unscrupulous scam merchants to market ‘cures’ which are totally worthless.

I must admit I was skeptical when I first heard about Paul Carrington’s system, Banish Tinnitus. In fact, I almost didn’t even bother to read it but testimonies from so many tinnitus sufferers who had found relief by using Paul’s method persuaded me to give it a try.

I’m glad I did. Paul was a tinnitus sufferer, and shares his story here. Paul tried everything he could to try to get rid of his tinnitus, but nothing worked- until he discovered his own unique three-step method. The tinnitus vanished and never returned! Since then, many people have used Paul’s methods to relieve and eliminate their tinnitus.

Paul’s methods are entirely natural- they involve no surgery or prescription medication. He details exactly what he did to cure his tinnitus, in an easy to read guide. As well as his unique three-step approach, Paul also looks at other natural remedies, some of which I’d never heard of but which have been proved to be effective.

I recommended Banish Tinnitus to a family member, who has reported a drastic reduction in her tinnitus symptoms after only a couple of weeks, and I would certainly recommend it to anyone suffering from this distressing condition. Read more about Banish Tinnitus here.

Take a pen and paper and write down all the negative aspects which could have contributed to your tinnitus. Be honest with yourself, even if it means owning up to some bad habits and less than ideal behaviors. Here is a possible list to start you off. Feel free to look at your own experiences and add to this. Don’t be scared! You don’t need to share it with anybody else (unless you want to!)

Relationship crisis,
Marital Stress,
Drug and prescription medication abuse
Loud noises,
Being overweight or obese,
Heavy smoking,
Lack of exercise/ sedentary lifestyle,
High cholesterol,
High blood sugar levels
High blood pressure
Lack of sleep/ insomnia,
Personal loss/ bereavement,
Unhealthy diet,
Excessive caffeine intake,
Financial pressures/ debt,
Business or work pressures,
Unhealthy levels of stress or anxiety,
Plus anything else you can think of.

The fact is, you are not alone- millions of people around the world experience these negative aspects as a part of their life. Any one of these would be harmful enough for anybody but if you can identify with three or more from the list then tinnitus may be inevitable.

So now you have your list you now have the power to take action. Take a look at your list and consider the things on it that are in your power to change. For instance, if the above list was yours, could you give up smoking, resolve to drink less coffee, lose weight and undertake an exercise regime? Chances are your blood and cholesterol levels would automatically go down. Are there measures you could put into place to reduce your stress levels at work and at home? Could you undergo some counseling for the harder aspects of your life? Once you have challenged and changed the things that are holding you back, your mind will start to look for the positives; you will enjoy radiant health and the symptoms manifested by the negative aspects of your life (including tinnitus) will disappear.

Some things can be changed immediately with a few lifestyle adjustments. Others will require time, motivation and patience to resolve. I promise you, once you start to change your ‘list’, you will notice a reduction in your tinnitus symptoms. The more you change, the more your symptoms will lessen. They could even disappear completely.

There are some things you can change straight away and without hesitation. Other things will require great patience, lots of time and the will to change. But only you have the power to change your life through changing your mind.

Here is a brief look at some of the most common symptoms of tinnitus. How many of these can you identify with? I’m sure you could add even more to this list!

Lack of concentration,
Depressed feeling or low moods,
Lack of patience/ irritability,
Headaches,
Anxiety,
Stress and nervous tension,
Nervousness
Panic attacks,
Loss of self confidence,
Insomnia,
Exhaustion,
Fatigue,
Low self esteem

Apart from the hearing loss accompanying Tinnitus which is one of the main physical symptoms, a lot of the symptoms listed here are more psychological in nature.

There are three important things to remember here.

• Tinnitus is a symptom rather than a disease
• You are not necessarily ill and you are certainly not mentally unwell. Your body is trying to tell you that something is not right.
• You will overcome your Tinnitus if you accept it and come to terms with it.

As soon as you are ready to accept that the tinnitus is a (hopefully temporary) part of you, the sooner you can expect to make progress in beating this condition.

Reduce Your Caffeine Intake; caffeine raises your blood pressure and your heart rate, which can worsen the symptoms of tinnitus. Eliminating as much caffeine as possible from your diet can reduce the symptoms.

Quit Smoking; many people find that once they stop smoking, their tinnitus symptoms disappear. Stopping smoking will also provide a host of other health benefits.

Light Based Therapy; for some reason, low level laser therapy also seems to help in some cases, but researchers are still unsure why. Research is still in the early stages, so doctors are not keen to recommend this yet.

Surgery; there are various surgical options for tinnitus- you could discuss these with your doctor.

Natural Treatments; There are now many cures for tinnitus based upon natural treatments and therapies. These can range from dietary supplements to herbal remedies. You will find more information on these in other articles on this website.

Remember that tinnitus is not something you have to “just put up with”. It can be treated and controlled like any other condition; many people have found ways to reduce or even eliminate the noises they hear. In some cases, cures for tinnitus only involve minor life style changes; in others medication or even surgery may be required. The key is finding an option which works for you.

I have learnt to preach to the choir in my ears. I did so because there came a time a when I realized that no one and nothing was going to rid me of my tinnitus.

Here are just a small reminder of some of the therapies I have tried in order to find some peace and quiet in my life: Acupuncture, psychotherapy, hypnotherapy, infusions, Valium, Anti-depressants, orthodontic treatment, hearing aids, masking aids, “Tinnitus Re-Training” program; the list goes on. I was asked to wear a specially designed corset to strengthen my back. I was asked to wear a brace by an orthodontic specialist. I have been advised to take Botox and now I am being advised to try a new “Herbal Tinnitus Formula” which may or may not help relieve Tinnitus. To add to all this, I spent at least six weeks in a Tinnitus clinic for rehabilitation measures. I have been off work for almost 1 year and finally lost my job due to my absence.

Written down it all looks very dramatic and all in all, a pretty long story to tell.

These are the negative aspects I had to learn to accept and forget. These elements are history and must stay that way.

The most common thing that most Tinnitus victims share is the fact we will do practically anything to get rid of the ringing in our ears. We will believe anything we are told and follow any instructions. We believe because we trust what we are hearing and we all look forward to the day when our Tinnitus is gone.

Unfortunately we are often left in despair and frustration when we realize that the above therapies don’t work and in 90 % of all cases, have to admit that our Tinnitus is going to be a part of our every day lives. This is hard to accept for anyone.

If you can established and accept this fact then you will become aware that the only way out of Tinnitus oblivion is your own strength of will. The cure lies within yourself.

Without stepping on too many toes, I must admit that the medical field did absolutely nothing to ease my Tinnitus. There are of course many theories as to why we get tinnitus and how to treat it but at the end of the day there isn’t much that common medicine can do for us.

There is away out of this hell and the only person that will make it happen is you. Ask yourself what you would do to get rid of your own Tinnitus. We have already established that we would do anything to rid ourselves of this torture.

Tinnitus can be ignored. It’s a simple trick. Like most tricks it has to be learnt and practiced.

One of my biggest dreams was learning to play the Didgeridoo. I went out and brought one and tried to teach myself to play it. After much frustration and days of trying to get a sound out of it, I finally succeeded. I got a looooong good sound out of it. It sounded really good. The only problem was that the sound diminished after 10 seconds because I had to breathe IN; the only sound that comes from a didgeridoo is when you breath OUT. The trick is something known as “circular breathing”. In other words, breathing in and out at the same time. Believe it or not, it’s possible to breathe In and OUT at the same time and still live to tell the story. However, after weeks and weeks of practice, I learnt how to master “circular breathing”.

I hope you can see the point I am trying to make. Learning to ignore Tinnitus is like learning to play the didgeridoo. It needs practice and willpower in able to succeed.

Please let me repeat this phrase once more because it is very important you understand this.

You can learn to ignore Tinnitus if you know how. Anyone can learn to ignore Tinnitus.

Your mind has been finely tuned to ignore things it doesn’t want to accept. This capability is evident in everyone alive. Think carefully, how many things do you forget or ignore because you don’t like them.

Everyday we are confronted with elements we would rather forget.

Tinnitus is another one of them. Learn to reduce its importance and concentrate more on enjoying quality time.

It’s absolutely vital you start realizing that Tinnitus is NOT a disease. You are not sick and you are not suffering from a mental disorder! You must get your life back on track again and start enjoying your life.

Tinnitus is a power that can be manipulated. Haven’t you been manipulated enough already? Isn’t it time you got yourself back into the driving seat and stated taking control again.

You can’t let something as unimportant as Tinnitus control your life. This defies all logic!

I did the same and managed to change my lifestyle completely. I stopped smoking and I lost 50 pounds in weight. I started to work out and go jogging and I stopped worrying about Tinnitus. In fact…I stopped worrying about things I couldn’t change period.

All these things I did myself with no help from anyone. I used Tinnitus as a base of energy and manipulated it to meet my own needs.

You know what? I still have the choir in my ears and it is still loud at times, but there again so is life. The only difference now is that I am the preacher and I am in control.

Happy preaching!

Acupuncture is an alternative Oriental treatment which has been used to treat a variety of health conditions and diseases for over 2,500 years.

Acupuncture works by inserting very fine needles into the skin to target energy points in the body, known as ‘Qi’ points. The science behind acupuncture is that health is governed by a balance of ‘yin’ and ‘yang’ within the body- the ‘Qi’, or energy, flowing through the body is ‘yang’ and its counterpart is blood, or ‘yin’. When these two forces are out of alignment with each other, disease is the result.

Acupuncture regulates the flow of ‘Qi’ and blood, creating harmony within the body and theoretically curing disease. It is also believed that certain ‘Qi’ points correspond with different organs within the body.

In acupuncture, the kidneys are believed to be connected to the ears, and any hearing problems can thus be caused by weakness in the kidneys. The heart and lungs are also thought to affect tinnitus; as the heart and mind are thought to be connected, weak blood flow to the heart will also have an affect on the head and ears.

Treatment is likely to vary with each individual case and how long they have been suffering. Herbal medicines may be prescribed alongside acupuncture treatments. Some success has been reported using acupuncture, although results have been rather mixed. Many sufferers have reported a lessening of their symptoms even if the tinnitus has not been completely cured. I strongly feel that the strength of your belief in alternative treatments such as acupuncture can have an effect on whether it will work for you.

It may be worth trying acupuncture, although you should always make sure you choose an approved practitioner. It is always advisable to consult your doctor or consultant in the first instance.

Suffering hearing loss can be frustrating as it affects our ability to communicate. This can cause stress, which can aggravate the symptoms of tinnitus.

A normal hearing aid may relieve the symptoms of tinnitus, as the sufferer will be able to hear more external and back ground noises, which will cause the tinnitus sounds to lose their prominence.

However, other sufferers find no improvement to their tinnitus in using a hearing aid alone, and some report that these can even amplify the tinnitus sounds. There is now a device available which combines a hearing aid and tinnitus masker together in a single unit. It is called a Tinnitus Instrument, and is worn like a standard hearing aid. It contains separate volume controls for hearing and tinnitus masking; the correct volume for hearing should always be set before the masking element is adjusted, as if the masking sound is too high hearing could be damaged further.

If you think that you are experiencing hearing loss, consult your doctor who will arrange for hearing tests to be carried out and appropriate treatment advised.