What is this ringing in my ears?

About 1 in 5 individuals suffer from tinnitus. Tinnitus is the annoying ringing, buzzing, or other types of annoying sounds that people hear. For the most part these are only heard by the person suffering the affliction.  The types of noises and degree are varied from individual to individual. The first step should be to see your physician and make sure there is no identifiable medical cause. 

While for the vast majority, there is no medical cause, this possibility should be excluded. The medical causes can be quite benign to serious in nature. Sometimes it can merely be a result of an excessive build-up of ear wax.  Ear or sinus infections can be the culprit. Problems with your temporomandibular joints (TMJs) can be the cause. Pain or popping when chewing can be a tip-off that the tinnitus may be related to this. In a small percentage of people, cardiovascular problems and atherosclerosis can cause the tinnitus symptoms. Prior head and neck trauma can be the cause.  Certain endocrine disorders such as hypo- and hyperthyroidism, lyme disease and other disorders have to be excluded. 

For the rare patient where the sound is audible by someone else, this can be a sign of glomus tumors of the inner ear region.

A review of your current medications is also important, as those can at times contribute to the tinnitus.

Once no medical cause is identified, you are usually on your own to find a tinnitus remedy. At this point you need to consider dietary and environmental causes. That can be time consuming and expensive depending on the route you take. The following posts will hopefully assist you in your search for a tinnitus remedy.

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