Tinnitus (ringing in the ears)
natural therapy treatment, herbs alternative therapy

Tinnitus is a perception of sound in the absence of an acoustic stimulus. The sound may be a buzzing, ringing, roaring, whistling, or hissing, or it may involve more complex sounds that vary over time. Tinnitus may be intermittent, continuous, or pulsatile (synchronous with the heartbeat). An associated hearing loss with tinnitus is usually present.

Causes of Tinnitus
The mechanism causing tinnitus is obscure. Tinnitus may occur as a symptom of nearly all ear disorders, including obstruction of the ear canal by wax or a foreign body, infections (external otitis, myringitis, otitis media, labyrinthitis, meningitis), eustachian tube obstruction, otosclerosis, middle ear tumors, Meniere's disease, ototoxicity (due to aspirin, quinine and its synthetic analogs, aminoglycoside antibiotics, certain diuretics, carbon monoxide, heavy metals, alcohol), cardiovascular diseases (hypertension, arteriosclerosis, aneurysms), anemia, hypothyroidism, hereditary sensorineural or noise-induced hearing loss, acoustic trauma (blast injury), and head trauma all are possible causes of tinnitus.

Tinnitus workup
Evaluation of a patient with chronic tinnitus requires the minimum comprehensive audiologic assessment as well as CT of the temporal bone and MRI of the head. Pulsatile tinnitus requires investigation of the vascular system with carotid and vertebral arteriograms to exclude arterial obstruction, aneurysms, and vascular neoplasms.

Medical treatment of Tinnitus
The ability to tolerate tinnitus varies among patients. Treatment of tinnitus should be directed toward the underlying disease, because its amelioration may lessen the tinnitus. Correcting the associated hearing loss usually relieves the tinnitus; a hearing aid often suppresses the tinnitus. Although there is no specific medical or surgical therapy for tinnitus, many patients find relief by playing background music to mask the tinnitus and may go to sleep with the radio playing. Some patients benefit from using a tinnitus masker, a device worn like a hearing aid that presents a sound more pleasant than the tinnitus. Electrical stimulation of the inner ear, as with a cochlear implant, occasionally reduces the tinnitus but is appropriate only for the profoundly deaf.

Natural treatment for Tinnitus
As of October 2007, we are not aware of  natural treatments that cure or significantly improve tinnitus. Before treatment of tinnitus is begun, a doctor has to determine the cause of the tinnitus and to make sure there are no significant medical conditions that are responsible. There are a few natural options that are worth trying.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy may be helpful in reducing tinnitus. Several studies have confirmed an association between psychological factors, such as anxiety and depression, and severe tinnitus. Assessment strategies used in CBT for tinnitus include structured interviews, daily diary ratings, and validated self-report questionnaires. The treatment approach includes applied relaxation, imagery and distraction techniques, advice regarding environmental sounds, management of sleep, cognitive restructuring of thoughts and beliefs associated with tinnitus, and relapse prevention.
Ginkgo biloba may be tried for a few weeks or months to see if there is any improvement in tinnitus symptoms.
Since the serotonergic system is involved, 5-HTP may be tried for a few weeks to see if it provides tinnitus relief.
Rehmannia has been studied for auditory problems in China

Rehmannia glutinosa activates intracellular antioxidant enzyme systems in mouse auditory cells.
Am J Chin Med. 2006;34(6):1083-93. Yu HH, Kim YH, Jung SY, Shin MK, Park RK, So HS, Kim KY, Lee DH, You YO.
Department of Food and Nutrition, Kunsan National University, South Korea.
Steamed roots of Rehmannia glutinosa (R. glutinosa) have been traditionally used in Oriental medicine for the treatment of auditory diseases such as tinnitus and hearing loss. To investigate whether the ethanol extract of steamed roots of Rehmannia glutinosa increases activity of antioxidant enzymes and the level of glutathione (GSH), we measured activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), glutathione peroxidase (GPX), and glutathione reductase (GR) and GSH level in HEI-OC1 cells after treatment with 5-50 microg/ml of steamed roots of Rehmannia glutinosa. The SOD and CAT activities were significantly increased in the presence of steamed roots of Rehmannia glutinosa compared to the control group. These results suggest that the traditional use of Rehmannia glutinosa for the treatment of auditory diseases may be explained, in part, by activation of intracellular antioxidant enzyme systems. Further studies are necessary to clarify the active constituents of steamed roots of Rehmannia glutinosa responsible for such biomolecular activities.

Tinnitus Research Update
People troubled by persistent ringing in the ears known as tinnitus may find relief with therapy aimed at changing the way they think about the problem, according to new research findings. Tinnitus is a common disorder, estimated to affect 36 million Americans. It can arise from a number of causes, from ear wax build-up to medication side effects to hearing loss. For some people, the noise is persistent and bothersome enough to interfere with daily life. Treatment depends on the underlying problem, but one strategy--known as tinnitus retraining therapy (Tinnitus RT)--involves counseling to change the way patients perceive and react to the ear noise. In addition, small "noise generators" that can be worn in the ear are used to provide a low-level sound that competes with the tinnitus and makes it less noticeable. In the new study, 6 months of Tinnitus RT improved both physical and emotional well-being among 32 patients with tinnitus, according to findings published in the October issue of the Archives of Otolaryngology--Head and Neck Surgery. The patients had been living with the ear ringing for more than 7 years, on average. "These...results thus suggest that Tinnitus RT is effective in reducing some of the distressing effects associated with tinnitus," report Dr. Julie A. Berry and colleagues at the University of Maryland Medical System in Baltimore. The study assessed patients' scores on a standard test of daily functioning and emotional well-being before and after 6 months of Tinnitus RT. After therapy, Berry's team reports, there was a "significant improvement" in test scores--in practical measures such as job performance and concentration, and in the way patients reacted emotionally to their tinnitus. According to the researchers, evidence suggests that "the brain can be retrained to remove the negative emotional association given to the tinnitus signal." For its part, the sound-generating ear device may blur the contrast between a patient's tinnitus and everyday noises in the environment, helping to change the way the tinnitus is perceived. Berry and her colleagues call for larger, longer-term studies to confirm their findings.

Tinnitus alternative therapy Questions
Q. I can find NoFlush Niacin 500 mg but my doctor suggested I try niacin 50 mg daily to help my tinnitus; I don't seem to find it anywhere in that potency.

Q. I have had tinnitus for many years, Tinnitus cause is as always unknown? But tinnitus cure is also unknown as over 80 million people are affected with this disease. Yesterday I saw an ad on Tv here in Michigan, from Rite Aid drug store advertising the use of a very expensive pill Lipoflavonoid? I read through the Lipoflavonoid contents and found most are average vitamins of a normal (One a day Vitamin ). But a couple of ingredients are 1 Choline 334 mg 2 Bioflavonoids with Eridictyol Glycoside 300 mg. and lastly Inositol. I try to use common sense and find the main item that would help stamp out this ringing in my ears. Your web site has a lot of information about Inositol that sounds like this is the key ingredient needed to take and see if this lowers the loud sound and restores the hair in the ear channel and or something .
   A. We have not come across any good research regarding the use of natural supplements for tinnitus. We can't find research on Lipoflavonoid for tinnitus and if the company selling this product is making claims that it treats tinnitus, then they are violating FDA rules.
      Q. This is the Lipoflavonoid pills I saw at the drug store to use for tinnitus as in my e mail to you two days ago
You said you could not find any information on lipoflavnoid I just typed in the name on my computer. http://www.drhoffman.com/page.cfm/441
         A. There is a different between published research in peer reviewed medical journal publication and information on the internet. Information on the infernet on Lipoflavonoid may not necessarily reflect accuracy. We prefer to read published studies on Lipoflavonoid and as such we have not found any scientific studies published on Lipoflavonoid, hence we don't have an opinion on whether it works or not for tinnitus.

Q. Is ginger supplement helpful for tinnitus?
   A. Good question, we are not sure, have not seen any Ginger tinnitus studies.

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