Are You Suffering From Any of These Symptoms as a Result of Tinnitus? Call Today for a Consultation.
■ Mild to severe anxiety
■ Depression
■ Insomnia
■ Negative thinking
■ Triggered fight or flight
■ Crying spells
■ Hopelessness
■ Ringing in the ears
■ Suicidal thoughts
Are you growing more isolated? Do you feel like life will never be the same? Are you refraining from activities that you enjoy? Are you fearful of losing your job? Do you find that your thoughts tend to be negative?
If you answered yes to 3 or more of these questions or symptoms, then we can help. You may be a candidate for Tinnitus Cognitive Retraining Therapy, or TCRT.
With over 20 years of clinical experience, Stephen Geller Katz, LCSW-R developed Tinnitus Cognitive Retraining Therapy and founded the Tinnitus Cognitive Center™ in response to the growing number of Tinnitus sufferers coming to his private practice.
He discovered that by helping people to retrain and reinterpret the thoughts around their Tinnitus, anxiety and depression symptoms began to improve. But even more important so did the Tinnitus.
If you are suffering from tinnitus, you want to know how to stop the ringing in your ears. Some people often notice their ears ringing at regular intervals, while others may hear a buzzing, roaring, or hissing in their heads. Sometimes the sounds are intermittent, and other times, they can be constant. Issues like these can be a minor or massive distraction, depending on their severity. If you are among the ten percent of people who experience tinnitus, you can alleviate it to some extent.
The condition is referred to as tinnitus when the human ear perceives sound without external sound. The noise is either perceived in both or one ear and, in some cases, in the head. Generally, people with this condition report hearing waves, wind, whooshing, songs, crickets, roaring, whistling, humming, hissing, high pitched ringing, and whatnot in the head.
According to the American Tinnitus Association, over fifty million people in the United States experience this condition to some extent. Out of these fifty million Americans, about twelve million suffer from extreme tinnitus and require medical attention.
What Tinnitus Patients Should do to Minimize or Stop Ringing in the Ears
If you think you suffer from tinnitus, the first thing to do is to notice the details regarding your symptoms. Were you exposed to loud noises, or did you start taking medicine before the ringing started? Are both of your ears affected, or do you have hearing issues? Make sure you consider such questions before opting for any treatment.
Take the time to observe what makes the ringing worse. Some individuals state that certain drugs, drinks, and food often worsen their symptoms. Remember, tinnitus affects everybody differently, so avoid different triggers and maintain a written log. You don’t necessarily have to avoid each trigger, but notice things that impact your symptoms.
Here are some things that may trigger your tinnitus:
Salt
Aspirin
Alcohol
Caffeinated drinks like energy drinks, tea, coffee, and cola
Do these Things to Possibly Avoid Ringing in the Ears
If your tinnitus is becoming too much of a problem, consider doing the following things to prevent the ringing sounds in your ears or head.
Avoid Smoking
If you are a regular smoker, consider avoiding it entirely. Smoking can worsen the tinnitus in more ways than one. First off, it affects the blood flow toward your sensitive nerve cells. Secondly, it also acts as a stimulant, causing the ringing to sound even louder.
Soothing Sounds May Help
Sometimes tinnitus can become a bigger bother than it usually is when it is too quiet. You can do the following things to distract your mind from the sounds in your head and ears:
Turn your fan on
Listen to some light music
Listen to a podcast
Some people also report that using a white noise machine can help offset the ringing sounds. These devices can create different soothing sounds, like the sounds of a running stream, rainfall, or ocean waves.
Take some Time Out to Relax
It is normal to get annoyed or anxious when you notice a ringing or buzzing sound in your ears. However, worrying can worsen these symptoms. Consider trying different techniques to calm your mind until you find something that works for you. Sometimes even a few minutes of relaxation can make you feel better significantly.
Tinnitus can become a massive burden for those suffering from it and can prevent people from going about their day. If you or someone you know experiences ringing in the ears, Stephen Katz may be able to help. Just book an appointment by contacting us. Dr. Katz will diagnose and possibly resolve your issue, ensuring you can go about your day without getting overwhelmed and distracted by ringing in your ears.
Tinnitus Cognitive Center™ Stephen Geller Katz, LCSW-R 646-213-2321
Tinnitus is the sensation of hearing sounds without an external source. Although normally characterized by ringing in the ears, many people also experience buzzing, hissing, chirping, whistling, etc. The sound a person affected by tinnitus hears can vary greatly.
For example, some people may experience constant tinnitus while others suffer from intermittent ringing. Not only this, but people also experience different sounds at different volumes. On the other hand, some people experience pulsating ringing while it is steady for others. You can experience tinnitus in one or both ears or even inside your head.
This common hearing condition affects around 50 million people in the US, particularly adults. Though not a serious health risk, it can often affect their quality of life. So, let’s see how you can find whether you have tinnitus. Then, you might need to see a medical professional for tinnitus treatment.
1. Symptoms/ Causes/ Health Conditions
In case you’re wondering whether you’re suffering from tinnitus, start by evaluating the symptoms that you’re experiencing. Do you hear sounds that are not coming from your surrounding environment? If so, then what are the sounds like? People with tinnitus tend to hear multiple sounds ranging from ringing to humming.
Then, see where it’s taking place. Can you feel it in both your ears or just one of them? Are the sounds steady or pulsating? You might have pulsatile tinnitus if you experience a heartbeat in your ear in conditions with low background noise.
Also, evaluate the causes that might be contributing to the ringing sound in your ears. For example, conditions such as ear blockage, ear infection, Meniere’s disease, high blood pressure, and diabetes can trigger tinnitus. Certain medications and head and neck injuries can also largely contribute to the development of tinnitus.
Other health conditions associated with tinnitus include depression, sleeping problems, anxiety, hyperacusis, etc.
The frequency of your symptoms plays a great role in determining whether or not you’re affected by tinnitus. Generally, most people experience tinnitus at some point when they are exposed to loud noise. For example, your ears might ring for a day or two after attending a concert. This suggests that tinnitus is usually not a serious health concern.
So, considering the frequency is an important factor. Try and notice how often you hear a noise in your head or ear(s). Or, does it only occur in certain conditions, such as while listening to music? Sometimes, the condition is only temporary, but it can also prevail for as long as over 15 years. So, it is important to identify if something specifically triggers tinnitus for you.
A specific situation like loud noise or a certain atmosphere causing tinnitus in your ears should not be problematic. However, treatment is necessary if you frequently experience symptoms of tinnitus. Tinnitus that prevails for longer than six months may be chronic, affecting the quality of life. Furthermore, it can also be a sign of nerve damage or a tumor.
3. Influence
It is also important to consider how chronic tinnitus affects your life. It can largely affect your overall well being, mood, sleeping habits, ability to concentrate, etc. Tinnitus is also associated with psychological health conditions such as anxiety and depression. You can better assess your tinnitus situation by asking yourself the following questions:
Does your tinnitus affect how you enjoy your life?
Are you facing difficulty sleeping due to the constant ringing in your ears at night?
Do you find it hard to relax and stay calm because of tinnitus?
Does it interfere with your work life and overall productivity?
Ringing in the Ears is it tinnitus? Bottom Line
A hearing test can help if you have tinnitus symptoms for more than a few days after hearing a loud noise. If you’re looking to get your hearing checked, visit the Tinnitus Cognitive Center™. Stephen Geller Katz, LCSW-R, offers excellent tinnitus therapy to his patients.
Give us a call today!
Stephen Geller Katz, LCSW-R 19 West 34th Street Penthouse Floor New York, NY 10001 646-213-2321
If you struggle with the condition of a constant ringing sound in your ears, you already know that it can be annoying and frustrating. Although this ringing or buzzing in the ears is not a cause of concern most of the time, constantly experiencing it without any probable cause might require medical attention.
Experts refer to this condition as “tinnitus,” whereas many people call it “a condition in which you hear ringing or buzzing noises in one or both of your ears”.
What is Ringing in the Ears (Tinnitus)?
Tinnitus is the occurrence of strange and obscure noises in your ears without a prominent cause. While we perceive sound normally through external sources, tinnitus is different. In this condition, the constant noise does not occur due to an external source. Rather, you hear noises because of an underlying internal issue. Still, you should not consider it more than sound disorder even though it is incurable most of the time.
Subjective tinnitus occurs when only the affected person can hear these strange and consistent noises in their ears. Conversely, objective tinnitus refers to when the people closely around the affected person may also perceive these sounds, but at a lower intensity. Note that objective tinnitus is rare and occurs in only 1% of all tinnitus patients. The noises are a result of musculoskeletal or cardiovascular movements within the body. Take a look at some of the general symptoms of tinnitus.
Symptoms
Roaring sounds
Whooshing sounds
Whistling noises
Hissing
Headaches
Sleep disturbance
Dizziness
What Leads to Ringing in the Ears (Tinnitus)?
For one, tinnitus may occur due to excessively loud sounds exposure. It is the case with most affected people and continues to persist. Moreover, it can cause noise-induced hearing impairment or even hearing loss. Loud sounds tend to destroy and adversely affect the condition of sound-sensitive cells in your ear’s cochlea, which is a spiral-shaped organ.
People who work jobs involving loud sounds or noises, such as musicians, construction workers, and factory workers, are at a higher risk of developing tinnitus. In addition, an abrupt exposure to loud noise can also manifest tinnitus in a healthy individual.
Health Conditions Leading to Tinnitus
Tumor if the auditory nerve
Temporomandibular Joint Syndrome affects the jaw, neck, and nearby areas of the ears
Ear clogs due to excessive wax buildup
Otosclerosis causes the small middle ear bones to become stiff
Menier’s disease leads to the deterioration of parts of the inner ear
Certain medications can harm the health of ears and their internal organs, so consult your healthcare provider to make sure don’t expose yourself to such threats
Neck and head accidents/injuries
Blood pressure disorders
Cardiovascular diseases and disorders
The aging process reflects poorly on the health of ears and the internal sound-sensitive cells and organs
Anemia, allergies, underactive or overactive thyroid gland, diabetes, etc.
Leaving the condition unaffected can lead to chronic progression of tinnitus, which may not be tolerable later on. Therefore, is best to seek medical attention to identify the underlying cause of tinnitus for effective treatment.
What Treatments Might Help You with Ringing in the Ear (Tinnitus)?
Therapies
Therapies can help a patient with tinnitus feel less bothered or obstructed by the constant ringing or other forms of sounds. Therapies aim to establish a new thought process. They allow patients to view the symptoms of tinnitus from a different outlook. Hence, while they may not feel comfortable with the condition, they surely feel less concerned due to them.
Sound Therapies
There are various types of therapies that can help people with tinnitus enjoy their life and live with fewer disturbances. Sound therapy helps reduce the constant noise and sounds due to tinnitus. These therapies involve the use of sound devices that mask the constant ringing with external sounds. Such devices can include hearing aids, white noise machines, and masking devices.
However, the sound being external should be pleasant to hear. Otherwise, the whole purpose of it will remain unfulfilled. Furthermore, these therapies offer temporary relief. It means that once you take the devices off, tinnitus symptoms are bound to return.
CBT (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy)
While CBT doesn’t offer an outright solution to the tinnitus ringing and buzzing sounds, it offers comfort and relief with associated symptoms. CBT aims to reassure patients that tinnitus is a medical condition that doesn’t have a cure. By enhancing thinking and developing better behavioral patterns, an affected individual can learn to ignore these sounds.
TRT (Tinnitus Retraining Therapy)
TRT therapy involves perceiving the disturbing sounds and noises as normal. What does this mean? The therapy will involve the use of devices and trained professional’s advice to rethink the noises as normal external noises, which will help the patient cope with the severity and resume their daily life.
Ringing in the Ears & Tinnitus: Conclusion
If you aim to find the most effective tinnitus solutions and healthcare, you should get in touch with Stephen Geller Katz, LCSW-R at the Tinnitus Cognitive Center™. Dr. Katz is a world renowned tinnitus specialist who has successfully treated thousands of patients suffering from sound disorders such as tinnitus. Call Stephen today for a consultation and to schedule a convenient online session from anywhere in the world.
Tinnitus Cognitive Center™ Stephen Geller Katz, LCSW-R 19 West 34th Street Penthouse Floor New York, NY 10001
Do you ever hear unusual ringing or even a buzzing sound in your ears? Does it occur frequently or occasionally without the presence of a valid source? Well, that what you may call a “ringing in the ears.” Usually, doctors and scientists refer to it as tinnitus. It is a neurological and audiological disorder. Although ringing is the most common sensation that tinnitus-affected people may face, other sensations like buzzing and hissing sounds exist.
In the US, over 50 million people struggle with mild to burdensome and chronic tinnitus conditions. Moreover, 2 million among them suffer from extremely debilitating tinnitus conditions.
Tinnitus noise levels can range between high and low pitches, just like loud roars or sharp squeals. In addition to that, it might occur in one or both of your ears. Generally, tinnitus results in rhythmic or pulsating noise patterns that are capable of interfering with your abilities by causing a loss of focus or concentration to perform normal tasks.
Subjective Tinnitus
Subjective tinnitus ranges in severity from chronic to mild, and it might even be temporary. Besides that, in subjective tinnitus, loud or pulsating “ringing” in your ear is exclusive to your hearing. Monotonous or changing sounds that create a sensation of being outside the head or in one or both your ears are what describe this common type of tinnitus condition.
Objective Tinnitus
If you have objective tinnitus, you might not be the only person who hears the rhythmic or pulsating sound. In fact, someone close to you might be able to detect the sound patterns that are often in sync with your blood flow (close to the ear tissue) or heart rate.
Ringing in the Ears: Symptoms
Often, tinnitus has some other symptoms, which occur without any external sound/audio source. Some of those phantom noises are below:
Humming
Clicking
Roaring
Hissing
Buzzing
Ringing in the Ears: Causes
Did you know that deformity or damage in the inner or middle ear is among the prime causes of tinnitus? Your middle ear is responsible for picking up sound waves that are prompted to your inner ears. Consequently, your inner ears transmit electric signals to your brain. Ultimately, it leads to what you perceive as “hearing.” In contrast, tinnitus involves damage to the inner ear, so you face a disruption in how your brain receives the electric signals.
Moreover, regular exposure to loud and heavy sounds can also contribute to a tinnitus condition—for example, construction or steel millwork that involves heavy equipment such as jackhammers. Well, if you have a habit of attending loud concerts or putting on your music headset at full volume, it might be time for a change of habit. Why? Because these everyday activities can lead to tinnitus as well.
Furthermore, damage to the tiny bones, eardrums, tumors in the ear, or auditory nerve can lead to tinnitus. Besides the above-mentioned causes of tinnitus, some medications in excessive dosages can possibly cause tinnitus.
Anti-malarial drugs
Specific antibiotics
Excessive aspirin consumption
Anti-cancer treatments and medications
Other Medical Conditions Leading to Tinnitus
Muscle spasms (in ears)
High cholesterol
High blood pressure
Neck or head injury
Excessive earwax buildup
Age-related loss of hearing
Meniere’s disease
Diagnosis
A hearing test is useful for detecting tinnitus, and in most cases, your doctor or general physician conducts such a test. The process involves your doctor passing a sound to each ear alternatively. After this, you respond with a hand or any other sort of gesture upon hearing.
Your doctor may suggest tests like a CT, MRI, or even plain standard-film X-rays to ensure that you do not face underlying medical conditions, such as deformities. Your doctor will compare your hearing abilities to those of others belonging to the same demographic (sex, age, etc.). These can help your doctor suggest adequate treatment and medication.
Numerous treatment options for tinnitus are available to help relieve pain and symptoms. Of course, your doctor will determine any underlying health concerns before opting for treatment. Some options include:
Avoiding or reducing the intake of hearing-affecting medication
Earwax removal from the ear(s)
Hearing aids
White noise machines
Treating the blood vessels that appear damaged or deformed
Other Treatment Methods (Noise Suppression)
Tinnitus is rarely curable, and this implies the need for symptom-relieving methods. In this case, electronic devices like white noise machines or masking machines are among the best noise suppressors.
When Should You See A Doctor?
If the “ringing” or other tinnitus symptoms are reoccurring and causing major life disturbances, you should immediately seek professional medical care. Diagnosis consists of various exams and tests, the results for which will help your doctor determine the best course of treatments.
Ringing in the Ears: Conclusion
If you are looking for the best professional medical care to treat tinnitus in NYC, don’t look any further. Stephen Geller Katz, LCSW, possesses 30-years of clinical experience with expertise in tinnitus and anxiety disorder therapies and treatment. As the founder of the Tinnitus Cognitive Center™, Dr. Stephen Geller aims to provide relief to his patients in NYC and around the world.
Give him a call at 646-213-2321 to book an appointment today. Visit the Tinnitus Cognitive Center™ official website and learn more.
Ringing in the ears or tinnitus can be a reason behind several things. While it can cause health problems, it is not a disease. You might be wondering the cause behind constant ringing in the ear without an external source. If you fail to treat it in time, it can damage the tiny hairs in the inner ear. It can also change the signals your brain receives, and because of that, you may have difficulty in hearing. Most often, tinnitus is a symptom of aging, but there might be several other causes as it also occurs in young people. Tinnitus can be permanent or temporary.
Hearing may get worse for many people as they age and deal with Tinnitus. Sometimes, it begins at the age of 60 and will affect both or one ear. Signs that your hearing is getting worse is that you will have trouble hearing high-frequency sounds.
· Loud Noises
The leading cause of Tinnitus is loud noises. The sounds you hear once or every day in your life can lead to tinnitus. These sounds include the backfire of the car, loud machinery, a sporting event, or a concert. This affects both of your ears and can be permanent or temporary.
· Too Much Earwax
Your body makes this lubricant to protect your ears and trap dirt but if too much of this wax piles up. It can lead to hearing loss or ringing in the ears. Doctors can remove this by gently cleaning your ear. Remember, you should not clean your ears on your own using a Q-tip because that can push the earwax further.
· Certain medicines
Over the counter or prescription drugs can also trigger ringing in the ears or make it worse. This includes diuretic, aspirin, anti-inflammatory drugs, nonsteroidal, quinine based medicine, antibiotics, antidepressants, and even drugs for cancer. Taking large doses of these medicines means a higher risk of worsening the problem. At times, doctors may suggest that you stop using the drugs. If you do so, you may notice the symptoms go away after a while. However, you must never stop taking your medication without discussing it with your doctor.
· Ear And Sinus Infections
You might experience tinnitus and other symptoms of a cold at the same time. This can be because of an ear infection that affects your hearing ability and increases the pressure on your sinuses. If that is the case, it should not last longer than the time you have an infection. If this condition persists beyond a week or month, you should visit your doctor.
· TMJ
A problem with your jaw can cause tinnitus. You may notice pain and pop in your jaw joint. The joint shares some ligaments and nerves with your middle ear. The dentist treats you with TMJ disorders, which can help treat tinnitus as well.
· Blood Pressure Issues
This includes blood pressure and many other conditions such as consumption of alcohol, caffeine, and experiencing high-stress levels. It also burns and hardens your arteries, so it becomes less stretchy. Because of this, your blood flows louder and stronger.
Other Medical Problems
These include changes in your inner bones, a disorder that is called Meniere’s disease, the neck injury, or the head injury. Conditions such as Lyme disease and fibromyalgia can also trigger ear ringing. Contact a doctor to help you out in such cases to ease the sound and pain.
Diagnosis
Anyone suffering from tinnitus should urgently visit a doctor for evaluation and examination. The medical evaluation can determine if your condition is serious or life-threatening.
Questions that a doctor might ask to include:
When or how did it start?
Are the pulsating and intermittent noises constant?
Do you feel dizziness, or is there any hearing loss?
Have you had any type of injury or illness recently?
Do you have pain in your jaw when clicking?
Have your ears experienced any type of exposure to the loud noise such as explosive or rock concert?
These tests may include:
A complete examination of the neck, head, ear, and torso
The most common reason for tinnitus is the loss of tiny sensory hair due to the damage in the cochlea of the inner ear. This sometimes happens to aging people, but it can also be the result of prolonged exposure to excessively loud noise. Tinnitus can coincide with the hair loss. Many articles suggest that the loss of sensory hair can change how the brain processes sound and the sound’s frequency.
When the brain receives the less internal stimuli in the frequency, it begins to adopt the change that is happening. Tinnitus can be the brain’s way of filling in the missing frequencies the brain no longer receives.
Possible causes:
Ear infection
Middle ear problems
Head and neck injury
An object is stuck and is touching your eardrum:
Cardiovascular disease
Diabetes
TMJ disorders
Stiffening in-ear bone
Traumatic brain injury
Ringing in the Ears: Conclusion
If you hear a constant ringing sound in your ear, you might be suffering from Tinnitus. You can consult our specialist by calling at 646-213-2321 or visit our website for any further information.
Ringing in the ears or Tinnitus can occur due to many reasons. It is not a disease but a symptom of other health conditions. Many different diseases or injuries cause Tinnitus. Additionally, various accompanying symptoms can lead you to Tinnitus. Some of these symptoms are below:
Exposing your ears to loud noise causes Tinnitus, and you will experience a continuous ringing, roaring, or buzzing sound in one or both ears. It can happen when you hear loud sounds daily for years, or at times, just once. Going to a concert, working on large and noisy machinery, etc. are some examples of environments that can cause Tinnitus. The damage to the ear can be temporary or permanent.
2. Sinus and Ear Infections
You might also experience this condition when you have a cold. A sinus or ear infection can also show symptoms of Tinnitus because such conditions result in an increase in pressure inside your sinuses. In this case, your Tinnitus does not last for long. However, if your condition does not improve in a week, it is better to visit our Tinnitus specialist.
3. Certain Medicines
OTC drugs or other prescriptions can also trigger ringing sounds or worsen the condition if you already have it. These drugs include diuretics, aspirin, quinine-based medication, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), antidepressants, cancer drugs, and antibiotics. If the dose of medicine is heavy, there is a higher chance of getting this problem. You need to talk to our specialist if you feel that a drug is a reason for your Tinnitus.
4. TMJ Disorder
TMJ or Temporomandibular joint is located near your middle ear, joining your lower jaw with the skull. Some of the sensory nerves pass through this joint to your brain. Dislocation of this joint can cause TMJ disorder. If you have Tinnitus due to the misalignment of this joint, the doctor will adjust it, relieving your Tinnitus.
5. Blood Pressure
High blood pressure and any activities that cause blood pressure increase, such as drinking alcohol, having too much caffeine, etc. can result in Tinnitus. When your arteries harden, and the blood vessels near your inner and middle ear become stiff, they cause your blood pressure to rise. If you usually have high blood pressure, which is causing Tinnitus, you need to visit our clinic to see our specialist, as once your blood pressure is in control, your ears will stop ringing.
Ear wax protects your ear from dust particles or insects. This waxy substance can form a clump in your ear at times. This piling up of wax can cause you hearing loss or ringing in the ears. Furthermore, this may also occur when you use earbuds to clean your ear. When you insert the cotton bud inside your ear, it pushes the wax further inside and causes it to pile up. To treat this problem, doctors use a suction device to suck all the wax.
7. Hearing Loss Due to Age Factor
Tinnitus may affect you at any age. However, the chances of you getting this condition are here when you are older than 40. As you grow old, your sense of hearing becomes weak. The effect is usually seen in both ears and can cause problems when you hear high frequencies. To avoid hearing loss in your old age, you need to understand the risk factors of Tinnitus, such as smoking, listening to loud music, not using earplugs while working near noisy machines, etc.
8. Other Medical Conditions
Neck injuries, Meniere’s disease, etc. can cause Tinnitus. Also, in conditions like fibromyalgia and Lyme disease, you may experience some symptoms of Tinnitus. If you notice ringing in the ears due to any of these conditions, you should visit us as soon as possible.
Conclusion
We perform various tests to examine the cause of Tinnitus. In some cases, the reason for Tinnitus is unclear or hard to find.
Contact us soon, as this condition becomes worse with time. Call us at (646) 213-2321 to schedule an online appointment with Stephen Geller Katz LCSW.
If you experience ringing in the ears too often, you might want to get medical help as soon as possible. Let’s explain a few things here. The Cochlea is the inner ear portion, which looks like a snail. Any damage to sensory ear cells in the Cochlea can cause ringing. Ringing in the ear or Tinnitus may occur in different ways. You might hear the sound of ringing, whooshing, buzzing, clicking, or hissing. The sound can be soft or loud, occasional or continuous, or in one or both ears. You might hear the noise more clearly and loudly when you are alone or in a quiet place.
Tinnitus is a condition, not a disease. If you do not treat it at the right time, it can cause hearing loss. Continuous sounds in your ears, in some cases, can cause anxiety, depression, and insomnia.
Tinnitus can occur anywhere in the auditory pathway. This condition can affect the brain’s auditory cortex, inner, middle, or outer ear. You can find some of the common causes of Tinnitus below:
1. Age Factor
Tinnitus may arise at any age, but patients above 40 are more likely to experience its severe effects. You need to evaluate risk factors and try to treat this condition before it gets worse. Avoiding common causes like hypertension, smoking, and noise exposure can be helpful.
2. Noise Exposure
Constant exposure to noisy sounds can damage your ears, affecting hair cells present in the Cochlea. Loud noises can lead to hearing loss. People working in excessively noisy areas like road construction sites, factories, etc., have more chances of suffering from hearing loss.
3. Head Injury
In some Tinnitus patients, the leading cause for their ear ringing is a head or neck injury. If you are suffering from this condition, you will feel difficulty in relaxing, sleeping, thinking, and remembering clearly. Consult a doctor as soon as you feel any of the Tinnitus symptoms.
4. Dental Issues
Dental injuries or problems can also cause Tinnitus. Misalignment of the temporomandibular joint or other injuries can be the reason for your hearing loss. The temporomandibular joint attaches your jaw bone with the head in front of your ear.
One of the side effects of medicines is Tinnitus or ringing sounds. The antibiotics that can cause such side effects include ciprofloxacin, doxycycline, gentamicin, erythromycin, tetracycline, tobramycin, and vancomycin.
b) Cancer Medications
Some cancer medications, such as cisplatin and vincristine, can also cause Tinnitus.
c) Certain Antidepressants
Many antidepressants, such as amitriptyline, clomipramine, and imipramine, can lead to this condition.
d) Aspirin
Continuous use of aspirin can cause hearing loss. Examples may include ibuprofen and naproxen.
6. Ear Blockage
Your ear glands produce earwax to protect your ears from debris. Earwax comes out of the ears naturally, but cleaning your ears with earbuds can cause severe damage and pain. Earbuds push the wax back inside, blocking the ear canal. If you recently feel ringing in your ear, visit your doctor for an ear checkup as soon as possible.
7. Ear Bone Changes
In many cases, abnormal growth of bone in your middle ear can cause symptoms of this condition. Stiffness of the bones can be due to inheritance, and you should consult with the doctor if you experience these symptoms.
8. Rare Diseases
Many diseases can cause Tinnitus, such as Meniere’s disease, TMJ Disorder, Acoustic Neuroma, Eustachian tube dysfunction, Muscle spasms in the inner ear, etc.
a) Meniere ’s Disease
Meniere’s disease can cause vertigo, dizziness, and Tinnitus. This disease is an inner ear condition. You might feel hearing loss that comes and goes, feeling of ear pressure, and ringing in the ear. This disease usually infects one ear, and a delay in treatment can lead to permanent disability.
b) TMJ Disorder
TMJ or temporomandibular joint located near the ear share some nerves and muscles with the middle ear. Any disorder in the functionality of the joint’s ligaments, muscles, or cartilage results in TMJ disorder.
Conclusion
The first thing you should do is to protect your ears from loud sounds if you want to avoid Tinnitus. If you work in a place where there are noisy machines, you should use earplugs. If you feel any hearing problem, visit us to avoid any complications. Stephen Katz is a Tinnitus treatment specialist available at our clinic. You can contact us at (646) 213-2321 to make an appointment.
Ringing in the ears can border on painful. Victims of tinnitus experience a wide range of symptoms capable of jeopardizing hearing, employment, and even relationships. The tinnitus Cognitive Center can identify tinnitus and developed a therapy to help you control the effects of the condition.
What are the symptoms of Tinnitus?
Tinnitus is an audial condition which presents itself as a ringing, whooshing, high-pitched noise, or even a song. The noise occurs when the brain attempts to make sense of sound within certain frequency ranges. The intensity of this condition can become extremely discomforting and painful.
The perceived sound related to tinnitus ranges from quiet background noise to one that blocks out everything. For most people, this problem does not merely disappear. Symptoms often present themselves when environmental background noise reaches a particular frequency.
Tinnitus may be an intermittent or continuous condition. It may be slightly or significantly uncomfortable.
A common misdiagnosis of tinnitus occurs in patients with Radio Frequency hearing (RF Hearing). RF Hearing is a condition that causes individuals to hear high-pitched transmission frequencies. Under special circumstances, people can hear frequencies ranging from 2.4 megahertz to 10 gigahertz.
Is Tinnitus a serious problem?
While tinnitus symptoms are present in a significant percentage of the population, the condition is subjective and difficult to measure objectively. The Tinnitus Handicap Inventory is used to measure the seriousness of the issue. This subjective test measures the issue based on an impact scale assessing the effect of the issue on a person’s quality of life.
Sufferers of tinnitus can experience panic attacks, increased depression, exhaustion, and a host of other issues. The brain perceives the ringing in the ears as dangerous which results in the production of adrenaline and a fight or flight response.
The fight or flight response creates a negative feedback loop which results in increased stress levels which, in turn, worsens symptoms. If left untreated, the effects will continue to grow worse.
When tinnitus symptoms becomes too great, quality of life may be impaired. Speaking with others, remaining well rested, and maintaining a daily routine are all affected by the symptoms. 42 percent of people suffering from the condition report adverse work affects. Victims have even reported suicidal thoughts.
What causes Tinnitus?
The origins of tinnitus range from sensorineural hearing loss or congenital hearing loss to traumatic brain injuries and taking certain medications. The most common source of the condition is noise-induced hearing loss. This form of hearing loss is common in most industrialized countries.
There are a wide number of triggers which cause the noise. This includes common wiring and sound signal transmissions.
How do I stop the ringing in my ears?
Stress relief, the removal of irritants, being open about the condition, or cognitive training helps reduce the symptoms. However, tinnitus does not entirely disappear for most people. Instead, efforts to control tinnitus focus on management of the symptoms rather than finding a complete cure.
When the roaring, whooshing, and ringing in the ears becomes too much to bear, the Tinnitus Cognitive Center can help. The center developed a unique therapy, cognitive retraining therapy, which retrains the brain to allow you to continue to live a normal and healthy life. ContactStephen Geller Katz, LCSW-R for more information.
What exactly is tinnitus? If you have ever suffered from ringing or other noises in your ears which do not come from the external environment, then you’ve already got an idea of the problem. Although there is no known cause of, or cure for, tinnitus, it can be brought on by a number of factors, including prolonged exposure to loud noises, hearing loss, underlying health conditions, or even for seemingly no reason whatsoever. Here’s what we know about tinnitus so far:
Varying Causes:
Tinnitus can be caused by a number of different factors. In general, it is brought on by age-related hearing loss, however, it can also be caused by an infection in the ear or a build-up of too much earwax, two conditions that can be treated quickly and effectively by your doctor to improve the symptoms and provide relief. In some cases, tinnitus can also be a main symptom of Meniere’s Disease, which tends to show symptoms such as hearing loss and dizzy, spinning sensations that come with a loss of balance.
Diet and Lifestyle:
Some research has shown that tinnitus can be caused or worsened by certain lifestyle habits and choices. For example, smoking or drinking too much alcohol can cause infections in the ear, which can then lead to tinnitus. Dietary habits can also have an effect; eating foods that have a high salt or sugar content can heighten blood pressure, which has been shown to have a direct link with tinnitus. In addition, certain prescription drugs can also directly affect tinnitus. If you are suffering from ringing in your ears and are currently on prescription drugs, speak to your doctor about it as soon as possible.
Treatments:
Unless the tinnitus is caused by an underlying condition such as earwax build-up, hearing loss, a middle ear infection or a perforated eardrum, then it can be very difficult to treat since there is not yet any known cure. However, medical professionals will focus on helping those suffering with tinnitus to better manage their condition. A number of holistic treatments, including acupuncture, have also been shown as effective when it comes to reducing the symptoms. Counseling or therapy may also be sought to help patients discover better coping methods and better manage the side effects of this condition such as insomnia or depression.
Do you need help managing your tinnitus? Contact our NYC tinnitus clinic today to schedule an appointment.
Call today for a free 15min phone consultation 646-213-2321
Tinnitus is a symptom, where there are numerous causes. It could be caused by a variety of things from working in a loud environment, to a muscle spasm in the middle ear. Whatever the cause it could be difficult for you to deal with everyday life. The question is how do you know if you have tinnitus?
The first thing to understand is that this is a common symptom that can arise from numerous sources. There is no one place or point where you might cause these symptoms to appear. For example, if you happened to have a day where there was a lot of loud noises, you may spend a few days dealing with ringing in your ears afterwards. Usually it goes away. Individuals who work in constantly loud environments such as around machinery, in the military, near airplanes, or in closed in loud spaces can develop permanent tinnitus.
What Happens When the Ringing Doesn’t Go Away?
You have taken yourself out of the environment. You have spent days in the quiet trying to get your hearing back to normal. If it does not return to normal then where does that leave you? In some cases, you may just be able to tune it out. It is common for people to have tinnitus. In fact, 15% of the American population has some level of Tinnitus. Some people have just a little bit of a problem, it is ignored easily and they go on with their lives. Some people need to have serious help because the problem has gotten to the point that they can no longer handle the noise.
Treatment Options for tinnitus:
Treatment options are varied. There is no actual cure for this condition. In part, this is because it is a symptom and there may not be a way to solve the problem causing the Tinnitus. Treatment options range from over-the-counter medications to retraining therapy. In other cases it is actually the medications causing the symptoms. While there may be no way to cure Tinnitus, there are many ways to reduce the symptoms so that you do not have to be overwhelmed with the condition.
If you are not sure if you have Tinnitus, contact us, we are NYC’s trusted Tinnitus Specialists. Book an appointment now to find some much-needed relief.
When people hear the word Tinnitus, they may think it is something horrible, contagious, or transmittable. However, Tinnitus is defined as the perception of sound in one or both ears or in the head, when there is no discernable external cause. The sound can be everything from ringing to hissing, buzzing, chirping, clicking or even roaring. It can be a single tone or multiple tones, too.
The volume can also change from very quiet to so loud you cannot hear anything else over it. There is no cure for this disorder, but there are a variety of treatment options. It is a common problem that approximately 15% of Americans deal with each and every day.
Causes of tinnitus:
The first thing to remember is that Tinnitus is not a cause. It is a symptom that is caused by a variety of different things. These can run from experiencing a loud sound close to the ear that leaves a residual ringing, to the vibration of a muscle in the middle ear as it spasms. Many Tinnitus sufferers can link their symptoms to working in loud environments such as with planes, in basements with loud machines, or machine-based industries.
Symptoms of tinnitus:
Symptoms vary depending on the degree and severity of the condition you are experiencing. If you are experiencing a severe case of Tinnitus, you may be unable to hear well over the roaring, ringing, hissing, or buzzing sound. Alternatively, you could just find it mildly annoying in less severe cases. It can also cause disturbances in sleep patterns and overall concentration.
It can cause irritation, which can lead to mood swings and depression. Depression can be a common symptom due to the lack of sleep and frustration that comes with the persistent noise.
Treatments
There are treatment options available from alternative medicine, to over-the-counter and prescription drugs. There are also options that include sound, cognitive, and retraining therapy, hearing aids, implants, biofeedback and magnets. While there is no cure and there is no set Tinnitus treatment regime, treatments are flexible. Each person is different so it is important to find a treatment that works best for you.
If you think you might be experiencing Tinnitus, schedule an appoint with top providers of ringing ear treatment in NYC by contacting us.
Ringing Ears: it doesn’t sound as difficult as other health issues, but for many people it can be a difficult condition to manage. If you have experienced it, even temporarily, then you know the feeling. The constant noise just does not go away. It can be a soft or a loud noise. It could be a mild irritation or one that keeps you up at night.
Ringing Ears Treatment Doctor
There are numerous conditions that can cause it; numerous secondary symptoms and there is currently no cure. Even though Tinnitus is experienced by as many as 15% of the total population in the USA, there are only a small number of severe cases, and most people do not seek treatment. In fact, in some cases, they may not even know they are experiencing Tinnitus because the noise is just loud enough to be bothersome, but not so much as to be highly noticeable.
A good Ringing Ears treatment doctor can help you discover how much of your life is being affected by this condition and how much better your life can be when you manage the effects accordingly.
Symptoms
Symptoms of Tinnitus are more than just ringing or buzzing sounds in your ear. It can cause irritability, annoyance, trouble concentrating, and even depression. Difficulty sleeping is also a common symptom. This is in addition to the sound constantly playing in your ears.
Treatment Options
There are numerous treatment options including medication, behavioral and retraining therapy options. In addition, there are alternative treatments such as herbs, magnets, acupuncture, hearing aids, biofeedback, cochlear and electrical stimulation, and sound therapy. Remember there is no cure for Tinnitus. There are only ways to reduce the symptoms that you experience once you have this condition. It is important to remember with any therapy to get the advice of a qualified medical professional; especially, alternative therapy treatments. You do not have to suffer with this condition without some form of relief.
If you need a ringing ears treatment doctor, contact us for an appointment. Our New York City based office is one of the best supplying treatments and help for tinnitus symptoms.
Retraining your brain sounds difficult, but it is actually something that is being done as part of the treatment options available for Tinnitus. Tinnitus, or ringing ears, involves hearing a ringing sound or even a buzzing sound all the time, even when there is nothing there to create the sound. The result can be a constant drain on the body and the mind.
What is Retraining Therapy?
The first step to understanding how retraining therapy can help as a tinnitus treatment option is to understand exactly what retraining therapy is all about. The brain gets used to certain things. It processes things a certain way. This is especially true when dealing with sound. Sound comes into the ear and then the brain has to process it. The brain believes this is the sound you should be listening too or a sound to ignore. If the brain did not do this, you would constantly be jumping at every sound you heard, as soon as it came into hearing.
In the case of Tinnitus, the brain believes this ringing or buzzing sound should be a prominent sound. This means you hear it all the time, everywhere, and it becomes part of the minute-to-minute sounds that would normally be put into the white noise category, there but ignorable.
How Retraining Therapy Works
Retraining therapy is a lot like it sounds, it is designed to retrain the brain so that it recognizes the ringing caused by this condition as a secondary sound, one that does not have any importance. For most people, this causes the sound to lessen in volume and to become easier to ignore. In this way, the stress on the mind and body of the person suffering from this condition can be eased.
There is currently no cure for this disorder and there are a variety of ways it can be caused and experienced. Retraining therapy has gained enough notoriety that it is considered by compensation and insurance programs to be an acceptable treatment option.
If you are experiencing symptoms of Tinnitus, contact us, we offer top care in NYC. We are happy to schedule an appointment for you today.
Have you been hearing ringing in your ears but there is no actual sound? You could be experiencing a condition known as Tinnitus. This condition is also known as Ringing Ears and can be caused by several conditions. Unfortunately, there is no way to cure this condition completely. Treatments are available that can lessen the condition. There are still underlying factors; however, such as having to put up with the persistent constant noise in one or both ears.
Psychological Factors
Tinnitus often comes with psychological factors. The constant ringing noise can create mood swings, annoyance, irritation and in some cases, anger. Some people experience problems concentrating or sleeping. There are also some people who have been experiencing depression. This is why one of the Tinnitus treatment components is counseling.
Counseling
Talk therapy is one of the ringing ears treatment options when it comes to dealing with Tinnitus. There are often issues dealing with the sleep problems, concentration issues, and emotional issues that arise from the constant noise. This is generally a treatment option used for more severe cases, where the patient is not able to deal with the severity of the noise; however, it can be helpful for people with less severe cases.
If you are experiencing ringing ears, then you can understand the frustration, annoyance and even anger at the sound. It may be caused by psychological issues or it may even cause them. Counseling is a good way to resolve issues and help to lessen the impact this condition has on the sufferer’s mental state and overall ability to function.
If you are experiencing issues with this disorder, you are not alone. It is a common condition, with 10-15% of the population experiencing some form of it. Severe cases are rarer but you do not have to feel as if you are the only one suffering from this condition. Counseling can help you to manage the psychological effects and aspects of your condition, so you can control it without your condition controlling you.
For an appointment or more information, contact New York City’s trusted provider of Tinnitus treatment.
Tinnitus is a condition where people experience a ringing, humming, buzzing, hissing, chirping or cricket-like sound in their ears. Most tinnitus cases begin in middle age or older, however, due to an increase in younger people returning from combat, listening to loud music with unprotected ears in clubs, shows, or through head phones and through earphones, we are seeing a sharp rise in tinnitus among younger people.
With tinnitus there exists a strong mind body-body mind interaction, with one influencing the other in a circular fashion. Here are the common symptoms that you may be experiencing if you have tinnitus. The good news is that Tinnitus Cognitive Retraining Therapy helps with practical strategies aimed at re-scripting, reframing and redirecting the negative thoughts that are responsible for maintaining anxiety and tinnitus at higher levels.
1.Anxiety. Tinnitus sufferers almost always experience mild to severe anxiety because the brain frequently interprets any noise it doesn’t recognize as a potential threat or danger. As a result, the sound signals the brain to feel anxious. The problem is that it is precisely this anxiety that makes the tinnitus worse, creating a classic feedback loop or vicious cycle that is often difficult to break. The interventions of Tinnitus Cognitive Retraining Therapy are precisely designed to break this cycle.
2. Fight-or-Flight Response. After becoming anxious over a perceived threat, a biochemical cascade of stress hormones are released, creating fight-or-flight response. The most prominent of these is adrenaline. The physiological reaction is a natural response, but its symptoms can be very anxiety provoking. They may include rapid heartbeat, flushing, and trembling. Tinnitus Cognitive Retraining Therapy effectively helps to interrupt this response.
3.Panic Attack/Fears. Sometimes when tinnitus sufferers start having trouble breathing or increased heart rate from anxiety over the fight-or-flight trigger, they begin to worry they are having a heart attack or are going to die. This fear ramps up the anxiety level even more, which increases the tinnitus symptoms. Tinnitus Cognitive Retraining Therapy is very effective in preventing the circular thinking, which feeds into the panic attack.
4. Depression. Mild to severe depressive symptoms can be common with tinnitus. People commonly report that the constant noise they experience and the anxiety linked to it causes them socially isolate from people and normal activities. It is usual that you might stop going out to see family and friends, as well as stop doing the things you love to because nothing seems the same anymore. Not being able to do things you love can also cause you to feel depressed. Tinnitus Cognitive Retraining Therapy helps you to return to your normal activities. This is a very important part of the healing process because people just want to feel normal again. And anything you can do to feel normal again gives your brain a signal that you are okay. If you begin to feel that you are okay, your brain begins to enter a positive feedback loop! So when it comes down to it, how we define our reality is everything. Or certainly accounts for a big chunk of the puzzle.
5. Negative Thinking/Hopelessness. Untreated, the psychological consequences of ongoing tinnitus frequently produce negative thinking and hopelessness. In fact, some mental health professionals find that negative thinking is one of the principal hallmarks of the condition. Thoughts like, “Things are never going to get any better, my life will never be the same, I don’t have any more pleasure out of life and more…” are very common with tinnitus sufferers. The problem is, thinking hopeless thoughts increases the stress level, which is fuel for the tinnitus and gets you right back onto the negative-thinking feedback loop.
6.Suicidal thoughts. Although the vast majority of tinnitus sufferers aren’t suicidal or try to commit suicide, they may experience morbid or suicidal thoughts. Thoughts could be something like, “If I have to live like this for the next 40 years, I would rather die.” The good news is that you don’t have to live this way for the next 40 years. Tinnitus tends to improve over time and Tinnitus Cognitive Retraining Therapy helps by speeding the healing process by helping you to stay out of the emotionally reactive mode, which is responsible for pressing your stress button.
7. Insomnia. One of the main complaints of some tinnitus sufferers is that the condition sometimes affects their ability to sleep. This is a can be a vicious cycle, as the less sleep you get, the higher the tinnitus may increase. The good news is that part of the Tinnitus Cognitive Retraining Therapy protocols address many sleep hygiene issues. I personally work with you to develop simple but effective self-hypnosis techniques to help you condition your brain to sleep better. These techniques can also be a big help in slowly tapering off of prescription sleep aids.
8. Crying spells. Tinnitus sufferers often find they cry at things that never made them cry before. It may be a sad movie or frustrations and fears about the tinnitus itself. Crying spells are also common symptoms of depression. However, left unchecked crying spells may actually exacerbate depressive symptoms. Tinnitus Cognitive Retraining Therapy helps you to observe, reframe and rescript thoughts fueling depressive thoughts causing crying spells.
9. Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). People often feel traumatized by the symptoms of tinnitus. As a result, tinnitus itself may also cause symptoms of PTSD (Posttraumatic Stress Disorder). As previously stated, the brain automatically interprets the perceived sound as a danger, triggering the production of stress hormones including adrenalin. The repeated cycle causes fight or flight jitteriness or anxiety or panic attacks. In other words, the brain and body are responding as if the danger were real. Similarly, persons with PTSD will respond to things that aren’t threats, as potentially dangerous situations. They may be easily startled, worry constantly, feel that they are dwelling or obsessing about things and/or experience anticipatory anxiety and bad dreams.
10. Exhaustion. Tinnitus sufferers experience exhaustion because of several reasons. One is the lack of sleep, which sometimes accompanies tinnitus. Another cause of exhaustion is the release of hormones your body produces in moments of anxiety, during a panic attack, PTSD, or during a fight-or-flight trigger. The adrenal response, and the body’s biochemical efforts to counterbalance the adrenaline leaves you feeling drained. Tinnitus Cognitive Retraining Therapy helps retrain the brain, so that over time the adrenal stress induced response to the tinnitus is greatly reduced or eliminated.
11. Difficulty resting. The body’s natural response to stress caused by the tinnitus may result in lack of rest and sleep. If untreated, the stress, anxiety, and lack of rest may get worse, and a vicious cycle begins. TCRT utilizes some simple, effective self-hypnosis techniques to help the brain relax and get to sleep. Over time TCRT will help to break the cycle by retraining the brain not to perceive the noise as a threat, resulting in more restful sleep.
Welcome to my blog! My name is Stephen Geller Katz and I have and over the last 10 years I have developed a highly successful therapy for tinnitus which I have named Tinnitus Cognitive Retraining Therapy or TCRT. Mission Statement This blog’s mission is to provide you with hope. Maybe you have been told there… Continue Reading
Tinnitus Cognitive Center™
Stephen Geller Katz, LCSW-R 19 West 34th Street Penthouse Floor New York, NY 10001
