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.
Wax is an important natural secretion which is mainly found in the ear. Its main purpose is to protect the ear against dirt, dust and bacteria, helping to prevent infections. Wax is made up of skin cells, dust and oily secretions which come from the glands found in the ear canal. These secretions work to lubricate the ear canal, preventing it from becoming too dry. Wax composition can vary between individuals depending on factors such as age, diet, health, environment and more.
Dealing with Earwax Build-Up
A build-up of wax in the ear is a common occurrence, which could cause worry for some people. However, if you feel that you have too much wax in one or both ears but it is not causing you any obvious problems, then it is best left alone. Since the ear is a self-cleaning part of the body, any excess earwax should be cleaned away naturally without the need for you to intervene. If you notice wax on the outer ear, then wiping it with a clean flannel or sponge may be all that is necessary.
When Problems are Caused
In most cases, a build-up of earwax is nothing to worry about and will be quickly sorted out on its own. However, in some cases, excess wax in the ear can lead to problems, such as a loss of hearing, tinnitus, or even infections. Bear in mind that putting things into the ear to clean it, such as Q-tips, can actually increase the risk of infections so is best avoided. They can also strip the ear of its natural oils, leaving it feeling dry and itchy.
Tinnitus Caused by Earwax
If you are experiencing a lot of wax in one or both of your ears and this is also accompanied by a ringing or humming sound in your head or ears, then you may be suffering from tinnitus caused by a build-up of earwax. If this is the case, then the best thing to do is see your doctor as soon as possible so that they can determine if it has been caused by an underlying issue and recommend the best course of treatment for you to take. In most cases, earwax build-up can be easily drained away by a trained professional to provide relief.
Are you suffering from tinnitus brought on by too much earwax? Get in touch today to schedule your appointment for the best tinnitus treatment in NYC.
Call today for a free 15min phone consultation 646-213-2321
The causes of tinnitus are varied and often unknown. Sound is ultimately a neurological process stimulated by the mechanical movements in the middle and inner ear. By definition tinnitus is a false signal sent to the brain, and as with any complicated biological mechanism there are multiple points of failure that can create the phantom noise.
Hearing loss is often, but not always accompanied by tinnitus and in most cases the ringing is an independent issue caused by the factors that led to the hearing loss itself. While a single sound event has been known to cause tinnitus, it most commonly results from long-term exposure to loud noises, especially “impact sounds”.
Things such as the repetitive pounding of a jackhammer or constant hum of an engine create a sort of blunt trauma within the inner ear, damaging the delicate hair cells that transcribe sound waves into neural signals. It is not clear whether the resulting ringing comes from a malfunction of the hair cell itself, damage to the underlying nerve or both, but the results are the same; a constant, potentially maddening buzz.
Pathology of Tinnitus
The pathology of tinnitus can stem from any point in the hearing chain starting with the ear canal and ending centrally with the brain. The eardrum and bones of the middle ear translate the air vibrations into movements of the inner ear membranes. Problems such as infections, cholestomas (growths in the middle ear) and eustachian tube dysfunction can all lead to tinnitus. Otosclerosis for example is an illness affecting as many as 1% of the people in the United States. In otosclerosis, the bones of the middle ear grow over time to become misshapen and interfere with normal hearing function. It is estimated that as many as 60% of cases of otosclerosis are accompanied by tinnitus.
Illnesses of the inner like Meniere’s disease, perilymphatic fistula and infection often also result in tinnitus. In some cases it arises from interference of the mechanical movement of the inner ear, while in others it directly affects the hair cells or nerves. The nerves leading from the inner ear to the brain may also be directly influenced by things such as acoustic neuroma, a small benign tumor that presses against them. This interference leads to specific frequency of tinnitus that is often helpful in its diagnosis.
Less well understood causes of tinnitus may include blood supply and blood pressure, dysfunction of the brain’s hearing centers, allergy, diet and exogenous chemicals like drugs or alcohol. Aspirin and other non-steroidal anti-inflammatories (NSAIDs) have a long standing reputation for causing transient tinnitus, as do sedatives, anti-depressants, quinines and over 200 other medications.
Overall, the causes of tinnitus are broad. Research continues into both the reasons and treatments for tinnitus.
Tinnitus Cognitive Retraining Therapy supports the latest research pointing to the role of neuroplasticity in helping to lower tinnitus level and intensity. In other words, changing your thought patterns over time actually has the effect of rearranging neurons. This might seem surprising; however, this is the very same mechanism through which all learning occurs. And Tinnitus Cognitive Retraining Therapy harnesses your brain’s learning power by directing it to follow new adaptive pathways that in turn lead to significant relief from tinnitus symptoms over the course of treatment.
