Information on Sound Therapy and Tinnitus

Many people all over the world suffer from tinnitus. The condition is characterized by constant ringing in the ears. This is thought to be caused by misfiring neurons from internal stimuli rather than from external stimuli.  The good news is that tinnitus can be treated by removal of triggers and offering tinnitus sound therapy to affected patients.  Tinnitus is a common condition affecting 1 in 30 people the world over. It is quite an annoying and devastating condition. Imagine hearing ringing constantly in your ears all day and night and gets worse when it is pretty quiet.

What Exactly is Tinnitus?

As mentioned above, it is a condition characterized by ringing in the ears but the noise can be varied ranging from loud, soft, intermittent or permanent. The sound can be rustling, hissing, clanging, roaring, buzzing or the most common, ringing.  While there is no medical treatment available for the condition, alternative treatments do exist like tinnitus sound therapy that has been proven to help improve the condition of tinnitus sufferers the world over.  Current research shows that over 90% of tinnitus patients improve with sound therapy, achieving relief ranging from a few days of listening to around 14 months.

Possible Causes of Tinnitus

The most common cause of tinnitus is damage to the ear. The condition results from repeated firing of auditory neural pathways in the brain.  Tinnitus may begin from any point along the auditory system. Injuries and malfunctions attributed to it are:

Cilia Damage – these are hair like sensory cells that receive sound in the inner ear. If they are bent over or touching each other it creates sort of a short circuit, resulting in tinnitus.

Congestion in the ear – the condition occurs when the fluid pressure in the inner ear is disturbed resulting to head noise. The reason may range from infection, allergy or circulatory disturbances, which causes changes not only in the fluid but also in the encasing membranes of the inner ear.

Hyperactive Brain Cells – constant firing of neurons in the auditory processing sections of the brain when they should not be.

Acoustic Neuroma –  a kind of tumor that affects the auditory nerve.

Other Factors Contributing to Tinnitus

• Loud noise exposure like in a concert, firearms, noisy machinery
• Head injury due to accidents
• Ear infections
• Caffeine, alcohol and certain prescription medication
• Temporomandibular joint dysfunction
• Stress

Pathophysiology

While the damage to the auditory system established tinnitus, the limbic system or the area of the brain that translates and processes how things affect us from an emotional point of view tends to amplify it. The emotional reaction of the patient to the tinnitus plays a major role in determining how much tinnitus can affect you. Point being if you feel anxious or alarmed because of the tinnitus, the condition will worsen.  Therefore, it goes without saying that stress and anxiety play a major role in the progression of the disease. The more stress you have, the worse the tinnitus which in turn makes you more stressed resulting in a vicious cycle.

Using Tinnitus Sound Therapy

Sound therapy can help patients with tinnitus. This is basically a therapeutic self-help listening program based on ear specialist Dr. Alfred Tomatis work. It uses a specially recorded classical music in order to stimulate the brain and also repair and rehabilitate the ear. It is a proven treatment against tinnitus since it goes to the root physical problems in the ear itself and brain most commonly associated with the condition. It relieves the most common causes of tinnitus by toning the middle ear muscles, stimulating the cilia, calming down hyperactive brain cells and correction of auditory mapping for the purpose of restoring normal auditory functionality. We recommend using the Tinnitus Sound Therapy option at Universal Sound Therapy for your treatment. They use methods based on Dr Tomatis and offer a high quality product at the best price.

Effectiveness of Sound Therapy

Sound therapy has been found to be quite effective for patients in their teens all throughout their senior years too. It does not matter whether you had tinnitus for decades or have just discovered the symptoms; it will have a positive effect on you.  Sound therapy can be likened to physiotherapy for your ear and brain. It is a form of daily exercise that can improve and strengthen brain pathways and ear muscles so they can function optimally.  The sound can help mask the noise itself by allowing the brain to focus on other sounds.

Sound therapy can be a debilitating condition. It can affect one’s daily life and cause a vicious cycle of stress—tinnitus—stress—tinnitus.  If you are suffering from tinnitus and have tried regular medical treatments for it but found little or no relief, sound therapy is a proven solution to ease the condition.