Southwest Florida's Health and Wellness Magazine Health and Wellness Articles
By Florida Gulf Coast Ear, Nose & Throat
Tinnitus is a condition where one perceives a ringing sound in one or both ears in the absence of external auditory stimulation.
It is most commonly described as “ringing in my ears”. Tinnitus can be caused by a variety of conditions such as ear infections, Meniere’s disease, vascular diseases, neurological disorders, structural dysfunction within the inner ear, and by musculoskeletal disorders. It is also highly influenced by the presence of mental health disorders such as anxiety, depression, and sleep disorders. Tinnitus is a symptom of a variety of diagnoses but is not considered an independent diagnosis by itself.
Tinnitus Stats
• 90 percent of tinnitus cases occur with an underlying hearing loss.
• 25 million American adults report experiencing tinnitus for five or more continuous minutes in the past year.
• 16 million people seek medical attention for tinnitus annually.
• Tinnitus repeatedly ranks as the number one disability among returning military service members, just ahead of hearing loss.
• There are no documented cures for tinnitus, but many treatments can help.
Noise Puts Us at Tremendous Risk for Hearing Loss and Tinnitus
• 26 million people in U.S. between ages 20-69 have a hearing loss.
• 22 million U.S. workers are exposed to hazardous noise levels annually.
• Nearly 50% of persons aged 12-35 years could be exposed to unsafe noise from personal listening devices, and 40% in this age group could be exposed to potentially damaging levels of sound at entertainment venues.
• Musicians are 400% more likely to have a hearing loss and 57% more likely to have tinnitus than the general public.
So, what do you do when the noise won’t stop?
Determining the cause of your tinnitus is the first step to solving the problem. Using advanced hearing tests, a doctor or hearing professional will rule out serious causes of tinnitus, like tumors.
The evaluations also allow them to discover if the tinnitus is being caused by a treatable medical condition, which could mean that your head noise can be stopped altogether. If the ringing is not caused by a medical condition, but instead by hearing loss, they’ll want to explore which tinnitus therapy option is best for you.
Florida Gulf Coast Hearing Center can provide a medical evaluation as well as an audiometric evaluation if you suffer from tinnitus in Naples and Estero, FL. We’ll help to rule out certain causes and find a treatment option that works for you.
Treatments available at our two hearing centers include:
MASKERS – These sound-generating devices are worn on the ears and used to “mask” the perceived head noise caused by tinnitus.
COMBINATION HEARING DEVICES – These devices combine hearing aids and maskers in one, amplifying sound and masking head noise at the same time.
HEARING AIDS – Using a hearing aid to treat tinnitus is a very successful option. The increased sound input from the hearing aid naturally masks tinnitus noise.
FRACTAL TECHNOLOGY & PROPRIETARY SOUND PROGRAMS – This is a relatively new solution incorporating chime-like tones to induce relaxation and reduce tinnitus awareness.
NEUROMONICS – A breakthrough tinnitus treatment, neuromonics helps to train the brain to filter out tinnitus disturbance. The device is paired with headphones and delivers spectrally modified music that is embedded with acoustic neural stimulus. The sounds are precisely designed and customized to match each user’s audiological and tinnitus profile. This new treatment can provide long-term relief from symptoms.
TINNITUS RETRAINING THERAPY (TRT) – Using a combination of counseling and sound therapy, TRT is a form of habituation therapy. The therapy is designed to end negative reactions to tinnitus perception, first reducing and eventually ending the conscious recognition of the head noise.
MAKE AN APPOINTMENT AT OUR HEARING CENTER
If you believe you’re suffering from tinnitus, our Naples and Estero hearing centers are here to help. Make an appointment with us today. We’ll complete a thorough evaluation to determine what treatment option is best for you.
Florida Gulf Coast Ear Nose & Throat
(239) 514-2225
www.floridagulfcoastent.com
Our Team
Samuel L. Hill, III, MD, FACS, FAAOA
Patrick M. Reidy, MD
Leela Lavasani, MD, FACS
Benjamin Lehmkuhl, DO
Liuba Soldatova, MD
Sue-Lay Plasencia, DNP, APRN, NP-C
Nicole Gergenti, APRN, FNP-C
Billy Crooks, HAS
Shanai Hill, AU.D., CCC-A
Cynthia Drobiazgiewicz, AU.D., CCC-A
Nicole Diehl, AU.D., CCC-A, FAAA
