Tinnitus
treatment may best be described as waging a
war against a wind mill. Like shingles, for which there
is still no cure, except for some fleeting relief, tinnitus
can only be tackled, not eliminated entirely
from the system unless the sufferer takes a holistic
approach to get rid of it for good. However, if ringing
in the ear is also accompanied by pain or discharge from
the ear, one should consult an ENT doctor to examine the
ear and take necessary measures. But these are merely
the symptoms of the problem, and not the problem
itself.
Nevertheless,
if tinnitus appears to be the ‘Villain of the piece’ and
the victim finds no respite from the dreading sounds,
then some of the following recourses are taken in the
hope of getting some amount of
relief.
Tinnitus
Treatment Options:
- OTC
medications – short-lived but potent with mild
to severe side effects.
- Masking devices that diverts the attention of
the sufferer and includes ‘white
noise’.
- Relaxation modes that provide illusory
relief.
- Herbal medications that does not suit
all.
- Homeopathic relief but not
cure.
- Home remedies that mostly comprises old wife’s
tales.
As far as OTC medications
are concerned, the lesser these are
employed the better for the patient since these are
customarily associated with side effects that include
constipation, headaches, irregular bowel syndrome and a
host of other complications, which can be more
disturbing than the ringing tones. Nevertheless, people
resort to taking these pills when incessant racket at
the head becomes truly unbearable.
Here’s a
List of the Common Over-The-Counter Tinnitus Treatment
Medications :
- Setraline
- Melatonin
- Botulinum
toxin
- Propranolol/Clonazepam
- Tricyclics
- Acamprostrate
- Lignocaine
- Sodium
fluoride/ Etidronate
- Carbazepine
However, the masking devices that
are often used to distract the patient’s attention to
something else, thereby providing indirect relief, after
all, is not as harmful as the OTC medications described
above. These may include some preferred band of sound,
commonest of them being ‘white noise’. CDs are available
that play various distracting as well as interesting
sound effects which include the cockpit noise of a
jetliner flying at 40,000 feet or above, the sound
created by whirling water in a Jacuzzi or the melodious
sound of a waterfall. Of course, a Beethoven sonata can
be equally appealing in such circumstances. In true
sense, a masking device does not constitute a treatment
regime but may be considered a sidetracking contrivance.
But the problem is, here you are just trying to run away
from the condition – the truth is, the problem
remains.
Herbs often play a significant role
in providing relief to tinnitus patients. For instance,
Ginkgo Biloba, known to have properties that increase
blood flow to the head and neck region is frequently
administered to tinnitus victims in order to stimulate
blood circulation in that area. Sesame seeds that are
used by oriental doctors are also now used in theUnited
States for treatment of tinnitus by many. A combination
of Black Cohosh and Gingko, taken first thing in the
morning is supposed to be helpful in relieving tinnitus
problem to some extent.
Another herbal compound known as
Vincamine, extracted from a herb called Periwinkle have
been widely used inGermany for
treating tinnitus and Meniere's syndrome since long. The recommended dosage is 25 mg of
this compound three times a day. However, an overdose of
this herbal compound may cause a major drop in blood
pressure and so should be carefully measured while on a
course.
Also encouraging are Sunflower
seeds, Passion flower and Mistletoe tea, all of these
have properties to increase blood circulation and
especially to increase blood flow to the head and neck
region. Taken on a regular basis, they are supposed to
control tinnitus problem adequately.
One must also refer the well known
Chinese herbal formulation that is known as
San-huang-hsin-tang which is a combination of Coptis and
Rhubarb that is said to control tinnitus problem as
well.
As far as Homeopathic treatment of tinnitus is concerned, the topic
appears to be rather vague and indistinct. Besides,
there are so many factors involved in identifying the
various symptoms apart from the usual ringing tones
heard by a patient as outlined in most Materia Medicas
that choosing the right formulation often poses a big
problem. Moreover, homeopathic curative principles
differ from one patient’s constitution to that of
another.
Tinnitus
can be quite complicated because there are many
contributing factors and triggers that make a person get
this. Most conventional medications and even home
remedies and herbal supplements may not work and this is
because in most cases, they try to treat just the
symptoms, whereas the real contributing factors remain
unattended to. In reality, the internal root causes of
the condition needs to be treated and if done, the
symptoms will go away on their own. Treating the body as
a whole, holistic remedies do this very well, and this
is why they have been so successful in the treatment of
tinnitus.
