Why is There No Cure for Tinnitus?

When we talk about hearing loss, it’s important to remember that it operates on a spectrum, and is far from a binary condition to experience. This also includes the fact that for some people, hearing conditions like tinnitus can affect someone without necessarily contributing to particular hearing loss itself.

This goes to show that if you believe you are experiencing a hearing issue or condition, you have it checked out as soon as possible. This will enable you to make the best decision regarding a possible medical approach, such as accepting the use of a new hearing aid.

However, that can seem difficult when there seem to be few remedies available. In the case of tinnitus, there has been no outright cure found as of yet. In this article, we’ll discuss this topic in more detail:

What is Tinnitus?

Tinnitus is a term to describe the repetitive ringing or droning that people hear within their ears. This is defined by the heard sounds taking place within the ear as opposed to being sourced from the exterior environment.

It is a hearing condition with many different types and categories. It can differ from person to person quite dramatically. For some people, it may be a light ringing that seems to come and go from time to time. For others, it may serve a constant, persistent droning that causes significant distress and requires amelioration for the continuation of a normal life.

While tinnitus seems to be common from an anecdotal perspective, it’s unclear just how many people experience it. 

How is Tinnitus Caused?

This is not entirely known, but it’s thought that exposure to loud sounds, damage to the ear, a build-up of wax and certain ear conditions can all play a factor. 

For some, tinnitus is a case of prolonged exposure to loud sounds in a working environment. For others, it may come seemingly totally unprompted. However, tinnitus is almost always a consequence of an underlying condition or the effect of damage, sometimes including a problem with the circulatory system.

Why is There No Cure?

This is not a black and white question to answer, because there are many reasons as to why a one-stop cure-all hasn’t been found for the condition. To begin with, there are few cure-alls when it comes to practicing ear medicine, as any audiologist will tell you. What matters is promoting a lifestyle conducing to treating the symptoms of a condition and using medical devices and care to enhance that effect.

As tinnitus seems to come in various forms, and at different times for different people, it’s hard to nail down exactly what a cure should treat. Instead, responsible treatment of the condition should it occur is where medical researchers have decided to invest their limited funding in resolving this issue.

What Can Be Done?

The lack of a cure-all has in no way stopped audiologists from trying to secure the best quality of life for their patients. In many cases, referral to cognitive behavioral therapy courses (CBT) is employed, in order to help a patient, live with the stress and irritable thinking associated with the condition.

Furthermore, certain efforts such as listening to music, white noise machines, practicing meditation to avert your focus and in-the-ear hearing aids that amplify background noises to limit tinnitus sounds can be useful. Working directly with an audiologist to track your tinnitus, to see which amelioration efforts are the most useful over time, is effective.

The most important thing to remember is not to worry overly about tinnitus. It does not necessarily mean that your hearing is declining further, and as irritating as the condition can be, you can work through it. Millions of people report tinnitus symptoms and still manage to live full and healthy lives. It can seem quite worrying when you first encounter it, but over time, symptoms can dissipate or with a few helpful tactics as described above, you can learn to live with it and still enjoy a fantastic quality of life.

Visit An Audiologist Today

The best advice we can give you is to visit an audiologist as soon as you notice the symptoms of tinnitus. They will be able to check your ears more thoroughly and suggest the most suitable practical steps to take. If you want to learn more about what causes tinnitus symptoms and how to combat them, contact the staff at Audiology and Hearing Aid Services by calling us today at 912-351-3038.