Ringing of the Ears or Tinnitus and Its Natural Remedies

Do you know that listening everyday to the loud sound of your i-pod for several hours, could eventually cause tinnitus? Or that subjecting yourself to a non-stop very loud music would also result to the same? Yes, these seemingly harmless activities are some of the causes of tinnitus.

Tinnitus in plan lingo is the sound of "ringing" in your ears. No one hears and suffers this pervasive, persistent "ringing", but you alone. Sometimes it would just be like the buzz of a bee, the murmur of the breeze or the lion's roar; but one thing that is certain about this, it is an annoying and unpleasant experience.

We usually resort immediately to medication and inadvertently subject our liver to an added workload and this is bad for our health. Knowing natural cures for tinnitus would be a lot of advantage for you because you could make use of them and reduce the risk of drug intoxication. Tinnitus could be a debilitating disease that denotes several pathologic causes like ear infection, damage to the aural nerves, and in rare instances, brain tumor.

So what are these methods that could naturally relieve tinnitus? Mentioned below are these methods:

1. Gingko biloba

This is a tree with fan-shaped leaves which originated from China. The seeds could be used to treat tinnitus.
Several research studies were successfully conducted on the beneficial effect of gingko biloba on tinnitus. One of these researches was conducted by Meyer, a nose and throat specialist who had these findings:

"Patients on ginkgo also reported a significantly greater
reduction in the severity and discomfort of symptoms
and speed at which symptoms disappeared."

(http://www.tinnitusformula.co m/infocenter/articles/studies/ ginkgostudies_review.aspx)

2. Relaxation / hypnotherapy
Stress exacerbates tinnitus because the person tends to concentrate on the ringing in his ears. Relaxation, on the other hand, diverts the attention of the person from the sound. Although this method does not offer permanent cure, it helps a lot in minimizing the ringing.

This can be done by the following simple steps:

2.1 Be seated in a comfortable position. It need not be the lotus position as long as your posture is good and your back is straight. Your eyes should be closed so that you can concentrate on your breathing.

2.2 Inhale and exhale deeply while starting to consciously relax your muscles. You can start from the toes and the going upwards. Feel all of your muscles relaxing
with every deep breath that you take. Don't force it, take it slowly. If you cannot relax a muscle stay with it until you are able to. You could feel the muscles growing heavy when they are relaxed.

2.3 Psyche yourself to relax as you breathe in and out. You could listen to the sound fountain or other pleasant and harmonious sounds. You could also think about good and pleasant things to aid in the de- stressing process.

2.4 Do this for 20 minutes everyday. Allow two hours lapse after meals.

3. Diet

Avoid caffeine, carbonated (soda), alcoholic drinks. Caffeine, soda and alcohol tend to affect the central nervous system (CNS). Caffeine and soda stimulates the CNS and alcohol depresses it. Any aspect that affects the stability of the CNS will exacerbate the tinnitus problem.

4. Meditation/Yoga

This is similar to relaxation but it is a more advance method in the sense that it adapts more mind interventions like mantras (chants) and more complex breathing exercises. Like relaxation it relieves the body of stress and reduces tension; thereby reducing the unpleasant effects of tinnitus.

5. Tinnitus retraining therapy/optimism

Attitude could help a lot in easing the problem of tinnitus. An optimistic outlook could reduce stress too and therefore tension in the ears. The person is trained not to focus on the ringing in his ears but on other positive things. This could not be achieved overnight. It needs constant application to be able to acquire that habit.

6. Sound masking

This is the introduction of a pleasant, harmonious sound that could "mask" the ringing of the ear. One example is the "sound fountain" in which the sounds of a "rain shower in the forest" could be introduced to the patient. This would lessen the impact of the ringing sound. This non-invasive sound could also be utilized for meditation and relaxation.

7. Rest

A person who takes time to rest regularly is a less stressed out person. A less stressed out person would have decreased symptoms as stress triggers tinnitus. Find time to sleep, go to your sauna sessions or simply stay at home and free yourself o f the tension and stress of being at work or with people.

8. Exercise

This is a good precursor to relaxation. A person who exercises would have less stress and therefore less severe attacks of tinnitus. Exercise relaxes muscles and re-directs energy.

When a person is exercising, he is able to re-direct his energy into the activity and diminish the effect of tinnitus.

9. Ear plugs or ear muffs

This is to reduce sound coming from the outside as it aggravates the condition. Very loud noises create tension and therefore increase the person's awareness of the ringing sound.

In conclusion, a correct and positive attitude would help a lot in easing tinnitus and reducing its symptoms. Think right and be cured momentarily.

References:
http://www.soundfountains.com/
http://www.audiorelief.co.uk/ en/tinnitus_treatments.html
http://www.raysahelian.com/ti nnitus.html
http://www.tinnitusformula.com /infocenter/articles/studies/g inkgostudies_review.aspx