Understanding Acoustic Neuroma and Tinnitus
An acoustic neuroma is a benign tumor that grows on the vestibulocochlear nerve (also called acoustic or auditory nerve), which is the nerve responsible for transmitting auditory information from the inner ears to the brain. This nerve is also known as the 8th cranial nerve, and is the hearing and balance nerve. Hence, a tumor on this nerve can cause hearing and balance problems. A growing benign tumor on the acoustic nerve can lead to unilateral hearing loss, vertigo, and tinnitus (ringing in the ears). Hence, acoustic neuroma and tinnitus can occur at the same time.
Acoustic neuroma can be also called vestibular schwannoma. Compared to other causes of hearing loss, it is relatively an uncommon one. The tumor grows slowly in usual cases, but in rare cases the tumor grows rapidly. A rapidly growing tumor on the nerve can exert pressure on surrounding tissues and organs like the brain. When it presses against the brain, it disrupts the important functions of the affected part. The symptoms arise as the neighboring structures, nerves, brain tissue, and blood vessels are affected. However, the tumor does not need to grow in size for symptoms to manifest. Even a relatively small tumor can give rise to significant symptoms.
Symptoms of acoustic neuroma are hearing loss, tinnitus or ringing in the ears, vertigo or dizziness, and facial numbness or weakness. The hearing loss associated with acoustic neuroma and tinnitus is usually more pronounced on one side or only occurs on one side. The development of hearing impairment in people with the disorder is gradual. Tinnitus is also on one side only or more obvious on one ear. The growth of tumor on the vestibulocochlear nerve disrupts signals that register balance on the brain. As a result patients suffer from loss of balance. Facial numbness, on the other hand, is a result of the tumor pressing against the trigeminal nerve. Rarely, the tumor can grow too big that it causes life-threatening pressure to the brainstem.
There is no need to wait for the symptoms to become worse before you seek doctor’s attention. Once you suffer from muffled hearing on one ear, ringing in one ear, and vertigo or dizziness, you have to see your doctor. Consider going to your doctor even more if you are suffering from these symptoms often. Even though the disorder rarely is life-threatening, it still needs to be seen and monitored. This way, the symptoms can be managed more appropriately.
How the tumor develops remains vague, but experts point out that it has something to do with a genetic mutation. The frequency of such tumors occurring in the population is meager. Only from ten to thirteen people in every one million have the problem, but there is no precise data on this. Studies also suggest that the disorder is not inherited. In other words, it occurs randomly among people.
It seems that many disorders involving the structures in the inner ears are hard to understand. Acoustic neuroma and tinnitus are two conditions that are difficult to understand. Tinnitus is just one of the symptoms of a tumor growing on the acoustic nerve, but it can also appear as a symptom of other disorders like temporomandibular joint misalignment or Meniere’s disease. The cure for tinnitus depends on the primary disorder that causes it. If it is caused by acoustic neuroma, then this disorder should be treated.
There are different ways to treat and manage acoustic neuroma. The simplest way to treat it is by plain monitoring to find out if it is growing rapidly or not. Such benign tumor does not usually grow fast, but there are cases when it develops rapidly and cause drastic symptoms. Monitoring is done through imaging and hearing tests which are done once or twice a year. The aim is to observe the growth rate of the tumor and to check the rate at which hearing impairment proceeds.
A type of treatment for acoustic neuroma involves the use of gamma radiation. It is called stereotactic radiosurgery, which is a method that delivers radiation to the tumor. There is no need to make an incision. Instead, a doctor uses imaging scans and directs radiation beams to the tumor. This option can work if your tumor is small, and it may also be used to acoustic neuroma in people who do not need invasive surgical procedure. However, it takes time for this procedure to take effect, and there are risks, too, such as hearing loss, balance problems, and facial weakness.
In dire cases, the tumor on the nerve should be removed surgically. Doctors try their best to remove the tumor without affecting the facial nerve to avoid facial paralysis. Utmost care is exercised to limit the damage done to the nerve itself. Damaged acoustic nerve can lead to deafness. The patient needs to stay in the hospital for about a week. Recuperation takes more than a month. This one has worse risks due to the greater chances of structures being affected during the surgery. Sometimes, instead of alleviating the problem it worsens it. Doctors should explain to their patients the possible complications of the operation.
People with acoustic neuroma and tinnitus should be able to deal with the discomfort and the bothersome symptoms. Reading information about this condition is important in knowing it. Aside from that, you can also get information from your own doctor and from other patients as well.
Tinnitus Cure – What Can Stop The Noise In Your Ears?
Our ears are very sensitive and that is one fact that all of us should understand. Unfortunately, we continue to do several things that result to different kinds of ear problems. Aside from hearing loss, tinnitus is one of the most dreaded ear conditions today. Millions of people around the world are already suffering from it and are continuously searching for an effective tinnitus cure. For those who have tinnitus and who want to know about the tinnitus treatment cures available today, here are some of them.
• Herbal remedies – Gingko Biloba, castor oil, onion juice, sesame and black cohosh are some of the herbal medicines used by tinnitus sufferers to relieve the noise in their ears.
• Homeopathic therapy – this treatment focuses on your tinnitus symptoms rather than on what causes tinnitus and it uses highly dilluted substances to stop ringing in the ears.
• Sound treatment – noise maskers are being used in this kind of treatment. The idea is to help your brain focus on the more desirable noise than on the irritating noise that tinnitus creates.
• Counseling – the main goal of this tinnitus treatment option is to help you understand your condition better and to help you cope with it emotionally and psychologically.
• Tinnitus medications – this is a conventional ears ringing cure which uses medications like anti depressant drugs, Lidocaine and antihistamines.
There are many other kinds of treatments that can help you relieve tinnitus. But you must always keep in mind that it is very important to identify and cure what causes your tinnitus for you to be able to totally get rid of it.
Ringing in the Ears Treatments Available
Tinnitus is usually called ringing in the ears because most people with this condition report that their ears ring. In scientific investigations, it turns out that a lot of people with tinnitus hear high-pitched noise inside one of or both their ears. We are not talking about a new condition. A significant percentage of people around the world have ringing ears. Since the day man has become accustomed with music and machinery, he began to suffer from various hearing problems. One is tinnitus or ringing in the ears. Treatments do not cure this condition. Usual cases of tinnitus cannot be cured by conventional medicine. However, there are many ways to manage this odd condition.
Maskers and Hearing Aids
Masking devices are very popular among tinnitus patients. These devices are often recommended by audiologists, doctors who specialize in hearing disorders. Masking is a method that uses white noise, which is a kind of noise with a broad spectrum of frequencies. White noise sounds like soft hissing or hushing static sound. Masking works by covering the unpleasant pitchy noise heard in the ears. Many experts also think that it can make people get used to noises, including tinnitus. Some sufferers who have worn maskers report that their tinnitus temporarily went away after they removed their maskers. This is called residual inhibition, but its incidence remains arbitrary.
Hearing aids are given to people with hearing loss and tinnitus. Patients with hearing loss have brains that compensate to the lack of impulses coming from the auditory nerve. As a result, the brain picks even the internal signals, which is heard as tinnitus. Hearing aids can amplify incoming sound and somehow correct this problem to some degree. The amplified external noise provides a masking effect so that the affected person hears less of the internal noise.
TRT and CBT
Tinnitus retraining therapy and cognitive behavior therapy are two of the most popular non-invasive ringing in the ears treatments. TRT is a combination of psychotherapy and masking, and is rooted in the belief that much of the mechanism behind tinnitus happens in the brain. The patient can be retrained to hear tinnitus in a different fashion. It does not aim to remove tinnitus from one’s system, but it can remove it from one’s consciousness. Counseling sessions help the patient understand that the ringing inside the head is harmless. The use of white noise aims to help the patients get used to noises until a point of habituation is achieved.
Cognitive behavior therapy is purely psychological in approach. It also aims to help patients understand that tinnitus is benign. However, it goes further by helping patients overcome anxiety and depression, negative emotional outcomes of the distressful ringing inside the ears.
These psychological interventions to treat tinnitus are based on the premise that the brain has an important role in the development of tinnitus. That is why sometimes it is called ringing in the brain and not ringing in the ears. Treatments like CBT and TRT may take time to have real effect on patients. That is why some become dismayed.
Drugs
Doctors prescribe a number of drugs to help people with tinnitus. Some of these drugs are Xanax, Lidocaine, and melatonin. These medications are not made specifically to treat tinnitus, but they have been under studies to check their effectiveness in treating ringing in ears. Xanax, for instance, is an anxiety drug, which is able to help tinnitus patients suffering from anxiety. Lidocaine is an anesthetic, and how it diminishes the perception of ringing noise inside the ears is controversial. Melatonin is a sleep medication, and it probably helps people with tinnitus that result in sleep problems. Prolonged taking of these medications is not at all recommended because of their considerable adverse effects in the long run.
Vitamin Supplementation
According to some scientists, tinnitus could be a result of lack of Vitamin B12 and magnesium. The verification of this fact is questionable, although it appears in tinnitus literature. More studies should be conducted to establish the relationship between tinnitus and nutrient deficiencies. However, many tinnitus remedy formulations contain Vitamin B12. Take note that there are more profound manifestations of vitamin and mineral deficiencies than plain ringing ears.
Ginkgo Biloba
This is a very popular herbal ringing in the ears treatments. It has been used in Chinese medicine for centuries. According to the literature on herbal medicine, Ginkgo biloba improves blood circulation and boosts brain function. It is used to treat many disorders like dementia, depression, anxiety, cardiovascular disorders, multiple sclerosis, and so on. Its true medicinal value remains under the scrutiny of research. Not all tinnitus patients treated with this herb noted relief.
Homeopathy
The popularity of homeopathic remedies for tinnitus is probably due to the absence of true conventional medicine for this condition. Reports indicate that homeopathic preparations gradually cause a decline in the amount of phantom noise heard. Laboratory tests to back up claims of homeopathic medicines are lacking. However, the number of people swearing they have experienced relief is compelling. Then again, it is quite crucial that a patient sees his or her doctor prior to taking any form of medicine for tinnitus, whether prescribed medications or alternative remedies.
There is still no cure for tinnitus!
This is one of the areas of medicine in which scientists continue to find the right tinnitus cure. Until an absolute treatment is invented, patients would have to resort to available medications or therapies, none of which prove to be universally effective for tinnitus.
What is Tinnitus? Read These Seven Tips
If you are asking “what is tinnitus,” it is a perception of an unpleasant noise emanating inside your ears. It is usually called ringing in the ears. Most of the time, the condition is subjective. Meaning, only you can hear the noise inside your ears. Hence, the noise is called phantom noise.
In usual cases, it is impossible to stop ear ringing, but there are ways to minimize it. Here are some of them:
1. Ignore it. Tinnitus seems to become louder the more you put attention to it.
2. Reduce stress. Research shows that stress worsens an existing tinnitus. De-stressing is important for people with this problem.
3. Relax. It’s hard to relax when your ears are ringing like hell. But appropriate relaxation techniques can be learned for your advantage.
4. Play soft music. Some pleasant sound can help take away your attention from the ugly noise inside your head.
5. Go out. There is nothing more stimulating than inhaling fresh air and listening to nature sounds. Just stop going to noisy disco houses, or you’ll worsen your tinnitus.
6. Have your hearing screened. Tinnitus may be accompanied by hearing loss, so it’s wise to step into a doctor’s clinic to find out if your hearing is declining. You can also ask your doctor for the right tinnitus information which can help you cope with your condition.
7. Smile. You’re not going mad. Tinnitus isn’t supposed to make your life difficult. You’re just fine!
How to Prevent High Frequency Hearing Loss
Sensorineural hearing loss is usually characterized by loss of hearing at the high frequencies. It occurs because of nerve damage. It can also bring about ringing in the ears. The usual cause of this type of hearing loss in adults is noise. Excessive noise destroys the hair cells in the cochlea, causing permanent damage. High frequency hearing loss characterizes SNHL in most cases. People who no longer hear high frequencies will suffer an inadequacy in their lives because they can’t hear the world normally.
Prevention requires, first, education. A lot of people seemed to have forgotten the basic ways to prevent hearing loss. The most important reminder is to stay away from loud noise to avoid damage to the inner ears. Avoiding loud music and keeping volumes of iPods and portable music players within moderate levels. Wearing earplugs should be imperative for people who are frequently and inevitably exposed to loud sound. Earplugs preclude hearing damage such as ears ringing by lowering the sound input to the ears.
