What is Tinnitus?
According to the Mayo Clinic, Tinnitus is when you experience ringing or other noises in one or both of your ears. The noise you hear when you have tinnitus isn’t caused by an external sound, and other people usually can’t hear it.
Tinnitus is a common problem that affects about 15% to 20% of people. The noises may be constant or come on and off, go and change from low to high pitch.
The noises are often described as ringing but can also include:
- Hissing
- Humming
- Buzzing
- Roaring
- Clicking
- Pulsing
- Whooshing
Tinnitus can become bothersome and disruptive in daily functioning. The noise interferes with the ability to concentrate or sometimes hear other sounds. It can cause stress, irritability and disrupts healthy sleep patterns.
It can cause tiredness since it’s difficult to rest while hearing intrusive noises you cannot turn off. After a period of struggling with it and trying different treatments without success those who continue to suffer can develop anxiety and depressive symptoms.
Getting a grim prognosis from their physician that “you have to learn to live with it for the rest of your life” can only add stress and gloom.
Tinnitus-ringing in the ears is an invisible condition. You may look ok to others, but in reality you are experiencing symptoms and stress that others cannot see.
Possible Causes for Tinnitus
Ear nerve damage, ear or brain tumor may cause Tinnitus. Sometimes, something as simple as ear wax build-up can cause Tinnitus.
Some other possible causes for Tinnitus can be due to:
- Thyroid imbalances
- Diabetes
- TMJ
- Head and neck injuries
- Heart and circulations problems
- Viral infection
- Allergies and immune issues
- Anemia
- Side effects due to use of certain medications
- Extended Exposure to loud noises
- Trauma and or chronic stress
Can Stress Cause Tinnitus?
Researchers found that the emotional area in the brain called amygdala is strongly linked to the auditory center of the brain.
It triggers the amygdala and associates emotions like fear, anger and sadness with Tinnitus.
Feeling a sense of danger triggers the “fight or flight “response in the body which causes increased heart rate, changes in blood flow, muscle and nerve activation, inflammation, shortness of breath, and more.
The mixture of stress and intrusive sounds feeds each other and creates a vicious cycle of worsening anxiety, irritability, sleep disturbances and other problems which prevent the Tinnitus from naturally fading away.
People who suffer from chronic stress, chronic anxiety, depression and PTSD are more prone to get stuck with stubborn ear issues that don’t heal.
Post Covid-19 Tinnitus
Some people who develop COVID-19 have reported experiencing Tinnitus. It is generally believed to be caused by an inflammation in the inner ear due to immune system response to the Covid-19 virus. People with preexisting tinnitus can experience worsening symptoms.
This can be due to contracting COVID-19 and/or due to general high stress levels associated with the pandemic itself.
People with post Covid symptoms can have a wide range of symptoms that last weeks to months after the infection.
Although the reasons behind it are unknown, underlying health conditions, vaccination anxiety, or unexpected immune responses may play a role in the development of these symptoms.
We are at my holistic therapy in Encino, taking into consideration these issues while treating you for your issue.
The Common Treatment for Tinnitus
After ruling out physiological causes for Tinnitus, most sufferers are left with recommendation of” you have to learn to live with the noise” Treatments focus on helping to manage and cope with Tinnitus symptoms.
This can range from steroid shots, noise masking devices to psychiatric drugs (SSRIs) for anxiety and depression, Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT), hypnosis and mindfulness.
People usually come to our clinic at my holistic therapy in Encino after the other treatments they tried fail and they would like to try a non-traditional approach.
With Our Holistic Approach You Can Start Getting Help With Tinnitus Immediately
Once your medical tests show no indication for an underlying condition, we, at my holistic therapy in Encino, are ready to start helping you.
We start by evaluating and exploring other factors that trigger your Tinnitus symptoms.
We use a comprehensive assessment interview, energetic biofeedback scanning and testing to validate imbalances in body systems and organs, as well as possible psychological and environmental stressors that are associated with your Tinnitus, all in my holistic therapy in Encino.
Our methods are gentle yet powerful and include:
- Energy therapy
- Progressive relaxation
- Guided meditation
- Breathing exercises
- Tapping
- Affirmation
- CBT
- Mindfulness
- Supportive therapy
Our treatment approach helps:
Rebalance the nervous system so the body moves from fight or flight state to a rest and heal state. This is especially important for those who have Tinnitus and PTSD. They tend to have a nervous system that is very sensitive and can get easily overwhelmed and triggered by physical, mental or emotional stress.
We use methods like energy therapy (IPEC); deep breathing, progressive relaxation, guided meditation, visualization and affirmation to helps regulate both the body and the mind. It is gentle yet powerful.
Change the danger perception that is often perceived sub-consciously by those who struggle with tinnitus. Subjective danger perception over activates the nervous system and triggers physical and psychological symptoms.
Understanding the reactions and signals of your body and what to do about it can help you feel more in control of Tinnitus.
At My Holistic Therapy in Encino we help you take control of your body and mind.
Release feelings of hopelessness and negativity. Having trouble with sleep, concentration, symptoms that come and go and not being able to find a cure can trigger helplessness, hopelessness and negative thoughts. We help you adopt an optimistic and hopeful mindset and help replace negative thoughts with a positive, proactive attitude which is essential for recovery.
Shift from focusing on the noises. We help you learn to focus on pleasant body sensations, rhythmic breathing, positive experiences and enjoyable activities. Repeatedly dwelling on the noise and constantly talking about it just magnifies the symptoms. At my holistic therapy in Encino, you can tame your ear problem to become insignificant.
Modify lifestyle habits. Topics like food and eating, sleep, physical activity, recreation, work environment and self-care practices are important for your recovery. The intention is to keep stress at bay, increase physical and mental vitality, balance and overall wellbeing. This is good practice to prevent Tinnitus from coming back.
Be kind to yourself. No matter how challenging it might feel, we are here to support you every step of the way and remind you to not upset or blame yourself.
It is unproductive. Acknowledging that you are dealing with this issue the best you can and making gradual changes at your pace can help you move forward and be successful in your healing journey.
In summary, we at my holistic therapy in Encino, want you to know that Tinnitus doesn’t have to stay a lifelong problem.
Regardless if you just developed it recently or if you have had it for years, your body has the capacity to heal if you help it. There is so much we can help you do to get better.