Tinnitus is a ringing in the ear, or a buzzing, and is a common issue that affects about 1 in 5 people. Note that tinnitus can be both ear ringing and clogged feeling in the ear. Tinnitus is not a condition, but rather a symptom of an underlying condition. To understand what these underlying conditions are and the ear ringing meaning, we need to pay attention to what causes severe ear ringing and how to stop it.
What Causes Severe Ear Ringing?
When it comes to tinnitus, there are a few things that can cause this ringing in the ear. Some of the answers behind the tinnitus ear ringing meaning include the following:
- Inner Ear Cell Damage – There are many tiny, delicate hairs in your inner ear that will move in relation to the pressure of sound waves. When this happens, ear cells release an electrical signal through the auditory nerve (located in your ear) to your brain. Your brain takes these signals and interprets them as sounds. If your hairs inside of the inner ear are damaged, it will cause them to “leak” random electrical signals to your brain, causing the ringing in ears.
- Exposure to Loud Noise – When you are exposed to too much loud noise, it can lead to tinnitus and noise-related hearing loss. Music devices, like an MP3 player or an iPod, can cause noise-related hearing loss if they are played loudly for long periods of time. If you experience ear ringing and clogged feeling in your ear caused by experiencing loud noises for a short amount of time, such as attending a loud concert, this will usually go away; however, long-term exposure of loud noise can cause permanent damage to your ears.
- Earwax Blockage – Earwax helps protect your ear canals by trapping dirt and slowing growth of bacteria. Having too much earwax, however, will make it difficult for earwax to wash away naturally. This buildup of earwax can cause hearing loss or irritate your eardrums which may lead to tinnitus.
- Age-Related Hearing Loss – It is very common for people’s hearing to get worse with age, usually around the age of 60. This type of hearing loss is called presbycusis and is a common cause of tinnitus.
Other causes of tinnitus that are not as common as above include the following:
- Acoustic Neuroma – Acoustic neuroma, a condition also known as vestibular schwannoma, is a noncancerous tumor developed on the cranial nerve running from the brain to the inner ear. This condition normally causes tinnitus in only one ear.
- TMJ Disorders – Those who have TMJ disorders may end up having tinnitus. The temporomandibular joint, located on both sides of the head in front of the ears, can cause tinnitus.
- Meniere’s Disease – Meniere’s disease is an inner ear disorder that could be caused by abnormal fluid pressure in the inner ear. Tinnitus can actually be an early sign of having this disease.
- Head Injuries and Neck Injuries – Any head or neck trauma could affect your inner ear, your hearing nerves or even brain function linked to your hearing. These injuries can cause tinnitus to appear in one ear.
Is There a Tinnitus Cure?
Tinnitus is a symptom – not a condition, so it is important to treat it as a symptom. What this means, is to not focus solely on the ear, but focus on the underlying cause: Age related hearing loss is a result of the degeneration of sensory cells, Meniere’s disease is from an abnormal fluid buildup and, of course, permanent damage to your ears could be from too much exposure from loud noise. Now that we look at the underlying causes, to cure tinnitus we need to correct what is causing it in the first place. If these problems can be corrected, there is a tinnitus ear ringing cure. Surgeries that are made to get rid of tinnitus are not always correcting these causes, only the symptom (tinnitus). Keep in mind if you get rid of just the symptom, the issue is still there getting worse over time.
Natural Tinnitus Treatment
Before jumping into surgery, it is best to see if your body can fight tinnitus naturally and safely. Using upper cervical treatment as a safe tinnitus ear ringing cure has shown great success and has for various reasons: Upper cervical adjustments correct your body’s communication to help cell growth which aid in healing your damaged ears from loud noises and helping you maintain sensory cells, improve your bodily functions such as correcting excessive buildup, and improves blood flow which has also been linked with Meniere’s disease.
In a case study involving 139 patients who were medically diagnosed with Meniere’s disease, 97% of these patients have seen a significant improvement in their symptoms after an upper cervical chiropractic treatment. In addition, chiropractors are aware of the correlation between upper cervical spine dysfunction and neuro-otological symptoms, including tinnitus and sudden hearing loss. (Michael T. BurconBPh)
When it comes to loud noises, damage to the eardrum commonly occurs after but can usually heal itself. After a loud noise, symptoms of tinnitus (ringing in the ear) will often go away within 16 to 48 hours or a week or two if the noises were extreme. These noises can damage cells and membranes in the cochlea and if loud noises are listened to for a long time, they can overwork hair cells in your ear and cause those cells to die. Harmful effects can continue even after the exposure to loud noises has stopped. To help your ears heal and to quicken the healing process, upper cervical adjustments are recommended as they help make sure your body functions the way it should to fight these types of disturbances by distributing proper blood flow and body communication on cell production.
The upper cervical area of the spine is in the neck region and consists of the atlas and the axis bones. When the atlas is misaligned, this can affect the structures of your ear, including the Eustachian tubes. The Eustachian tubes drain excess fluid from the ears; however, if the tube function is repressed, this can cause fluid buildup and tinnitus. This means even if the ringing in the ears is caused by a blockage the underlying problem may still be in your neck.
Drugs cannot cure tinnitus and surgeries are not a guarantee your tinnitus will be improved. Surgical treatment includes destructive procedures, neurectomies, stapedectomies and tympanosympathectomies. In a case study of 414 patients who had surgical removal of acoustic tumors, only 40% saw an improvement in their tinnitus. 68 patients who underwent translabyrinthine eighth nerve section, 80% had tinnitus preoperatively. Improvement occurred in 45% of patients while 55% reported their tinnitus was the same or worse. As for Stapedectomy, hearing improved in most patients, but the symptom of tinnitus was improved in only about half of the patients. (House JW) Because of the risks involved in different drug side effects or surgery with no guarantee of success, it is recommended to try a more natural treatment first. Upper cervical adjustments help correct the cause of tinnitus and could be the tinnitus cure you need.