What is Tinnitus

Many people perceive a ringing, buzzing, hissing or even clicking sound in their ears even when the sound does not exist in their environment. This phenomenon is known as tinnitus. Tinnitus is very common and affects almost 15% of the general population; the prevalence is even higher in those with hearing loss.
Tinnitus is not a disease on its own but a symptom of an underlying condition. Most of the time, it is a symptom of a hearing loss which could be from noise damage or simply aging. In other cases, it may come as one of many symptoms in conditions like vascular or thyroid diseases, impacted wax in the ear canal, concussions, use of medications like certain diuretics or chemotherapy drugs, and even TMJ disorders of the jaw.
Although tinnitus is common and most people can cope with it, there are some people who find the tinnitus to be debilitating. In those cases, they may experience anxiety, depression and even a sense of hopelessness around their tinnitus. If you have tinnitus, it is worthwhile to learn about what it is and how we may be able to manage it.

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Management of Tinnitus

As tinnitus can be caused by many conditions, the underlying physiological changes causing this symptom differ from person to person. The symptom itself can also vary greatly between individuals, such as the pitch and volume of the tinnitus, as well as how often it occurs. Since tinnitus is so highly variable, it is hard to precisely name one treatment that is effective for all patients.

In some cases where the tinnitus is due to conditions that can be treated with medicine or procedures (i.e. in some musculature, vascular or thyroid diseases), the tinnitus may improve as the underlying condition is resolved. This highlights why tinnitus is an important symptom to bring up with your doctor.

In many cases where the tinnitus is due to a hearing loss, there is no medical treatment to make the tinnitus go away; however, there are ways to manage the tinnitus. The first option works by diverting attention away from the tinnitus. For those with hearing loss and tinnitus, the best option is to wear hearing aids because they not only treat the person’s hearing loss, they also increase the person’s awareness of the sounds around them, making the tinnitus less prominent. Sound maskers also work similarly, where a machine plays sounds like “white noise” or relaxing ocean waves in the background to deflect one’s attention from the tinnitus.

Other therapies work on the premise that many individuals have tinnitus and are able to cope; those who have bothersome tinnitus may not necessarily have louder or more frequent tinnitus but they have more negative, and sometimes even unfounded, emotional responses about it. Therapies such as cognitive behavioural therapy and tinnitus retraining therapy both aim to correct for negative responses to the tinnitus, thereby reducing the stress and anxiety the individual has around the tinnitus.

There is also research to show that tinnitus is worsened by stress and fatigue so a simple and conservative management option is to engage in activities that reduce stress (i.e. exercise more, learn meditation, listen to relaxing music) and improve sleep (i.e. reduce monitor time before sleep, regulating sleeping schedule, no caffeine before sleep).

tinnitus therapy Ultima Hearing clinic Toronto Markham

How Can We Help With Your Tinnitus?

At Ultima Hearing Centre, we will assess your hearing levels to see if you have hearing loss along with the tinnitus. We can then discuss ways of managing your tinnitus that suit your individual needs. If you have hearing loss, we offer hearing aids with built-in tinnitus programs that can play noises to mask the tinnitus. If you do not have hearing loss or are not interested in hearing aids, we have other technologies and counselling protocols to help you manage tinnitus. In fact, we have partnered up with other experts in this field to provide a holistic approach in managing tinnitus effectively.

We pride ourselves to be one of the few hearing clinics in Toronto area that is truly specialized in tinnitus management. This is mainly due to the expertise and doctoral research of our lead Audiologist and her collaboration with in-house ENT Physicians and Clinical Psychologists; they all have special interest and experience in managing tinnitus. We aim to align our approach with the latest research and guidelines, hence our tinnitus management program gets updated from time to time. See our blog on Tinnitus and Vertigo Management Program for the latest details, and how to enrol in the program.

Is the Cost of Treatment Covered?

The initial consultation at our clinic is complimentary. As for ongoing treatments, some workplace or third-party insurance plans cover the cost. As per Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB), a worker could be eligible for a tinnitus device or treatment if they have a tinnitus claim based on the WSIB policies for tinnitus. The tinnitus must be related to occupational noise.

tinnitus therapy Ultima Hearing clinic Toronto Markham