Tinnitus: Nothing to Laugh About | The Saturday Evening Post

Subscribe Online | E-mail Newsletter | Museum Gift Shoppe




	Departments

Health / Fitness

-	Ask Dr. Zipes
-	Health Calculators
-	Heartbeat
-	Heart of the Matter
-	Look Good, Feel Good
-	Medical Mailbox
-	Medical Update
-	Neighborhood Heart Watch




	Topics


		Alzeimers
		Arthritis
		Bipolar Disorder
		Diabetes
		Eye Health
		Heart Health
		All Topics




	Magazine




		Current Issue
		Subscribe Online
		Magazine Extras




	Resources


		E-mail Newsletter
		RSS Feeds
		Disclaimer
		Site Map

Medical mailbox

Tinnitus: Nothing to Laugh About

Ask a question

• Send us your questions for Dr. Cory SerVaas.

Tinnitus Treatment Options

• Alternative treatments, including magnesium, zinc, ginkgo biloba, or B vitamins
• Biofeedback to help manage stress
• Cochlear implants for deaf or near-deaf patients
• Drugs, including antianxiety, antidepressant, anti-convulsant, and anesthetic medications
• Hearing aids for hearing loss
• Masking devices resembling hearing aids and designed to produce low-level sound
• TMJ treatments, including dental procedures or bite realignment

By Cory SerVaas, M.D.

Published: September/October 2001

Dear Dr. SerVaas: About a month ago, I came down with an affliction that other people think is funny, even hilarious. I don't. If these same people had to put up with it, they wouldn't think it was funny, either.

I hear music in my head. I can't control it. The Christmas carol "Silent Night" played in my head for 15 hours a day for seven straight days. That's 105 hours! The week before, the music changed occasionally. I would hear "O, Come Al! Ye Faithful," "America," and (of all things) "The Marine Hymn." Imagine an old Navy man having to listen to that song!

I talked to an ENT doctor who has another patient with the same complaint. However, he does not know what causes it or what to do about it. I would appreciate any help you could give me.

Alfred D. Freer, Jr.
Mountain Home, Arkansas

Dear Dr. SerVaas: While I was being treated for a back injury in 1996, I developed ringing in my ears. My doctor said the back problems had nothing to do with the ringing, which he called tinnitus. He also said there was no cure for it. I live with this problem day and night. What can be done for this?

George Sherbo
Hollywood, Florida

Dear Readers: Dr. Jack Vernon, a hearing expert with the American Tinnitus Association, tells us that hearing music is an unusual form of tinnitus. "I have seen and treated this problem in four patients," he says. "That the patient hears music means it is a central problem. This requires a treatment which acts on the brain."

Although there is no cure yet for tinnitus, various therapies help most people manage the chronic problem (see above right). Some people find that a combination of individualized treatments is more effective than a single therapy.

Over 50 million Americans experience tinnitus to some degree. Some hear ringing, hissing, roaring, whistling, chirping, or clicking. Tinnitus can be intermittent or constant and range in volume from subtle to shattering.

For more on treatment options for tinnitus, contact Dr. Jack Vernon at P.O. Box 83885, Portland, OR 97283 or call 503-494-2187 any Wednesday.

E-mail Article

Print Article

Discuss Article

Museum Gift Shoppe

DEPARTMENTS | TOPICS | MAGAZINE | RESOURCES | SITE INDEX

Subscriber Services | Privacy Policy | Disclaimer | Contact Us

| |

Saturday Evening Post Internet Network: Neighborhood Heart Watch | Children's Better Health Institute | Curtis Publishing