Dear Dr. SerVaas: The very first thing I turn to when I receive my Post is "Medical Mailbox." I find all the questions and comments so interesting, especially when readers send in their own private remedies for medical problems. I never thought I would be writing you personally, but I have a problem. I have had ringing in my ears since childhood. It was only slight and not at all disturbing. Now I find that at age 71, the ringing has increased to such a loudness that it has started to unnerve me. I am in reasonably good health, take no medication, and get a check-up regularly. I exercise at the gym several times a week and eat healthy foods. I am about five feet tall, weigh about 120 pounds, and take lots of vitamins. Do you have any suggestions? Perhaps you might have a reader who would be willing to write in and tell what they did to get help. I retired at age 65 but found that I missed working so much, I went back to work two days a week and love it! Except for the very loud ringing in my ears, life is perfect.

Agnes Reader
Toms River, New Jersey

Dear Reader: Have you had a hearing evaluation? Ear, nose, and throat expert Dr. Jack Summerlin responds to your question:

"Tinnitus is almost always associated with some hearing loss, usually in the high frequencies. A hearing evaluation can help determine the degree and type of loss. Once this is known, help can often be obtained by amplification or masking ambient noise when appropriate.

"Tinnitus can also be associated with impacted earwax, anemia, stress, high blood pressure, allergies, and tumors. In addition, some prescription medications, as well as over-the-counter drugs and supplements, can cause tinnitus."

Post reader George Morrow reported that one ginkgo biloba capsule daily relieved his tinnitus symptoms. Most supplements contain 60 mg of the active ingredient. But ginkgo biloba may interact with blood-thinning medicines, according to the 1998 Physicians' Desk Reference for Herbal Medicines.