IT’S ALL IN YOUR EARS!

More than 20 percent of the population has some form of inner-ear dysfunction. Some of these individuals are phobic all of their lives. Others never suffer from a single phobia. And some live phobia-free lives for twenty, fifty, or even eighty years before problems suddenly surface. Yet all of these observations can be easily explained and understood once the culprit, the inner-ear system, has been identified. Let me explain.

Even though an impaired inner-ear system is a necessary prerequisite for the development of most phobias, the presence of such a problem does not necessarily lead to phobic behavior. Basically, there are two factors that determine whether or not phobias ever surface:

1) The nature and extent of the dysfunction.

The inner-ear system has millions of cells and circuits. The presence or absence of phobic behavior depends to a large extent on how many of these cells or circuits are malfunctioning and which are malfunctioning.

2) Your ability to compensate.

The brain is often capable of compensating for an impaired inner-ear system, adjusting to it, in a sense, by developing and strengthening mechanisms that counter or neutralize phobic symptoms. If your brain is successfully compensating, you may never be more than vaguely aware that anything is wrong.

In fact, more than three-quarters of the phobic patients never realized they had any inner-ear problem until they learned about the many symptoms that characterize inner-ear dysfunction.

But an impaired inner-ear system is a vulnerable system. If your inner-ear dysfunction is aggravated or your ability to compensate for it is reduced, phobic symptoms may suddenly surface. A wide variety of factors are capable of destabilizing your inner-ear system and bringing on phobic behavior. These factors include:

• Severe or repeated ear infections

• Mononucleosis

• Sinus infections and various other infections known to affect the inner-ear system

• Concussions and/or whiplash

• Degenerative disorders

• Old age

• Tumors or blood clots (or other lesions that put pressure on the inner-ear system)

• Prolonged or turbulent air travel

• Surgical procedures

• Temporomandibular joint syndrome

• Chemical changes in the brain due to:

a.  drug use or abuse

b.  menopause

c.  allergies

d.  birth control pills

e.  changes in diet

f.   emotional stress

g.  pregnancy

h.  fluctuating hormone levels

i.  menstruation

j.  anesthesia

Now You Feel It, Now You Don’t?

When phobias suddenly surface, one or more of the aforementioned destabilizing factors are usually responsible. In addition, these factors can make preexisting phobias worse. But some persons have noticed that the reverse is also possible: phobias may improve or disappear when destabilizing factors lessen or disappear.

Unfortunately, this does not always happen. Once your fears have been imprinted within the memory banks of your brain, they often take on a psychological life of their own that has little or nothing to do with their inner-ear origins. But this seemingly spontaneous improvement is possible and is clearly related to inner-ear functioning.

Although the sudden appearance, disappearance, and intensification of phobic symptoms has always been noticed by phobics and clinicians, no one has ever offered an acceptable explanation, and for one very good reason.

All previous phobic theories have overlooked the vital importance of the inner-ear system. As a result, they have necessarily overlooked the importance of various factors that can destabilize that system.

For some people though, surgery and other thorough medical treatments are necessary especially if the condition is brought about by a primary illness. Hence, it is very important that you seek professional help to know if it is a single disease or if it is coupled with a more serious case.

Once you experience tinnitus or swishing or ringing in ears, treatment varies. This is so because remedies or treatment should be based on the cause of the noise or sound. The most common causes of tinnitus are as follows:

• Hearing loss, which is actually normal especially if a person ages.

• Ear infection or excess wax in the ear.

• Ear trauma

• Exposure to loud noises like high-intensity music (loud sounds could really damage the hearing system)

• Overuse of aspirin, quinine and aminoglycoside antibiotics, a potent anti-infection drug

• Other underlying or main health issues such as Meniere’s disease, anemia, overactive thyroid and acoustic neuroma

• Pregnancy could also be a cause of ear noises or sounds

For those diagnosed with hearing organ damage, treatment is not ruled out as necessary. Patients are just usually reassured that tinnitus is a single disease and not a by-product of any other serious issue. And while some causes, like pregnancy, could give just a temporary case of tinnitus—meaning, the condition will go eventually away– the others entail some appointment with your otolaryngologist or ear, nose and throat specialist.

For those people who are experiencing severe swishing and ringing in ears, the following could be recommended by doctors:

• Antidepressant or anti-anxiety medication

• Use of maskers and other ear devices that can mask the sounds coming from the outside

• If patients are bothered by the swishing and ringing in their ears at night, a fan, radio and other sound-producing machines could relieve the problem.

• If the ear condition worsens because of stress, relaxation methods are advised.

• Less caffeine intake, as the said substance could worsen the symptoms

• Avoiding aspirin and other drug that cause tinnitus

• Protecting the ears from harsh and loud noises that could bring about hearing loss—a condition that could just make tinnitus even worse.

• A method called Biofeedback could also help relieve or diminish the irritating sounds in the ears. This treatment method uses monitors that can furnish patients with psychological information that they are not normally aware of. By adjusting their thinking based on the mental processes that they see on the monitor, they get to control the body activities that are involuntary by nature.

So if you are one of those people who are experiencing those disturbing sounds, it’s time to pay your doctors a visit to get the medical attention that you need.

Regardless of why Ringing Ears Pregnancy happens it can still be a major bother to you and can be made even more frustrating by your state of health. Being pregnant brings on its own set of emotional challenges and a minor annoyance before might be a major problem now. But the major questions of what it is and how to get rid of it still remain.

The common causes of Tinnitus are due to damage, irritation, or blockage of a person’s auditory system. It can be brought on naturally with old age or by listening to loud music repeatedly without giving your ears time to heal. While it strikes the older generations quicker than the younger ones it is indiscriminate and can cause ringing in anyone’s ears.

While Ringing Ears Pregnancy symptoms are common due to bodily changes you can also suffer from Tinnitus during this time. It’s important to consult with your doctor immediately if you start hearing strange sounds in order to make sure you’re doing okay. It may be something minor such as a cold or it may be a symptom of a larger problem that you need to address.

The most important thing that you can do with Ringing Ears Pregnancy symptoms is to take notice of when they strike you. If you are having it repeatedly at the same time of night then try to keep a journal and write this down to help your doctor diagnose the problem. There are many medical conditions that can bring these symptoms and problems about but there are also perfectly legitimate reasons as well. Being stressed out over your current situation is completely normal when pregnant and it can cause an increase in your blood pressure. This as well as not getting enough sleep can lead to ringing in your ears.

If you suffer these problems while pregnant know that you have choices for treatment. There are various natural choices as well as medical choices available to you. Do note that certain medical treatments might actually make the ringing worse or bring on full scale Tinnitus. It’s important to be aware of the side effects of any medication you’re given before taking.

Due to the increase of blood flow throughout a woman’s body Pulsatile Tinnitus and its symptoms can strike as well. This form of Tinnitus gives off a whooshing or running water sound in rhythm with your own heartbeat. Due note that this is a normal side effect of being pregnant but if you suffer with it excessively either before or after your pregnancy consult a doctor immediately. It may be indicant of a more severe problem.

While Ringing Ears Pregnancy symptoms and Tinnitus can be benign in many cases they can still be aggravating to deal with. It’s advisable that if you suffer from these symptoms at night when you’re trying to go to bed that you try putting on some music at low volume or use a noise machine. If these aren’t available or don’t work you can also try honing in on the sound of your computer running or an air purifier in the background. These will distract you from the ringing in your ears and allow you to fall asleep.

If however your Ringing Ears Pregnancy problems re caused by your pregnancy itself then it will dissipate after your pregnancy is over. If you are having trouble dealing with the noise until then talk to your doctor about various medical and natural treatments that can be taken without damaging your child.