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Ringing in the Ear / Tinnitus

Tinnitus is the perception of sound in the absence of an acoustic stimulus. It is more common in the elderly population yet it can occur in a person of any age. Unfortunately the cause is often not determined in every person.

The most common causes of tinnitus are noise-induced damage and age-related hearing loss. It is important to remember that tinnitus is not a disease but a symptom, and often serves as an important marker for other conditions. Causes include spine, cranial, or TMJ dysfunction, hyper - and hypo-tension, damaged or reduced circulation resulting in nerve damage, infection with resulting mucous, adrenal hypo-function, thiamine deficiency and food allergies /
sensitivities. People with an overactive thyroid, which leads to an increased heart rate, often suffer from tinnitus due to the consequent increased blood flow through the ears causing the ringing. Tinnitus is also one of the symptoms of Ménière's disease. Some people may experience tinnitus for a week or so after a cold or flu, this is annoying but usually subsides after the infection has gone.

There are a number of substances that can exacerbate tinnitus, due to their vasoconstriction properties. These include nicotine and caffeine. Clenching or grinding the teeth, a sign of increase stress, will often trigger ringing in the ears. Reducing stress and relieving TML dysfunction improves the tinnitus.

One of the theories for the mechanics of tinnitus suggests that damage to the fine hair cells of the inner ear from loud noise etc. causes them to remain in a constant state of irritation. Any type of stimulation of the auditory nerve is random and spontaneous instead of occurring as a direct consequence of sound wave transmitted to the inner ear.  These random electrical impulses are interpreted as noise, usually perceived as high-frequency ringing because the hair cells that are most frequently damaged respond in the high-frequency range.  The distress can be minimized by putting the person on an individualized nutritional protocol and by avoiding aggravating factors, such as nicotine and caffeine.


Reference: Weatherby, D. (2004). Signs and Symptoms Analysis from a Functional Perspective. Jacksonville, OR: Bear Mountain Publishing.

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