Tinnitus is a condition where noises such as ringing, whistling, whooshing, buzzing or humming are heard, but with no external physical source. It is not an imagined condition – the noises really are heard, and may have several physical causes.
Generally around 15% of the population may suffer from some form of tinnitus, ranging from mildly inconvenient, to greatly distressing.
Tinnitus associations and support groups are available in most countries, for example:
- American Tinnitus Association
- Australian Tinnitus Association
- British Tinnitus Association
The American Tinnitus site in particular had an excellent document summarising a year of research into Tinnitus, available as a PDF here, covering areas such as oxygen therapy, drugs, Chinese herbs, electrical suppression, sound therapy, and the effect of zinc and zinc blood levels in tinnitus sufferers.
If you do have tinnitus, you should see your doctor and have your hearing checked by a hearing specialist. The impact of tinnitus may be reduced by hearing aids, therapies, noise generators, supplements, implants and electrical stimulation.
<!– Begin clixGalore Code–> Atmosphere Deluxe is the award winning nature sounds generator for the PC. Winner of numerous awards including USAToday and ZDnet tech pick. Create extremely authentic nature soundscapes on your PC to relax you while you work. The software includes ambient sound generators, sound masking and tinnitus masking applications