YOU Docs Daily
Causes and Treatments for Ringing in Your Ears
There's a new reason for you (us, too) to spend less time with your cell phone pressed against your head. People who've been using cell phones for at least 4 years (who hasn't?) for 10 minutes a day (who doesn't?) are getting ringing in their ears. It isn't their phone. It's tinnitus: persistent ringing, whistling, chirping, hissing or humming in your ears that may come and go -- or never stop. The risk of getting tinnitus at some point jumps to 70% if you're in that 4 years/10 minutes phone group (who isn't?).
Now, we couldn't live without our cell phones. Bet you're thinking, "Me neither." But there is an increasing number of reasons to limit their use. Cell phones have been blamed for turning cells cancerous (maybe), messing up sleep (for sure), causing car crashes (no question), and producing stratospheric family phone bills (no comment). Add ear ringing and buzzing to the list of cell phone risks.
About 10% to 15% of adults have tinnitus. Not only is the noise maddening but so is the usual medical advice: "Learn to live with it. There's no fix."
We're not buying it. Neither does Dr. Mike's Cleveland Clinic, which strongly advocates getting a full-tilt medical exam, since tinnitus sometimes signals other problems, such as jaw disorders. Eliminating them may eliminate tinnitus.
Otherwise, masking the ringing with pleasant sounds, such as low music, white noise, tabletop fountains, or even ambient noise from a hearing aid, can make a huge difference -- as can treating the stress and depression often caused by severe tinnitus.
If your doc says learn to live with it, find a new doc.
