Top treatments for tinnitus

I’ve had tinnitus—a low-level whirring noise—for about six months now, and it’s driving me crazy. Can you suggest any effective treatments?

S.W., via e mail

Tinnitus—experiencing ringing, buzzing, whirring or hissing noises in one or both ears—affects most people from time to time, after attending a loud concert, for example. But for 10 to 15 percent of the population, it’s a chronic condition, and up to 6 percent find it seriously interferes with everyday life, causing problems like insomnia and trouble concentrating. Defined as the perception of sound in the absence of an external source, tinnitus affects all age groups, although it can be a feature of age-related hearing loss. Other potential causes include repeated exposure to loud noise, ear infection, Ménière’s disease, temporomandibular The first thing to do is consult with your doctor to work out if there is an identifiable cause of your tinnitus; addressing it, if possible, may improve the condition or even resolve it completely. Commonly though, there’s no obvious cause, and although counseling and drugs to deal with associated problems like insomnia and depression may sometimes be offered, sufferers are often told they just need to learn to live with it. Fortunately, there are several strategies showing success for easing tinnitus and the distress it causes.