I would say that tinnitus has to be the worst health issue I have ever experienced. There is a ringing in the ear that no one else can hear and you think you are going crazy, literally. The sounds I hear are only audible to me and no one else can hear them (subjective tinnitus – which is what most people report). There is currently no cure but there are treatments.
I’ve tried to improve my health and eat a better diet. I’ve tried exercising more. I don’t want to use medication – the medications that have been suggested to me are antidepressants and anti-anxiety drugs. It’s not for me, nor is therapy. There are some experimental solutions. I am going to try a hearing aid although I’m not sure if it will work. My doctor will have to see if it is a good solution for me as it is not a solution for everyone. Until then, there are not a lot of options so I am hoping there will be more solutions in the future. There is research being conducted but for those who suffer like me, it’s not fast enough.
One resource that I enjoy is ATA.org (American Tinnitus Association).
According to ATA, most patients develop tinnitus as a symptom of hearing loss, caused either by age, long-term hearing damage, or acute trauma to the auditory system. According to the general scientific consensus, hearing loss causes less external sound stimuli to reach the brain. In response, the brain undergoes neuroplastic changes in how it processes different sound frequencies. Tinnitus is the product of these maladaptive neuroplastic changes.
Tinnitus is awful!