What is Tinnitus?

Tinnitus, commonly referred to as ringing in the ears, is a condition characterized by ringing, swishing, or other noises that appear to be originating in the ear or head.  Noises may appear low or high in pitch and may interfere with a person’s ability to concentrate.

Causes

Tinnitus or ringing in ears is linked with fatigue, stress, sleep problems, concentration difficulty, memory problems, depression, anxiety and irritability.  Tinnitus is a symptom of a variety of health conditions, blood vessel disorders, and side effect from some medications.

Treatment

There is no specific tinnitus cure.  Conventional tinnitus treatment provides tinnitus relief by reducing the intensity of sound.  Patients may try methods of suppressing the sound with white noise machines, hearing aids, and masking devices to make tinnitus less annoying. Although drugs do not cure tinnitus, some such as tricyclic antidepressants, alprazolam, and acamprosate may reduce the severity of tinnitus symptoms.  Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) is a revolutionary non-invasive and non-systemic treatment used to treat tinnitus world-wide.

TMS for Tinnitus

Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) or repetitive TMS (rTMS) has been shown by medical researchers to relieve tinnitus by modulating the excitability of neurons in the auditory cortex to decrease the hyperexcitability that is associated with generating the neural activity that causes tinnitus.  The results were influenced by tinnitus duration: the longer the tinnitus exists, the lower the stimulation frequency that yields maximal tinnitus suppression.

Magnetic Pulses to Brain Bring Relief for Tinnitus Patients