Annoying ringing and buzzing noise in ears

By Lee Sung-hun

A few weeks ago, a graphic designer visited my clinic, complaining of tinnitus—ringing noise in the ears. The patient first sought out treatment for sudden hearing loss, which did improve, but the symptoms of tinnitus, where he heard buzzing and ringing in his ears, did not go away. He mentioned that such symptoms worsened during a stressful time such as facing upcoming deadline, to the extent where he could not focus on his work anymore.

The number of patients visiting Oriental clinics due to tinnitus is on the increase. Tinnitus in itself is pretty common, as approximately 15 percent of the general population has experience at one time or another. It refers to the symptoms where the patient is hearing ringing or buzzing noises in his ears or inside his head, without an external sensory input. In most cases, the patient is stressed due to such noises, but the people around the patient cannot hear them at all. The types of sounds can range anything from buzzing, the white-wash of water flow, or wind noise, to insect noise such as crickets or cicadas, although the type of noise is unrelated to the cause of the disease.

In a quiet space, anyone can hear some type of noise, but not all of it is tinnitus-related. Tinnitus is self-induced in that it has no external auditory input, but created within our listening organs. Therefore, depending on how the person perceives the noise, it could be tinnitus or just natural white noise in the background. For this reason, to treat tinnitus, some treatments aim to correct the incorrect perception process of regarding general signals of acoustic nerve systems as ringing.

Only about 70 percent of tinnitus cases can trace its causes, of which internal ear diseases, injury to head and neck and general noises are the most common. For the rest, the causes are undefined.

In Oriental medicine, it is generally considered that the causes for tinnitus are mental or physical stress, disorders in the temporomandibular joints (TMJ, joints of the jaw) or the cervical vertebrae, and weakened body, and patients are treated accordingly. Stress, known to be the root cause of so many different diseases, excites the sympathetic nerves that cause the imbalance in the autonomic nerves, which can cause tinnitus. In Oriental medicine, we refer this to accumulating hwa (fire) in the liver or in the heart. To relieve this hwa, hanyak is prescribed. When TMJ and the upper cervical vertebrae are not in alignment, it can affect the acoustic nerves to cause the ringing noise. For such patients, Chuna-chiropractic is administered. As stress and wrong alignment of the vertebrae can additionally cause tension in the surrounding muscles that can worsen the tinnitus symptoms, acupuncture is administered to relax the tense muscles.

Tinnitus is more common among people whose stamina is weak, and who lack qi - vitality. It appears among those who are exhausted and weak, and exposed to excessive noise or very loud sound, such as people who are preparing for exams that have irregular diet and sleeping patterns while working constantly without proper rest.

According to statistics provided by the National Health Institute, during winter, the number of patients seeking medical help due to tinnitus is up by 30 percent in comparison to during summer. It is probably because due to the cold weather, people tend to stay indoors, and in a quieter indoor space, the noises tend to sound louder. Another contributing factor may be we tend to hunch our shoulders because of the cold, which can tense up the muscles around the neck that can facilitate tinnitus.

To prevent tinnitus, the first step is to avoid stress and exposure to loud noises. Reducing the amount of antibiotics, which can be harmful to the ears, can also help. Excessive consumption of pain killers should also be avoided. Salty foods should be avoided, which can be difficult for the average Korean food lover, whose general diet does contain food with high salt content. For such people, my recommendation is to reduce the amount of soup and stock-based dishes, while including more vegetables in their diet. Taking too much caffeine (whether it be in the traditional coffee form, or in those high-energy drinks) can also cause tinnitus, and should be avoided.

Using earphones or headphones to listen to loud music or sound-intensive games can stress the acoustic nerves, which then become overly sensitive. As tinnitus symptoms tend to worsen when the patient is tired, or stressed and annoyed, or in a quiet space, they should tend to their physical stamina and try to avoid too quiet an environment. People with the wrong postures such as forward-angled necks who suffer from headaches and pain in the neck and shoulder region are more prone to tinnitus, and should maintain a better posture.

Once a patient starts to pay attention to the noises in the ear, however small it was at the beginning, the patient can become more sensitive over time, and in itself can be very stressful to worsen the symptoms. A positive outlook, thus, is very important in the treatment. Clinical experiences show that the earlier the treatment begins, the better the prognosis is. Leaving it untreated for over a year can mean that the patient has missed the window for treatment. If you hear noises in your ear that are bothersome, it is recommended that you visit a clinic and seek medical help as soon as you can.

The writer practices Korean Oriental medicine at the UN Oriental Medical Clinic in Hannam-dong, Seoul. He can be reached at sung_hun@naver.com.