What is This Ringing and Buzzing in My Ears?
What is Tinnitus and what causes it? Picture standing in an open field in late August-the sounds of tiny insects, especially crickets fill your head. But it’s mid-February and you hear them just the same. Medical science calls this affliction, Tinnitus (tin-EYE-tus)-ringing, buzzing sounds I hear every waking moment. The Mayo Clinic describes Tinnitus as inner ear cell damage. Tiny, delicate hairs in your inner ear move in relation to the pressure of sound waves. This triggers ear cells to release an electrical signal through a nerve from your ear (auditory nerve) to your brain. Your brain interprets these signals as sound. If the hairs inside your inner ear are bent or broken, they can “leak” random electrical impulses to your brain, causing tinnitus. Many people suffer from tinnitus as a natural result of aging. A study released by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) puts most of the blame for tinnitus on cochlear damage (74.8%), while other factors contribute to the problem such
