Persistent tinnitus (ringing in the ears) sometimes accompanies hearing loss, but most of the time, it has its own cause(s). In Meniere's Disease (balance and hearing symptoms) it is very persistent and very unpleasant. And because it is in the person’s ear, they cannot remove themselves from it: it always travels with them.

Tinnitus is a noise, ringing ears, or a roaring sound in the affected ear. It is very disturbing: sometimes it actually causes ear pain. Noise is measured in decibels. And people have told us that at higher decibels, it actually creates pain. It is certainly very uncomfortable.

We have heard many many people with Meniere's disease describe tinnitus as sounding like the sound of escaping air, running water, being inside a seashell, a sizzling, musical, buzzing, or humming noise, ringing noises, blowing sounds, hissing, whistling, high or low pitched sounds, roaring, pulsating sounds, etc. some people can hear their heart beat. You might want to explore this term on the MedlinePlus site.

It is important to recognize that this sound comes from the inside of the ear. In this case, there is no sound happening outside. Only you, the Meniere's disease sufferer, are hearing it. Tinnitus, in its mild form, is tolerable. We all have bits of it at times. In its loud, chronic form is very destructive and stressful. It can lead to increased depression and despair.

Holistic Tinnitus Treatments
Just as the medical treatments for tinnitus are not very helpful, the holistic remedies can be incredibly effective. Retraining therapies are an attempt to retrain the nerve pathways associated with hearing in order to have the brain essentially "ignore" the sound and look past it in order to hear what is actually happening. A process called habituation helps the brain ignore the signals caused by tinnitus so the patient will be completely unaware that the tinnitus is actually ongoing unless they concentrate on hearing the tinnitus noise. Sound generators as well as counselling are required in order to get this tinnitus treatment to be successful, and often ear, nose and throat doctors work together in order to successfully treat a patient in this manner.

Relief therapy is another option for tinnitus sufferers, where in concert with other relief options, an individual may react positively to a number of different types of relief methods when used together. An example would be when a patient receives counseling for depression at the same time they are working on a biofeedback loop that would keep the brain from hearing the ringing or whistling sounds associated with tinnitus. Stress reduction therapy may also be helpful as a home remedy for tinnitus.