If you hear a constant ringing in your ears without any external stimulus, it is called tinnitus. The sound can also manifest as incessant roaring, hissing, buzzing or clicking. The sound can be loud or soft, low or high pitched. Tinnitus can occur in one ear, or both the ears.

Tinnitus is primarily of two types:
i. Subjective tinnitus: This type of tinnitus is very common. In this type, only you are able to hear the ringing, or buzzing. The main cause of subjective tinnitus is ear problems, especially in the inner, middle and outer ear. Problems in the auditory nerves (hearing) or auditory pathways (the part in your brain that changes nerve signals into sound) can also cause subjective tinnitus.
ii. Objective tinnitus: In this type of tinnitus, the doctor can also hear the sound when he/she performs an examination. This type of tinnitus is rare. Muscles contractions, problems in the blood vessels or conditions in the middle ear bone can cause objective tinnitus.

Causes
Tinnitus is not a condition; it is more of a symptom of some other underlying medical condition. Tinnitus can be caused by any of the following complications-
1. Hearing loss (This happens mostly among older people)
2. Loud noises
3. Sinus and ear infections
4. Blood vessel or heart problems
5. Meniere's disease (The inner ear is affected by unknown causes which lead to deafness)
6. Brain tumours
7. Hormonal changes (This happens mostly to women)
8. Thyroid problem
9. Certain medications (antibiotics, cancer medicines, diuretics, quinine medication, some types of antidepressants, aspirin)

Symptoms 
The symptoms of tinnitus include
1. You hear noises that no one else will be able to hear
2. The sound can be depicted as chirping, whistling, screeching, clicking, static, hissing, buzzing, roaring, pulsing, musical or whooshing.
3. The sounds can vary greatly in volume and it is most prominent at night or when your surroundings are quiet
4. Loss of hearing commonly follows tinnitus.

All About Tinnitus

What is a Nasal Polyp?

If you have chronic obstruction of the nose, nasal voice, frequent sneezing, you could be having nasal polyps. It is worthwhile to understand that a nasal polyp is non-cancerous. It is a teardrop-shaped growth in the nasal cavity. At times, it forms in the sinuses or at the opening of the sinus into the nasal cavities. The polyp almost looks like a grape that has been peeled.

Allergies can cause a person a whole lot of trouble, to say the very least. Also, among the many things allergies can trigger such as hives and swellings which are coupled with irritation, nasal polyps are one of the many!

Symptoms-

The symptoms of having nasal polyps include lacking a normal ability to smell as well as a person feeling that the nose is constantly dripping mucous, not a nice situation to have, at all! A person tends to have nasal polyps when there is an inflammation of the nose s lining. While there may be a number of reasons as to why exactly this takes place, homeopathic treatment has a very comprehensive answer for nasal polyps!

If the polyps are not treated by normal medicine, a person who has them would normally face the prospect of having to undergo surgery to get them removed. However, this is not the case at all, if homeopathy medicine is used to provide an answer to the issue.

Why Homeopathy For Nasal Polyps?

The important thing about homeopathic medicine s treatment of nasal polyps is the fact that a person is not only treated for the polyps which are causing trouble to him or her but also for the initial condition which resulted in the polyps forming in the first place. Is this not a better solution? The conditions are likely to be sinusitis, asthma, among other ones.

When a case of having nasal polyps is being treated, the medicines which are most likely to be prescribed by a doctor are known by the names of Teucrium and Sanguinaria. When a person has lost any semblance of smell due to nasal polyps, the medicine to be made use of is likely to be Teucrium. On the other hand, when a person seems to keep falling ill due to catching colds quite often, then a medicine such as Sanguinaria should address this and the patient will be free from the irritation caused by polyps in the nose. After all, the freedom from polyps is really not valued until they are alive and well and are causing a lot of trouble for the person who has the misfortune of having them!

While such medication should only be taken as per the directives of a medical professional who is qualified in the field of homeopathy, it does do a person any harm to know of the medicines, in any case. After all, they may be the reasons why a person can retain peace of mind!

Nasal Polyps - Best Homeopathic Treatment You Must Know!

Ringing in the ears, medically called Tinnitus, is a condition in which the individual hears a certain sound continuously in the ears.

The nature of this sound varies with different individuals. The sound may be whistling, buzzing or bell-like; it might be low or high; seeming to come from a far point or from inside of one's body.

Tinnitus in most cases is subjective where only the affected individual is able to hear the sounds. In some cases, the condition might also be objective wherein the doctor/examiner might be able to hear the sounds on examining.

Understanding the most common cause:

The process of sound waves travelling from the ear to the brain is facilitated by hair cells. When these hair cells are damaged, the brain does not receive signals which cause dysfunction in the activity of neurons. This dysfunctional neuron activity results in the illusion of sounds in the said individual. This illusion is referred to as Tinnitus.

Other causes that might result in Tinnitus are:

Damage around the hearing sections of the brain also might result in ringing sounds / tinnitus. Excessive noise might result into Tinnitus and if not prevented might even progress to hearing loss. There are also some drugs that may cause or worsen the condition.

When to seek help:

In the case of a sudden episode of Tinnitus, it may be associated with hearing loss. Such an episode should be followed by visiting the doctor immediately to prevent any further damage.

Sometimes, the ringing sound occurs rhythmically with your heart beat. It might be because of a pulsating blood vessel and/or because of a sudden hike in blood pressure. This condition would also be relatively easy to cure if reported immediately to the doctor.

If ringing sound occurs with a certain movement, it might be associated with stroke in some cases. In such incidents, conveying the exact symptoms and seeking help sooner would help in treating the underlying cause effectively.

With the first episode of Tinnitus, a regular medication that you intake should be shown to the doctor to rule out medication as the cause or to discontinue a certain medication if found to the causative agent.

Ringing In Ears - What Does it Mean and When to Seek Help

Ear aches are a common complaint for many children. An ear infection can be explained as an inflammation of the middle ear. Unlike other aches, this one cannot be soothed by scratching or applying pressure and hence makes children cranky. Ear infections are usually triggered by bacteria or viruses. 
This causes inflammation that narrows the tube in the ear and allows fluid to build up. This fluid buildup is responsible for the pain.

However, not all ear infections need to be treated with medication. When it comes to treating ear aches in children, picking a natural remedy is a much better option ,since it has no side effects and can address the root cause of the infection. Here are a few natural remedies for earaches:

1. Compress: Hot and cold compresses are very effective ways of treating pain and can be used for earaches as well. Place an ice pack or a warm, moist compress over the ear to soothe the ache. Heat relaxes the muscles and stimulates blood flow while ice controls inflammation and swelling. Hot and cold compresses should not be applied for over 20 minutes at a time. 

2. Water: Some actions can help open up the eustachian tube to the middle ear. Swallowing is one such action. To encourage your child to swallow, offer him lots of fluids. 

3. Oil: Before using oil to treat an earache ensure that your child is not suffering from a ruptured eardrum and there is no fluid leaking from the ear. Pouring a few drops of warm olive oil or sesame oil can help soothe the pain by opening up the eustachian tube. It can also prevent the buildup of excessive ear wax and form a protective layer on the outer ear against bacteria and other infections. 

4. Elevate the head: Elevating a child's head can help improve sinus drainage. When it comes to children, instead of using a pillow below their head, place the pillow below the mattress to create a gradual slope. 

5. Onion: Onions can be used in many different ways to treat earaches. You could either juice an onion and put a few drops of the same in the ear or slice an onion in half and heat it before placing it over the ear like an ear muff. Onion contains anti inflammatory and antibacterial properties that help soothe earaches effectively and quickly. 

If the earache does not reduce or if there is a discharge from the ear, do not continue to self treat it and consult a doctor immediately.

Natural Remedies for Ear Infections in Children

Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo is among the common causes of vertigo. It is the sudden sensation of the spinning of your head which occurs with the change of position of your head. It is a disorder of the inner ear. It occurs when calcium carbonate crystals accumulate in large numbers in any one of the ear canals and stimulate abnormal fluid movement in the inner ear. This sends false signals of head movement to the brain. This can also crop up post head injury. Rolling over the bed or quick head movements like when sitting up in bed can also trigger this condition. 

The common symptoms of benign paroxysmal positional vertigo are as follows: 

Vomiting and nausea. 
Vertigo Blurred vision
Intense dizziness 
Loss of balance 
Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo may be treated in the following manner: 

Medication to get relief from the spinning of your head. 
Epley's Maneuver involves transportation of the calcium particles to a different part of the ear which will no longer cause any problems. 
Brandt-Daroff exercises. 
Sometimes watchful waiting can help a person to recover without having to undergo any other treatment but it is a long process and often involves risk factors. 
Surgery: This option is used rarely when other treatments fail. 
A very important thing to remember is that vertigo can lead to falls and driving should be avoided. The patient will need support during an episode to avoid injuries.

All About Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo

Nasal allergies are very common and as a result, not taken seriously by most people. In most cases you patiently withstand the coughing and sneezing, which might last for an entire day and in the process might inadvertently damage your health by choosing to ignore it for the time being. Here are some of the commonly experienced nasal allergies and what you should do to get relief from them.

1. Runny or stuffy nose: The best option is to just avoid allergy triggers. For example, if pollen is your allergen, then avoid going out during the times pollen count when it is reported to be high. Or, if animals make you sneeze, then make sure to have your hands washed and clothes changed after playing with them. Do not over use decongestant sprays at all. If these symptoms persist for more than half a week, then it's time to seek your doctor's advice.
1. Uncontrollable Sneezing: Again, the best option is to avoid; but in many cases, it becomes difficult for you to avoid the allergen. In those cases, try antihistamine. If that doesn't work, then you can also go for a nasal steroid spray, but again, make sure to not overuse it.
2. Post Nasal Drip: Usually, you unconsciously swallow your mucus. But, if the mucus quantity increases, it becomes thicker and results in post-nasal drip. It isn't much common, but you can practically feel the mucus dripping into your throat from the back of the nose. It can result in a lumpy feeling in the throat and can cause irritation. You can try drinking more fluids and using a nasal spray to reduce the mucus quantity. If that doesn't work, then it's time to seek advice from your doctor.
3. Eyes that itch: Watery eyes that itch are annoying companions of nose allergy and though they might not be a serious hazard for the eyes, you cannot ignore them. Try wearing sunglasses when you go out into a reportedly high-pollen-count weather. It might be a better option to forego contact lenses; they can escalate the entire eye-itching problem. If it becomes too itchy, you can place a cold washcloth over your eyes.

Testing an Allergy
Allergy testing is commonly done by by skin prick test, in order to diagnose the allergens. Once, the allergens are diagnosed, immunotherapy can be started, which will help in improving the symptoms of and in many cases, it provides complete cure.

Allergic Issues of the Nose

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