Tinnitus, according to an article I just read, is not really an ear problem...it is a brain problem. There is a feedback system in the auditory cortex that confirms what it is hearing, and shares what it is hearing with close by nerves...I hear high frequency sounds, I hear a bell, I hear a dog bark, etc. As we grow older, loud noises, medicines, injuries, etc, cause this feedback system to generate its own sounds, even if there is no outside noise. Your brain rewrites itself to keep feeding back this noise in your auditory cortex. It begins to spread throughout your brain. Even after you have your auditory nerve severed, you keep hearing that feedback, because you hear it in your brain, not in your ear. The article in Discover magazine says there is no single cure for tinnitus. This feedback system can spread all over your brain, and is more like a ringing of the brain rather than a ringing in your ear. It is a disease of more than just your auditory system...it is a disease of the entire brain. The article says it is such a complex disease, that is why so many different tinnitus treatments work, but only modestly. One of the early treatments was boiling earthworms in goose grease, and pour that in your ear. I would rather try the new hearing aid.
