Occasional Tinnitus

Damage to the middle or inner ear is a common cause of tinnitus. Your middle ear picks up sound waves, and their conduction prompts your inner ear to transmit electrical impulses to your brain. The existing tinnitus subjects had more SBUTTs than the non-tinnitus subjects, 8 instances compared to 4 instances over a 4-month period. SBUTTs were always heard in one ear only. Right ear occurrences were about twice as common as left ear in a ratio of 65% to 35%.

“Dear House Call Doctor,

Tinnitus Cures That Work

Would you do a podcast about ringing in the ears in the future?”

- W.S.

What a great suggestion, W.S. Thank you. Ringing in the ears, referred to as “tinnitus” in doctor-lingo, is quite common. In fact, approximately 50 million people in the U.S. suffer from this annoying medical condition. Let’s learn what tinnitus really is, what can cause it, and how you can treat it.

Occasional Ringing Ears

What Is Tinnitis?

If you’ve ever experienced it, you know what it feels like. Tinnitis refers to a misperceived sound that is not externally audible. Patients describe it as a “buzzing” or “ringing,” “clicking,” or “pulsating,” and even akin to a “factory working in my brain.” It can be loud or only faintly audible. It can involve only one ear or both. For most, it is intermittent but can become chronic in 1 in 4 sufferers.