Despite the manygroundbreaking medical advancesof the last century, there are still some conditions that continue to perplex scientists.
One such symptom istinnitus, which people have reported experiencing as far back as the1600 BC.
Forone in eight people, these sounds never disappear.
Its estimated that30 percent of people worldwidewill experience tinnitus at some point in their life.
Because of this, its very hard to establish a diagnosis and whether a treatment has worked.
Scientists also dont know why some people develop tinnitus and others dont.
More than200 conditionsare associated with developing tinnitus.
These can be anything from head or neck injuries, circulation problems, or a side-effect of some medications.
A further barrier to finding a cure is that tinnitus is also not fully understood.
In fact, during many of these trials people taking placebo drugs reported similar improvements to their tinnitus symptoms.
A majority of people with tinnitus dont find having the condition problematic.
However, a small minority are unable to lead a normal life due to its severity.
When tinnitus is severe, it can make it difficult to hear, concentrate, relax, and focus.
Those who are severely distressed by tinnitus even report an inability to work.
Being aware of tinnitus may also make it difficult to sleep, which can affect daytime functioning.
Being unable to escape or control tinnitus might also lead to feelings of frustration, anxiety and depression.
A small proportion of tinnitus sufferers may evencontemplate suicide.
Often, addressing anyhearing lossgreatly helps manage tinnitus.
Using other strategies, such asmindfulnessandrelaxationtechniques, orsound therapycan also be beneficial in helping people manage their symptoms.
CBT uses various techniques to help change negative thoughts and responses to tinnitus.
Strategies provided are aimed at helping people ensure having tinnitus does not restrict their lives.
Although it remains an enigma, there is more research into tinnitus than ever before.
There are clear indications of progress regarding ourunderstanding of tinnitusand how totreat it.
This should be embraced as it acts as stepping stones for further breakthroughs.
This article is republished fromThe ConversationbyEldre Beukes, Postdoctoral Research Fellow,Anglia Ruskin Universityunder a Creative Commons license.
