Regular Cell Phone Use May Cause Tinnitus

Regularly using a mobile phone for at least four years seems to be associated with doubling the risk of developing chronic tinnitus (persistent ringing/roaring/hissing in the ear) based on a small study published online in Occupational and Environmental Medicine. Analysis of the results showed that the patients who had used a mobile before the onset of tinnitus were 37% more likely to have the condition than those in the comparison group. Those who used their mobiles for an average of 10 minutes a day were 71% more likely to have the condition.

The high microwave energy produced by mobile phones during use has been suggested as a possible culprit, but there has been no hard evidence to date.

Of course there are other studies that did not find a link between tinnitus and cell phone use like this one.

Increased risk of cancer has also been suggested with cell phone use though there is no definitive evidence to date.

Reference
Tinnitus and mobile phone use. Occupational and Environmental Medicine, 2010.

Cohort study on the effects of everyday life radio frequency electromagnetic field exposure on non-specific symptoms and tinnitus. Environ Int. 2012 Jan;38(1):29-36. doi: 10.1016/j.envint.2011.08.002. Epub 2011 Sep 10.

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WP: Anatomy of Tinnitus

I recently came across this interesting webpage published by the Washington Post describing the biological pathways that results in tinnitus or ringing of the ears, complete with pictures.

It also describes how we "hear" which is actually not with our ears, but with our brains.

Tinnitus is becoming a much more common problem with loud noise exposure whether via military service in the Gulf from all the gunfire and explosions or listening to personal music players (iPod) too loudly.

Click here to read more about it.

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Sudden Hearing Loss Can Be Due to Erectile Dysfunction Medications (Cialis, Viagra, etc)

It's been a few years since the warning has come out from the FDA regarding sudden hearing loss in men who take viagra, cialis, and other erectile dysfunction (ED) medications. A recent study determined that it may actually double the risk of hearing loss. With sudden hearing loss, one can also experience tinnitus as well as ear fullness.

As such, it's nice to review this rare condition that may lead to permanent hearing loss, tinnitus, ear fullness for which only hearing aids may help. Of course, one can suffer this sudden condition without taking such medications.

If you experience sudden hearing loss (whether taking ED medications or not), see your local ENT as soon as possible as there is a window of opportunity during which certain interventions may help reverse and restore your hearing back to normal! Such intervention include:

• High doses of prednisone
• Intratympanic steroid injection into the ear
• Hyperbaric oxygen therapy

Here are some sources on ED medications and sudden hearing loss:
FDA Warning
CNN
Wall Street Journal

Click here to read more about sudden hearing loss.

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IPhone App for Tinnitus (White Noise)

While scanning for new iPhone apps of interest for ENT uses, I came across one called "White Noise." In essence, this program produces background white noise to help in noisy environments, but can just as easily be used to help reduce tinnitus. As many tinnitus sufferers are aware, the tinnitus is loudest when the environment is very quiet. White noise helps in this situation reduce a person's awareness of tinnitus.

The iPhone app alows one to customize the type of noise (waterfall, jungle, rain, etc) and for how long it should play for. There's other features where one can customize the sound itself (volume, balance, pitch) depending on the sound selected.

Click here to check it out on iTunes!

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