Learn About Tinnitus

Tinnitus Resources for Des Moines & Central Iowa

What is tinnitus?

Tinnitus can be triggered by a variety of causes, but is commonly linked to exposure to loud sounds, which can damage the delicate sensory cells of the inner ear. This condition has also been associated with ear infections, aging, stress, excessive earwax, high blood pressure, and sensory nerve disorders.

Activities such as smoking, drinking alcohol or caffeine, and taking excessive amounts of aspirin or antibiotics may exacerbate tinnitus.

While there is no cure for tinnitus, there are many treatment options.

Click here to schedule a  consultation with one of Woodard’s TPA (Tinnitus Practitioner’s Association) certified Doctors of Audiology!

How can I manage tinnitus?

If you suspect that you may have tinnitus, your first step is to undergo a professional evaluation. Counseling with an experienced Woodard healthcare professional trained in managing tinnitus will improve your chances of success in regaining your quality of life.

The effects of tinnitus can often be treated by customizing a plan to your needs – using a combination of counseling and sound therapy. How does sound therapy help? Amplified sound from hearing aids, environmental influences, music, or sound from noise generators can help to minimize the contrast between the buzzing or ringing of tinnitus and the surrounding sound environment.

How is tinnitus managed?

There are several excellent treatment options, including hearing aids with integrated sound therapy, and other sound therapy options. These treatments are well established, clinically sound, FDA approved, and proven to be effective in most patients.

Woodard’s program is customized to your needs with proper tinnitus education and treatment guidance, proper use of sound therapy, and the care of an expert tinnitus hearing healthcare professional focused on your treatment and working to bring you relief from tinnitus.

Get personal, customized treatment

  • Discuss your lifestyle, hearing, tinnitus relief, comfort, and budget needs
  • Sound therapy is non-invasive
  • Expert Tinnitus Audiologists and specialists on staff, ready to help you
10 facts about tinnitus:
  1. The condition, tinnitus, is noises in the head, which are not related to any psychiatric condition. The noise can be heard anywhere in the head or in one or both ears.
  2. While it is the case that prolonged exposure to loud noise can be a cause of tinnitus, the truth is that tinnitus has many causes. Many people develop tinnitus for no obvious reason. People of any gender, age, background, or profession can suffer from the condition.
  3. Tinnitus sounds vary from person to person; they are often described as hissing, roaring, whistling, ringing, whooshing, clicking and chirping.
  4. Many people are embarrassed to mention their tinnitus to friends and family, let alone seek help. They hope that the ringing will disappear. While tinnitus caused by medication may cease if that element is removed, the truth is that tinnitus does not go away for most people. The sooner a sufferer seeks help from a trained professional, the better their chances for improvement.
  5. Tinnitus is very common; about 10%-15% of adults experience tinnitus. About 50 million US citizens have tinnitus to some degree, of which around 12 million have such a severe condition that they have to seek medical help.
  6. Tinnitus can be classified into 2 fields: objective and subjective. Objective tinnitus may or may not be audible to a person, but it is audible to an observer with a stethoscope or by simply listening in close proximity to the ear. In most cases objective tinnitus can be determined and treatment can be prescribed. Subjective tinnitus is audible only to the person and is the most common form.
  7. 1 in 5 teenagers suffer from tinnitus permanently according to a new study. In the study 4,000 Flemish high school students completed a questionnaire which found that 3 out of 4 experienced temporary tinnitus, 1 in 5 heard ringing in their ears ALL the time and only 5% said that they used hearing protection against loud noises
  8. Smoking cigarettes isn’t only bad for your lungs and your heart etc. Studies prove that cigarette smoke is harmful for your ears. Toxic chemicals found in cigarette smoke has known links with chronic ear infections and tinnitus.
  9. Stress and anxiety are common contributors to tinnitus.  Many people who suffer from panic attacks, anxiety disorder, depression, or high stress levels are prone to ear ringing caused by tinnitus.
  10. 60% of veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan come home with hearing loss and tinnitus; it is the number 1 war wound!