SOUND, MEANING, HEARING... TINNITUS

Sound waves, created by anything from a jet engine to a sleeping child's breathing, travel into the ear canal. This causes fluctuations of air pressure, which make the eardrum vibrate. The vibrations travel to the cochlea in the inner ear and are converted into electrical signals, which are transmitted to the hearing centre of the brain.

Like a computer, the brain is constantly programmed. It has been conditioned, almost from conception, to recognise and link up brain patterns. Sound waves then have a meaning, or an identity of sound. For example, the vibrations caused by a passing car are matched to the learned pattern and a car sound is heard.

The identity of sound in turn affects our understanding and emotional reaction. If a sound is pleasant, comforting, the response will be relatively inactive and reassured, unstressed, with no adverse affect on the hearer's mental and physical state. Should the sound suggest danger and warnings, such as approaching traffic or strange noises in the night, the response will be of fear. Our mental and physical state becomes primed for action, putting great strain on our normal physical and mental activity. This produces much stress and anxiety and consequently possible adverse health problems.

It is therefore accepted that sounds produce a physical and mental reaction - automatic responses that are the result of learned brain programming.

WHAT IS TINNITUS?

Tinnitus is a sound or sounds in the head, which have no external source, and has no meaning or recognition. It is not a disease, but a symptom of malfunction of the hearing mechanism. How does the brain react and cope with such a phenomenon, and how do we help ourselves? As individuals our reactions are many and varied, from extreme anxiety and fear to a resigned acceptance. These are automatic reactions, which if allowed to become a permanent brain pattern will determine how we cope with tinnitus. However, it is increasingly recognised that it is possible re-program the brain - a powerful tool that can be used for the benefit of tinnitus sufferers. But the path to this is not easy.

The ability to cope with any problem is largely influenced by the individual personality. For instance, highly sensitive people may find it more difficult than those who are blessed with a placid, more 'laid back' nature. Understanding, and most importantly, acknowledging our personalities, gives us the opportunity to understand how we cope, and to explore if there is a possibility of consciously changing our brain's programme. This is already happening in a small way, by for example counselling, cognitive therapy, hypnotherapy and tinnitus retraining therapy. However, these treatments are not easily available everywhere, nor indeed suitable for everyone. Nonetheless, this should not prevent the use of our own abilities to help ourselves, for who knows us better.

At present there is no complete cure for tinnitus. There are palliative treatments, which help some people to the point where tinnitus intrusion is reduced greatly, or cut to a more bearable level, and there are many alternative therapies to choose from, which have proved to be randomly helpful in coping with head noises.

Whilst acknowledging the benefits of positive self-help and providing the information to understand such benefits, Action for Tinnitus Research strongly believes that sufferers need more than being told to relax and think positively.

We understand the frustrations of people who have tinnitus and it is time for action to secure scientific research for a cure and better clinical treatment. We work to those aims.

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