Arrow-right Camera
The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Treatments available for tinnitus

Peter Gott United Media

Dear Dr. Gott: I am a 61-year-old male who was diagnosed by my primary care physician with tinnitus due to a low tone ringing in my left ear. My doctor said that this condition comes with age and that nothing could be done to stop the tone. It is becoming quite annoying.

Dear Reader: You and I are members of a generation that did not appreciate the harmful effects, including deafness and tinnitus, that result from chronic exposure to loud noise. We and our parents ran unmuffled power mowers and other equipment, used firearms and exposed ourselves to everyday noise pollution such as subway trains – in short, we failed to protect our delicate ears from unnecessarily loud sounds. (Today’s teens risk the same damage from electronic sources such as amplified music.)

Although tinnitus resulting from noise exposure is incurable, it may – in some cases – be treatable. I recommend that you be examined by an otolaryngologist, who will advise you on possible treatments. Or, if you wish, contact the American Tinnitus Association to receive additional information. You can contact them by writing to ATA National Headquarters, P.O. Box 5, Portland, OR 97207-0005, by calling (800) 634-8978 or by going online at www.ata.org.

To give you related information, I am sending you a copy of my Health Report “Ear Infections and Disorders.” Other readers who would like a copy should send a long, self-addressed, stamped envelope and $2 to Newsletter, P.O. Box 167, Wickliffe, OH 44092. Be sure to mention the title.

Dear Dr. Gott: I am a 55-year-old man, diagnosed five years ago with right bundle branch block. I am otherwise in excellent health, except I have abused alcohol for 20 years.

Could drinking have caused my heart condition? One cardiologist said “probably not.” Another health professional told me it was definitely possible.

Dear Reader: Although right bundle branch block – a slowing of the electrical charges to part of your heart – is common and usually of minor significance, it can reflect heart disease if it appears in middle age.

As I am sure you are aware, chronic alcohol abuse can damage many organs, including the heart. The alcohol-related heart disease is called alcohol cardiomyopathy and, unless addressed aggressively, can progress to irreversible cardiac damage of which right bundle branch block may be one of the first signs. For this reason, I disagree with your cardiologist and urge you to stop abusing alcohol. Your best approach in my view is to embrace sobriety. Ask your primary care physician to assist you in this difficult endeavor.

To give you related information, I am sending you a copy of my Health Report “Mental/Substance Abuse.” Other readers who would like a copy should send a long, self-addressed, stamped envelope and $2 to Newsletter, P.O. Box 167, Wickliffe, OH 44092. Do Mention the title.