Tinnitus is another mysterious condition that affects people of all ages including children, people from various cultures living in all types of environments. Tinnitus has no real known cause but has been associated with exposure to noise. Exposure to noise could be a one time blast of a shotgun or a continuous closeness to repetitive sounds such as loud music blasting from a radio or even construction equipment such as a jackhammer. But for many people that have Tinnitus, noise was not the cause. Some of the alternate causes were:

1.)Allergic reactions to some foods have brought on temporary Tinnitus in some individuals. These foods include red wine, any grain bases alcoholic beverage, cheese, and even chocolate. Even an artificial sweetener aspartame has been linked to Tinnitus.

2.) It has been noted that people that already have Tinnitus had an increase in the condition when marijuana was used.

3.) One of the side effects of Lyme Disease is Tinnitus.

4.) Tumors in the middle ear. These tumors press on the auditory nerves and can cause ringing in the ears.

5.) Otosclerosis is another condition that can bring on Tinnitus. This condition is a bony growth around one of the bones of the middle ear.

6.) Stress has also been known to be a major factor contributing to Tinnitus. People that were under stress had temporary Tinnitus.

These are just a few of the items that may bring it on. Since, there is no known single cause it is hard to protect yourself against it. Tinnitus can be temporary and only last for a short time while some people complain of having a noise in their ears all their life without relief.

Tinnitus is also not just a ringing in the ears. Tinnitus can be a swooshing sound, music, a cricket type sound or other sounds.