Question: I woke up this morning with ringing in my left ear. It's driving me insane. I did some research and found the symtom tinnitus. I thought it was ear wax build up, so I cleaned it with a over the counter ear wax remover, but the ringing still occurs.

What I have found out about tinnitus is that it can be also caused to over-dose of caffeine. I have taken a lot of caffeine the past 2 days and I also drink about 5 beers a week. Could it be tinnitus that's buzzing me? This ringing has happened to me before, only when I got water in my hear from showering and it would cure itself in a week. What can I do to make it better? I just want the ringing to stop. Please help.

I do listen to music moderately loud in the car and at home, but not extremely loud that I can't hear anything else. Also I do not take aspirin at all or any sort of pain releivers. i also smoke about 8 cigarettes per day.

Answer: Any sound inside your head is called tinnitus - it's a very broad, generalized term. Sometimes people hear ringing if there is a blockage of the ear -- from wax, negative pressure restricting eardrum movement, fluid build-up behind the eardrum, or an ear infection. In most cases, once the blockage is removed/treated and the ear has recovered, the ringing goes away.

Does your ear actually feel plugged? You don't mention a clogged sensation or fullness or hearing loss. Just because you used an at-home wax removal kit doesn't mean there isn't wax. The only way to know for sure is to have a doctor look in there. If there is fluid behind the eardrum, it may not be visible through the otoscope; the best way to measure the eardrum movement is through a quick and easy test called a tympanogram. It simply changes the air pressure in the ear canal and measure if/how the eardrum responds.

Tinnitus is also one of many Migraine Aura and may occur simultaneously with a headache or separately. Caffeine is a known Migraine trigger, so it can trigger/increase tinnitus for some people. In addition, some people who grind their teeth or have problems with their jaw joint (TMJ) can also have tinnitus.

Noise exposure and systemic causes of tinnitus, like smoking or certain medications, typically effect both ears. One might be worse than the other, but almost never is only one ear effected. None of those herbal supplements have been scientifically proven to reduce or cure tinnitus. Ginko Biloba is the ONLY substance to date that has some scientific correlation to tinnitus reduction in SOME patients.

More serious conditions can cause tinnitus, but usually have other associated symptoms like dizziness or significant hearing loss. Some of these can be Meniere's Disease, Sudden Sensorineural Hearing Loss and Acoustic Neuroma.

As you can see, tinnitus is like headache or fever as a symptom - it can be something minor or very serious. The key is to find the underlying cause, if possible. Therefore, it is crucial to have an accurate diagnosis made ASAP.

See your family physician and/or an otolaryngologist -- The sooner you receive treatment, the more effective it will be.