Re: Ringing in ears .. web md article from a

[Guest guest]

Thanks! I am going to show the article to my rheumatologist and see

what shr thinks.Kathy

>

> This is from WEB MD...I'm not sure how melatonin would affect r/a

and or meds

> for r/a...but thought this interesting and I know some people this

has

> helped...

> a

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> Melatonin Pills May Help Ease Tinnitus

>

> Study Shows Biggest Benefit in Tinnitus Patients With Worst Sleep

Quality

> By Miranda Hitti

> WebMD Medical News

> Reviewed by Louise Chang, MD

>

>

>

> Feb. 24, 2006 -- Melatonin supplements might curb tinnitus,

possibly by

> improving sleep, a new study shows.

>

> Melatonin is a hormone made in the brain's pineal gland. Natural

melatonin

> helps regulate cycles of sleep and wakefulness. Levels of natural

melatonin tend

> to fade with age. Melatonin is also sold as a supplement.

>

> People with tinnitus sense ringing, roaring, or humming sounds in

their ears.

> About 15 million people in the U.S. consider their tinnitus to be a

> significant problem, according to statistics cited in the new study.

>

> The study appears in Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery. The

researchers

> included Jay Piccirillo, MD, FACS, of Washington University School

of Medicine

> in St. Louis.

>

> Tracking Tinnitus

>

> The study included 18 adults with tinnitus. On average, the

patients were

> about 61 years old and had had tinnitus for 11 years. All were seen

at Washington

> University's department of otolaryngology-head and neck surgery.

>

> First, patients rated their tinnitus symptoms and sleep quality.

Then, they

> took 3 milligrams of melatonin every day for four weeks. The

patients were

> monitored for four more weeks after they stopped taking the

melatonin supplements.

>

> The patients' ratings of their tinnitus symptoms and poor sleep

improved

> during the study, even after they stopped taking melatonin. Perhaps

the melatonin

> pills had long-lasting effects, the researchers note.

>

> Sleep's Role, Study's Limits

>

> Tinnitus eased most in patients with the worst sleep ratings at the

study's

> start. Severity of tinnitus symptoms didn't affect the results.

>

> Possibly, melatonin helps tinnitus by improving sleep, write the

researchers.

> However, they also note several limits to their study.

>

> The study was small and brief. Also, all the patients knew they

were taking

> melatonin, which could have created a self-fulfilling belief that

their

> condition would improve. The study didn't include a comparison

group of patients

> taking empty pills (placebo).

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