DEAR DR. DONOHUE: I would like to see something in your column about tinnitus. Is there a cure for it? I know people who have it and are not able to work because of it. – E.C.

ANSWER: Tinnitus is ear noise described as a buzzing, ringing, roaring or hissing. Sometimes it’s pulsatile – in synchrony with the heartbeat. It affects more than 36 million North Americans. It can be a minor distraction or a major disruption. It can be cured if a curable cause is found. If that’s not possible, then it can almost always be helped.

Hearing loss is a major cause of tinnitus. When deaf ears no longer transmit to the brain the normal, background sounds of daily life, the brain generates its own noise to compensate for that eerie silence. If hearing loss is the cause of tinnitus, then a hearing aid can often be its solution. When the brain is furnished with normal ambient sound, tinnitus lessens.

Other tinnitus causes have to be addressed differently. High blood pressure is a possible cause. So too are allergies. Problem arteries lying near the inner ear can provoke tinnitus. Medicines sometimes bring it on. Tumors of the hearing nerve are another tinnitus maker. If these causes can be eliminated, so can tinnitus.

If, on the other hand, a treatable cause cannot be found, then there are maneuvers that can lessen the inner noise. Masking devices can drown out tinnitus. They are gadgets, worn like hearing aids, that emit sounds that can neutralize, at least partially, the internal noise. Larger masking devices, the size of a small radio, are also available. At night, when tinnitus worsens, turning the FM dial of the radio to a position where it gives off static can sometimes drown out tinnitus.

The American Tinnitus Association is ready to help all tinnitus patients with information about such devices and about tinnitus in general. Americans can dial 1-800-634-8978. Canadians can reach the association’s Web site at: www.ata.org.

DEAR DR. DONOHUE: What would cause a 17-year-old girl never to have had a period? – M.M.

ANSWER: The average American girl has her first menstrual period at 12.8 years of age. That’s the average. There’s a considerable range around that average.

If a girl has not had her first period by 16, she should undergo a medical examination to see if there is a medical problem needing attention.

Anatomical abnormalities of the uterus and vagina can prevent normal menstruation. Ovaries might not be producing estrogen necessary for periods. Or the trouble might lie in the pituitary gland, a small gland at the base of the brain. It is the site for the production of many hormones, including those that stimulate ovarian production of estrogen. The thyroid gland is another source of potential trouble.

It is time that this young woman saw a doctor for an investigation into her failure to menstruate.

Dr. Donohue regrets that he is unable to answer individual letters, but he will incorporate them in his column whenever possible. Readers may write him or request an order form of available health newsletters at P.O. Box 536475, Orlando, FL 32853-6475. Readers may also order health newsletters from www.rbmamall.com.