DEAR DR. DONOHUE: I suffer from tinnitus. I have a constant buzzing in both ears. I have received literature from the American Tinnitus Association, but I have a few other questions. What medicines make tinnitus worse? What foods and beverages make it worse? Does tinnitus cause hearing loss? Does hearing loss cause tinnitus? Is there anything I can do to reduce tinnitus? – B.C.

ANSWER: Tinnitus is annoying ear noise that people describe as buzzing, hissing, humming, roaring, whistling, cricketlike or pulsatile. Medicines that can worsen it include aspirin and the nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs such as Motrin, Aleve, Advil and Indocin. The antibiotics gentamicin and erythromycin also can increase the din. So can the water pill Lasix.

Foods often implicated in turning up the tinnitus volume include those with caffeine and salt. Tonic water, due to the quinine in it, can make it worse.

Tinnitus doesn’t cause hearing loss. Hearing loss intensifies tinnitus. If you put a person with excellent hearing in a soundproof room, the person will hear ear noises shortly. The outside sounds of the world dampen mild tinnitus that occurs in all people’s ears. When those noises are cut off, the ear noises become quite noticeable. And that’s why a hearing aid, for those who are hard of hearing, can often lower the racket of tinnitus.

There are curable causes of tinnitus. Removal of impacted ear wax is one such cause. Treatable tumors of the hearing nerve are another curable cause of tinnitus. Those are just two examples.

A tinnitus masker, a device that’s similar to a hearing aid, can often suppress tinnitus. It delivers a sound similar to the tinnitus sounds, and the sounds can cancel each other out. You were smart to contact the American Tinnitus Association. It’s a source of timely information and comfort for those suffering from this constant annoyance. The toll-free number is 800-634-8978, and its Web site is www.ata.org.

DEAR DR. DONOHUE: I have a friend who knows everything. I told him I grab a stalk of celery for a midmorning snack instead of a cookie. I am trying to lose about 10 pounds. He said that’s bad, because celery has a lot of salt. Where can I find out how much salt or sugar a natural food has? – J.S.

ANSWER: I think I know your friend. There are 35 milligrams of sodium (salt) in a medium stalk of celery – hardly enough to mention. It’s less than the amount of sodium in a stalk of broccoli, and broccoli has become the darling of the health-conscious. Many foods have salt in them.

The big source of salt is processed foods – luncheon meats, commercial soups, sauerkraut, pickles and things like potato chips.

Every bookstore has paperback books that give the calorie count of and the amount of carbohydrate (sugar and starch), protein and fat in just about all foods. If you have a computer, you can find this information on the Internet. And your local library has books with the same information.

DEAR DR. DONOHUE: I took Diovan for a year, but it made me feel sick and weak, and finally I had a fainting spell. My primary care doctor took me off it and put me on Norvasc. It makes me feel weak, tired, lightheaded and sleepy. What can I do?

ANSWER: If a medicine makes you sick, tell the doctor immediately. If the doctor won’t listen, get another. There are so many blood pressure medicines that one can be found that you can tolerate. It might take a little time, but eventually there will be a medicine that doesn’t cause you grief.

I am going to answer your other question next week.

DEAR DR. DONOHUE: In the past year, a peculiar incident has happened to me four times. My tongue and throat have swelled. The first time, it happened after a seafood dinner. I hardly ever eat seafood. I thought it was an allergy. The other three times, I can’t be sure what brought it on.

My wife thinks these might have been strokes, and she’s insisting I be examined. I still think it’s an allergy. What do you think? – M.R.

ANSWER: I agree with you. This swelling can be best explained by an allergic reaction. The reaction is called angioedema. “Angio” is “blood vessel,” and “edema” is “swelling.” Chemicals released by an allergic reaction cause fluid leakage from blood vessels, which swells the surrounding tissues.

On the second issue, I agree with your wife. You have to see a doctor, preferably an allergist. These reactions can be dangerous, even life-threatening. Swelling of the tongue and throat can block the entrance of air into the lungs. If this does turn out to be an allergy and if the offending allergen can be discovered, you might be able to be desensitized to it. If it can’t be discovered, or if you can’t be desensitized to it, you might have to carry with you medicines or a kit that can swiftly terminate such a reaction.

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