Constant ringing. Buzzing. Swishing. Hissing. Tinnitus can take on many different sounds for those who suffer from the condition, commonly due to hearing loss.
Local hearing care practitioner Remy Salazar said one seldomly reported form of tinnitus she’s observed over the course of her career is kind of like having a song stuck in your head.
“There’s also—which is very rare—where people actually hear music. It’s very rare, but I have come across some people with it in the past 21 years,” Salazar told the Sun. “Tinnitus is actually in our brain. … The ringing part is when we’re not hearing a certain frequency, and it’s like our brain trying to fill in [the gap].”
Published in January, a new Brain Sciences journal study showed that about 1 in 5 adults who suffer from tinnitus have claimed that harsh symptoms of the condition forced them to either call in sick or quit a job.
Salazar said that those stats didn’t surprise her, based on testimony she’s heard from some Central Coast residents she’s helped cope with the condition. Although hearing aids can help reduce those symptoms, there’s currently no cure for tinnitus.
‘Some of the people that come in, they’re in tears after I fit them with a hearing aid because they didn’t realize how much they were missing.’
—Remy Salazar, hearing care practitioner
Salazar has spent the past year working for Santa Maria’s Beltone office (also known as Hometown Hearing Aids, at 2125 S. Broadway, suite 111), and she entered the role with 20 years of experience with Santa Maria’s Costco as a licensed hearing aid dispenser.
As much as she misses looking forward to the free Costco samples each workday, she continues to enjoy her role as a hearing aid professional because of the way her line of work can change someone’s life.
“Some of the people that come in, they’re in tears after I fit them with a hearing aid because they didn’t realize how much they were missing,” Salazar said. “I love seeing … all these people thankful and grateful that they can hear again.”
Aside from hearing aids, Santa Maria’s Beltone also supplies specialized hearing protection products that can help individuals exposed to loud noises on a regular basis lower their chances of developing hearing loss.
Salazar said she’s helped customize ear protection gear for military personnel at Vandenberg Space Force Base, local farmworkers who often work with tractors and other loud machinery, and visitors of recreational gun ranges.
“People out here who do shooting and hunting really need to, I emphasize, wear ear protection,” she said.
When customizing gear, Salazar takes an ear impression from her customer, similar to a dentist’s dental impression except “with the ear,” she said.
“Then I’ll send it off to the manufacturer,” said Salazar, who added that the Beltone office also carries specific products from other hearing aid manufacturers on occasion, including Starkey and its SoundGear hearing protection line.
Depending on the model, a piece of customized hearing protection equipment could reduce up to 26 decibels of noise, Salazar said.
On the other hand, hearing aids meant to maximize hearing can help silence tinnitus symptoms by amplifying natural sounds. For those who suffer from tinnitus, Salazar recommends pairing hearing aid use with meditation, either traditional meditation or through a health and wellness app.
“It’s just really bothersome. There really is no cure for tinnitus. There’s nothing to get rid of the ringing,” Salazar said. “But the hearing aids actually help reduce or make some of that ringing not as noticeable.”
Highlights
• Formerly hosted in the city of Solvang, the outdoor Flying Miz Daisy Vintage Market will take place in Buellton this year—on May 23 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., with free admission—following “a shift in direction” due to Solvang’s enforcement of certain vendor business license fee waivers, which “significantly impacts the small businesses at the heart of the market,” according to market founder Char Goetz. “This is a fresh and exciting chapter,” she stated. “We’re bringing the same beautiful market experience people love—just in a location where that experience is fully supported and encouraged.”
• Alma Rosa Winery’s annual fundraiser walk, Peace of Mind, will benefit two mental health nonprofits: One Mind and Santa Barbara Mental Wellness Center. Registration to join the 4.5-mile walk is $70. The fundraiser will take place on May 29, at 9 a.m. (check-in starts at 8 a.m.), at 7250 Santa Rosa Road, Buellton. Over the course of six years, the annual program has raised more than $1.2 million.
Reach Senior Staff Writer Caleb Wiseblood at cwiseblood@santamariasun.com.
This article appears in May 7 – May 14, 2026.