Tinnitus Remedies
Tinnitus is persistent ringing in the ears and is usually associated with aging. Problems start when the microscopic hairs in the inner ears become damaged by exposure to repetitive, loud noises, such as machinery or music played at high volume. The damaged hairs move erratically, upsetting the electrical charge of the auditory cells, triggering random electrical impulses that create a steady stream of noise or “ringing”.
Things That Have Worked
1) Several months ago, I discovered that I have tinnitus. Since no cure (supposedly) exists for this, I resigned myself to just living with it. One morning, as I was shaving with an electric razor, I noticed that when it was close to my earlobe, the vibration felt good and the whistling subsided a little. I figured that since vibration seemed to help, high vibration might be even better, so when I got home I cut the bristles off my Sonicare electric toothbrush and replaced it with a pencil-top eraser (the kind you put on after the eraser has worn down).
I used it every morning to massage around my ear, moving it and adjusting the pressure until I could feel vibration inside my ear. The tinnitus has all but disappeared. Now I often go four or five days without using it, until I notice a return of the ringing. I’ll use it again, and it will again subside. I am hopeful that the tinnitus will eventually go away for good. - TS Irvine, CA
This is a brilliant idea that we’ve begun using it at the clinic. We’ve discovered that you don’t have to cut the bristles off, just put the eraser on over them. You’ll find Sonicare high-frequency toothbrushes in drug and department stores…Dr. Whitaker
2) The hairs can also be damaged by certain medications, injury to the head or neck, tumors in the head or neck and narrowing of blood vessels. But aging and prolonged exposure to noise are the two most common causes.
In previous HSI e-Alert, I’ve told you how the hormone melatonin helps regulate the sleep/wake circadian rhythm. But natural melatonin production in the brain’s pineal gland decreases as we age. For some, this upsets the circadian rhythm and prompts sleep disorders that can sometimes be corrected with melatonin supplements. Now new research shows that melatonin may relieve tinnitus as well.
In a small trial conducted at the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, researchers recruited 18 subjects who had tinnitus for more than a decade. All of the patients were about 60 years old.
Over four weeks, each subject took 3 mg of melatonin daily. Researchers monitored subjects throughout the testing period and for an additional four weeks after they stopped taking the supplement.
Based on assessments provided by the subjects, tinnitus symptoms were reduced and sleep patterns improved over the entire eight-week period. Patients who reported the most pronounced sleep problems at the beginning of the study tended to report the greatest relief in tinnitus symptoms.
An HIS Panelist Allan Spreen, M.D. has pointed out in other e-Alerts, melatonin supplements should only be taken at bedtime. He recommends 1.5 mg for ages 40 to 50, and (as in this study) 3 mg for those over 50. He adds that people under the age of 40 should avoid melatonin supplements so as not to overload the body with the hormone…HSI e-Alert
3) HSI member, Mr. Hoggman, says that his extreme case of tinnitus was helped enormously by the combination of a low-carbohydrate diet, along with supplements of CoQ10 (the ubiquinol form is much more effective than the ubiquinone form).
4) Many tinnitus sufferers get some relief from supplementing with 80 mg of gingko biloba three times daily; 30 mg of zinc picolinate, offset with 2 mg of copper, each twice daily (but taken separately); or 1,000 mg of vitamin B12 injected once or twice weekly, followed by 5 mg of folic acid.
These have shown promise in lessening the severity of symptoms, but unfortunately there is no definitive cure for tinnitus. Some people have gotten relief from acupuncture, while others have tried white noise to drown out the disturbing ringing. Stress management techniques can also help patients deal more effectively with the problem….Dr. Jonathan Wright
5) Edgar Cayce’s Perspective
Even though some call tinnitus a disease of the baby boomers (victims of increased sound pollution), many people came to see Cayce describing this problem…. A common theme among those afflicted was that something within the system was causing an impairment to nerve impulses and circulation to the ear. Upon close examination, there seem to be three primary systemic scenarios that create this situation: a) systemic toxicity resulting from liver or kidney disorders; b) pressures on nerves often in the spine, and c) possible mental/attitudinal concerns.
a) Systemic Toxicity - The following spoke to the possibility that an imbalance in liver and kidney function could be the culprit.
“The blood supply indicates that there is incoordination between liver and kidneys as related to eliminations; and these bring about irritations in parts of the body, disturbances at times with eyes, ringing in the ears; certain characters of foods are aggravating to the disturbance - as any form of acid, such as tannic acid or any of the gum-producing foods; as certain characters of peaches, plums or apples, or chocolate, coffee or tea.”
A cleansing diet of vegetables, castor oil packs, and colonic irrigations as a means of decreasing toxicity are often recommended by Cayce to treat tinnitus.
b) Pressure on Nerves
“We also find, as is seen in the cervical, especially in the 3rd and 4th centers, those of a pressure, preventing the proper distribution of blood supply and blood forces to the brain. This producing that overtaxation, or ringing in the ears….
”Rest, proper eliminations set up, and the proper distribution of nerve energy osteopathically through the system, would relieve these stresses and strains. These should be by the gentle massage over the whole system, and the correction of those tensions, especially in the upper dorsal and throughout the cervical region.
“Keep the hot applications to those parts where cold spots appear, in the dorsal and cervical. We would also add those at times of Epsom Salts packs to the right side, and Castor oil packs over the liver to relieve that distress there, as the body rests. Two or tree days of this, and we would find quite a different reaction in the system.”
c) Mental Attitude
“Have you listened to the voice of conscience as it has brought corrections to the self? These are parts of the cause of the creation of deposits along the Eustachian tube, which causes the great roaring in the head and ears; that is, in the anxiety the body feels at times through the general mental attitude towards conditions as well as towards people.
If you are putting together a plan to work with your tinnitus, do not forget to be positive, kind, and loving. Be sure to listen to your higher self and banish negative internal dialogue.
An Interesting Remedy To Try
In addition to all of the above, the following remedy was a real find:
“….a combination of the white of an egg, beaten very stiff (not the yolk), a few drops of honey, then the juice of a whole lemon stirred into same, would be rather helpful. Do not take too much at a time, but this is to allay the ringing I the head or ears, this felling of a little fullness in the throat; and will find the conditions will be improved.”
