Update 2/7/22. According to the American Tinnitus Association, 21.4 million people in America suffer from ringing in the ears (tinnitus ). Unfortunately, I am one of those people. My battle with this disorder came on slowly in my left ear but as it got worse, it's caused significant hearing loss. Here, for the first time, I will reveal the journey I've undertaken to try to find a natural cure for my tinnitus. Here also, I'll tell you about the supplements and other alternative treatments I've tried. I'm doing this to help others who are searching for answers. I'm also looking for answers myself, so if you too are dealing with this tinnitus, do tell me what has worked – and not worked – for you. I'm all ears…
How Did I Get Tinnitus?
I honestly have no idea. The ringing in my ears started around 2013 with a slight noise in my left ear. I didn't pay much attention to it at first. After a few months, because it was not going away, I decided to look into what was causing it. So I scheduled a hearing test. At that time, the doctors could not figure out what was causing my left ear ringing. Since I was not losing my hearing (back then), the doctors basically said: “deal with it.”
While this was not the news I wanted to hear, I'd already been dealing with it for several months, so I resigned myself to the fact that this is what life had in store with me.
At least my hearing was normal I told myself…
After several months of going about my business, one night I had a god-awful pain/pressure in my left ear. It was maddening and actually hurt. Sometimes, in the middle of the night, I became dizzy – really dizzy. The bed was doing flip-flops and spinning. I could hardly get out of bed. In fact, I could not function. I spent the next day or so in bed, unable to work or do anything.
An then, as quick as it came, the dizziness left.
While the dizziness was gone, I still had tinnitus – and still, do to this day.
Since that time I've only had one other bout with severe dizziness. As bad as the ear ringing can be at times, at least I can function. The dizziness, on the other hand, is incapacitating.
A few things worth mentioning are that I did suffer a concussion in 2010 but that was 3 years before my symptoms started. I've asked doctors about this. Some say it's not related – because they occurred 3 years apart- but others say they might be related. I did have a head and neck MRI and it showed no physical damage.
I also seem to have temporomandibular joint disorder (usually called TMJ). TMJ is linked to tinnitus too. I believe my father had it also. I'm not aware of any tinnitus in my father and I've had TMJ for as long as I can remember. My tinnitus started in 2013.
Could all this be the perfect storm as they say? Who knows.
One other odd thing I've noticed is that the ringing in my left ear seems to get temporarily louder after I drink a smoothie for breakfast. This is especially so after I sit down at my desk (but it doesn't seem to occur if I'm standing). The smoothie I make has a lot of fruits and veggies in it. Fruits and veggies have a lot of potassium. One doctor thought this might be related to changes in the sodium/potassium pumps in the cells of my ears. Again, I can't be sure of this. I'm bringing this up in case it helps someone else.
As the months turned into years, I've noticed a slight ringing in my right ear has begun. This right ear tinnitus is not as bad as what I experience in my left ear and there are times I don't even notice it.
Now that I've shared my story, let me now share with you the things I've done to try to cure tinnitus.
Tinnitus Tests and Medications
After several months of dealing with the ringing, my doctor prescribed a round of prednisone to see if this was related to inflammation. I must admit, I loved prednisone. I felt great like I was 20 years old again! Unfortunately, prednisone is not a drug you can stay on long, so after a week or so, I tapered off the medication.
Unfortunately, prednisone had no effect on tinnitus.
By this time, people started saying to me “maybe it's a tumor.” I doubted it was, but just to be safe, I oped to get an MRI of my head and neck. I had to pay for this out of pocket because insurance would not cover it (thanks Aetna!).
Fortunately, the MRI was normal.
My Hearing Gets Worse
I could live with the ringing in my left ear but unfortunately, I eventually started going deaf in that ear. It was a slow and subtle decline, but I knew something was happening when I began having trouble understanding people who spoke too fast or too low. To compensate I would orientate my head such that my good, right ear, was to the person speaking.
This eventually prompted me to seek the help of an ENT doctor. This physician diagnosed me with Meniere's disease and confirmed what I already knew; the hearing in my left ear was less than my right ear.
He prescribed a water pill called Triamterene-HCTZ and advised me to eat a low sodium diet and cut back on caffeine. I normally don't eat a lot of salt, and thanks to the book How Not To Die I was already eating a lot more fruits and veggies.
Reducing caffeine was harder to do but I can now report that most days I don't have any.
But, because I didn't want to keep taking Triamterene-HCTZ forever, and because I was not satisfied with waiting and seeing if this would get worse, I decided to take matters into my own hands and see if there were some natural cures or treatments for tinnitus / Meniere's disease.
Here is a list of what I experimented with. If you think I should try anything else, leave your ideas in the comments below.
Supplements For Tinnitus
There are many supplements that are touted to improve ringing in the ears. Here is a brief review of what I experimented with and after that, I'll summarize the other alternative treatments I tried.
Many of the tinnitus supplements I purchased came from my local Vitamin Shoppe. When I could, I purchased their name brand supplements because I've never seen anything bad about Vitamin Shoppe brands.
When Vitamin Shoppe did not have a name brand for what I was looking for, I purchased from other companies (Natures Bounty, Natures Made, etc.) who I felt had a good reputation and offered the supplement in an amount that could most easily help me reach the dosage I was looking for.
LipoFlavonoid
The first supplement I tried was Lipoflavonoid. This is arguably the best-known tinnitus supplement, thanks to its TV ads. Lipoflavonoid
contains a bioflavonoid (plant nutrient) from lemons called eriodictyol glycoside.
Research, conducted in the 1960s noted that bioflavonoids from lemons might help tinnitus. I took Lipoflavonoid for over 2 months but unfortunately did not find any significant relief.
See the LipoFlavonoid review for more info on the supplement and my experiment with it.
Lemon Bioflavonoid
The extract in lipo flavonoid is also available as a stand-alone supplement. While I did not have much luck with Lipoflavonoid, I thought I'd go right to the source and just use the active ingredient.
I tried a lemon bioflavonoid supplement that contained:
- 1000 mg lemon bioflavonoid (50% active)
- 100 mg Hesperidin complex
- 100 mg Rutin complex
I took 1-2 tables for a month but did not notice any symptom relief.
N-Acetyl Cysteine
N-acetyl Cysteine (NAC) is a popular supplement because it can raise glutathione levels. Glutathione is a very strong antioxidant enzyme. Some researchers have noted that older men with ear ringing have more oxidative stress (free radical damage) than those without tinnitus. In theory, this might lead to blood vessel damage, resulting in ear ringing.
One report tells the story of a 47 yr old woman whose tinnitus had “largely disappeared” after taking 2 grams of NAC per day. She had tinnitus for 6 years prior to this for unknown reasons.
The report does not say how long the woman took NAC supplements but based on this I tried 2 grams of NAC for 1 month. I can't say though that I felt any different afterward. NAC is a fine supplement, but for tinnitus, it just didn't work for me.
Here are NAC supplements on Amazon if you want to try them.
Can Acai Berry Improve Tinnitus
Some feel ringing in the ears is caused by free radical damage (oxidative stress) which kills the hair cells in the ears. Acai berry contains antioxidants, which in theory should neutralize free radicals and thus improve tinnitus hearing loss symptoms. So far one study appears to show people taking acai berry supplements show improvements in their symptoms. Here is a video I created to help you understand this research
Watch on my YouTube channel if you prefer.
Ginkgo Biloba
For a short period of time – against my better judgment -I started taking ginkgo Biloba to see if it helped. This was based on some evidence that ginkgo might help tinnitus symptoms. Most of the research was on an extract called EGB 761. While other research noted ginkgo did not work, I decided to try it anyway. For a couple of weeks, I used 60-120 mg of ginkgo per day.
I say against my better judgment because it has some evidence suggesting a risk of ginkgo causing brain bleeding.
Maybe I was overly paranoid but I started getting headaches when I used ginkgo. I never get headaches and so this worried me. I stopped taking ginkgo after a couple of weeks and never took it again. I also saw no change in tinnitus while taking ginkgo either.
Pycnogenol
At the same time I was taking ginkgo, I also started taking pycnogenol based on one study showing it helped. The study I'm referring to used 150 mg of pycnogenol per day and noted improvement after 3-6 months. I chose to use 100 mg per day because I'm cheap and pycnogenol can be expensive.
I stooped taking pycnogenol after a month because I saw no improvement in tinnitus symptoms. I know, the study said it might take 3-6 months to see changes, but I honestly found it hard to believe I would not notice anything after taking it for 30 days – especially when I was combining it with other healthy changes.
I know some will bash me on this. That is your prerogative.
Grape Seed Extract
Grape seed extract – like pycnogenol – is supposed to help blood vessels stay healthy and improve blood flow. If tinnitus is related to reduced blood flow to the ears (as some think it is) then it makes sense that things like grape seed extract might help. At least one study noted grape seed extract improved nitric oxide production. Nitric oxide relaxes blood vessels, allowing for better blood flow.
I tried grape seed extract (100 mg/ day) for a month but saw no change in tinnitus noise symptoms. I picked 100 mg per day because I could not find any direct human research that revealed an actual amount that might work. Basically, I took a guess here.
Korean Red Ginseng
Ginseng is complicated because there is more than one type. One study involving noted that 1500-3000 mg per day of Korean red ginseng experienced improvements in their “quality of life.” This was determined by questionnaires the people completed before an after this 4-week study.
Even though Korean red ginseng did not improve tinnitus symptoms, the people in the study felt their quality of life was better. My overall quality of life is pretty good, but I reluctantly thought I'd give it a try and see what happened.
I used about 1500 mg of Korean red ginseng for a month. I noticed no difference in my tinnitus symptoms.
Taurine
Taurine is an amino acid. There is a rat study that showed taurine helped tinnitus (I have no idea how did they figure that out). While this was only a rat study, I did some math and determined they used between 67 mg/kg and 294 mg/kg. For a human of my weight, this was roughly equal to 1000 mg and 4000 mg per day.
So, I split the difference and took about 2000 mg of taurine per day for a month. Unfortunately, I saw no change in ear ringing symptoms. Because it was only a rat study, I knew it was a long shot but I felt it was worth a try.
Other Tinnitus Therapies
I not only experimented with supplements. I also actively sought out other therapies that might help tinnitus. Here is a brief review of the other alternative therapies I tried.
Acupuncture
There have been studies showing acupuncture helps tinnitus. That said when taken as a whole, the general conclusion is that it may or may not help. This may be due to problems with how some of the studies were conducted.
Either way, I found an acupuncturist who listed on her website that she could provide tinnitus relief. I did six – 45-minute treatments. I was pretty aggressive with the acupuncture, doing 2 treatments a week, for 3 weeks total.
While the acupuncture was very relaxing, it did not reduce the ringing in my ears. While it's true it may take longer than this to work, the acupuncturist told me I should start to see improvements after 2-3 treatments. I noticed no change in my tinnitus symptoms during or after my treatments.
Chiropractic
At last one study has noted chiropractic treatments can help people with Meniere's disease. One study that is frequently cited online is of a 40-year-old woman who had tinnitus for 2 years. Within 2 weeks of receiving chiropractic treatments, she was basically cured.
Based on that case report, I sought out a chiropractor to see if it might help me. Unfortunately, I don't think it worked. I did 3 chiropractic adjustments, spanning 3 weeks. During the first treatment, I did not feel any different (no better and no worse). At about 30 minutes after the second treatment, however, I started to feel dizzy and this persisted in various degrees for about a week.
On the final visit, I was not adjusted – based on what happened the week beforehand – and just received some gentle massage and ultrasound. That did not help either. I did not continue with that chiropractic because I felt 3 weeks was enough, but more than that, I was skittish that further treatments might make me dizzy again.
I followed this up with another chiropractor who, I was told, specializes in the spine and neck area. She performed cranial sacral therapy (see the next section) but I did not notice a difference. I did not continue to see this therapist because her schedule only allowed me to get an appointment about every month or so. I thought that was too long to wait between treatments and so I did not continue.
Cranial Sacral Therapy
Craniosacral therapy refers to a type of gentle massage of the head and neck. It's very different than traditional chiropractic treatments. there are no adjustments with cranial sacral therapy. The internet is full of websites that claim this therapy can help. So, I sought out two different massage therapists who specialize in this. The first therapist I only saw once because of the distance and because I could not get appointments close enough to each other to see if it was effective.
The next massage therapist I saw gave me the opportunity to have 3 treatments, each separated by 1 week. In the end, while I liked craniosacral therapy (it was very relaxing), I did not feel it worked. I felt no different during or between treatments.
Tai Chi Chih
Tai chi chih is a form of tai chi. I have a friend who teaches this who told me stories of people whose tinnitus improved after doing this type of exercise. So, I took a class that lasted 8 weeks with one 50 -60-minute class each week. I attended most classes but I freely admit that I did not practice the exercises when I was not in class. This was my fault.
Whether Tai Chi Chih helps tinnitus/ Meniere's disease or not I cannot say. I can only say I did not feel any different during classes or afterward.
So, Where Am I At Now…?
I wish I had good news. So I wrote this review in 2017. Since then things have slowly deteriorated. I estimate I've lost about 90% of the hearing in my left ear. It was a slow decline but it was a decline nonetheless. The tinnitus varies. Some days it's very loud and others I almost don't even notice it. Most days I'm very aware of it. I
My quest to find a tinnitus cure continues…
I'm sorry to say I don't have many answers for you. I wish I could point you to something that helped me. If you're looking for a supplement, I'd start with LipoFlavonoid first. It does have some evidence and people have told me it may work. Because tinnitus comes in many shapes and sizes, don't take what I say as gospel. What didn't work for me may work for you. If nothing else, I hope I gave you some ideas to help you on your own journey to find a cure.
Susan Shore PHD on Tinnitus research brought to my attention from a comment on YouTube:
https://medicine.umich.edu/dept/khri/susan-e-shore-phd
With regard to head trauma causing tinnitus, yes, I’ve read this can be a major factor because of the Atlas and Axis being dislodged/misaligned and needing to be put back in place by an Atlas Orthogonal chiropractor. The Atlas controls the whole vertebrae which in turn controls all our neural pathways, then our organs.
When the Atlas/Axis are out of alignment it’s like a traffic jam and a neural ‘pile up’ occurs. Regular chiropractic does not really address these head/neck issues and in fact no Atlas, Blair, NUCCA or Knee Chest Chiro will ‘crack’ your neck (some will if asked).
They consider that area very delicate and needing special care as it’s the control panel/driver of the of the whole body. Some people do get relief from their tinnitus symptoms through Atlas and the McKenzie method, some do not. I did not but other long term issues like hip and shoulder pain resolved after several months of Atlas adjustments and home exercises and stretches given by my Chiro once or twice a week.
Check out the ‘What Is Atlas Orthogonal’ video on YouTube.
Very interesting Melodye, thanks for sharing and I agree chiro did not help me. In fact once it made it worse. How did you find a doctor who did the Atlas mckinzie method?
I found several Atlas chiros in Chicago by searching online and reading reviews on Yelp and others platforms. I also compared prices, asked what insurance they took, if any, as some do not and whether they had any discounts or special offers. The one I went with gave us a discount for having regularly scheduled adjustments twice a week for a few months then once a week for a few more months, then once a month. The point of Atlas is to get the person back to normal health with ‘tune ups’ every couple of months or a few times a year. I always ask questions and talk about what I can do at home to improve my health. The chiro I went with was not only educated in Atlas but also in Blair and Knee Chest, alternative medicine, Qi Gong, food combining, etc. and of course, tinnitus although he’d never resolved a patients through Atlas but had heard of other chiros in his field that did. It all depends on what’s going on with the person who acquired tinnitus and it can take weeks, months or even years to resolve. Diet and exercise also were discussed but we’re not a major factor in getting my mobility back to normal. The adjustments and changing sitting, walking and sleeping habits were what got me back to walking with no discomfort. My neck issue C4/5 subluxation got better but I still have T.
There are two videos on YouTube with a chiro using the Mc Kenzie method on two patients with their T resolving on camera. Kjetil Larson on MSK neurology also on YouTube says this method can make tinnitus worse and he explains why. I say try everything until you find what works for you. There are several of these videos on my list I sent you earlier.
Search ‘McKenzie method tinnitus’ on YouTube.
Here’s one and there are several others of this doctor with his patients T resolving. This is not Atlas but the McKenzie method which is used in regular chiropractic, manual therapy and osteopathy.
https://youtu.be/_auFipF4HvA
do chiros address atlas issues the same way as other neck problems (neck cracking)?
Atlas Orthogonal chiros primarily address the Atlas because it plays a pivotal role in keeping the vertebrae stable. Normal chiropractic does not. This is my own research.
Ok thanks. Youve had it done too yes Melodye? Do they crack your neck?
I researched online and read reviews and found someone who had experience with my issues and had knowledge beyond Atlas. I also asked for discounts and special offers.
I’m answering your question about Atlas. I stated in several responses Atlas Orthogonal chiropractic does not do ‘neck cracking’ as practitioners feel it can damage the sensitive neck area. X-rays are taken of the whole body and alignment of the spine is measured. They then adjust the atlas and axis either by hand, with a calibrated machine, or by using a hand held vertebral adjusting tool. They then adjust other areas of the spine that may be out using hands on chiropractic practices like knee chest, Blair etc.
I have had these procedures done myself with great results.
Please look up ‘What is Atlas Orthogonal’, on YouTube.
Oh ok Melodye, thanks so much for clarifying that for me. I will look that up on YT
I meant to add this video from Kjetil Larson – MSK Neurology on how to strengthen the Clavicular muscles surrounding the Vagus nerve which when irritated can cause tinnitus.
https://youtu.be/0hu0Ihsd9r0
Thanks I will check it out Melodye!
Acetyl-L-Carnitine by Nutricost on Amazon was recommended by a friend who read an article that it helps brain cognition by penetrating the brain barrier. There are several informative comments under this product by people who’ve used it. I tried snapshotting and posting here but it doesn’t allow. One commenter suggested adding L-lysine to feed the brain which means they are both feeding the neurons which could be impaired and causing noise. Ironically Liam Stops T also recommends Dessicated Organic grass fed/finished beef capsules which contain large amounts of L carnitine, taurine, iodine, and more. I did take these for several months along with other supps and T went down but there were other factors involved like fasting, citrus Bioflavanoids, etc so I don’t know if the t lowering was purely related to the beef supp.
I will check out the nutracoast brand thanks for the tip!
I tried one 500 mg capsule of Acetyl L Carnitine (on an empty stomach) from Nutricost with 8 ounces of water yesterday which was stated on the label. After a half hour I was slightly dizzy so decided to have corn flakes with blueberries n almond milk. The noise did seem to abate quite a bit. I also took my regular vitamins as well which I never have a problem with. The weird slight dizziness kept on all day. That evening I started getting a headache so I drank more water. I went to sleep taking no headache pills. I awoke at 4 am with a headache and noise which stayed with me all day. The T noise got louder most likely due to the foods I ate as I had beer and spices in my meal.
It’s evening as I’m writing this and hoping with copious amounts of water I’ll be back to ‘normal’ tomorrow.
Before I bought this supplement I did read reviews where a few ppl had headaches from it. I was hoping I wouldn’t be one of them.
I’ve also started massaging my neck and vagus nerve area so that may also be a contributing factor.
Watch this space.
Oh wow Melodye Im so sorry that happened to you! Are you feeling any better today? As a rule when taking new supplements you had not taken before, to start off with less than recommended to minimize side effects if they were to occur. I understand thats not always possible when taking a capsuel with a measured dose like 500 mg. I was looking through that study on acetyl L carnitine and noticed at one point they said the person took 500 mg and further down in the study they said 1000 mg. Just wanted to point that out in case any of your friends see the study. Im going to try to find the lead researcher and reach out for claifification.
I really hope you are feeling better…
Thanks. I managed to get to sleep using a guided healing meditation video on YouTube. The noise has abated this morning n headache pretty much gone. I need to find out if opening the capsule n taking half dose and mixing in water is ok. I’ll ask on Amazon questions today n let you know.
Thanks for your speedy and heartfelt reply. ❤️
Ive used a few of those youtube videos myself. Glad the headache is gone today 🙂
It may be also that this supplement doesn’t work in my system. I’m a little apprehensive to take even a half dose but I need to see if it’ll work. I’ll let you know.
Ok sounds good and I totally understand. Id be apprehensive too after what happened.
Another woman contacted me from comments on the video I posted about laxity on YouTube called ‘Tinnitus Why this issue is so common in patients with cervical instability’ by Dr. Hauser at Caring Medical.
A woman named Dianne Elizabeth said she had T for years and started intermittent fasting ie eating one meal per day. She said she was severely insulin resistance and heading towards diabetes. The ringing is gone. Who knew?
Dr. Berg has a video that talks about this as well.
https://youtu.be/Cbylubjzhhg
Ive heard about IF and tinnitus but have not heard about a link to diabetes/prediabetes. Interesting. Thanks for the video Meoldye. I will look into Benfotiamine which he mentioned too
Video from Kjetil Larson – MSK Neurology on Clenching and Chronic Pain
https://youtu.be/1hm_aKinAZQ
Great thanks Melodye! Didnt see this until after I emailed you back.
Article on how this woman healed her Tinnitus. https://karinbadt.medium.com/how-i-cured-my-screeching-tinnitus-c0ff45fe598f
Thanks Melodye, I’ll take a look at what she did
This article on Pomegranate helping fight cancer by healing the Mitochondria just popped up from my daily ‘Good News Network’ email. I forgot that someone mentioned in a comment on a YouTube video that it helped reduce their Tinnitus. I tried one bottle for a month but found no difference. Perhaps the mg were too low. One supplement at a time should be tried and mg dosage upped unless a specific cocktail is recommended if someone else got results with that. I spoke to several ppl who tried specific supplement cocktails with good results.
https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/pomegranates-significantly-fuel-tumor-fighting-immune-cells/
I have not seen anything on pomegranate and tinnitus. I will have to look into that. I agree taking 1 thing at a time is probably best because if something helps, that will give better proof than taking a cocktail where we dont know what the active ingredient or ingredients are.
Just found this and remembered Niacin and B vits were part of Liam’s protocol. This study shows that niacin (flush free) helped reduce or remove Menieres symptoms. There are so many different protocols that it can get overwhelming and again what works for one may not for another.
https://youtu.be/XMVCP6q2W_A
There was another guy that cured his and wrote a book about it and has several videos. I’ll track them down and post them here.
I watched the video and left a comment asking for the title of the 1940 study he describes. Id like to read that study – and I find it odd nobody has tried to replicate the findings since 1940.
Methylbocalamine B12 was also mentioned as it protects the myelin sheath around the nerves.
What is methylcobalamin used for?
Methylcobalamin is used to treat vitamin B12 deficiency. Vitamin B12 is important for the brain and nerves, and for the production of red blood cells. Methylcobalamin is sometimes used in people with pernicious anemia, diabetes, and other conditions.Oct 8, 2020
The methyl B12 is a fine vitamin but I think regular cyanocobalamin b12 will work equally as well for most people. B12 is unique because we can store it in the body for a few years. We dont urinate it out like other B vitamins. Stil, its possible to eventually run out. Those at risk of being deficient include alchoolics, those who do weight loss surgery, people with diabetes who take metformin and older adults who may not absorb it as well. BTW, here is a video I did on vitamin D and vertigo
https://youtu.be/ur9NJh-olBw
Someone just contacted me from comments and I revisited this video. This guy’s protocol was similar to mine. Please read my comments which contain a lot of info.
https://youtu.be/zAMLF-QnzLI
Thanks for the video. Good comments. I saw yours. I still love my oatmeal 🙂
Here’s Glenn Sweitzer who wrote his book, ‘Mind Over Meniere’s: How I Cured…’ and has his own YouTube channel with the same name.
https://youtu.be/aWrP-ZV2Big
So interesting he says CBD helped him. Some evidence suggests CBD may make tinnitus worse. Here are videos I created showing the research
https://youtu.be/IjVZ7BRsdb0
https://youtu.be/-nxjSSaZXUI
Id like to see more research on this but some people have told me its happened to them so be careful with CBD
Sorry to overwhelm but this podcast is very informative regarding neurotransmitters GABA & Glutamate.
https://youtu.be/rNWzwX2PFkk
Ive heard about the glutamate system and how it may be implicated in tinnitus. Thanks for the link. I will listen later (I do my best podcast listening in the car 🙂
Article on German company Lenire – electrical stimulation device for tinnitus which I read about last year. It’s pricey but clinical trials show amazing results. Go to Lenire’s website for more info.
https://www.dw.com/en/tinnitus-electrical-stimulation-of-the-tongue-can-help/a-56628387
Ive located the study in English talked about on the electrical stimulation of the tongue website. I will read it. If you want it for your files let me know.
Many articles state that tinnitus can be due to hearing loss. This is not always the case. I had my hearing tested and it was normal as I’ve read has happened with many other people. Also, in tests where the auditory nerves were severed in ice and humans, tinnitus was still audible because scientists discovered it’s the brain that creates the noise.
Another issue that I discovered is tinnitus may be due to the use of Airpods which is what may have started my tinnitus along with a dance routine where I wrenched my neck. (Again, my hearing was tested after this incident and hearing range was normal. Neck subluxation, which was treated doing Prolotherapy and Atlas adjustments, may also still be the contributing factor.) I read many complaints from users on Apples consumer complaint dept thread that many people, even after just listening to speech/audiobooks – not even loud music, found they had constant ringing in their ears. Many have surmised that it may have something to do with the electrical frequency in the airpods which may change the neural pathways/signals in the auditory part of the brain. Apple has not done any research on this at all and they deny these allegations.
Im definatley not one to be blasting music in air pods. I wonder if its related to head trauma I experienced 3 yrs prior to the tinnitus occurring? I’ll never know.
Pomegranate helps revitalize mitochondria which is the powerhouse of the inner ear neural system.
Im going to look into this Melodye. I’m going to look into this. Im not aware of anything on pomegranate and mitochondria but I will check it out. I know exercise promotes mitochondria biogenesis if that helps
Sorry you didn’t find any treatment for your tinnitus after all those researches you’ve done. Thank you for the supplements you’ve mentioned for us to try it. Take care
Thank you Bella. My search continues. If you learn of anything that may help let me know and I will try to test it on myself.
This info I compiled over several years:
Tinnitus Explanation and Links
From what I’ve researched on the internet through articles, videos and comments I have discovered that tinnitus or ringing in the ears can be the result of noise, head, physical and/or emotional trauma, high blood pressure, dental problems like bruxism (teeth grinding) or TMJ (jaw clenching) at night while sleeping, excessive ear wax or ear infection or other ear related issues, stress and anxiety, certain medications, Epstein Barr or other viruses, EMF’s from WIFi/5G or upper cervical subluxated Atlas and Axis (C1 and C2) neck related issues and even chemicals from hair dyes, personal care products and cosmetics, certain allergies to foods, Salicylates and oxalates (http://www.pkdiet.com/pdf/oxalate%20lists.pdf)
lectins (otherwise known as ‘Plant Paradox’), bad diet or nutritional and/or vitamin and mineral deficiencies like vitamin C, zinc, iron, iodine, magnesium, D3 and K, and even parasites. Some people also believe it’s part of the ascension process into a higher frequency and that it’s the sound of angels, higher beings, the cosmos or God communicating with them through their hearing.
The standard explanation is that the brain is basically in fight or flight mode and you’re hearing your own nervous system on red alert. It can fix itself over time by using a process called habituation which is accepting it and getting used to the sound and/or neuroplasticity which is fundamentally rewiring the brain and creating new neural pathways by training it not to hear the sound which makes it recede into the background and eventually disappears because the brain sees that it is no longer a threat and as unimportant. This is achieved through the repetition of positive mental affirmations, visualization and relaxation techniques like deep breathing, meditation, yoga, Qi gong and/or exercise and/or neck release exercises called trigger point therapy, upper cervical chiropractic adjustments and/or regular chiropractic, certain dental procedures which involve the use of mouth guards and jaw releasing, relaxation and massage exercises, cranial sacral therapy, EFT – Emotional Freedom Technique also known as ‘tapping’, hypnotherapy, visualization, and other body and mind relaxation therapies and/or masking with nature sounds or pink noise in TRT (Tinnitus Retraining Therapy). What can also help is reducing/removing some or all coffee, teas, sodas, alcohol, salt, sugar, spices, condiments, dairy, carbs, nuts, seeds, the night shade family of veggies, salicylates and oxylates from the diet and intermittent, 24 or 48 hour wet or dry fasting. Some people see results whether they’re vegan, vegetarian or meat eaters and even some do none of the above and still get better over time. Still, the majority of what I’ve read and seen in videos is that a healthy diet, stress reducing exercises and ignoring the sound so the brain can retrain itself not to hear it have the most impact on reducing and healing T.
A comment from Elann Suvat on one of Julian Cowan Hill’s videos:
“As others have said do not go on Tinnitus Talk. In fact do not google anything. Tinnitus is a symptom of a neurological condition that can be resolved. Learn to rewire your brain through helpful videos such as this one. Reduce stress and disrupt chronic stress, get down to the root of your anxiety and depression, rewire your brain not to be sensitive or hypersensitive to environmental noise and life around you.”
“It can be done. It can be reversed. One key thing about tinnitus is not to have anger, hate, stress, fixation on it. It will only make it worse and allow it to stay. Do not give your tinnitus power. Embrace it. Think of your tinnitus as a bodily noise that’s telling you your body is alive and busy healing. It’s telling you something important. Find the root cause. Is it neurological, physiological or both? Do away with negativity and toxic relationships. Diet and lifestyle are extremely important. Sleep, reduction of stress, EXERCISE, having positive social relationships, working toward a move of happiness and relaxation every day. Be kind, compassionate, patient and authentic to yourself. This is crucial. Be courageous.”
And Anas Ababneh says this:
1- Try not to think and read about your condition. The more you think the more you will be a prisoner of this condition. Watch the success story of this guy ‘My Hyperacusis Success Story’ Part 1 & 2 he inspired me a lot.
https://youtu.be/9vcApqcbrtc
https://youtu.be/9GpyBFh-jSs
2- Avoid quiet environments as much as you can. You need to listen to pink noise (read the instructions).
Please find the WAV file of pink noise in the link: ( (https://drive.google.com/file/d/1qBXCXHYjnS2JNEC2WJEwWKc-tuVo2nFK/view?usp=sharing ) and the instructions PDF (attached).
Pink noise is the only approved treatment which is also called TRT therapy. Please watch this lecture:
013 Formby The Effectiveness of Hyperacusis Treatments 960 x 540 – YouTube
https://youtu.be/lfvBaJCqMe8
3- Avoid ear plugs in daily life but this should be gradual until you can remove them during concerts etc.. We call this rehabilitation of hearing. i.e. in my first days of treatment I could not play the violin without earplugs. Now I can thankfully as my ears have been much stronger in handling sounds after hours of exposer to pink noise.
To sum, healthy pink noise is crucial for your treatment. Try to use it as much as you can. Try to be exposed in daily life noise sounds as much as you can.
If you can visit a specialised audiologist that will be perfect. Remember, hyperacusis and Tinnitus are curable. It is just rehabilitation of your ears to become strong again and the professor in the lecture showed data regarding this.
Check out Julian Cowan Hill, Liam Stops Tinnitus, James Karthaus, Peter Studenik and Joey Remenyi and many others in the video compilation list below. They all healed from tinnitus using their own (and sometimes combined) techniques.
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLxLNqBGWBhLxphlCH3dC1j3iPcs8hWRme
And from a comment from Semyon Kurlykov:
If you have upper cervical problems I suggest you check your lower back as that’s where the problem might be hiding. I met a guy who got rid of his tinnitus through myofascial release, getting rid of trauma/pain in the body through trigger points in his back.
https://youtu.be/nNhKqwDbyyo
Here are things one can do to help T written by Mike Olaski from a comment on one of Julian Cowan Hills video’s. (I‘ve added a few of my own ideas as well.):
1. Body Work
-Massage
-Yoga
-Tai Chi
-Cranial Sacral
-Reflexology
-Love Making
-Stretching
-Yawning
2. Get Grounded in Your Body
-Get on the floor
-Walk barefoot in nature
-Hug a tree
-Hug your pets, your loved ones
-Use a grounding mat
-Hold or play with crystals or stones
-Do gardening or outside chores
-Breathe in fresh air
-Get at least 15 mins of sunshine every day
3. Avoid negative people and situations
4. Ease off / avoid stimulants
-Caffein
-Teas (even herbal)
-Sugar
-Chocolate
-Salt
– Drink filtered water
5. Meditate
– Sitting or walking meditation
6. Deep Breathing
7. Let Negative Thoughts Pass
8. Mindfulness
9. Self Massage
-Face, Head, Neck
10. Lighten Up
– Yawning, Laughing, Singing, Humming, Whistling
11. Baths / Showers – Steam
12. Turning on / off Hot / Cold Showers
13. Slow Walking
14. Fasting
– Intermittent – late lunch or dinner
– One day a week or every two weeks water or dry fast
– 3 day water fast
15. Protect Auditory Environment
– Keep earphone / headphone volume low
– Avoid loud environments, places or gatherings
– Wear earplugs
16. Have fun, normalize life, don’t sweat the small stuff, reduce stress
17. Ride out spikes by doing all of the above knowing this too shall pass and you are already healed.
Also check out these books:
‘I Cured My Tinnitus’ by Peter Studenik
‘The Long Tide to Silence’ by Julian Cowan Hill
‘Tinnitus: From Tyrant to Friend’ by Julian Cowan Hill
‘You Can Heal Your Life’ by Louise Hay
‘Your Body Speaks Your Mind’ by Deb Shapiro
‘How Your Mind Can Keep You Well’ by Roy Masters
‘
Melodye, thanks so much for all that great information! I do think I have TMJ (pretty sure my dad had it worse) and I did have an accident about 3 yrs prior to when tinnitus showed up. I think in the end Ill never know what triggered it so I try not to dwell on it and move forward, trying to find a cure. I do use Alexa at night for white noise (never tried pink noise. I will tonight). Alexa has a free app called “ambient noise” which has several different noices – ranging from wind, washing machine, thunderstorm etc. I like “rain on window.” Tell Alexa to “loop” and it will play the sound all night without stopping.
Check out this article about acetyl-l-carnitine for nerve growth -inner ear. Noise comes from a break in the neural system from different types of trauma. The brain fills in the gap by creating noise. That’s what I’ve read.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/8187841/
I have four T friends on Messenger on FB and we share info. This is where this article came from. Met them through comments on YouTube. Let me know if you want me to add you by friending me on FB.
Hi Melodye, thats interesting about carnitine. I looked into this and found a report where it reduced tinnitus in someone here is the link to share with your friends
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25751698/
I have the whole study too if you want to read it. It doesn’t mention which brand was used (I looked). The person used 500 mg twice a day and tinnitus was significantly less after 30 days.
Have any of your friends tried it? I may pick some up this week and give it a try.
Neck and shoulder issues can also be the main cause from stress. In my case whiplash so strengthening can help ligament laxity. Check out MSK Neurology on YouTube. Several ppl have commented that these exercises over time, help.
Forgot to add this video as well:
https://youtu.be/Z9kX97p5YTE
I watched the video thanks Melodye. Cervical instability is something I had not heard of before. Nobody ever mentioned that to me. he mentioned prolo therapy which is also something Ive never heard of for tinnitus. Looks like that doctor is in Florida (which I am not) I am not sure where to find a doctor like him in my area. I will ask around. Appreciate you 🙂
I had one session of prolotherapy for whiplash. Not sure if it made a lot of difference as it takes several continuing sessions over time and is expensive. $2,000 for 10 injections in neck with PRP here in Chicago. A woman I speak to says it’s helping her along with TMJ adjustments.
As far as laxity it’s seems to be a major theme esp w ppl getting text neck from phones. Also, I had Atlas Orthogonal adjustments for several months which fixed a lot of things that were off. Atlas is the original chiropractic. T did not go down tho. My T goes down when in epsom salt baths or in morning in bed. This tells me it’s due to neck issues , muscles tightening Inflammation from certain foods also makes it noisier.
Check out Liam Stops T and Julian Cowan Hill on YouTube.
I also made a list of vids:
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLxLNqBGWBhLxphlCH3dC1j3iPcs8hWRme
Let me know.
I also noticed my tinnitus appears to get worse after eating certain foods. For me its fruit/veggie smoothies. Sometimes I notice a difference and other times not. Thats interesting about epsom salt baths. Wonder if magnesium might help you? I take a mag supplement (I toss it in my smoothies) but have not noticed a difference. Thanks for the link I will watch the videos 🙂
Hi, Joe,
There was no ‘Reply’ option on your email response about LCarnitine so I’m replying here. I shared the Pub Med article w my friends so thanks.
I’m getting my gut in order first taking digestive enzymes, bioflavanoids, zinc carnosine and dgl to heal what might be leaky gut. After a month or so then I’ll start on the LCarnitine. I know fasting always brings down T but I find it a temporary fix though it does heal over time the more you do it. One to two years is the timeline for most people trying to heal eating healthy, exercising and keeping stress away.
The most effective for repairing mitochondria in the ear is 3-5 day wet fast or 2-3 day dry fast from Liam Stops T. They are difficult esp if you have family or social engagements where food is always a ‘thing’.
I think the best way to fix mitochondria is exercise. exercise causes them to get bigger and we make more of them too. I agree fasting is not a long term solution because we have to eat 🙂
Thanks so much Meoldye, i will look into this!
The reason for any noise after eating is due to inflammation. Sugar and salt – the main culprits. Berries are ok as they have least amount of sugar. Liam Stops T suggests protein for breakfast, above ground veggies for regular meals, organic beef, chicken fish, berries for desert, filtered water, certain supplements like magnesium, selenium, zinc, Bioflavanoids, D3/K2, iodine, liver, kidneys from organic pasture raised beef, and fasting. No dairy, alcohol, juices or sodas, root veg, nuts or nut milks, chocolate, carbs = sugar esp bread because it contains bromide and many more restrictions which are in his course which he charges for. It’s a tough act to follow and I did it for a while from only watching his videos. The noise went down but so did my weight. T never went completely because my issue is also impacted by neck subluxation from whiplash in C4/5 which I’m working on strengthening through MSK vids on YouTube.
T is certainly a mult-faceted thing and it takes time and dedication to heal.
I agree tinnitus is a perplexing phenomenon
Liam Stops T also promotes a lot of exercise esp bringing on a sweat and says the powerhouse for mitochondria is removing toxins by fasting and adding magnesium, selenium, zinc, bioflavanoids, B vits, CoQ10, and other vitamins & minerals. He suggests eating organic grass fed grass finished beef or beef capsules because they are very high in nutrients that power mitochondria. I tried all of the above and my T went down after several months but so did my weight as I went mostly Keto. However, Xmas came and I went back to normal eating and added some things I don’t like sweets and the noise came back. So, back to the drawing board and eating minimally which can be very challenging.
its interesting how things did get better after several months. Could that be due to reduced inflammation? weight loss and eating better could lower inflammation. I understand the challenges of what happens during holidays 🙂
I’ve also read leaky gut can be a factor. Repair can be done by taking digestive enzymes, Bioflavanoids, zinc carnosine, DGL, and eating live organic foods. Research leaky gut/tinnitus.
I will look into it thanks so much Melodye 🙂
Thanks you for replying to every one of my comments! Thought I’d say it here rather then replying to each one.
No problem Melodye. I like to be thorough with emails 🙂
I did both Viome and Everlywell tests recommended by my Atlas Chiro. Both tell you what foods to eat and avoid and what nutrients are deficient. Viome indicated what I needed for supplements. Viome gives you details and can create a specific formula for you to take monthly – you can cancel any time. For me the formula they prescribed irritated my stomach and they offered to change the formula slightly which I declined because $45 a month was a bit pricey so I cancelled but plan to start again. Viome also has an app. Everlywell does not. You can find their test kits sometimes at a reduced price on eBay or Amazon.
Melodye, Ive never heard of Viome but generally Im skeptical of test kits that tell us which nutrients we need. One thing I wonder about is they test under resting conditions. what about during exercise? I agree it sounds a bit pricey for me too. Id like to see some research on it before I paid that much.
Again, no reply icon so I’m here answering.
As far as T going down when on Liam’s program from watching his vids, yes to the noise lowering because of reduced inflammation. Also some ppl say in mornings it’s low because the body’s digestion has been rested and there’s very little brain activity.
But yes, that’s why ppl see low noise levels esp when fasting. Mitochondria repairs quicker the more you fast and keep down inflammation through I very restrictive diet.
Stress also creates inflammation re fight or flight which is partially what the noise is and can’t turn off.
Melodye, Im not sure what you mean by a reply icon? Do you mean a reply link when you get an update that I replied? Or you do not get updates when I reply and have to check manually?
Hi everyone, There’s some research on acai berry supplements helping tinnitus. I’ve looked at the research and produced this quick video to show you what happened, how much acai berry was used, and what the results were. I hope it helps
https://youtu.be/wARgoanDg84
This video goes to my YouTube channel
If you come across any tinnitus supplements you want me to review, leave a comment. Thanks and I hope you all doing well.
Yes, reply link doesn’t always show when you’ve replied so I have to click on another answer that has one.
Melodye, Im sorry to learn about this. I will look into it.
Hi Joe
I suggest you try C60 from a reliable source. It’s a powerful anti inflammatory that calms the immune system. Good luck!
Hi Anna, have you had success with carbon 60? I have not tried it but I did do a deep dive into to carbon 60 research
SES C60 review
but on my podcast I interviewed Chris Burris of my Vital C. My Vital C is the same thing as SES C60. I believe they are the biggest maker of Carbon 60
C60 podcast interview
I have had tinnitus for many, many years and for the last 6 or so have also been wearing hearing aids. The hearing aids were supposed to mask or muffle the tinnitus but they don’t. Right now I’m listening to my constant “tinnitus concert” in my head. I used to sing at senior centers and nursing homes and a couple of fundraising events years ago but as the tinnitus got louder, I could no longer hear the background music from the Karaoke machine and had to quit singing.
I truly miss it and sharing my music with others. The hearing aids only make things louder and somewhat distorted plus the tinnitus going on too makes me exhausted at the end of the with communication issues BUT I can still hear (not deaf) and have the blessing of closed caption on most things (I’d like to go back to the days when I did not know what CC was).
I now am starting to hear low but loud rumblings occasionally too. I once went down into the basement to see if something was wrong with the furnace but it was ok. Fortunately, I am able to sleep through the night (except for the nightly bathroom visits) without the use of white noise, etc.
Joe, how much CoQ10 are you taking? I take 200mg everyday because I take statin drugs. Never know how much is enough or too much. I remember reading your article in 2017 and now to re-read it and the comments know that this tinnitus thing is not going away any time soon if ever. Thanks for your awesome research and sharing the information. Sorry for the length here.
Hi Jackie, I take 100 mg of COq10 a day. I’m pretty healthy and from what Ive read that’s likely enough but you make me wonder if maybe 200 mg may help tinnitus? Ive not tried it. Maybe I will give it a try. When it comes to COQ10 and statins I think the sweet spot is when you dont have any muscle pains. Statins can sometimes cause muscle aches and fatigue in the legs and thats why COQ10 is sometimes recommended. Some people have told me its helped but the dosage may depend on how much statins you are taking. it may also depend on what kind of statin you take also.
I know what you say about hearing the constant “tinnitus concert” in your head. I have it too. Lately I’ve been dealing with vertigo as well and am getting physical therapy for it.
I’m SO sorry to hear you had to stop singing! I can only imagine how much grief that has caused. I pray one day they find a cure for tinnitus.
Berberine and other natural supps can replace statins which can sometimes cause health problems in the long run. Google natural alternatives to statins.
I have a video on berberine and its cholesterol-lowering effects: https://youtu.be/XoSZcg2E0s4
Thanks for all the research and info. I can empathize with you. I have it but mine started happening after a plane flight. When I got home i had very severe but temporary ear pain and bleeding from the ear. After over 2 years the tin continues, the popping in my ear comes and goes, I have seen an ENT and my hearing loss has gotten worse in the left ear and he basically seems to show no empathy. I also had an MRI and it showed nothing wrong. This is a very stressful serious problem and one thing for sure my ENT is going to get replaced.
Ron, definitely get a new ENT, if he is not showing you any empathy. My guess is the ENT told you to cut back on caffeine, salt, and maybe prescribed a water pill (Hydrochlorothiazide). None of that seems to make a difference to me. I’ve started detecting clicking and whirling sounds in my left ear. The whirring sounds seem to coincide with my heartbeat. My blood pressure is very good.
Please check out Liam Stops Tinnitus, Julian Cowan Hill and Joey Remenyl on Youtube.
Melodye, What specialty are they saying? I took a quick look at Liam’s channel. I would agree diet plays a role in tinnitus. Doctors have told me to avoid salt and caffeine. I also noticed cold foods can sometimes make tinnitus worse.
In one of his videos, he mentions how high insulin levels can be associated with tinnitus. I have not heard that but he does review a study and from what I saw he seems to be fair in how he breaks down the study. Im not a fan of his bad language in the videos. But I guess I do understand his frustration.
I agree about the bad language and actually stopped watching him but I finally realized it shows he’s passionate about what he knows and is sharing and Hayes that ppl get scammed by drs and ent’s. After all, he cured himself not only of noise trauma T from playing drums but also survived extreme food poisoning that almost killed him along with if he survived was large chance he’d lose his nose, ears, fingers and toes which he didn’t because of his largely carnivore diet.
The doctors were stunned. Anyway, here’s a run down of what I’ve learned over the last five months of my research: From what I’ve read and watched in videos is that tinnitus or ringing in the ears can be the result of noise, head, physical and/or emotional trauma, dental problems like bruxism (teeth grinding) or TMJ (jaw clenching) at night while sleeping, excessive ear wax or ear infection or other ear-related issues, stress and anxiety, certain medications, EMF’s from WIFi/5G or upper cervical subluxated Atlas and Axis (C1 and C2) neck related issues and even chemicals from hair dyes, personal care products and cosmetics, certain allergies to foods, bad diet or nutritional and/or vitamin and mineral deficiencies like vitamin C, zinc, iron, iodine, magnesium, D3 and K and even parasites.
Some people also believe it’s part of the ascension process into a higher frequency and that it’s the sound of angels, higher beings, the cosmos or God communicating with them through their hearing.
The standard explanation is that the brain is basically in fight or flight mode and you’re hearing your own nervous system on red alert. The brain can rewire itself over time by using a process called neuroplasticity which is fundamentally accepting it and getting used to it (habituation) then ignoring the sound and calming it down through relaxation techniques like meditation, yoga, Qi gong and/or exercise and/or neck release exercises called trigger point therapy, upper cervical chiropractic adjustments and/or regular chiropractic, certain dental procedures which involve the use of mouth guards, cranial sacral therapy, EFT also known as ‘tapping’, hypnotherapy, visualization, and other body and mind relaxation therapies and/or masking with nature sounds or pink noise.
What can also help is reducing/removing some or all coffee, teas, sodas, alcohol, salt, sugar, spices, condiments, dairy and carbs, nuts, seeds, the nightshade family of veggies, Salicylates and oxalates from the diet and intermittent, 24 or 48 hour wet or dry fasting. Some people see results whether they’re vegan, vegetarian or meat eaters and even some do none of the above and still get better over time. Still, the majority of what I’ve read and seen in videos is that a healthy diet and stress-reducing exercises have the most impact on reducing and healing T.
Check out Julian Cowan Hill, Liam Stops Tinnitus, James Karthaus, Peter Studenik and Joey Remenyi. They all healed from tinnitus using their own (and sometimes combined) techniques.
Here’s a list of videos with success stories and healing techniques:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLxLNqBGWBhLxphlCH3dC1j3iPcs8hWRme
http://www.pkdiet.com/pdf/oxalate%20lists.pdf
Thanks for the videos I will check them out. I looked at the PDF of oxalate and salicylate foods. I’m going to test if oxalates make my tinnitus worse.
Hey Joe thanks for that article it was very interesting.
Debbie, thanks so much!
Hey Joe, I read through the supplements you’ve tried and I’m wondering if you tried them individually or did you overlap them? You’ve likely heard of the Ménière’s regimen called “JOH” or “John of Ohio” and the rationale behind it is that no single supplement can have much effect on symptoms, whereas a cocktail of certain supplements together can have an impact.
Also, I don’t think you should have given up on pycnogenol so soon but if you decide to try it again be aware that the quality seems to vary wildly between brands. We’ve tried several brands and Source Naturals has the best pycnogenol by far. I didn’t see lysine among the supplements you’ve tried.
Lysine has probably helped my husband the most out of everything we’ve tried so you might want to try it. We just get the Whole Foods brand (L-Lysine Double Strength) and it works great.
Ashley, thanks for the tips. I will try the Pycnogenol by Natural Source and see if that helps. I have never tried lysine but I’ll try that too. Some of the supplements I tried I did take them together while others did not – I honestly forget which ones overlapped. About how long do you think I should try the lysine and pycnogenol before it starts to work?
Hey Joe, if you decide to try pycnogenol again you might want give it at least 2 months. You said you took 100 mg when you tried it before but, as you noted, the study subjects took 150 mg. Maybe not a bad idea to take 200 mg per day as my husband does. As for the lysine, I’m pretty sure my husband noticed an improvement in just a couple of weeks but not a bad idea to give it a solid 1-2 months.
Just remember to take it in between meals. My husband currently takes 1000mg 3x per day but he took 500mg 3x per day for a long time and saw results. Maybe you’re already familiar with the theory that Ménière’s is caused (at least in part) by a viral component, specifically the chicken pox virus.
Studies seem to be all over the map but since my husband has had both chicken pox and shingles we convinced his ENT to prescribe acyclovir, which worked great… for a while. Only recently have I encountered a theory that Ménière’s might also have a fungal component and some have had success with fluconazole or nystatin or natural antifungal remedies.
The never ending theories and cures are enough to drive someone insane. The only thing I’ve found any real consensus on is that stress exacerbates Ménière’s so staying calm is extremely important even when everything is (literally) burning down around us. B vitamins and magnesium glycinate have been helpful for stress and Ménière’s in general.
Out of everything I’m curious to see if you find any improvement with lysine since it helped my husband so much.
Ashley, thanks so much for those dosages. I’m curious, did your husband ever try niacin? I came across some research from the 1940s showing it might help. This was news to me as Ive never heard of this before. Just curuious if you ever heard about it or tried it.
Hey Joe, only recently did I see that different B vitamins (1, 3, 5, 6, and 12 specifically) might help with Ménière’s. He started taking a B multivitamin but we stopped that and have been switching to individual B vitamins so that we can control the doses. We add a new one each week. We made sure to get B12 that dissolves under the tongue because apparently it’s not absorbed otherwise. B3 is definitely on our radar so we’ll see if it helps.
Ashley, yes sometimes B12 doesnt get absorbed well as we get older. B12 needs a carrier molecule (intrinsic factor) to be absorbed. Sometimes we don’t make so much of that when we get older. I agree the sublingual form may be a good option.
Have you tried NAC? I’m experimenting with it now. It raises glutathione levels. Glutathione is a powerful antioxidant. I see there is a drug in phase 3 trials now that is based on boosting a glutathione enzyme.
Hi Joe, just read your comment on NAC. I have the supplement and use it occasionally as I did read it shouldn’t be used daily. Just wondering if you ever heard that and how much you take on a daily basis.
Debbie, the studies usually use about 600 mg. That’s what’s in the supplement I have. I’m not aware of the reasons why someone should not take NAC long term. One thing I would wonder about is if someone had cancer. In theory, raising glutathione might not be good if someone had cancer. I believe this is theoretical but worth keeping in mind. For basically healthy people, Im not aware of any issues.
I have a review on boosting glutatione if it helps:
Review: how to raise glutathione levels
I tried lysine for several months and did not notice any difference. Lysine is also used to prevent cold sores from herpes simplex.
Please see my other comments.
Definitely lysine for cold sores. it inhibits the replication of the virus. I have not heard (pun intended) any lysine/tinnitus research. Here’s a video I created on other potential benefits: https://youtu.be/dVaeauZgT_I
Very informative. You mention soy / tofu for lysine. Dr.Grundy says stay away from soy because it’s hightly processed gmo’d. What to eat anymore. Oy veh!
I don’t trust dr Grundy advice. He promotes supplements that have not been tested. You’d think that he’d do the studies since he’s a doctor.
Inflammation will keep you from healing. An anti inflammatory diet is a must. I’ve used it to heal other chronic illnesses. Please check out Liam Stops Tinnitus on YouTube. He healed his T (he got it from noise damage from playing drums) eating non inflammatory foods ie no carbs (which turn to sugar), alcohol, soft drinks, juices, fruits, dairy, and meat all of which create inflammation. Certain herbs and supplements can help too. He also advocates cold showers/baths which bri g down inflammation in the body, meditation and exercise/yoga. His videos have helped hundreds of people heal as can be be seen in his testimonial videos.
Upper cervical for the Atlas C1 and Axis C2 can help as a misaligned upper spine can cause jaw clenching, neck and shoulder problems, tinnitus, vertigo and dizziness. The McKenzie method you can do at home helps move the neck backwards into alignment.
My issue was brought on by neck problems when I jerked it dancercising at home wearing EarPods and stress from lock down. Also, bad posture while on the internet.
The body heals itself if given a chance.
Hope this helps.
Melodye, thanks for the information. Sorry to hear about the tinnitus you have been dealing with. Definitely bad posture while on the web is something a lot of us can empathize with. I had not seen his website. I think tinnitus causes are diverse so I’m not sure if going to a non-inflammatory diet would work for everyone – but it can’t hurt to give it a try for a month or so to see what happens. I hope your tinnitus starts to get better soon.
Help, Joe,
Regardless, the diet will make you feel less bloated and have more energy. I forgot to add that fasting is part of Liam’s protocol which I’ve done occasionally throughout my life. When I fast the tinnitus becomes very low because the body is turning its attention to healing rather than digesting food. When I come off a day fast the T does get louder because the organs are processing toxins.
Let me know how it goes.
Cheers!
Melodye, I’ve also noticed my tinnitus sometimes gets worse too I eat so its interesting you bring this up. The doctors look at me funny when I tell them this happens. There are times it gets worse after a smoothie (fruits and veggies) and oddly there are other times it doesnt get worse after I higher sodium foods – but other times it does get worse. I can’t find a pattern to it but what you said about the body healing itself between means /fasting makes some sense. The only issue is we do have to eat eventually 🙂
Please check out Liam Stops Tinnitus’s videos. He explains everything you just mentioned. You have to watch quite a few but each time you’ll have an ‘a-ha’ moment. He had it for four years and self-financed his travels around the world meeting specialists and did a lot of reading/ research on his own. He healed his T over time through trial and error but has had amazing results with people who sought him out after seeing his videos and his popularity is growing. I’ve corresponded with him myself.
Intrinsically it’s up to all of us to find what works. But from my own experience and countless others eating live green foods, purified or filtered water, and removing carbs, sugar, dairy/ meat will stop the inflammation; carbs because they turn to sugar and dairy/meat are acidic and cause inflammation.
Liam does say that meat organic actually helped heal his T as he had no results with a vegan diet. However, he’s had vegetarians heal their T; even some who only did the diet change without the cold showers or fasting.
He also does mention Meniers and ppl who’ve healed from this.
He believes a lot of our modern diseases are due to bad diet and not the right nutrients. Also WiFi and our electrical / microwave /Smartmeters in our society all cause inflammation in the body. Ppl who’ve turned I off their WiFi have heard their T disappear. Do everyone is different. Trial and error. See what happens.
Meoldye, turning off wifi would be challenging for me. I think overall I eat pretty well but there is always room for improvement -especially during the covid pandemic 🙂
Forget doctors. Especially with T.
Keep a food/ activity diary. You may then state to notice certain patterns.
Melodye, I’ve tried to find patterns. It’s all over the place. I cant find a pattern unfortunately.
Update to my comment:
McKenzie method (moving head backwards and forwards while tucking chin in a straight line) can cause more neck problems as stated by Kjetil Larson from MSK Neurology on YouTube. Check out his vids.
That sounds like the Epley maneuver for vertigo (Meniere’s disease)
Hey Joe! I am late in the game here, and just read this because you had mentioned that your tinnitus gets louder after you have your smoothie. I took a look at it, and I would say this smoothie has a LOT of sugar in it and even though it’s fructose, that’s a lot of inflammatory material there.
Also, I want to mention I notice when I’ve eaten something that may be unfamiliar to my body or something that I know I have a sensitive reaction to (ah, willpower!), my tinnitus is super loud. I don’t know if that would make a difference for you as you have the standing/sitting thing. I haven’t really looked into Tinnitus because I’ve been concentrating on healing from autoimmune, but look forward to diving in.
Hi Patti, thanks for your insights. Ive had an increase in tinnitus after eating /drinking other things that do not have fructose so I dont think there is a connection. Sometimes its gotten worse when I drink cold liquids. While fructose is bad in high amounts, the amounts in fruits is small and likely counterballanced by all the fiber in the fruits/veggies also found in my smoothie. Still, I do appreciate you thinking enough of me to reach out.
I see from your website you are a plexus ambassidor. I have several reviews on plexus you may be interested in. Here’s a few of them
Plexus Joyome Review
Plexus Metaburn Review
Plexus Accelerator Review
Plexus Boost Review
Plexus Slim review
Plexus Hunger Control Review
If you ever turn up anything on tinnutis I have not looked at feel free to send them over. Im always interested in anything which can provide relief.
Joe and Patti, I’ve had tinnitus for probably 30 years and it has increasingly gotten worse as the years go by. I have never noticed food being an issue although recently I have been diagnosing everything that I take internally or do to see if there are changes. The only real change I noticed was when I took that CBD oil which I first wrote about.
I’ve also noticed that since then and maybe because the noise is so much louder that the level constantly changes in intensity from day to day. Something I never noticed before. I just wonder, how much noise can one live with before it drives them crazy. It’s a scary thought since no one seems to be close to a cure of some type.
Debbie, so sorry to hear you are still dealing with the effects of CBD. I know bedtime can be a particularly difficult time. While I do use a celing fan for white noise, one other thing I discovered are youtube videos that play sound, sometimes for 8-12 hours. This is one that I like: rain
Even the screen of my tablet goes dark which again helps to us to stay to sleep.
There’s all sorts of white noise on youtube – fans, cosmic noise, oceans, thunderstorms, and even spaceship engines. I hope some of this helps. I will say a prayer your tinnitus gets better soon.
I’ve read that EMF from cell phone/tablet near the bed can ramp up T. Same with router in bedroom. Also, blue light from devices. Do not look at screen 2 hours before bed as it creates more neural activity. Blue blocking glasses can help.
Some ppl are more sensitive than others and like me may find that EMF does not affect T. I covered our router in our bedroom with an EMF mesh cover at night for several months with no difference in T noise.
Trial and error seems to always the theme with T.
I agree. I use speakerphone all the time when talking on the phone 🙂
Read them all, did my own careful and skeptical research, I’m good with the supplements. They’ve changed my life, as well as many family members, friends, and clients. The only ones who did not get results were those who just couldn’t be consistent (except one person who was consistent).
Patti, what supplements do you think helped your tinnitus and how long did it take to see results? Do you know what caused your tinnitus?
I came here originally after a night at a concert and had ringing ears. unforunately I took a medication that caused the nerves in my ear to swell up (polyneuritis I think). It was NOT going away, ringing and sensitivity to sound, finally a health food store clerk who i have known for years suggested alpha lipoic acid 100mg once every two days or so- to help chelate (bind) or detox the chemical residue still in my body. It worked quickly to reduce the painful hypersensitive hearing and slowly, very slowly the tinnitus is going down. I hate having all these scares. First the concert tinnitus, now the medication induced tinnitus.
Just curious as to how you are now and did the supplement help?
This sounds really promising. Especially nice is the fact that no ones tinnitus got worse. I would do a trial like this. My sounds don’t change when I stick out my tongue or move my neck. They do get louder when I first wake up. I feel as though as my brain wakes up so do the noises in my head.
Debbie, do let us know what happens. I saw this tinnitus video today. I tried the exercises as he did them but didnt notice any change
He said it may take 4 weeks before noticing a difference. Ill keep trying it and see what happens.
Same here at times. Quiet in mornings then I start hearing it. Searching for it makes it come on. TRT May help in retaining but it takes a long time.
https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/features/tinnitus-how-an-alternative-remedy-is-the-only-thing-that-has-ever-worked-against-the-ringing-a6942451.html
Hi all…sorry to hear about all your troubles with this bothersome disease…hope that link provides some good leads…my own “curse” seems to be belly fat….skinny all over except the belly. Nothing works and will NOT go lipo….i am in perfect healtn otherwise….
BB, interesting article link thanks for the link. I read it. The reporter – Peter Popham is an investigative journalist. The title of the article is a little clickbaity because Peter doesn’t exactly tell us the exact herbal recipe the Chinese doctor prescribed. Basically, he says after the doctor inspects the color of his tongue, and prescribes ” herbs, which include goji berries, chrysanthemum flowers, turmeric, little cubes of white stuff, he haun pi, known in English as “bark of the tree of happiness”, slices of beige-coloured fungus and some nine others.
What are those other 9 things? He doesn’t tell us.
Do you think your belly fat is linked to your tinnitus?
Joe…i am in perfect health … the belly fat issue is primarily cosmetic. Because i am such health nut, it makes me miserable because i cannot crack it…maybe i should count my blessings…i offered the link on tinnitus solely because i was moved by your story with that disease and thought some crowdsourcing would help…i am impressed by your humility and the objectivity you bring to your work here….all best.
BB, I understand. the good news is your health is going so well! We often take that for granted. Did you ever do the tape measure test of your abdominals? wrap a tape measure around your waist at your belly button. Dont hold in your belly. let it hang out. If you are less than 40 inches you are doing ok from a health standpoint.
I do appreciate the link. I wish the reporter had listed those other herbs. I would have tried it 🙂
BB you might want to try the graston technique (videos on youtube) to break up potential scar tissue over your stomach that often looks the same as some belly fat. I too find it impossible to have super abs, even with alot of excercises, and still my same weight as I was in college, but my abs got way better looking after going over my stomach with a soft tissue mobilization tool, many times.
An interesting development…
https://labblog.uofmhealth.org/lab-report/first-test-specially-timed-signals-ease-tinnitus-symptoms
BB, sounds promising 🙂
Hi again, I was just wondering if anyone on this site has ever tried Tinnitus Retraining or Cognitive Behavioral Therapy? These two subjects keep coming up in my searches for tinnitus health.
Hi Debbie, I have heard some say you can retrain how you perceive the ringing but I have not tried it. Has anyone else?
The book, ‘I Cured My Tinnitus’ by Peter Studenik says TRT along with counseling, natural diet and stress relief exercises helped him get rid of his but it took over two years.
Stress is the toughie thing to get rid of these days for all of us
All it does is help you cope. An anti inflammatory diet is a must. To heal it read my previous comment. Check out Liam Stops Tinnitus on YouTube.
Thanks Melodye 🙂
Hi Joe, you know you are probably correct about the HIPPA agreement, but to clarify I first went to a presentation from this company on stem cells before an actual appointment and that is where I believe they mentioned him and a couple of other athletes who had used their company, Along with several everyday people that got great results so I’m sure they had to get permission from all these people before making this video and using their names and talking about them.
Debbie, that is good to know 🙂
Joe,
Thanks for the prompt and informative reply! I’ve actually read some additional stuff regarding creatine but will have to check when home! I talked with my doctor Bout creatine and like you, he believes it to be safe and has no issue with me using it.
I’m going to start a trial today and see what if any effects that it might have over a several month period. I’ll keep you and this thread posted.
C
Charles, sounds good I will look forward to hearing what happens 🙂
Hello all,
I stumbled upon this page and have found it to be most interesting. I’ve suffered from tinnitus for as long as I can remember and believe it to have been caused by noise exposure while on the job as a pilot.
I have tried every remedy with few exceptions and have not found any that have helped. Recently, I read that creatine monohydrate might have a beneficial effect and wondered if anyone else might have gone down this path already.
Thanks again,
C
Hi Charles, creatine monohydrate is probably the most highly researched supplement on Earth. Most of that research involves exercise where creatine has been shown to help improve muscle strength and power. Here are some reviews on creatine I’ve written
I’ve never heard creatine helps tinnitus symptoms but you got me curious so I did some digging into this. I located this gunnie pig study published in 2007 which seemed to show less hearing loss in gunnie pigs who were given creatine or an anti-oxidant compound called Tempol (I checked and did not see Tempol supplements being sold)
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2680083/ The study did not mention tinnitus.
When I searched, I did see people talking about how creatine supplements helped reduce tinnitus symptoms. One person said he used 5-6 grams a day and noticed a 50% decrease in tinnitus after 6-8 weeks. That’s just his experience and I’d point out 5-6 grams is a bit more than weight lifters often take (2-3g/day).
Other than the gunnie pig study, I didn’t see any human trials. So I can’t say if it helps or not. I do want to investigate this further. Charles, if you have seen any creatine/tinnitus studies I missed, please do share them. I’d love to read them.
Creatine is generally considered safe in healthy people. I’d speak to a doctor if anyone had kidney or liver issues or high blood pressure/ heart disease. If anyone tries creatine, keep in mind creatine will make you heavier. The increase in body weight is due to water retention. It’s not fat weight. You may notice you’re getting heaver within a few weeks of starting creatine.
The increase in body weight may be anywhere from 5-15 pounds (most people won’t gain 15 pounds but that’s the most which people have reported to me). Once you stop taking creatine, your body weight should eventually go back to normal.
Has anybody ever tried creatine for their tinnitus?
Joe,
Thought I would update on my Creatine adventures. After many months of use I’m unable to detect any noticeable difference in Tinnitus level. On the plus side I believe it did help with some strength and muscle gains.
I’m still searching for something as “T” is definitely an issue for me.
C
Charles, thanks for the update. Sorry creatine didn’t work for you. Creating is very well known for helping muscle strength so your strength gains make a lot of sense. That’s at least something 🙂
My tinnitus has gotten worse. I’m re-experimenting with coq10 now. I think it may be helping but its too soon to tell.
Hopeful for you, Joe!
Patti, I think it might but I want to give it a wee bit more time. Someone did tell me Coq10 helped her tinnitus. Have you tried Coq10?