10 things that helped me with Tinnitus
One of the problems with many proposed remedies for tinnitus is that there’s a huge placebo effect, suggesting a psychological component to the disorder.
Many tinnitus folks are anxious and depressed, even before; to what extent this is a cause or an effect of this Tinnitus is unclear. But first, we need you to understand the power of the Placebo Effect and Neuroplasticity healing.
The placebo effect suggest any intervention often suggests promise, but the practical experience of most folks is that the benefits may wane over time. Before self-care for tinnitus, definitely get a work up by an ENT specialist to rule out remediable or dangerous causes. Unfortunately, in the likely event that all the tests prove negative, you might just end up with a diagnosis of “idiopathic” tinnitus.
And the Good News is I’ve lowered and virtually eliminated my Tinnitus for days in a row and have written down some strategies for you.
Scan your lifestyle for Stressors
Unknown stress, anxiety, lack of sleep, and loud noises are classic instigators of tinnitus. Addressing these problems can help minimize your bouts of ear distress. If stress feels unrelenting and life-impairing, seek professional help. But Mediation is your key. Don’t process everything, just observe.
Since tinnitus is possibly a real physical malady, studies of cognitive behavioral therapy don’t show it reduces the frequency or intensity of tinnitus; rather, it helps patients to better cope with symptoms.
Diet
Keeping a food diary can help to pinpoint tinnitus precipitants which may include excess sodium, MSG, alcoholic beverages, sugary foods, aged cheeses, and/or caffeine. The overall quality of your diet matters, too. One study showed that between 84 and 92% of tinnitus patients were shown to have a metabolic disorder called hyperinsulinemia.
Keep moving and mobile
Exercise has been shown in some studies to reduce the likelihood of tinnitus. For older adults with hypertension, for every 60-min increase in light-intensity physical activity, they were 21% less likely to have tinnitus.
Stop unnecessary Medicines
Aspirin is notorious for causing or worsening tinnitus. Certain antibiotics can damage the tiny hair cells that line the inner ear. SSRI medications, commonly prescribed for the depression that accompanies tinnitus, may increase activity in the brain region thought responsible for the condition.
Ginkgo
A meta-analysis demonstrated effectiveness of a standardized Ginkgo extract vs. tinnitus. The dosage was 120-240 mg per day of standardized Ginkgo biloba extract, EGb 761®. Investigate vinpocetine: One of Europe’s most popular tinnitus remedies is a branded vinpocetine product, Cavinton®, a nootropic (smart-drug) that has been shown, like Ginkgo, to be a cognitive enhancer via its circulation-enhancing properties. But the one study that I could find on vinpocetine and tinnitus reported positive results only when it was given intravenously; to date, no double-blind placebo controlled studies have verified its efficacy when given to human subjects as an oral supplement.
CoQ10
A ,2007 clinical trial revealed that tinnitus sufferers with low blood levels of CoQ10 benefited from CoEnzyme Q10 supplementation. Also consider nicotinamide riboside (NR): Good research demonstrates the efficacy of NR in preventing noise-related hearing loss, which is often a precursor to tinnitus. By inference—admittedly as yet subject to definitive human trials—a two-month experiment with 250 mg of NR twice daily might be warranted to see if it relieves your ear distress.
Lowe EMFs
Studies suggest that long-term cellphone use may cause acoustic damage. Many sufferers of tinnitus report that hissing or whining noises are worse when in the presence of fluorescent lights, which generate barely audible high-frequency sound waves. It’s estimated that around 3% of the population suffers from sensitivity to ubiquitous electromagnetic fields.
Eliminate Histamines
This means Red Wine people. Research suggests that Meniere’s Disease and tinnitus may be due, in part, to histamine intolerance. I have another article with suggestions on how to curb histamine overload with diet and supplements.
Get Creative and Experiment
Lifestyle modifications and supplements offer simple, safe and readily available options. Supplementation with resveratrol, magnesium, melatonin, vitamins B12, D and E, creatine, alpha lipoic acid (ALA), n-acetyl cysteine (NAC), and acetyl-l-carnitine (ALC) have been suggested as means of forestalling hearing loss, but studies of their effects on tinnitus show only weak or inconclusive results. While these interventions may provide some relief for tinnitus sufferers, the search for a definitive cure is still underway. Promising directions include better methods of acoustic “masking” (akin to noise-reduction ear phones), deep-brain stimulation, external electrical pulses and, ultimately, cochlear regeneration with stem cell implants.