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No solutions for tinnitus
Hey guys, I am only 33 and think I have tinnitus. Ever since some loud noice exposures throughout the years, like construction and music In the car, I feel like some days my ears are in stinging pain and when I watch videos on my phone I have to have the volume on really low because otherwise it would hurt my ears more. No doctors or specialists have a solution for this. I’m shocked as I think a lot of people have this. -
4 Replies
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Hi – is your issue sporadic or chronic?
The pathophysiology of tinnitus is poorly understood in the literature, and this is likely because its etiology can vary significantly by individual. There is typically some level of oxidative damage. While an ear exam should be done to rule out excessive ear wax or other obstructions, some common contributors to consider include:
• Age-related hearing loss
• Noise induced hearing loss (e.g. loud concerts, listening to music too loud with headphones)
• TMJ (the temporomandibular joint is located in front of the ears and shares some ligaments and nerve connections with the inner ear)
• Chronic ear or sinus infections (and the associated congestion)
• Osteosclerosis (stiffening of the bones in the middle ear)
• Thoracic outlet syndrome
• Meniere’s disease
• Infections, especially viral damage (an interesting look at exacerbation in 40% of COVID cases with pre-existing tinnitus)
• Severe head or neck trauma, including concussions
• Prescription medication side effect (see list here)
• Anxiety and Depression
• Blood vessel disorders (e.g. high blood pressure, atherosclerosis)
• EMF sensitivity
• Mold toxicity
• Auditory tumors (rare)The exact reason why hearing loss is associated with tinnitus is still being investigated by researchers and is not well understood, but oxidative damage to delicate tissues may be involved. The loss of certain sound frequencies can lead to specific changes in how the brain processes sound, and tinnitus may also somehow be the brain’s way of filling in those missing sound frequencies.
Since oxidative stress overload is typically present, boosting antioxidant function should yield positive results (this is a good read on this topic as well). Supplements that have been shown to be helpful include:
1. Zinc levels tend to be low in patients with tinnitus. Zinc supplementation may have benefit, particularly in those with low zinc status and those with noise-induced hearing loss associated tinnitus. Check RBC zinc and supplement as appropriate with zinc citrate or zinc picolinate.
2. CoQ10
3. Taurine plays a role in hearing and supplemental taurine has been shown in small animal studies to reverse tinnitus.
4. B12 tends to be low in people with tinnitus and B12 supplementation has been shown to be beneficial for tinnitus in that population. As an aside, we know that neuropathic effects are common in those with B12 deficiency; consider if tinnitus is perhaps a type of oxidative”neuropathy” of the ear?
5. Gingko biloba
6. MelatoninAnything else you can do to reduce oxidative stress, such as a low-glycemic, anti-inflammatory diet with increased intake of berries, colorful vegetables, herbs and spices, wild salmon (and/or supplementation with algae or fish oil to ensure adequate omega-3 essential fat intake) should be helpful. Support for optimal glutathione synthesis is also a good strategy (e.g. B2/B9/B12 vitamins for methylation, B6 for transsulfuration, Glycine and NAC).
Finally, complementary therapies such as yoga and acupuncture may be helpful as well as addressing underlying anatomical issues such as TMJ or dental grinding.Hope this helps give you some areas to explore.
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Hey ,
I was wondering how you are doing. Did you make any progress with the tinnitus?
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no, it keeps happening. I thought maybe it was maybe my sinuses, but I don’t think that’s the contributing factor. My ear drums just hurt some days when exposed to loud sounds, like the other day I was cutting veggies on my glass cutting board and it was horrible. I don’t know if it’s long covid damage either.
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Hey ,
Let me think with you. Perhaps we could help you stir in a direction you didn’t consider yet. Perhaps you could answer some questions for me so I can get more insight into the situation:
• Is there a specific moment when the tinnitus started? Did it happen after an infection (this includes an ear infection)? Or after hurting your neck/head? After a hard sound perhaps? Or did it get there slowly? Are there any intuitions you have as to what might have caused it?
• Are there any steps you are currently taking in order to try to reduce the tinnitus? For example, are you momentarily taking some supplements?
• Are there any other symptoms you are experiencing? For example, do you experience cold hands & feet? Are you feeling fatigued? Are you experiencing tingling sensations somewhere? Are you experiencing concentration problems? Do you feel slow? Are you losing hair? How is your gut health? Are you experiencing constipation/diarhea? Do you feel bloated? Are you experiencing acid reflux? Are you feeling depressed? How is your joint and back health? Everything you can think of could provide us with some insight!
• Was your blood pressure ever measured? And if so, can you remember the numbers?
• Are you currently using any type of other pill or medication?
• Were there any labs measured? And if so, would you like to share them? From a functional medicine perspective, we often take a different look at them than your regular doctor. Perhaps we could help you find a new approach based on them.Was Tinnitus Retraining Therapy(TRT) ever suggested to you? If not, this might be something you could consider.
Tinnitus can also have an emotional component. Stress can cause tinnitus as well. But being stressed from tinnitus can also keep the tinnitus ‘alive’. I have seen people successfully reduce tinnitus with therapy. This option is more successful when other medical causes have been ruled out.
Bernadette already shared a lot of medical conditions. It is our experience that a slow thyroid is often misdiagnosed in regular medical care. A full thyroid panel (just click here) might provide you with better insight, especially when slow thyroid symptoms are also present (an overview of symptoms you can find here by the way).
If I have more details, I might be able to help you!
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