You say Potāto, I say Potǎto; You say Tomāto, I say Tomǎto, Tinnītus, Tinnĭtus, Ringing, Zinging, let’s turn the buzzing off. Fads, fakes, future hope and more – there are sound points to consider.
You might be surprised to learn how many people experience tinnitus, or “ringing in the ears.” It is estimated that 10-15% of adults suffer from this “phantom sound” as it’s regularly described. While familiar with it from medical books, I was still surprised when my husband said he had been hearing It for months (didn’t mention it) and now wanted it gone!
While not speaking from experience, the normal health care ‘line’ is that tinnitus sounds more like sizzling than ringing. It can be in one ear or two, at low, medium or loud volumes and can be constant or intermittent. It’s usually noticed more when the person’s environment is quiet or silent, such as when trying to fall asleep, but can be noticeable around loud noises. In short, people experience it quite differently.
What is the Cause of Tinnitus?
If it sounds like there are numerous ways people endure Tinnitus, you ae correct. Still, those experiences pale compared to the list of possible (supposed) causes. So many sources of etiology pop up that you have to wonder if they are all accurate or have any underlying link.
Reviewing the causes (at least most I am familiar with), you notice that some appear systemic while others local and physical. Examples:
| Ear infection | Age-related hearing loss | Earwax (blockage) |
| High (or low) Blood Pressure | Ear injury | Loud noise exposure |
| Diabetes | Bone changes in the ear | High altitudes |
| Upper Respiratory Disease | Certain Vitamin/mineral deficiencies | Sinusitis |
| Circulatory system disorders |
Active TB in many methods affects the sexual generic viagra 50mg health. cheap viagra pill Remember one point; whatever is good for your prostate. Males suffering from reduced levels cialis canadian prices of sperms need to choose the best online pharmacy supplying authentic and genuine drugs. online cialis pills Do not chew or break the tablet, swallow it as a whole.
More times than not, a person with tinnitus doesn’t know which of these conditions are affecting them, and more than one is also possible. Sinusitis isn’t usually on the typical list; I included it and dual-suffers swear there is a connection as well. Based on complaints of “Long Haulers” recovering from COVID, I fear this too may make the inventory of tinnitus causes.
How to Cure Tinnitus?
If I had the answer to the question of cure, I’d have a lot more money. And unfortunately, many suffers have given up a lot of their money to a circus of providers or promoters who have promised a cure. Without a doubt, most are not charlatans, and frequently provide a minimum of reduction for at least a percentage of those they serve.
The most reliable answer in my view, to the question “will this stop (or reduce) my Tinnitus,” is the age-old, trite response of “it depends.” It depends most obviously on the cause, but also the severity level, related underlying conditions and the person’s general health.
Fakes and Fads
The biggest problem with tinnitus remedies is that some work, for some people, at some time. If you are in the 10% of those who benefit, you’re delighted; whereas the 90% may think the small group is delusional. Still, it’s a bit difficult to label the poor performers as ‘Fakes.’ Yet, there are a lot of them – poor performers, that is. With so many etiologies and presentations of the disturbing occurrence, the wide variance in success is understandable. Additionally, a good writer or famous actress may start telling her story, and a treatment readily becomes a fad. Further, it’s often difficult to discern a “reduction” (even for the sufferer). While tinnitus has a few quantifiable tools for assessing it, it’s not a clear, easily-measurable condition.
While there is fact-check questioning the relationship, if you use Mr. Google, you will find a story that states a Shark Tank TV show winner promoted a full-spectrum CBD gummy for tinnitus. Despite the accuracy of the TV connection, the sisters (and chemists), Donna and Rosy Khalife did develop such a product. Created on a “reuptake inhibitor” (which blocks a neurotransmitter) the product helps in getting better blood flow to the body and also maintains the blood oxygen levels.
The new formula (now known as Green Lobster CBD), claims to stop Tinnitus almost instantly and permanently. (It’s a 30-day regime.) Studies are unclear. Some sources call it a “pure scam”, some early adopters counter that it’s a “miracle.” The gummies aren’t cheap (for CBD products) and the price is often difficult to discern until you are ready to press the buy button – or they have collected your email address. I saw several references stating $50 for a 20-count bottle ($120/3 bottles). At this point I think it’s fair to place Green Lobster gummies in the fad category – and keep watching.
CBD in general, and oil for eardrops, is frequently recommended for Tinnitus (along with bed bugs, sore throat, athlete’s foot, hemorrhoids, and anything else under the sun). Admittedly, it is known to reduce stress and anxiety (thus perhaps lowers BP), so it may be some minor aid.
Family Remedies – My 2 Choices
Generally, herbs and home therapies have limited success. Most likely there are dozens, but based on results, I recommended only two to my husband (well, 2 ½, but I will get to the latter).
1) Ginkgo Biloba
Ginkgo (an herb not recommended for children) is probably the most favored in the natural health care world for tinnitus. The prime reason is that it can play a key function in blood circulation; and secondarily, it has antifungal and antibacterial properties. We chose a ginkgo biloba extract standardized to 24% flavonoids (32% even better) and 6% terpenoids (6-12% recommended). I tend to purchase small mg dose products to allow for more flexibility. The plan was to use divided doses totaling 120-240 mg /day of our 60 mg product. One caution is that like other medications, herbs can have unwanted interactions with other medicines and contraindications for certain conditions, as well as side-effects. Always check fine print or ask your doc before using. Even though I am familiar with many natural botanicals; memories fade and products change. I too always re-check.
2) Saline Nasal Irrigation aka Neti Pot
Readers may have noticed a Neti nasal wash mentioned before; it’s a favorite of mine. See #9 for more info at: Seasonal Allergies Big or Small – Tips & Treatments — Aging with Pizzazz. I like the actual Neti pot (1 tsp sea salt dissolved in warm water per pot; pots that are all about the same size). I find the Neti nasal wash is quicker and more effective than spray. However, some health care providers recommend a tsp of salt and glycerin be added to 2 cups of warm water and placed in a spray bottle (and then injected into each nostril). It may be easier to get used to the spray as there can be initial slight discomfort with a Neti pot, but in my mind the spray is not as useful (unless you are traveling). Nasal irrigation is an excellent aid if your tinnitus is caused by, or related to, blocked nasal passages or excess sinus fluids.
Progress? I can report that my husband reports a “reduction in the ringing.” However, let me point out that sometimes this happens naturally or spontaneously. Additionally, as with a placebo effect, just doing something – “ANYTHING” – can make a difference. “Watchful Waiting” is advised to know of any true success or change. Personally, I think 2-3 months is necessary to evaluate the situation.
Future Hope
In 2020 one ground-breaking tinnitus experimental study made big headlines, like “Tinnitus can be silenced for up to a Year with New Tongue-Zapping device.” Perhaps ‘silenced’ was overstated but this journal reference title explains a bit more – “Bimodal neuromodulation combining sound and tongue stimulation reduces tinnitus symptoms in a large randomized clinical study” at Science Translational medicine (sciencemag.org). In simpler language, two neural pathways are stimulated simultaneously – sound through headphones and a cranial nerve (trigeminal) though pulses to the tongue. (I didn’t research if it hurts; I didn’t want to know.)
The device, known as Lenire®, was launched in 2019 by Nuromond Devices. Aside from scam products, this was the first hopeful new treatment for patients in years. Again, you can find the article and analysis of the trial product here in Science Translational Medicine (STM).
The largest-of-its-kind research (to date) was specifically 326 people. The efforts were international, including universities of Minnesota, Regensburg (Germany), Nottingham (UK), hospitals, and medical device companies from Ireland and Belgium. The tongue-zapper (I like that name best) requires use for 60 minutes daily for 4 months. The claim was that almost 84% of the subjects were compliant (more persistent than I fear I would have been), and of those in the compliant category, 86% reported reduced severity. Reduced how much? Not clear. To be fair and accurate, they employed two frequently-used measurement tools: Tinnitus Handicap Inventory and Tinnitus Functional Index, which allowed for a “significant” reduction claim.) However, any amount (no matter how small) of improvement was included in the 86% category. There was no control group.
The bottom line is that there is hope for this product, and there are other studies based on the bimodal neuromodulation in the works (at least one with control groups). Whether it is Macbeth’s “be all and end all” solution is a different question. Unfortunately, Lenire may not be readily available outside of Europe, and it is doubtful that Medicare would pay for the product (at least at this point). Finally, if my conversion skills are accurate, the device is rather pricey at about $3,010.
Other Tips
- Check out Tinnitus Hub – an organization “for patients, by patients” for the latest in help, research and shared thoughts.
- Listen to Tinnitus Talk Podcast. Here is a link to an episode about the Lenire device. Neuromod’s Lenire — Treating Tinnitus the Bimodal Way – Tinnitus Talk Podcast
- Try Acupuncture – it often results in relief for patients depending on underlying conditions. (This was the remaining half of my “2 ½ recommendations” to my Husband.]
- Don’t smoke. (ALWAYS and OBVIOUS.)
Additional tips which have limited preventative, temporary or reducing effect on tinnitus.
- Cut back on alcohol, especially if you have been hitting it harder than usual.
- Limit the use of aspirin when possible.
- Limit exposure to loud noise, or music, but consider white noise or soft music when retiring for the night.
- Exercise regularly – helps especially for causes related to BP and circulatory system.
- Consider relaxation techniques, which do demonstrate reduction for some practitioners (perhaps due to BP levels?).
- Use a warm moist compress, or heating pad with moist cloth to relieve pressure and pain. This may be temporary but does address certain underlying conditions.
FINAL THOUGHT
Tinnitus may be hard to explain or quantify, but it isn’t “just in your head.” Well, not in terms of the idiom anyway. A reminder that this condition, like many, varies greatly from person-to-person. Treatment will too. One final warning is about animals, particularly dogs. If you allow your dog to bark too closely to your ears, you may end up with Rin Tin Tinnitus. [Only folks of a certain age can get away with that kind of comment.]
—
Reference:
Brendan Conlon, Berthold Langguth, Caroline Hamilton, Stephen Hughes, Emma Meade, Ciara O Connor, Martin Schecklmann, Deborah A. Hall, Sven Vanneste, Sook Ling Leong, Thavakumar Subramaniam, Shona D’Arcy, Hubert H. Lim. Bimodal neuromodulation combining sound and tongue stimulation reduces tinnitus symptoms in a large randomized clinical study. Science Translational Medicine, 2020; 12 (564): eabb2830 DOI: 10.1126/scitranslmed.abb2830
Ginkgo biloba extract improves coronary artery circulation in patients with coronary artery disease: contribution of plasma nitric oxide and endothelin-1. (National Library of Medicine)
—
Picture credit: Tinnitus by andybewer is licensed under CC BY 2.0
