Dear Barry,
Is there any connection between tinnitus and heart disease?
Thank you,
Irene
Dear Irene,
The answer is yes. Cardiovascular disease and poor circulation can cause or worsen tinnitus because blood flow to the cochlea is reduced and the nerve cells responsible for hearing are not nourished properly.
Arches Tinnitus Formula with Ginkgo Max 26/7 can be helpful for this condition. It has several actions that help reduce tinnitus. One of these is increased blood flow to the micro-capillaries that feed blood supply to the inner ear. However if you are on prescription blood thinners you should consult your doctor since Ginkgo biloba is also a mild blood thinner and can be additive.
Provided you are not taking prescription blood thinners, Arches Tinnitus Formula should be helpful for your condition. It must be used for three months to get the full effect so we recommend Arches Tinnitus Starter Kit, a three month supply.
Wishing you quiet times,
Barry Keate
Hi Barry,
I started work at a Chinese restaurant buffet, two months ago, and I get to eat all I want. I noticed ringing in my ears about two weeks ago. I wonder is it from MSG and all the chemicals they use.
I noticed they have a storage room filled with buckets of MSG and lots of other spices. I must quit eating there then see what happens. I ate a pizza the other day, and noticed ringing got louder.
I need info on what to eat proper. I quit caffeine and alcohol cold turkey. I’m scared of this ringing. Any info you can give me please do.
Thanks,
Eric
Dear Eric,
Diet is a very important and impacts tinnitus. It’s part of what keeps our bodies and our hearing healthy. There are numerous food additives, including monosodium glutamate MSG, that can cause or worsen tinnitus. People with tinnitus should avoid or reduce intake of salt, sugar and sugar substitutes. processed and fast foods, nicotine and food additives such as MSG and Aspartame.
MSG in particular is a dangerous additive that has many side effects. The FDA has tried to ban it but food companies pour money into lobbyists who fight to keep it legal. Other side effects include headache, heartburn, sweating, swelling and flushing of the face, among others.
Wishing you quiet times,
Barry Keate
Hi Barry,
When I first came down with tinnitus, I refused meds. I walked the street, rode my bike and did what I could but I couldn’t get to sleep. I looked like I was going to die. I had to take trazadone for sleep, along with Cymbalta for depression. The trazadone made everything worse. I’m really suffering right now. The lack of sleep is killing me. I have a lot to live for; grandchildren etc. Every ENT doctor I’ve seen hasn’t helped.
Is there a biofeedback device that you think might give me some relief? I’m going to take the Arches Formula but I need some relief now as I’m taking on the anxiety with meds that don’t work. I really am grateful for any advice you may have. I want to live so badly.
Sincerely,
Ruben
Dear Ruben,
You may want to consult your doctor and consider dropping or changing theses medications. Trazodone, often prescribed for sleep, can especially cause and worsen tinnitus. All antidepressants, including Cymbalta, can cause or worsen tinnitus. The problem is you cannot stop these medications cold turkey if you have been on them for any length of time. You will have to work with your doctor to gradually reduce the dosage until you can totally stop.
You may want to ask your doctor about getting a benzodiazepine medication like Valium or Klonopin to help with sleeping – short term. While these can be very helpful and can reduce the tinnitus… again – short term. But benzodiazepines come with their own set of problems. These shouldn’t be taken for longer than a few weeks or they become really addicting. Otherwise, when you try to stop the tinnitus gets worse. It may be a good alternative though to help you transition from the anti-depressants to better therapies.
There are many therapies that can be helpful including biofeedback. Biofeedback is something that must be learned and it is taught by psychologists who also work with attention deficit kids and people with stress problems. There are biofeedback clinics in all major American cities. It can be very, very helpful and I strongly recommend biofeedback for tinnitus. There is a way to practice this in front of a mirror. I strongly recommend getting training from a professional. I encourage you to read our article Biofeedback and Neurofeedback: Tools to Reduce Tinnitus.
Hypnotherapy and acupuncture can also be helpful for tinnitus.
I hope some of these ideas can be helpful and you can rid yourself of the loudness and anxiety of tinnitus.
Wishing you quiet times,
Barry Keate
Hi Barry,
I have pretty bad tinnitus, hissing, roaring. I can hear every single heartbeat which is very distressing when I try to exercise because of the very loud heart pounding noise I hear.
I was on Metformin for diabetes, Metropolol for high blood pressure and Levythyroxin for my thyroid, all of which make the tinnitus worse or could have even caused it.
I want to know if there is anything for hypothyroid that I can take that will not affect tinnitus. Would the meds mentioned above (Thyrar, Nathroid, Westhroid), help without worsening it? One more question, I heard that there is a surgery for the “heartbeat tinnitus.” Is that true?
Thank you very much Barry.
Sincerely,
Marcia H.
Dear Marcia,
Diabetes and Hypothyroid are both common causes of tinnitus so I believe they may be the initial triggers of yours. However, all the medications you are taking also have the potential to cause tinnitus. I would not advise you to discontinue any of them; that is a decision for you and your doctor. But, you should discuss this with your doctor and see if you have some alternatives.
Arches Tinnitus Formula can be helpful in reducing this type of tinnitus and reversing some of the ototoxic effects of the medications.
The thyroid medications you mention, Thyrar, Nathroid and Westhroid, are all considered to be Armour Thyroid products. They have been safely used since the 19th century and were only replaced when synthetic drugs came out. There are far fewer side effects from Armour Thyroid than the synthetics. I recommend you discuss with your doctor the potential of changing this. Please view our article on Thyroid Dysfunction and Tinnitus.
Hearing your heartbeat in your ear is called pulsatile tinnitus. This is caused by turbulent blood flow in an artery close to the cochlea or the nerves leading to the auditory cortex. There are many possible causes of this condition. If the exact cause can be found, there is generally a treatment for it. I hope this is helpful and you can reduce your tinnitus.
Wishing you quiet times,
Barry Keate
Hi Barry,
I was recently prescribed Omeprazol 20mg for GERD and I was finally sleeping through the night. But as a 20+ year tinnitus sufferer I noticed a huge spike in pitch after about the 4th day taking the drug. I then read Omeprazol can worsen tinnitus. Against my doctors wishes I stopped taking it and my tinnitus calmed back down after a couple of days.
My question: Will the use of your products allow me to continue the Omeprazol?
Thank you
Perry C.
Dear Perry,
I’m very sorry this happened to you. I know the discomfort of GERD (gastroesphageal reflux disease) and the severe heartburn it can cause. I have been taking omeprazol (trade name Prilosec) for years and, fortunately, it does not increase my tinnitus. It does for others however and you seem to be one of them. Taking Arches Tinnitus Formula may help keep the tinnitus down while you are using this medication.
Unfortunately, all medications for GERD have the potential to cause or worsen tinnitus. The real solution is to get to the root of the problem and prevent heartburn in the first place. Contrary to popular opinion, heartburn is not caused by an excess of stomach acid but by not having enough of it. Taking hydrochloric acid pills during meals can help but there are certain precautions you must take.
Neil Bauman, PhD, is an excellent source of knowledge about drugs that can cause tinnitus. Dr. Bauman has a page on GERD and what can be done to reduce or eliminate it. He has listed 10 different strategies that can be utilized to combat GERD and everyone who has it should be aware of this.
I hope this is helpful for you.
Wishing you quiet times,
Barry Keate
Dear Barry,
Is tinnitus curable? If so how?
Thank you,
Venkata B.
Dear Venkata,
The answer depends on what caused the tinnitus in the first place. About 75% to 80% of people with tinnitus have it due to noise exposure and/or hearing loss and/or . This type of tinnitus is due to nerve damage in the cochlea and, unfortunately, is not curable.
The remainder is due to other medical conditions and a number of prescription medications, many of which cause tinnitus. If the underlying medical condition can be cured, tinnitus often follows. There are a lot of possible medical causes of tinnitus.
If tinnitus is due to hearing loss and/or noise exposure, it is not curable but it can be treated and managed. Many therapies are available, from stress relief, to acupuncture, biofeedback, hpynotherapy and others. Arches Tinnitus Formula has been shown in clinical trials to be effective in reducing tinnitus in 60-75% of cases where it was caused by hearing loss. It can take up to three months to become fully effective so we recommend Arches Tinnitus Starter Kit, which is a three-month supply.
Wishing you quiet times,
Barry Keate
Dear Barry,
I have been taking statins for my cholesterol. Do you think this is related to tinnitus? I only take this and nothing else. I have suffered with tinnitus for eight months but have been taking this medication for many years. I have tried everything including natural herbs nothing helps.
Thanks,
Pat L.
Dear Pat,
It is quite possible statin drugs have contributed to your tinnitus. Statins, used to reduce cholesterol, destroy Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) which is necessary for the production of energy for all cellular and biological functions in the human body. CoQ10 is a fat-soluble compound and is found in virtually every cell in the body. It has been found that low CoQ10 levels lead to many neurodegenerative diseases, such as tinnitus. It is possible that after years of statin usage your CoQ10 levels have been reduced to the point where tinnitus has set in.
The connection between statin drugs and CoQ10 deficiency is so convincing that in 1989 Merck, the pharmaceutical manufacturer, applied for and received a patent for a combination of statins and CoQ10. Since then, Merck has neither produced this combination nor allowed others to manufacture it. Most doctors are not aware of the connection.
Wishing you quiet times,
Barry Keate
Hello Barry,
I have suffered with tinnitus for over 30 years. resulting from an inner ear infection. Until now I have adjusted and learned to live with the ringing. Recently, my right ear (only) has developed an intermittent, very harsh sound of static. This is very unlike any previous experience. No one, my MD or ENT specialist has an explanation or remedy. Have you heard of this symptom?
Thank you,
Kristi W.
Dear Kristi,
You may be experiencing Middle Ear Myoclonus in which a muscle inside the middle ear is in spasm. This can create several different kinds of sounds including something like static.
There are two muscles inside the ear. They are both attached to the bones of the middle ear that conduct sound from the eardrum to the cochlea. These muscles are protective; they tighten down when loud sounds are present and mute them. But when they are in spasm, they can create annoying sounds.
If this is the case, they can sometimes be heard by someone on the outside. An observant ENT may notice the eardrum vibrating. There are several treatments for this including a zygomatic hand pressure technique (see link above), anti-anxiety medications, acupuncture and biofeedback.
Wishing you quiet times,
Barry Keate
Dear Barry,
I’ve had tinnitus over seven months. I have a mild to moderate sensorineural hearing loss. I plan to start wearing hearing aids with a tinnitus masking feature next week. I’m also taking Valium as a treatment for tinnitus recommended by someone who had success with it. I purchased your Tinnitus Formula but did not want to start taking it due to the fact that I started to other treatments already.
My tinnitus tends to spike if I have a long day and stress is there anything I can do to reduce that tinnitus when it’s spiking? I listen to piano music with headphones and TV headphones. The Valium has helped somewhat, but I still have terrible days. Hopefully the hearing aids will help. I may try NAC as you suggested. Any other suggestions?
Thanks,
Beth
Dear Beth,
I think you are doing the right things to get your tinnitus under control. I do have a couple of comments.
I’m not sure why you wouldn’t want to start with Arches Tinnitus Formula along with other treatments. There are no counter-indications and, to my mind, being proactive and doing everything you can raises the probability of reducing the sound level. Many physicians recommend a multi-modality treatment. If you want to know which the best treatment is, you can always start cutting back on them after tinnitus is reduced. You’ll figure out what has been working and what hasn’t.
Be very careful of Valium and other benzodiazepine drugs like it. I used Valium successfully when my tinnitus was at its worst. Some people get hooked by it though and the consequences can be pretty dramatic. You have to keep increasing the dosage over time or the problem you took it for in the first place becomes worse than before. I don’t recommend you stop using it but I do want you to know the downside so this doesn’t happen to you. You should only use it for a few weeks at a time, then take a break. Please read our article on Benzodiazepine Withdrawal Syndrome and Tinnitus.
Hearing aids with a tinnitus masker is a great way to reduce the annoyance of tinnitus.
NAC won’t help to bring the tinnitus down. NAC, however, will help to protect your ears from loud noise and ototoxic medications so it doesn’t get worse. I take it every day and recommend 1,000 mg daily. It’s quite inexpensive and a great antioxidant.
I hope this is helpful and you’re able to bring down the sound level.
Wishing you quiet times,
Barry Keate