Dear Barry,
I’ve recently heard that studies on the effects of taking 100mg – 150mg of Pycnogenol daily have helped those of us with tinnitus.
What do you say?
Vicki B.
Dear Vicki,
Pycnogenol is a dietary supplement derived from the pine bark of the Maritime Pine (Pinus pinaster). The active ingredients in pycnogenol can also be extracted from other sources, including peanut skin, grape seed, and witch hazel bark. All act as antioxidants.
There are reports that Pycnogenol can help some people with tinnitus. It does this through increasing circulation in the inner ear. The only study that has been published on this was conducted on people who had tinnitus for a very short time (duration of a few weeks) and had no hearing loss. The researchers theorized that they had tinnitus as a result of poor blood perfusion in the inner ear.
Since the great majority of people with tinnitus have it as a long-term chronic condition and caused by hearing loss, the possibility of Pycnogenol being effective drops dramatically. Arches Tinnitus Formula, with Ginkgo Max 26/7 , also increases blood flow in the inner ear, acts as a powerful antioxidant with neuroprotective properties plus is a glutamate inhibitor. Glutamate is an excitatory neurotransmitter in the inner ear and auditory pathway. When damage is done to the hair cells in the cochlea, glutamate floods the entire auditory pathway. Excess glutamate excites the neuroreceptors in the inner ear and causes them to fire chemical bursts until they become depleted and die causing hearing loss and tinnitus.
Those who have tinnitus due to hearing loss have a 65% to 80% probability of improvement using Arches Tinnitus Formula.
Wishing you quiet times,
Barry Keate
Dear Barry,
I asked my doctor if there was a cure for tinnitus and he said no. Is this correct or is there a cure even doctors don’t know about or refuse to acknowledge?
Bob B.
Dear Bob,
Your doctor is correct in a limited way. Tinnitus that stems from noise-induced hearing loss, the great majority of cases, is due to damage to the nerves inside the auditory pathway. This is considered permanent and there is no cure. In this sense your doctor is working with insufficient knowledge and conveying only partial truth.
There are, however, many therapies that can manage the sound level and reduce it to a more tolerable level. Still, many companies tout that they have a “tinnitus miracle” or “cure,” but to date there is no tinnitus cure available. However, there are several effective tinnitus treatments known to reduce the severity of the ringing in the ears and provide some relief. These tinnitus treatments can include the use of hearing aids and cochlear implants, cognitive behavioral therapy, masking devices, neural stimulation, tinnitus medications and our own natural tinnitus treatment.
Wishing you quiet times,
Barry Keate
Hi Barry,
I’ve only had tinnitus for 10 days without stopping now, and I’m quite distraught. I’m a 36 year old male. I used to play loud music as a teen, but that was 20 years ago. I have had many ear infections growing up, but again none in the last 5-10 years so I’m confused as to what brought this on. I do grind my teeth at night but have been wearing a mouth guard for 2 years. Some damage was done though.
It feels as though my left ear (where the ringing is coming from), is at about a 3/10 most of the time. I can manage to sleep at night ok, but am stressed out during the day to avoid the noise. I am quite down in the dumps and cannot get myself to eat much as this is all new to me.
I should also mention my dad has hearing loss and tinnitus too, which came on at the same time for him. What products do you recommend and how long do they usually take to kick in for most people?
Thank you,
Eric M.
Dear Eric,
I’m sorry to hear about your condition but I’m reasonably certain there are therapies that can help. It caught my attention that you have been grinding your teeth. This is known as bruxism and is a definite cause of tinnitus as well as Temporo-mandibular Joint (TMJ) dysfunction. Bruxism is not a disease but a learned response that becomes habitual and it can be changed, like any habit.
Mouth guards are effective for some but not so much for others. There are other therapies that help. The primary one is biofeedback which teaches the patient to control the sympathetic nervous system. This is responsible for many of the involuntary body functions such as heart rate, blood pressure and muscle contractions. Another helpful therapy is hypnotherapy.
I hope this is helpful in reducing your condition.
Wishing you quiet times,
Barry Keate