Hi Barry,
Does Taurine work for Tinnitus?
Thanks,
James B.
Dear James,
I looked into Taurine as a result of your question. I had not looked at this supplement previously and found that yes, it can be helpful for people with tinnitus, as well as for other conditions such as diabetes, obesity, atherosclerosis and epilepsy, among others.
Taurine is an amino acid the body produces from protein. It is found in meat, fish and dairy products. It is present in abundance in most humans but certain diets, including vegetarian and vegan, may leave a person with a diminished amount.Certain disease states can cause a deficiency of Taurine and aging people are often not able to produce an optimal amount, making supplementation vital.
Taurine plays a vital role in hearing and studies have found in some cases Taurine can reverse the biochemical process behind hearing loss. Much of the damage to hearing occurs not in the mechanical parts of the ear but in the nerve cells that convert sound waves into electrical energy that is sent to the auditory cochlea. These hair cells depend on the flow of calcium ions into and out of the cell. Taurine helps restore and control normal calcium ion flow in auditory nerve cells.
Taurine improves the hearing in animals exposed to ototoxic medications like the antibiotic gentamicin, which is notoriously toxic to hearing. Taurine may also be helpful in quieting tinnitus. Animal studies using a human equivalent dosage of 700 mg to 3.2 grams for several weeks demonstrate near-complete resolution of tinnitus. A small pilot study on humans showed encouraging results with 12% of people responding to Taurine.
Look for a more complete article on Taurine and tinnitus in a future issue of Quiet Times.
Wishing you quiet times,
Barry Keate
Hi Barry,
I have tinnitus and have for many years, in both ears, different tones in both. It’s a constant high pitched sound, in two different tones, one being higher pitched then the other. I have hearing loss after wearing an in-ear headset for work for more then 20 years.
The tinnitus causes additional hearing loss, I can’t hear a lot over these sounds and have to ask people to repeat themselves, have the tv turned up. I had a hearing test, the doctor blew me off and said I have decent hearing for someone my age. Is there a hearing aid type device that can help this? Maybe dull the tones enough that I can hear normally again?
Thank you,
Karen P.
Dear Karen,
There are hearing aids and other hearing instruments that can help with tinnitus. It is important to note that the effectiveness of hearing aids will depend on the frequency of the tinnitus. Hearing aids amplify ambient sounds and may block out tinnitus if it is in the mid range, where there is a lot of background sounds. They may not be as effective for those with higher frequency tinnitus, like you and me, because there is not enough background sounds at those frequencies to mask the tinnitus. My tinnitus is at 4,000 Hz. I have a pair of quite expensive hearing aids that don’t do a thing to reduce my tinnitus.
There are other devices that can help to reduce tinnitus. Bedside sound generators can be helpful in reducing tinnitus while trying to sleep. A simple test for this is to step into the shower with the water running. If it significantly reduces or completely masks your tinnitus, This may work for you. Sound generators can be switched between different sounds such as running brook, seaside surf, gentle rain, etc.
There are numerous tinnitus sound apps for masking that you can download on your smart phone(many are free). One good example is the Resound Tinnitus Relief App. It offers numerous soundscapes that you can listen to in the background, and even mix and match multiple sounds at once depending on own tinnitus sounds. A basic search in you App store will show many others.
There are hearing aids that combine a masking sound to take attention away from the tinnitus sound. A good Audiologist should have access to several brands however they can be quite expensive. Widex, a hearing aid manufacturer has developed a device called the Widex Zen that does this.
There are also notched music devices and programs. These involve notching out the frequency of tinnitus from music clips. The result is the auditory nerves responding to the tinnitus frequency are not stimulated but are dampened.
Arches Tinnitus Formula (ATF) is very successful in reducing tinnitus sounds, especially for those whose tinnitus is caused by hearing loss, which is the most common cause. One prominent ENT states ATF is successful in reducing tinnitus in 75% to 80% of his patients who use it. It must be taken for 100 days before the full effect is seen so we recommend Arches Tinnitus Formula Starter Kit, a 100 day supply and has the probability of quieting your tinnitus significantly.
Wishing you quiet times,
Barry Keate
HI Barry,
I have read articles that say glutamate is the most abundant neurotransmitter in the human body and is believed to be heavily involved in memory and learning processes. glutamine is also believed to remove metabolic residue in the brain acting as a detox and improving brain function.
What is the difference between glutamine and glutamate? Is it safe to take glutamine if you have tinnitus? If glutamate is bad for tinnitus and Arches Tinnitus Formula blocks glutamate how does this affect GABA in the brain? Will taking GABA inhibit glutamate?
Darrel W.
Dear Darrell,
Glutamine and glutamate are both extremely important for human health. Both are amino acids (building blocks of protein) that humans derive from eating protein.
Glutamine is the most abundant amino acid in the body. The body can make enough glutamine for its regular needs. But during times of extreme stress (the kind you experience after heavy exercise or an injury), your body may need more glutamine than it can make. The best time to take a glutamine supplement is post-workout, usually 30 minutes within the workout. So yes, you can take glutamine. But since it is derived from protein, you don’t need supplements unless you are either protein deprived as some vegetarians can be or are do intense workouts and want to do body building.
Glutamate is responsible for carrying messages through the nervous system. It facilitates the flow of information to the brain. Glutamate is excitatory; it arouses nerve cell firing.
Gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) is also an amino acid that functions as the primary inhibitory neurotransmitter for the central nervous system (CNS). It functions to reduce neuronal excitability by inhibiting nerve transmission. GABA is inhibitory so it slows down nerve firing and communication. Both glutamate and GABA must be in balance for a healthy nervous system.
The problem arises when nerve cells in the cochlea are damaged, such as by loud noise or toxic medications. These nerve cells release a flood of glutamate that overwhelms the GABA in the nervous system and causes nerve cells to continuously fire until they become depleted and die. This is called excitotoxicity.
Arches Tinnitus Formula inhibits excess glutamate and helps keep it in balance with GABA. This is one of the primary ways it reduces tinnitus sounds. Taking GABA supplements will also inhibit glutamate. This is also what benzodiazepine medications do, they prolong the use of existing GABA in the nervous system. Unfortunately they are very addictive and don’t work for long.
Wishing you quiet times,
Barry Keate