tinnitus (ringing in ear)

[lcscats]

As Gringal says this info is nice but do your own research including appropriate visits to health care providers. Much more info on this subject than just ten years ago. Things have changed!

[snowyco]

I've had tinnitus for over 40 years, trying a variety of remedies. For some people it can be caused or aggravated by food allergies. NSAIDs can also aggravate it for some people (aspirin or Ibuprofen or Aleve). Yet other people get relief from a chiropractic adjustment of C1 (Atlas) or adjustment of the jaw. TMJ plays a big role for some - where a shift in either our jaw position or the first cervical vertebra (C1) often narrows the already narrow channel between our skull, C1, and the jaw that carries the nerve bundle that innervates the inner ear, part of the jaw and back part of our cheeks. A small shift in jaw position gives some people relief or reduction of tinnitus - by gently placing a clean chopstick across our bite - midway - holding our mouth open gently for 30 minutes - while relaxing our jaw and face muscles: http://www.fineteeth.com/tmd/e.wari.html .

Some people's tinnitus has no solution, esp. when caused by nerve damage or damage to the fine hairs in the cochlea. Some people's tinnitus comes from cross-talk of nerve signals leaking from a facial or jaw nerve that lays next to our auditory nerve in that bundle that runs through a narrow channel/intersection of the jaw, the skull, and C1. If a change in jaw position or C1 position slightly pushes on the bundle, it can cause or increase cross talk into the auditory nerve - causing tinnitus.

For patients with nerve bundle issues from C1 position, jaw position or muscular tension in the jaw (like clenching the jaw during sleep or stress when awake), some of these patients can find relief with a chiropractic adjustment of the jaw or C1- while some others are helped by a series of injection of anesthetic into a facial nerve near the back of the jaw (that reduce activity on that nerve that is also causing "noise" on the auditory nerve).

A few people find that reducing dietary salt intake helps - or shifting to light salt that substitutes potassium for sodium.

As some may have guessed, I've tried all of these approaches, and relaxing my jaw muscles (letting my jaw drop slack throughout the daytime - and using the chopstick jaw-muscle stretching exercise) gives me the a modest reduction, accompanied by reducing NSAID consumption also helps. At other times, when my tinnitus has been at it's worst levels, a chiropractic adjustment of C! produces immediate improvement.

Wearing earplugs on airplane flights, and at loud Mexican parties also makes a huge difference.

[Studio del Sol]

Thanks Snowyo. I've had tinnitus in one ear since the early 90s. Also was and am going deaf in that ear. My dad had the same thing and the doc told me he thought it was hereditary. He had no solution for my dad or for me. I'll look into chiropractic adjustment. Don't imagine it could hurt.

[Colo-Rick]

I'll look into chiropractic adjustment. Don't imagine it could hurt.

Oh Snowyo, that was a bad pun!