If
your ears are ringing, hissing, buzzing, roaring, whistling, chirping or
clicking or you probably have Tinnitus, from the Latin word, tinnire, which
means "tinkle like a bell." An estimated 50 million Americans do,
which means you hear sounds in one or both ears or in the head when no
external sound is present. Tinnitus can be caused by loud noises, medications
that damage the nerves in the ear (ototoxic drugs) impacted ear wax, middle ear
problems (such as infections and vascular tumors) and aging.
Turn Off the Noise with Herbs & Supplements
Ginkgo biloba helps tinnitus by improving nerve
signal transmission as well as increasing the brain's utilization of oxygen.
Other herbs to help diminish the sounds of tinnitus include astragalus, elder
flowers (opening to the channels of the body), oregano (moves blockage), black
cohosh (antispasmodic), violet leaves (used since ancient times to open
the ears) and chamomile (to calm inflamed nerves). Look for combinations of
some of these herbs at natural food or herbal stores and take a dose three
times a day.
Niacin supplementation may also help by improving
circulation to the ears and moving blockages. Try 50 mg. three times daily.
(Will make you feel hot, red and prickly for up to ten minutes as it improves
circulation). Drink some water and rest or take with a meal.
To safely
remove earwax, which may cause tinnitus, add several drops of mullein flower
oil into the ears every night for a week.
These practices can help too:
Soothe with Sound Therapy. Wear a hearing aid type
device or use the white noise of table top sound machines or even a fan to mask
the sound of tinnitus. You create even your own custom soundscapes on-line at
the American Tinnitus Organization.org, whether it is rain, crashing waves,
waterfall or birds chirping to distract you from your condition.
Change how you react with biofeedback and cognitive behavioral
therapy. Having tinnitus can be anxiety producing and stressful because you
feel like you don’t have control over your environment. The noise is in your
head or your ears and you just can’t make it go away. Biofeedback helps you
manage stress by learning how to change your reaction to it. Cognitive Behavioral therapy helps you identify negative behaviors
and thought patterns and then change them so they are more positive.
Focus on the Present
Moment. Mindfulness Based Stress
Reduction (MBSR) can help you feel better both physically and emotionally.
Research conducted using Mindfulness Meditation devised by Jon Kabat-Zinn shows
that when people become more mindful of the present moment, they don’t focus on
the tinnitus as much and as a result, feel less stressed. Visit the American Tinnitusorganization.org for more helpful information.
You'll find plenty of useful natural remedies in my latest book: Scent to Kill. A Natural Remedies Mystery. Visit www.chrystlefiedler.com to find out more!