Are You Eating The Following Foods It Could Explain Your Tinnitus
Salt or High Sodium Foods
Do you like your food to be a little salty? While salty food can be delicious and full of flavor, it wreaks havoc on your blood pressure. It constricts blood vessels and cause blood pressure to rise. Your ears suffer because the pressure in the narrow tubes that lead into them is too high. A malfunctioning of the ears begin and you start to hear a ringing that either goes off or gets louder.
Over a long period of time, salt can also weaken your heart muscle as it is always overworked after your salty meals, trying to push blood through constricted blood vessels. Processed foods, fast foods, most restaurant meals and canned soups and sauces usually have very high levels of salt. Even a cup of ice cream has large amounts of salt, almost 100 mg, as it makes the ice cream creamier and tastier.
Cut back on the salt and see if Tinnitus stays away after your meals.
Sugars
Remember what we told you about your ears needing glucose to function? Well, too much of it isnt good either.
Sugar isnt always in sugar form. A pizza is sugary too, because it contains an incredible amount of carbohydrates. Sugar is such a common Tinnitus causing food that we wrote a post dedicated to sugar and Tinnitus.
Unhealthy Fats
Artificial Sweeteners
Tea, Coffee or Energy Drinks
Flavor Enhancers like Seasoning Salts/ Mixes / MSG
Alcohol
Foods that affect thyroid function
Pills You Pop with your Meals
Limitations On Successful Coping During Spikes
The biggest challenge you will face in coping with spikes is that no matter how perfectly you use your coping tools, you will almost always still have to endure some degree of discomfort.
Tinnitus is often best dealt with using a variety of tools that help calm the brain,especially meditation.
Its helpful to think about the intensity of your tinnitus-related suffering on a scale of 1 to 10, 10 being the worst.
If you are experiencing a severe tinnitus spike and your suffering is at a 10 out of 10, there is very little chance of getting that number down to zero.
For example, putting on background noise for masking is always helpful, though it will likely only take the edge off bringing you down 2-3 points at most.
With masking alone, you are still at a consistent 7 or 8 out of 10. So you add in other tools as well, like breathing techniques, and mental and physical relaxation techniques. You may try to distract yourself by seeing friends, playing a game, or getting some exercise, each subtracting a few additional points off the scale.
Through it all, you may only get that number down to a 5, and a 5 out of 10 on the suffering scale likely still involves a significant degree of discomfort.
Its also always exhausting to have to put so much energy into coping just to get through the day. But I can tell you from personal experience, a day spent at a consistent suffering level 5 is much better than being stuck at a level 10.
High Insulin Levels In The Blood Supply
When the body becomes resistant to insulin, blood sugar levels will continue to increase. In order to combat the high blood sugar levels, the pancreas continues producing insulin.
As a result, insulin levels in the bloodstream rise rapidly above normal blood insulin levels.
This then leads to a condition called hyperinsulinemia, or too much insulin in the bloodstream.
A study conducted in 2004 evaluated the relationship between hyperinsulinemia and tinnitus. Participants had both tinnitus and hyperinsulinemia. Two groups were established: one group who followed a prescribed diet to treat hyperinsulinemia, and the other group, who did not follow a diet.
Results revealed a fivefold improvement of tinnitus symptoms in hyperinsulinemic patients who followed the diet for blood sugar management, than those who did not. In fact, 15% of patients who followed the diet reported tinnitus relief, whereas patients in the no-diet group reported no change in their tinnitus.
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This Morning: Doctor Gives Advice On Hay Fever Amid Pandemic
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Hay fever also known as allergic rhinitis is a common allergic reaction which occurs at particular times of the year. Rhinitis refers to irritation or inflammation of the nose. There are many symptoms when it comes to diagnosing hay fever but here is how to tell if you have a pollen allergy from a sign in your ears.
Discover What Works Best For You
This list is by no means comprehensive. Your hearing expert is the best place to begin concerning the dietary modifications you need to undertake. Lets not forget that dietary adjustments affect everyone in a unique way, so in order to monitor what is working and what isnt, it might be a smart idea to keep a food journal.
Moving forward you will have an easier time making smart choices if you know how certain foods affect you. When you start to track what you eat, and what happens to your ears subsequently, you may start to note patterns, and that can remove some of the mystery out of your tinnitus symptoms.
Then you will appreciate if you are going to regret that late cup of coffee.
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The Link Between Tinnitus And Food
by Audiology Associates of DFW | Dec 4, 2019 | Tinnitus Articles
Tinnitus flare ups are rarely constant they seem to appear and vanish, at times for no apparent reason at all. Maybe youre climbing into bed one night and, apparently without warning, your ears start ringing something fierce. As you lie in bed, you consider your day, and there arent any clear causes for this event: There is no discernible reason why, at 9 PM, ringing is happening, no noisy music, no loud fire alarms, nothing.
So maybe its the something you ate. We dont typically think about the link between hearing and food, but theres a bit of research and evidence to suggest that certain foods can make tinnitus worse. In order to stay away from those foods, its important to recognize what they are.
Meniere’s Disease And Salt
Salt helps the body retain fluid and is a necessary electrolyte we all need in our diets. But moderation is key eating a lot of salty processed foods can worsen high blood pressure and fluid retention. This is especially the case for people with Meniere’s disease, an inner ear disorder that cause dizziness, hearing loss and tinnitus, often in one ear. For people with Meniere’s, a low-salt diet can reduce tinnitus.
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Ear Symptoms Of Allergies
Having allergies means the the immune system is over responding to some type of substance, that does not normally trigger a response. Common substances that cause allergies are pollen, mold, pet hair, dust, pollution and some types of foods. Allergies can be seasonal or year round and the symptoms can be mild or severe. Along with runny itchy eyes, stuffy nose, rashes and fatigue, there are also ear related symptoms of allergies. To help fully manage this condition, it is important to know what symptoms to look for and to seek medical care early.
If you are experiencing serious medical symptoms, seek emergency treatment immediately.
Image: Kari Perrin
For those with environmental allergies, Florida can provide a year-round supply of irritating allergens, from pollen to indoor dust mites. Aside from the typical allergy symptoms like runny nose and itchy eyes, allergy sufferers can also experience hearing loss, tinnitus and even poor balance.
Dr. Nilamben Patel at Allergy Associates of Sarasota says environmental allergens can cause pressure to build up in the middle and inner ear. The fluid that builds up to prevent the allergen from reaching further into the ear canal presses against the ear drum. It is caused by your body releasing the chemical histamine.
Patel says there are many ways to cure this common allergy symptom.
If after all treatments and remedies your ears are still a cause for concern, Patel recommends seeing an ear, nose and throat specialist.
Tinnitus & Histamine Intolerance
As mentioned above, histamine is released during an allergic reaction in order to protect us from the threatening substance. Some people have an intolerance to histamine, which may be caused by the excessive release of histamine by certain kinds of cells, or a deficiency in the enzyme that breaks down dietary histamines.
The symptoms of histamine intolerance vary from person to person. Some people experience tinnitus as a symptom, but as with most symptoms of histamine intolerance and food sensitivities, it can be hard to make the connection.
If youre experiencing tinnitus, the first step should be to consult with a practitioner and rule out other causes, such as a buildup of wax in the ears or a head injury. If the cause cannot be found, you may want to try out a low histamine diet. It is helpful when experimenting with this kind of diet to keep a food diary tracking what youve eaten, and when you experience tinnitus and/or other symptoms.
If you find that your symptoms improve on the low histamine diet, you can try re-introducing one food at a time in order to pinpoint which foods are most problematic for you.
High histamine foods that may trigger tinnitus and other symptoms include aged cheeses, cured meats, fermented foods, and wine. Other substances that may be related to tinnitus in those who are sensitive include MSG, caffeine, and foods high in sugar or sodium.
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Tinnitus Awareness Week: Can What Youre Eating Impact Your Tinnitus
There is currently no scientific evidence to indicate that food has an impact on tinnitus. But the American Tinnitus Association has noted that many sufferers report a worsening in symptoms after eating sugar-laden foods.
Tinnitus is considered a heterogeneous condition, meaning its different for each person affected. This means that the foods that worsen or lesson symptoms of tinnitus will vary from one person to the next. However, there are a number of commonly reported food groups that sufferers of tinnitus report worsen or lessen their symptoms.
Treatment Of A Pinched Nerve In The Neck
Non-steroidal anti-inflammatories are generally prescribed for acute pain relief from a pinched nerve in the neck. Oral steroids are sometimes used, but long-term use should be avoided due to potential side effects.
As always, please consult your doctor before taking any medication, as they all have potential adverse effects. For instance, muscle relaxants may cause sedation and NSAIDs can cause stomach ulcers and bleeding, kidney problems, and an allergic reaction in some people.
Physical therapy is a complementary treatment to medication for a pinched nerve, as is a message. Cervical nerve root blocks, in which steroids are injected into the affected nerve to relieve inflammation, are also sometimes used if a person continues to have pain despite medication and physical therapy.
If people with cervical radiculopathy continue to have symptoms despite the therapies above , they are often referred for imaging of the spine and/or to a spine surgeon.
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How Can Sweet Treats Affect Ringing In The Ears
by Hearing Aid Company of Texas | Dec 21, 2017
Will diet play a role in the ringing that comes with tinnitus? Often when a doctor diagnoses tinnitus in a patient, the first step is to call for a professional hearing test. Tinnitus is a symptom that can indicate damage to the delicate hair cells found in the inner ear, which is at the heart of many kinds of hearing loss. Inner ear issues are not the only possible cause of tinnitus, though.
The ringing associated with tinnitus is not a medical condition itself, but a sign of a bigger problem like a significant hearing loss. Tinnitus may also mean there is an expected change in sugar levels in the blood or an increase of the production of insulin, a condition called hyperinsulinemia. Learning how the sugar you eat can change insulin levels may be the best way to turn the ringing off this holiday season.
How To Know If A Tinnitus Is Temporary Or Not
At some point in our lives, many of us experience tinnitus. Tinnitus is characterized by a noise in your ears which doesnt exist externally. Most people describe the sound that they hear as a ringing or buzzing, but other sounds reported include wheezing, hissing, clicking, squealing and ticking.
Many people think of tinnitus as a stand-alone condition, and dont bother seeking help for a short episode. But tinnitus isnt a condition on its own, rather a symptom of something else.
This, however, means that theres no easy answer to how long your tinnitus may last, or whether its temporary or permanent. This ultimately depends on the cause of your hearing change, and any other symptoms that you may be experiencing. While most cases of tinnitus are common and treatable, some are more serious and many require help from an audiologist.
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When Allergies Are A Problem
If your allergies are particularly severe, you are dependent on allergy medication or your symptoms are getting worse then you should see your doctor to rule out other conditions.
I specialize in chronic, complex conditions using non-pharmaceutical, scientifically backed techniques to achieve lasting health.
There are ways to address underlying chronic conditions and inflammation so that your reactions to environmental allergies are not as severe.
If you would like to speak to me to ask questions about functional medicine, allergies or how I can help you, please schedule a Free 15 Minute Consultation or call or text my office at 913-728-5291.
My clinic offers functional medicine appointments as well as manual chiropractic treatments. I do online consultations for those out-of-state or outside of the United States.
If you think that you may have a medical emergency, call your doctor or 911 immediately. No action or inaction should be taken based solely on the contents of this information. Nor should you ever delay seeking medical advice or treatment due to the information contained on this Website.
What Are Your Best Practices
This list is by no means exhaustive. Youll want to speak with your hearing professional about any dietary modifications you may need to make. Lets not forget that dietary adjustments affect everyone in a unique way, so in order to monitor what is working and what isnt, it might be a smart idea to keep a food journal.
Knowing what foods can lead to a tinnitus event can help you make wiser decisions going ahead. When you begin tracking what you eat, and what happens to your ears afterward, you might begin to detect patterns, and that can take some of the mystery out of your tinnitus symptoms.
Then you will recognize if you are going to regret that late cup of coffee.
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Tinnitus Spikes In The Context Of Habituation
When you are actively suffering from tinnitus, there is a lot more going on than just the perception of a sound that other people cannot hear.
Human beings are fully capable of tuning out and ignoring meaningless sounds and other sensory perceptions with a mental process known as habituation. It happens unconsciously, all the time. Its how you can easily have a productive conversation in noisy environments your brain automatically filters out the background noise from your conscious awareness.
Learning to control your reaction to tinnitus can help ease its impact, but you will still have some tough days.
The problem is that we are unable to ignore any sounds that our brain or nervous system thinks might be the sound of something dangerous, problematic, or threatening. Its a helpful evolutionary adaption. You would never want to be able to ignore the sound of anything actually dangerous.
So instead of ignoring the sound of our tinnitus, we end up reacting with a fight or flight stress response that doesnt ever fully end because the tinnitus doesnt go away. And over time, it can get worse as the emotional and psychological effects of tinnitus the anxiety, negative thoughts, hopelessness, panic, frustration, and anger continuously accumulate until our nervous system is hijacked into a constant state of over agitation and anxiety.
And even if you do everything perfectly as you work to habituate, spikes are an unavoidable and expected part of the process.
Why Spikes Are Unavoidable
The first thing you need to understand is that if your tinnitus is spiking, you havent done anything wrong, and you also havent erased any progress youve made if youve been working to habituate.
Your progress is only ever on hold in these moments, though it will almost always feel like youve taken many steps backward.
Here is a helpful analogy to better understand why this occurs.
Ever since I was diagnosed with Menieres disease and tinnitus, Ive made personal growth and development a priority. Ive been in therapy for years, I read constantly, I meditate and exercise daily, and Im of service to others. I actively try to improve myself on a daily basis, and I like to think that its reflected in the way I act around my friends and colleagues.
But then Ill go to visit my parents and brothers in my childhood home, and if we all get into an argument at dinner and everyone starts getting on my case about something unimportant, Ill suddenly feel like Im 13 years old. Its as if all my years of hard work on myself just flies out the window as I react emotionally, and we all yell over one another.
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