Gluten-Free and Feeling Better

After my most miserable weekend to date, I've adopted a gluten free lifestyle starting this week. I'll keep everyone updated on my progress through the week.
 
OK, friends. My first update this week. I'll give you the tl;dr first.

tl;dr: I'm 3 full days without gluten, and I haven't felt this good since July when this all started.

Some more background. My T started last July when I was under a ton of stress. I was leaving Chicago, where I had lived almost 10 years. That was making me really sad, my grandmother had died just months before, and during my last couple weeks in Chicago I was drinking a ton and going to lots of loud shows and listening to lots of loud music at home. My T started about a week before I left Chicago.

Since then, it's been varying degrees of bad. I do have mild hearing loss around 4375Hz. My T had mostly been relegated to my right ear, right around that frequency, and had the kind of computer fan sound. Occasionally, a high pitch would crop up in my left ear, but wouldn't stick around long. However, this last weekend, I drank a lot of beer on Friday and Saturday. Saturday, I could hear the high pitch in my left ear, even outside on a windy day with traffic. The pitch is around 14900Hz which is maddening because nothing really masks that. Sunday was the same, I was in a classroom with 8 other people, being fairly loud, and I could hear it the whole time. So on Sunday I decided that gluten was out. It is the only thing I've changed in my lifestyle since then. I've been running slightly more. But I've still had a couple drinks here and there (cider, GF beer, or corn alcohol). This morning when I woke up, my right ear was extremely quiet, and the high pitch in my left ear is somewhere in the background (though the last few days it's faded mid-day and only come back at night).

I've long suspected that I've had a gluten allergy/intolerance. Long ago I tried veganism for a few months, and during that period ate a lot of seitan (pure wheat gluten) and, no joke, I couldn't even tolerate my own farts. They were heinous. Other things would lead me to believe that gluten probably isn't for me.

I'm going to continue down this path. With how good I feel now, it's doubtful I'll ever pick it up again. The effect on my T has thus far been amazing. I'm certain this won't work for everyone, but I know that I've had problems with gluten in the past, and it seems to be effecting my T now that I've excluded it from my diet.

Best of luck everyone! I'll post another update later this week or next week.
 
I couldn't even tolerate my own farts. They were heinous.

For the sake of me and all the world, I am so glad you are not eating seitan anymore! :) :) :) :) :)

Seriously, though, I had a bad reaction to seitan too, after I got tinnitus. Before that, not so much. But I ate it once and had much higher ringing. NEVER again. :)

I'm glad you're having success with the gluten-free. Hope you have more and more!
 
So I moved recently and during the stress of everything went off my gluten-free/whole food diet for the last three weeks. My tinnitus was so much better I figured it wasn't related, but then it came back hard... And this week I'm really struggling with it. So I'm back to gluten-free and starting the gluten purge again. Sigh.
 
Yesterday I made the mistake of having fish and chips and malt vinegar for dinner at the restaurant when I took my mom out for Mother's Day. My mind must've blanked when ordering. Halfway through, I finally woke up and realized that the BATTER probably had wheat in it (I've been off wheat for a couple of months). I MAY have paid for that last night, with increased noise that kept me awake. Live and learn ... back to gluten-free again. Though if I ever get to England, my dream has always been to have those famous fish and chips wrapped in newspaper. The only modification I will make to that plan is to eat them on the LAST day of the trip! And so, on we go ...
 
If anyone needs help with gluten-free/primal/paleo (whatever you want to call it), I usually get most of my information from www.marksdailyapple.com

I've been following a no gluten/sugar/additive diet for a while now and it works for me. Helps me keep my weight down and feel better. It's hard to say what effect it has on my tinnitus though.
 
I've been mostly gluten free (defined as "gluten free, but roughly every 3 - 6 months I'll have a "gluten friendly" meal or so") for about four years. There are times when I'm also strict "paleo" (basically, eating plants and animals -- i.e., no grain, no dairy, no added sugar -- and having foods that are as pure or "clean" as possible, i.e., keeping processed foods to a minimum). I haven't noticed any impact on my T.

However, I'm willing to try again - cut out the processed stuff (even/especially the "gluten-free baked processed stuff), the dairy, the grain (especially all the rice substitutes), the added sugar and see if there's any noticeable difference.
 
Great post and glad you're doing well! I've done tons of reading about this too. I believe cutting out wheat does make a substantial difference. Also consider cutting out sugar and dairy. And soy. Sugar (added sugar, not the sugars which naturally occur in whole food) is a beast to the body. And dairy is too, though the whole world loves cheese. I used to consume yogurt and cheese like crazy, but decided to stop because of animal-industry reasons. Along the way, I also learned how harmful dairy products are to the body. I am so glad you've found success and shared this reference book. It's information that I wish was more widely available even to those who don't specifically seek it. Thanks for sharing!

I learned through trial and error that dairy clogs me up. My nose gets terribly stuffed.
 
I can't remember where I read it, but somewhere online I came across that tinnitus in the right ear is linked to wheat inflammatory response and tinnitus in the left ear is linked to rice inflammatory response.

Interesting. I definitely have had more rice-based products since going GF. The T is lousy (and loud) in my left ear, though lately it's also in my right, even though I rarely have wheat products.
 
Very interesting thread. My tinnitus spiked right before the time I joined this forum.

One thing I noticed, (I think), is I love fresh trout from the local grocery store, and it's supposed to be made from farm raised fish not fed any abusive chemicals. But I have a feeling that after the fish has been processed, they are adding some sort of nitrate preservative to it. I'm still "experimenting" with this, but I think I'm going to have to give-up this particular delight of mine, and perhaps go to another protein source.

Perhaps the ocean caught fish are not processed by the same fish company, and do not use these nitrates? Chicken of course is an option, and I already do occasionally eat chicken now. Red meat is NOT an option for me in that I'd rather have the tinnitus than eat unhealthy red meat, clogging up my body.
 
High Fructose corn syrup may have been the causing the problem though, I have been avoiding both due to digestive issues and am not sure which one is helping my ear problems.

Yes, Fructose might be a trouble maker for sure. High Fructose Corn Syrup is top inflammatory ingredient for me. In small amounts I can deal with it fine, but I suffer later with, Joint Swelling, Edema, Migraines, High Blood Pressure and T volume spikes. I ate a large bowl of ice cream last night and now I'm silently suffering here in the dark. :facepalm:
 
Over the holidays I was eating larger amounts of carbs, gluten & sugar than ever before. Its been a rough time; some deaths in the family & I was "comforting" myself. HA!!! My workplace is rampant with all sorts of gluten containing foods as well. Sorry to report that the T has been so much worse; spiking like crazy!

I'm cutting out all gluten starting tonight & will have some withdrawal reactions, I'm sure. I can't stand the constant high pitch noise that's relentless. I'll check in next week.
Wish me luck please.
 
I have a pretty bad case of gluten sensitivity and am supposed to stick to a gluten free diet, according to my doctor. My sister is the same and my niece has full blown Celiacs.

For the past three years I have been successful at sticking to the gluten free diet. The thing is this, in the months leading up to getting tinnitus I had been slipping back into old habits and even now I am not following the diet in a way that I know I should.

When I follow it strictly the change in how I feel (unrelated to tinnitus) is extreme, in a very good way.

I found this article today and thought I would post it in this thread. I was actually surprised to even find a thread that was discussing the issue.

http://www.tinnitusjournal.com/arti...-a-patient-complaining-of-severe-tinnitus.pdf
 
Hi Everybody

Had tinnitus since 2011. Initial trigger - sparring in the MMA cage.

Went through all the initial early phases - sleeping meds, sleep deprivation, anxiety.

Quickly realized there are no experts. So didn't waste much time with them. Tried the sound therapy approach - useless. All it did was make it harder to sleep properly. Eventually found solace in sleeping in total silence about 3 years ago. Sleeping has been fine every since - but the tinnitus didn't change. Annoying most days - very rarely would it be quiet. During this time I'm totally functionally. Barely anybody except a few close friends knew. Not one sick day from work. Determined to stick with all my obligations - career, family and sporting - I even returned to theatre acting briefly after a 20 year break. I also went back to sparring eventually - determined that the condition wouldn't stop me doing what I like doing. I didn't beleive that the sparring caused the tinnitus - I was sure it was something else...

About 2 years ago I started to investigate high fat low carb diet. All my adult life - 30 plus years - I had taken the high carb low fat approach - with an emphasis on bread and wheat. I started intermittent fasting periodically - about 2 times a week - then eventually tried HFLC.

The reason I was doing this was because of health / sport performance reasons not to lose weight or improve tinnitus which at first it certainly didn't . In the early days I was kind of cheating – still eating bread – but eventually I decided to cut that out completly and this is when I got surprised.

Cutting out bread and wheat has definitely reduced my tinnitus! The change was immediate. For the last 2-3 months it's been quiet almost every day. This is compared to 8 years previously of non stop hissing, crackling... you name it.. all day long every day. The consistency, length of time and timing of the change is too much to be a coincidence. The tinnitus hasn't totally gone... but it's barely audible... even in a silent room where I sit now typing this. And do bear in mind I didn't expect this.

However there is an explanation. Gluten in chronic amounts to those individuals susceptible is neurotoxic. The explanation would be that the problem would start in the gut and over time cause dysfunction in the network of cells connected to the brain that are associated with whatever system is weakest in that person – in my case the hearing system. The bread was gradually poisoning me without me realizing and the tinnitus was a merely symptom of the sickness. There is research evidence supporting this evidence – though quite frankly I don't need it. I'm forming this based on the reality of my experience. My tinnitus is receeding gradually every day since totally eliminating wheat and doing the intermittent fasting - which clearly helps clear out the gut and recycle dead cells.


Regards
 
These are inspiring entries!! I was paleo two years ago and while I had tinnitus then, it has gotten so much more worse! My ENT suspects inflammation as he doesn't visually see a problem. I do feel that I have eustachian tube dysfunction. I would love any feedback from those who also have this problem and gluten free diet helped. The thing is that certain sound frequencies set off spikes.

For those of you who eliminated gluten/wheat did this ever happen to you and then improved? Any type of motors like lawn mowers, stove fans, any low rumbling at all sets my tinnitus off. My diet now is horrible. Any advice?
 
Hi Everybody

Had tinnitus since 2011. Initial trigger - sparring in the MMA cage.

Went through all the initial early phases - sleeping meds, sleep deprivation, anxiety.

Quickly realized there are no experts. So didn't waste much time with them. Tried the sound therapy approach - useless. All it did was make it harder to sleep properly. Eventually found solace in sleeping in total silence about 3 years ago. Sleeping has been fine every since - but the tinnitus didn't change. Annoying most days - very rarely would it be quiet. During this time I'm totally functionally. Barely anybody except a few close friends knew. Not one sick day from work. Determined to stick with all my obligations - career, family and sporting - I even returned to theatre acting briefly after a 20 year break. I also went back to sparring eventually - determined that the condition wouldn't stop me doing what I like doing. I didn't beleive that the sparring caused the tinnitus - I was sure it was something else...

About 2 years ago I started to investigate high fat low carb diet. All my adult life - 30 plus years - I had taken the high carb low fat approach - with an emphasis on bread and wheat. I started intermittent fasting periodically - about 2 times a week - then eventually tried HFLC.

The reason I was doing this was because of health / sport performance reasons not to lose weight or improve tinnitus which at first it certainly didn't . In the early days I was kind of cheating – still eating bread – but eventually I decided to cut that out completly and this is when I got surprised.

Cutting out bread and wheat has definitely reduced my tinnitus! The change was immediate. For the last 2-3 months it's been quiet almost every day. This is compared to 8 years previously of non stop hissing, crackling... you name it.. all day long every day. The consistency, length of time and timing of the change is too much to be a coincidence. The tinnitus hasn't totally gone... but it's barely audible... even in a silent room where I sit now typing this. And do bear in mind I didn't expect this.

However there is an explanation. Gluten in chronic amounts to those individuals susceptible is neurotoxic. The explanation would be that the problem would start in the gut and over time cause dysfunction in the network of cells connected to the brain that are associated with whatever system is weakest in that person – in my case the hearing system. The bread was gradually poisoning me without me realizing and the tinnitus was a merely symptom of the sickness. There is research evidence supporting this evidence – though quite frankly I don't need it. I'm forming this based on the reality of my experience. My tinnitus is receeding gradually every day since totally eliminating wheat and doing the intermittent fasting - which clearly helps clear out the gut and recycle dead cells.


Regards
It could be because carbs get quickly converted to sugar which contributes to neuroinflammation.
 
I've been gluten-free for three weeks. (Mostly gluten-free - A few things had gluten that I hadn't realized.) The results so far are confusing. I started the diet to see if it would clear up my skin which has been terrible for years. Some kind of eczema or dermatitis, I don't know, but it's really bad.

After about a week and a half on the gluten-free diet, I thought I saw major improvement, but now I'm not so sure. It seems like the improvement has stopped and it's even backsliding. WTF? I thought the diet would either be a success and my skin would clear up, or be a failure and nothing would change. I hadn't expected ambiguity!!

I thought if it failed, I could go back to bread glorious bread, and if it succeeded, the sacrifice of bread would be worth it for healthy skin. Instead it looks like I have to give up bread but still not have healthy skin? (I'm afraid to go back on gluten because I do think my skin is not as bad as before.)

No effect on tinnitus at all, but I wasn't expecting any. My tinnitus is noise-induced. But I'll let you know if anything changes. I'm sticking with the gluten-free diet a little longer. Three weeks is not long enough to officially call it a failure.

On a side note, I might stick with the diet anyway even though it's really difficult because a close relative has a deadly-serious gluten allergy and I read that this disease can be hereditary. Maybe if I go gluten-free I can prevent it from happening to me. I don't know. I'm confused and frustrated by the ambiguous results.
 
These are inspiring entries!! I was paleo two years ago and while I had tinnitus then, it has gotten so much more worse! My ENT suspects inflammation as he doesn't visually see a problem. I do feel that I have eustachian tube dysfunction. I would love any feedback from those who also have this problem and gluten free diet helped. The thing is that certain sound frequencies set off spikes.

For those of you who eliminated gluten/wheat did this ever happen to you and then improved? Any type of motors like lawn mowers, stove fans, any low rumbling at all sets my tinnitus off. My diet now is horrible. Any advice?
Did this ever get better for you?
 

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