Tinnitus Began First Week of June 2020 After Wim Hof Breathing

[Renfrey]

I would say I think mine is a bit higher but ya, pretty close. It doesn't seem to bother me but some of these videos were causing a weird sensation as you mentioned.

You know, after I wrote all that about that tone feeling soothing etc, and after listening to it for a while last night, I might want to take my words back now and just call it, "still in testing phase". I was feeling a little spiked after listening last night. Like that same tone kept going.

But wasn't it someone in another thread who claimed to cure their tinnitus with sound therapy that "matched" the sound of their tinnitus? Wasn't that the "David Case" thread?

It's funny, today my tinnitus is roaring. Same thing it did a day after my last CST session. I hope it's because of the CST and nothing else. Last week it went crazy for 24 hours then the next two days were the best I've had, hopefully it follows the same pattern.

That is "funny", because mine was louder than usual this morning too. Probably just a temporary spike. I took all my supplements this morning and went straight to that 'trusty' 4 hour therapy video for a little quick 'tune-up'. Actually, I'm listening right now.
After watching a lot of different therapy videos, that's the one I keep coming back to for relief.

I took one table spoon, I think it's equivalent to 200mg.

I couldn't decide which Magnesium to get, so I bought 4 different types. I got Magnesium Chloride liquid (high absorption), Magnesium Glycinate (chewables), Magnesium Lysinate Glysinate (high absorption), and Magnesium Citrate.

I'm only taking the liquid and the chewables right now. I'm keeping an eye on overdoing it, even though I'm taking a little more than the recommended dosage. I'll take a tablespoon (small swig) in the morning and evening. And maybe 4 chewables spaced throughout the day.

 

[MrC6688]

@Lukee, how's everything going man? Any news on your end regarding your CST sessions? Nothing new with me as of yet. I'll be coming back to the board more regularly this week. Last week I just got slammed with work.

Hope everyone is doing alright.

 

[Lukee]

@Lukee, how's everything going man? Any news on your end regarding your CST sessions? Nothing new with me as of yet. I'll be coming back to the board more regularly this week. Last week I just got slammed with work.

Hope everyone is doing alright.

Hey @MrC6688, I have a bunch of stuff to report on but in terms of my symptoms, tinnitus is worse by a bit but the fullness seems to be resolving and still having some mild headaches and head pressure. Not sure why the tinnitus is worse but maybe because I've come off the NAC and Fish Oil. I've only been taking Black Seed Oil and just started on Vitamin B1. Trying some different things. Might get back on the NAC and see if the tinnitus drops a bit.

How is the Ayurverdic treatments going? Any updates?

@Renfrey, how are you? Any update on the Apple Cider Vinegar? How are your symptoms?

@JONabes, any update? Has the ETD resolved?

Keeps us in the loop.

I talked to a doctor/researcher and I have some useful (hopefully) information. Nothing groundbreaking but just some justification and potential treatment options.
I will post it soon.

 

[Renfrey]

Hey @MrC6688, I have a bunch of stuff to report on but in terms of my symptoms, tinnitus is worse by a bit but the fullness seems to be resolving and still having some mild headaches and head pressure. Not sure why the tinnitus is worse but maybe because I've come off the NAC and Fish Oil. I've only been taking Black Seed Oil and just started on Vitamin B1. Trying some different things. Might get back on the NAC and see if the tinnitus drops a bit.

How is the Ayurverdic treatments going? Any updates?

@Renfrey, how are you? Any update on the Apple Cider Vinegar? How are your symptoms?

@JONabes, any update? Has the ETD resolved?

Keeps us in the loop.

I talked to a doctor/researcher and I have some useful (hopefully) information. Nothing groundbreaking but just some justification and potential treatment options.
I will post it soon.

Yo Lukee, Mr. C, JONabes, and the rest.

Lukee, sorry to hear about your symptoms, but looking forward to hearing your reports.

The "cracking" or "popping" that was going on in my one ear is very minimal now. It happens maybe once a day now, if that.

I was doing the ACV for about 2 weeks, but sort of tapered off of it these last couple of days, for no real reason other than probably me just getting weary of the taste. Anyhow, I haven't noticed much difference with or without it. But I'm still taking all the other herbs and supplements, so that of course makes it hard to single out exactly what is doing what.

I've been getting into sound therapy a lot more lately, which I think is helping. I took a tip from the David Case thread and started listening to sound therapy while asleep. I only listen to that same 4 hour video that you provided though. I don't do David's Tinnitus Mix mostly because of technical difficulties in trying to download it and have it play in a loop.

So I started listening to that 4 hour video while sleeping on Sunday night. That morning when I woke, it was completely quiet. It was so quiet that for a few minutes I thought my hearing got jacked up because I wasn't hearing anything at all. And it lasted that way for a few hours. I've been doing it every night since, and have gotten a somewhat similar response. It varies. I've been listening during the day too. I probably listen about 20 hours a day right now. And I'm not getting any of that clogged ear feeling from it like we were talking about.

After reading a lot of these threads, I'm a little reluctant to say that any one thing that I'm trying is working or not. I'll just say that for right now, the sound therapy is my favorite weapon. It's the only thing that eases the ringing, even if only temporary. And the idea is that hopefully that temporary turns into permanent in time, like it has for many others.

 

[Lukee]

Yo Lukee, Mr,C, JONabes, and the rest.

Lukee, sorry to hear about your symptoms, but looking forward to hearing your reports.

The "cracking" or "popping" that was going on in my one ear is very minimal now. It happens maybe once a day now, if that.

I was doing the ACV for about 2 weeks, but sort of tapered off of it these last couple of days, for no real reason other than probably me just getting weary of the taste. Anyhow, I haven't noticed much difference with or without it. But I'm still taking all the other herbs and supplements, so that of course makes it hard to single out exactly what is doing what.

I've been getting into sound therapy a lot more lately, which I think is helping. I took a tip from the David Case thread and started listening to sound therapy while asleep. I only listen to that same 4 hour video that you provided though. I don't do David's Tinnitus Mix mostly because of technical difficulties in trying to download it and have it play in a loop.

So I started listening to that 4 hour video while sleeping on Sunday night. That morning when I woke, it was completely quiet. It was so quiet that for a few minutes I thought my hearing got jacked up because I wasn't hearing anything at all. And it lasted that way for a few hours. I've been doing it every night since, and have gotten a somewhat similar response. It varies. I've been listening during the day too. I probably listen about 20 hours a day right now. And I'm not getting any of that clogged ear feeling from it like we were talking about.

After reading a lot of these threads, I'm a little reluctant to say that any one thing that I'm trying is working or not. I'll just say that for right now, the sound therapy is my favorite weapon. It's the only thing that eases the ringing, even if only temporary. And the idea is that hopefully that temporary turns into permanent in time, like it has for many others.

Wicked! That sounds like good progress. Oddly enough the fullness and weird feeling not happening much to me either with the sound therapy though I have almost completely stopped it over the last week or two just due to schedule and laziness. What's weird is most mornings I wake up and get a "pop" in my sinuses right in the middle of my face. I have had it in the past come allergy season and it's usually mild infection or rhinitis. I have a feeling that a lot of my ear and headache problems might not just be rested to the ETs but full sinuses. I have a couple ideas how to tackle this, one being nebulizing some nasal spray with a NasoNeb device, which should hit the eustachian tubes as well.

My tinnitus has changed from more of a refrigerator hiss to a constant high pitched ring but it does fluctuate. Maybe the neurotracks were helping it. The thing that bothers me most is the pressure and headaches now. I'm worried that I won't be able exercise or do strenuous activities again as I feel like my head will blow up. That's what really gets me out of all this.

Renfrey, I think the cold baths might also be helping you. Since I've stopped the cold showers, it seems like my improvements in tinnitus have stalled and possibly reversed.

Also, I spoke to a neurologist from Tulsa. He claims to have "cured" 7 people of tinnitus, including his first patient, his wife. I am obviously skeptical but I'm arranging for a video conference with him hopefully for next week. He uses currently FDA approved machine used in neuropathy. Really interested to hear what he has done/can do. If he wasn't a neurologist I wouldn't believe him at all but I have to give some respect that if he's a quack, at least he has some credentials. I'll let you know more after I talk to him.

 

[Renfrey]

Wicked! That sounds like good progress. Oddly enough the fullness and weird feeling not happening much to me either with the sound therapy though I have almost completely stopped it over the last week or two just due to schedule and laziness. What's weird is most mornings I wake up and get a "pop" in my sinuses right in the middle of my face. I have had it in the past come allergy season and it's usually mild infection or rhinitis. I have a feeling that a lot of my ear and headache problems might not just be rested to the ETs but full sinuses. I have a couple ideas how to tackle this, one being nebulizing some nasal spray with a NasoNeb device, which should hit the eustachian tubes as well.

My tinnitus has changed from more of a refrigerator hiss to a constant high pitched ring but it does fluctuate. Maybe the neurotracks were helping it. The thing that bothers me most is the pressure and headaches now. I'm worried that I won't be able exercise or do strenuous activities again as I feel like my head will blow up. That's what really gets me out of all this.

Yeah, maybe some of those ear and headache issues aren't directly related to the tinnitus. And if they aren't, that might be good in the sense that they could be successfully treated in a shorter amount of time. Looks like you have some good ideas on how to handle it.

Renfrey, I think the cold baths might also be helping you. Since I've stopped the cold showers, it seems like my improvements in tinnitus have stalled and possibly reversed.

Yeah, I really think they are helping in more ways than one. In terms of the tinnitus, I think you'll agree that sometimes it's hard to accurately assess progress because of fluctuations and the inconsistency of it.

Also, I spoke to a neurologist from Tulsa. He claims to have "cured" 7 people of tinnitus, including his first patient, his wife. I am obviously skeptical but I'm arranging for a video conference with him hopefully for next week. He uses currently FDA approved machine used in neuropathy. Really interested to hear what he has done/can do. If he wasn't a neurologist I wouldn't believe him at all but I have to give some respect that if he's a quack, at least he has some credentials. I'll let you know more after I talk to him.

Now THAT'S interesting! Yeah, please let us know how that goes.

 

[Lukee]

The researcher I spoke to also mentioned a common cause for the tinnitus. Why do some people get it and some don't? He said it's entirely possible that we all share something in common but unlikely for it to be something simple. I think we might already know that.

By the way, was anyone taking vitamin B supplements while doing WHM? I had seen a report that there might be some link to that but I'm pretty dubious about it.

 

[Lukee]

I spoke to the Tulsa neurologist. It seems like he has a solution that is working for the patients he has treated. He is not specifically treating patients for tinnitus so it is a side effect of treating neuropathy.

From what I've researched he is legitimate and he says he is not trying to patent the method or make money from it but does want to be recognized for his 'discovery'. Talking to him, seemed like he was a nice person and was all there.

Anyone interested to take a hike out to Tulsa to see what he's about?

 

[JONabes]

Another question, has anyone here had an extended audiogram?

Hi @Lukee, @MrC6688, @Renfrey and others - sorry I've been AWOL, I had a lot on my plate. I've got an extended audiogram booked for 25/3 so will let you know how that goes. I had a free one last week (only up to 8 kHz) but I still have the hearing of a teenager up to that range (except a little notch around 1 kHz but he said that wasn't really significant).

has your pressure resolved? You mentioned in your first post that it resolved in 7 days after taking the drops. I'm wondering if you had the same luck this time. Also, have you taken anything else in terms of steroids? I'm thinking of trying to get a Medrol script myself as I believe that it might resolve the ETD and possibly reduce the tinnitus

The severe pressure has resolved, thanks Lukee. The Betamethasone drops that worked so well 3 years ago worked very well again on a second course I gave myself (the first course I took this time didn't seem to do a thing - I think I was too eager to nip the tinnitus in the bud I think i may have actually exacerbated the sinus trouble/ETD symptoms by taking them too early on in the process).

Current symptoms are...

On a cycle of about a week I'll have a few days of:

1) undulating, whining, right side only tinnitus along with the regular both ears 'muted TV sound'. I thought this undulation was defined as pulsatile but I may have been wrong
2) intermittent itching/pain deep in my ear/head on the affected side. This comes along with a sensitivity to sound which I'm not sure is hyperacusis, reactive tinnitus, or some muscular spasms in the middle ear triggered by sounds
3) slight pressure
4) the sinus 'popping' behind my nose on the affected side (plus ear clicking on the affected side)

All these symptoms are intermittent during the days I have them, the general pattern is that I'm much better in the morning and gets significantly worse in the evening. But I've been a week or more at a time without them - I think that there is a general trend toward healing too - hard to tell because I've been having relief from decongestants and steroids plus cutting out alcohol caffeine salt sugar etc has really helped.

The symptoms which seem constant are:

1) just muted TV type symmetrical tinnitus

I hope you're all good and best wishes xxx

Anyone interested to take a hike out to Tulsa to see what he's about?

Oh man! If I now wasn't petrified to fly on a plane because of the ETD I would!

He said it's entirely possible that we all share something in common

OK so I know I've always had very sensitive ears and particularly this right one over the last 10 years has sometimes freaked me out and distorted in (not particularly loud) bars just listening to people talk whilst talking myself. Or singing or talking when my head is not vertical.

Also I've always been the one in the plane to get terrible pains on landing sometimes - anyone else have this?

Another thing is that tinnitus is a symptom of long COVID-19 (it can be a symptom of any viral infection that reaches the ear but perhaps we had COVID-19 when we were doing the exercises and it exacerbated things?). I've definitely felt like I've been a bit ill but then I don't know if that was the steroids or just the fact that this seems to be based around sinus trouble in some way anyway so automatically that's an I'll feeling.

 

[Renfrey]

The researcher I spoke to also mentioned a common cause for the tinnitus. Why do some people get it and some don't? He said it's entirely possible that we all share something in common but unlikely for it to be something simple. I think we might already know that.

I think that everybody who does the WHM experiences tinnitus at least temporarily. I don't think the tinnitus, tingling, and tripping can be avoided at least to some degree while doing the breath work.

In my uneducated opinion, I think reason it has lingered in us is that we caused a type of barotrauma to occur by messing with air pressures in the head on the inhale holds, and extended oxygen deprivation on the exhale holds.

But yeah, I get what you're saying that still some people don't get the lingering even after years of doing it.

I don't think we have barotrauma to an extreme degree, but maybe a more mild form. The cause being air pressure manipulation, and the resulting symptoms of tinnitus and ear/head pressure etc., seem to fit the definition of barotrauma at least a little.

By the way, was anyone taking vitamin B supplements while doing WHM? I had seen a report that there might be some link to that but I'm pretty dubious about it.

I've been taking Vitamin B supplements via multivitamins consistently for years. Do you mean a bad report as in Vitamin B supplements being an underlying contributing factor in the WHM and tinnitus?

Anyone interested to take a hike out to Tulsa to see what he's about?

Maybe. Do you have any online info or website on him?

 

[Lukee]

On a cycle of about a week I'll have a few days of:

1) undulating, whining, right side only tinnitus along with the regular both ears 'muted TV sound'. I thought this undulation was defined as pulsatile but I may have been wrong
2) intermittent itching/pain deep in my ear/head on the affected side. This comes along with a sensitivity to sound which I'm not sure is hyperacusis, reactive tinnitus, or some muscular spasms in the middle ear triggered by sounds
3) slight pressure
4) the sinus 'popping' behind my nose on the affected side (plus ear clicking on the affected side)

All these symptoms are intermittent during the days I have them, the general pattern is that I'm much better in the morning and gets significantly worse in the evening. But I've been a week or more at a time without them - I think that there is a general trend toward healing too - hard to tell because I've been having relief from decongestants and steroids plus cutting out alcohol caffeine salt sugar etc has really helped.

The symptoms which seem constant are:

1) just muted TV type symmetrical tinnitus

I hope you're all good and best wishes xxx

Hey, thanks for the reply.

I pretty much have the same symptoms with the exception of the ear clicking and I have some mild headaches and brain "aches", just a dull ache that comes and goes in different areas of my head.

Some mornings I wake up and my ET are 'stickier' than other mornings. Once I'm up and showered it usually gets better and I think it's trending overall better. 2-3 weeks ago I would awake sometimes to complete silence and then 5-10 minutes later would come the TV static but the last few days I am waking up to noise unfortunately, whether it's static or a little ringing or both.

A lot of times the static is just really loud and I can't quite put a sound to it, almost like my brain is just vibrating and overworked.

OK so I know I've always had very sensitive ears and particularly this right one over the last 10 years has sometimes freaked me out and distorted in (not particularly loud) bars just listening to people talk whilst talking myself. Or singing or talking when my head is not vertical.

Also I've always been the one in the plane to get terrible pains on landing sometimes - anyone else have this?

Another thing is that tinnitus is a symptom of long COVID-19 (it can be a symptom of any viral infection that reaches the ear but perhaps we had COVID-19 when we were doing the exercises and it exacerbated things?). I've definitely felt like I've been a bit ill but then I don't know if that was the steroids or just the fact that this seems to be based around sinus trouble in some way anyway so automatically that's an I'll feeling.

I'm pretty sure it's not COVID-19 related especially because many of the tinnitus sufferers from WHM have reported problems well before COVID-19. I've always had sensitive ears in a way but nothing that ever really bothered me consistently. I've never liked super loud noises and the odd time I would get a little pressure build up on planes but generally not a problem.

The researcher said things like thyroid issues or anything related to the endocrine system likely to be an underlying issue.

BTW, listening to the 4 hour track has given me the full feeling again, even though not as much and my anxiety is spiked today. I don't know if it's related or a coincidence but I'm going to keep an eye on it (especially since Mr. C has a bad experience with AudioNotch that made him feel 'off').

Over the last two days, I've also acquired a floater in my eye that is bothering me ever so slightly so not sure if anyone else has experienced this.

 

[Lukee]

Oh BTW, earlier today I had some clear liquid come out of my ear... It was clear like water and odorless. I am pretty sure it came out of my ear but I had just washed my face with some cold water and maybe it got into my ear canal and seeped out 15 minutes later? Has anyone else had liquid come out? That tends to be a sign of CSF leak.

 

[Lukee]

I don't think we have barotrauma to an extreme degree, but maybe a more mild form. The cause being air pressure manipulation, and the resulting symptoms of tinnitus and ear/head pressure etc., seem to fit the definition of barotrauma at least a little.

Yes our symptoms do match with barotrauma except that I believe barotrauma is the opposite of what has happened to us (positive vs negative pressure). Either way, I think it's related to that or to hypoxia and possibly less to do with the ANS as we previously thought. It may be more circulation/inflammatory in origin than we believe as some other members pointed out early on in this thread.

I've been taking Vitamin B supplements via multivitamins consistently for years. Do you mean a bad report as in Vitamin B supplements being an underlying contributing factor in the WHM and tinnitus?

I read somewhere and I can't find it now that someone had linked B supplements to increased tinnitus with WHM. It seems unlikely but ironically I had started a B complex just before WHM and the first night I had ringing, I had linked it to the B supplements instead of WHM, which is why i continued for another 2 days until I realized it was getting worse. I'm looking for the post and will put it up if I find it.

 

[Renfrey]

Some mornings I wake up and my ET are 'stickier' than other mornings.

Thanks for bringing up "stickiness". That's a better word to describe the feeling in my one ear that is basically gone now. So that's another symptom we have/had in common. That one seemed to heal relatively quickly for me. I only feel it very rarely and faintly when I blow my nose.

BTW, listening to the 4 hour track has given me the full feeling again, even though not as much and my anxiety is spiked today. I don't know if it's related or a coincidence but I'm going to keep an eye on it (especially since Mr. C has a bad experience with AudioNotch that made him feel 'off').

How long did you listen and how low was the volume? In my opinion, if the volume is at a low and safe enough level, then there's unlikely to be any adverse effects.

For me, I think "pushing on through" with this one has taken me to a point where I can listen most of the day and night without any full ear feelings anymore.

 

[Renfrey]

Oh BTW, earlier today I had some clear liquid come out of my ear... It was clear like water and odorless. I am pretty sure it came out of my ear but I had just washed my face with some cold water and maybe it got into my ear canal and seeped out 15 minutes later? Has anyone else had liquid come out? That tends to be a sign of CSF leak.

No liquid here, bro. It could be a lotta other minor things than CSF leak.

Let me re-state that. The only time I have liquid in my ears is after a shower. And if I don't manually get the residual water out afterwards (I use a pen cap and towel), then I'm sure I'd have water slowly trickling down my ears for some 15 minutes or more after.

 

[Lukee]

How long did you listen and how low was the volume? In my opinion, if the volume is at a low and safe enough level, then there's unlikely to be any adverse effects.

It fluctuates. I can get some fullness after a few minutes or after a couple hours of listening to it. Not only the YouTube track but also the ACRN generator or mynoise.net noise generator for tinnitus. I feel like maybe we have some high frequency hearing loss (JONabes will know soon) and those frequencies might be the ones that bother us and cause the fullness or dizziness or adverse reactions. I'm playing them at low volume, really background noise. When you play it at night is it with headphones or off phone/speaker?

No liquid here, bro. It could be a lotta other minor things than CSF leak.

Ya, it could really be anything, it was likely water, hopefully.

I did read back and one member posted how whenever he stands up he gets dizziness and almost black out I think. He hasn't posted since but those would be signs of POTS. The fear I have is that tinnitus is likely our least severe symptom and the 'issue' might be larger than ringing in our ears. It does seem like you are on your way to recovery and @MrC6688 has been exercising and living relatively normally from what I understand so hopefully you/we have healed from anything more severe than the tinnitus.

 

[Renfrey]

It fluctuates. I can get some fullness after a few minutes or after a couple hours of listening to it. Not only the YouTube track but also the ACRN generator or mynoise.net noise generator for tinnitus. I feel like maybe we have some high frequency hearing loss (JONabes will know soon) and those frequencies might be the ones that bother us and cause the fullness or dizziness or adverse reactions. I'm playing them at low volume, really background noise. When you play it at night is it with headphones or off phone/speaker?

Interesting. I always play it on a 5 piece computer speaker system - never headphones. Have you tried playing it during sleep yet? It took a little getting used to the first couple nights. I had to play my Sound Oasis white noise machine along with it the first couple nights.

 

[Azariah]

I'm very happy I found this support forum. I'll introduce my story.

In anticipation of having to take public transportation into this city this summer (at the end of May we were being told to prepare to get back to the office by early July which thankfully hasn't happened because conditions are still very poor), I was looking for ways to increase my immune system and was intrigued by the Wim Hof method. Let me preface by saying my negative experience isn't a bashing of the WM method, I know for someone people it has very positive effects but for me, after the third day of doing the breathing exercise my blood pressure went up and I developed tinnitus.

I also tried doing the WHM breathing protocol last summer. It DEFINITELY made my tinnitus much worse while I was doing it and immediately afterwards. It eventually settled down later in the day... but each time I would do the WHM breathing, the tinnitus would get much much worse.

I think it had to do with the breathing part and not the holding the breath part. I only say this because my tinnitus gets worse with intense aerobic exercise (without the breath holding but intense breathing.)

I don't understand this and have nothing else to add. I just wanted to share my experience.

 

[Lukee]

I also tried doing the WHM breathing protocol last summer. It DEFINITELY made my tinnitus much worse while I was doing it and immediately afterwards. It eventually settled down later in the day... but each time I would do the WHM breathing, the tinnitus would get much much worse.

I think it had to do with the breathing part and not the holding the breath part. I only say this because my tinnitus gets worse with intense aerobic exercise (without the breath holding but intense breathing.)

I don't understand this and have nothing else to add. I just wanted to share my experience.

Thanks! I agree that the increase and temporary tinnitus is coming from the breathing part but I believe that the chronic tinnitus and related symptoms are related to the breath hold. It's funny you mention that though because during the breathing exercise I would get a patulous Eustachian tube effect (autophony, where you hear your own breathing/voice loudly in your ears). I think a lot of people get this effect and it's from the Eustachian tubes remaining open so in hindsight is it possible we have given ourselves tinnitus by way of ETD that was caused by the breathing? Totally possible.

 

[MrC6688]

Hey guys! I've been swamped with work lately but I'll have something to add this week and you'll see me back more regularly!

Btw, I've added a new tool to my regime, Xlear Nasal Cleanse. It's a squeeze bottle Neti Pot that has a unique solution that contains Xylitol, which is supposed to help with bacteria and inflammation. I tried it last night and after irrigating my nasal passages, my left ear actually popped a bit when I blew my nose! First that time that's happened in months. It didn't pop fully, but it popped and that's progress for me.

Interesting that we're coming back to the barotrauma theory. Yea, I feel like we either aggravated auditory nerves (our ANS theory) or gave ourselves some form of mild barotrauma with the breathing exercise.

I'll be documenting my treatment regime too with the Ayurvedic supplements.

@Renfrey, which David Case video do you listen to? Can you share the link? Thanks!

 

[Lukee]

Hey guys! I've been swamped with work lately but I'll have something to add this week and you'll see me back more regularly!

Btw, I've added a new tool to my regime, Xlear Nasal Cleanse. It's a squeeze bottle Neti Pot that has a unique solution that contains Xylitol, which is supposed to help with bacteria and inflammation. I tried it last night and after irrigating my nasal passages, my left ear actually popped a bit when I blew my nose! First that time that's happened in months. It didn't pop fully, but it popped and that's progress for me.

Interesting that we're coming back to the barotrauma theory. Yea, I feel like we either aggravated auditory nerves (our ANS theory) or gave ourselves some form of mild barotrauma with the breathing exercise.

I'll be documenting my treatment regime too with the Ayurvedic supplements.

@Renfrey, which David Case video do you listen to? Can you share the link? Thanks!

Great to hear about your pop. Funny you mention this because I have been following this thread where @Dirtworks has similar symptoms to us but cause is unknown. He used saline solution in Neti Pot to alleviate the pressure and headaches almost instantly and his tinnitus also seems lower.

I find it super strange that we have these symptoms and then @Dirtworks and @engineerLA force saline into their ET and the symptoms resolve. I'm going to try your Xylitol rinse if I can find it here and see what it does for me as honestly the pressure and headaches are currently worse than the tinnitus. Overall I do feel like things slowly getting better but not fast enough.

Looking forward to hear about the Ayurvedic treatment.

Renfrey isn't using David Case video. He is using the YouTube video I posted 4 hours of neuromodulation. I have also been using this and myNoise.net over the last few days and seem to be getting a response though I have switched up supplements and don't know what is helping what. Right now I'm taking Krill Oil, Taurine, Turmeric and Magnesium.

 

[Renfrey]

Hey guys! I've been swamped with work lately but I'll have something to add this week and you'll see me back more regularly!

Btw, I've added a new tool to my regime, Xlear Nasal Cleanse. It's a squeeze bottle Neti Pot that has a unique solution that contains Xylitol, which is supposed to help with bacteria and inflammation. I tried it last night and after irrigating my nasal passages, my left ear actually popped a bit when I blew my nose! First that time that's happened in months. It didn't pop fully, but it popped and that's progress for me.

Interesting that we're coming back to the barotrauma theory. Yea, I feel like we either aggravated auditory nerves (our ANS theory) or gave ourselves some form of mild barotrauma with the breathing exercise.

I'll be documenting my treatment regime too with the Ayurvedic supplements.

@Renfrey, which David Case video do you listen to? Can you share the link? Thanks!

Renfrey isn't using David Case video. He is using the YouTube video I posted 4 hours of neuromodulation. I have also been using this and myNoise.net over the last few days and seem to be getting a response though I have switched up supplements and don't know what is helping what. Right now I'm taking Krill Oil, Taurine, Turmeric and Magnesium.

Whatzup Mr. C & Lukee,

Excellent news about your pop, Mr. C! That does sound like progress! Maybe I should try that with my Navage. I've had a Navage for a few years, but never used it very much. I used it only once since getting tinnitus, but didn't notice much difference. Maybe I should try it again and put some Xlear in it along with the saline water packs it comes with. Although I'm not having much popping or pressure issues right now, I think it would be good to use it for maintenance and cleaning the passageways. Thanks for the tip.

Lukee, actually I started using Case's Tinnitus Mix steadily a couple of days ago. I can only listen during the day though, because I have to manually restart it every time it finishes. I can't get it to download or play in a loop. I still listen to the 4 hour one too. That's the one I play while sleeping.

I'm feeling pretty positive about the sound therapy. It feels like some good things are happening with the tinnitus. I'm not feeling any ear clogging or pressure with it either. I'm thinking that maybe the ear clogged feeling that I felt at first during some of these recordings was just a reaction of getting accustomed to these strange sounds.

Here's the link to David Case's Mix and website for Mr. C:
https://tinnitusmix.com/

And here's a link to his thread if you haven't seen it yet:
https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/i-invented-a-sound-that-knocked-out-my-tinnitus.33001/

 

[JONabes]

I got a new tone start on Sunday - this one's much lower in pitch (800 Hz sine wave), left ear (which isn't the one I've been getting ETD in) louder and more noticeable than the high frequency 'muted TV/cicada' sound.

It seems more dependent on head position/pressure than the muted TV one.

It's weird that I just woke up with it like 6-7 weeks after this all began.

Has anyone else had this happen? I got my hearing test on Thursday and then I'm going to take the results to an ENT with a special interest in the study of ETD.

 

[Lukee]

I got a new tone start on Sunday - this one's much lower in pitch (800 Hz sine wave), left ear (which isn't the one I've been getting ETD in) louder and more noticeable than the high frequency 'muted TV/cicada' sound.

It seems more dependent on head position/pressure than the muted TV one.

It's weird that I just woke up with it like 6-7 weeks after this all began.

Has anyone else had this happen? I got my hearing test on Thursday and then I'm going to take the results to an ENT with a special interest in the study of ETD.

Sorry to hear about the new tone. I didn't get anything like that but a few times my tympani tensor seemed to flutter and almost make a noise like that, but never really constant.

I'm curious to hear what your ENT will say about ETD since none of us have been able to get a solid answer. In reading over the last few weeks I'm starting to lean towards the hypothesis that we don't have ETD but that the muscle in the middle ear is flexing and causing the pressure. That would explain why after listening to some of these tracks we get fullness in our ears. I think as time goes on it gets a little better and starts to resolve and become less prone to the fluctuations.

Have you been doing any sound therapy like the YouTube neuromodulation videos? Have you been around loud noises or has it been relatively quiet around you?

 

[JONabes]

In reading over the last few weeks I'm starting to lean towards the hypothesis that we don't have ETD but that the muscle in the middle ear is flexing and causing the pressure. That would explain why after listening to some of these tracks we get fullness in our ears

I agree with this completely - although I imagine it could be causing inflammation which is then causing the ETD symptoms. This would explain:

1. Why the ETD like symptoms took a week or so to set in after the initial tinnitus.
2. Why I've been getting fluttering in my 'good' (non-ETD) ear - it would also explain the new tone with delayed onset in that ear.
3. Why I've had long (week or so) periods of recovery from the ETD but then going to work (music workshop with drums, piano teaching with pianos and lots of talking) really seems to trigger it. Also why talking seems to trigger it in general.

Although - which bodily system controls the contraction of muscles? The nervous system! So we could be back to our nervous system shock theory!

@Lukee, what have you been reading about this? I'd be really interested to know.

Have you been doing any sound therapy like the YouTube neuromodulation videos? Have you been around loud noises or has it been relatively quiet around you?

I tried the 4 hour 'director's cut' above a few times, but although it had a dramatically positive effect on my tones, like you say, it triggered the ETD-like symptoms.

 

[Lukee]

Although - which bodily system controls the contraction of muscles? The nervous system! So we could be back to our nervous system shock theory!

Yes, I do agree with this and I have similar experiences to yours at work. I work in an office/loud factory. My office gets muffled loud noises all day and sometimes I'm in the factory and it's pretty loud. The thing that's weird is the sensation would come and go when I least expected it and it does happen less often now. It feels like not all noise but certain sounds provoke it more than others. I'm thinking it has less to do with the volume and more to do with the frequency and wave form or something like that.

I noticed the talking, especially coming from speakerphone, seems to aggravate my "eardrums" the most. I can sometimes feel them vibrating and reacting to the sound of the persons voice though it's not painful and pressure doesn't necessarily build.

@Renfrey has been pushing through with the sound therapy and seems to be improving and is less susceptible to the fullness and pressure change. I kind of feel the same way though I had a small setback after using nasal rinse.

I feel like overall anxiety causes more of the flutter for me and may induce some of the pressure as well. As the anxiety goes down, I generally feel better. Another super strange thing I have been noticing is my HRV mostly correlates with reduced symptoms. Although it's not the most accurate, Apple Watch tracks HRV throughout the day and I've noticed when it's higher, recovery and symptoms are likely better. It also makes a lot of sense since HRV is directly tied to vagal tone and ANS response.

I think more than anything we need time but Renfrey seems to be getting good results with the noise therapy so maybe try and push through at low volumes and keep up with it.

 

[Renfrey]

I feel like overall anxiety causes more of the flutter for me and may induce some of the pressure as well. As the anxiety goes down, I generally feel better. Another super strange thing I have been noticing is my HRV mostly correlates with reduced symptoms. Although it's not the most accurate, Apple Watch tracks HRV throughout the day and I've noticed when it's higher, recovery and symptoms are likely better. It also makes a lot of sense since HRV is directly tied to vagal tone and ANS response.

Hey Lukee, have you tried any CBD for the anxiety?

 

[Lukee]

Hey Lukee, have you tried any CBD for the anxiety?

I tried CBD a few nights ago. I was hoping it would just give me a more restful sleep. When I woke up my tinnitus was louder and remained up for the entire day. Could be coincidence but I've read reports of it spiking tinnitus. Definitely a good chance that THC spikes it.

For the most part, the anxiety is pretty under control in the sense that I don't notice it like what was happening when the tinnitus for came around. I don't have the anxiety attacks and if anything I'm just slightly on edge. I could certainly use something to take the edge off and I'm researching a bunch of options as I'm sure even though it's not consciously affecting me, the anxiety is probably making my tinnitus and life a little worse.

How are things progressing with you?

 

[Lukee]

Btw, I made a thread about the neurologist in Tulsa here. For whatever reason, it hasn't garnered any attention whatsoever. I can't understand why but it's strange that he was blacklisted from other sites and forums without ever trying to sell anything. It's like people don't want to hear about it. I'm hoping someone can weigh in on the possibility that this treatment works.

My tinnitus has definitely seen better days since at the moment I have a loud hiss pretty much 24/7. I wake up to it and go to sleep to it, which wasn't the case a couple of weeks ago. It's bearable and probably a lot better than what most other people on here experience so I don't want to complain too much. Ideally, if my ears issues could resolve, I would be a lot happier. Going to try the Tinnitus Mix soon for a few nights and see how that goes.

 

[Renfrey]

I tried CBD a few nights ago. I was hoping it would just give me a more restful sleep. When I woke up my tinnitus was louder and remained up for the entire day. Could be coincidence but I've read reports of it spiking tinnitus. Definitely a good chance that THC spikes it.

Did it at least give you a more restful sleep?

I've been taking CBD every night for sleep since this all started. Since the doctors wouldn't prescribe me anything for sleep, I went the CBD route. In retrospect, I'm glad I did, because I'd rather use a natural substance for something like this.

I've read some negative reports on CBD too. But I've also read some positive ones. For me, being what CBD is and from my experience with it, it's difficult in my mind to connect it with aggravating tinnitus symptoms.

Putting aside all the purported homeopathic properties of CBD for a moment, I can at least attest to its marked relaxation and sleep qualities. And as we know, that in itself is a major thing.

I agree about the THC though. I can't see something as psychoactive as that, being beneficial to the cause.

For the most part, the anxiety is pretty under control in the sense that I don't notice it like what was happening when the tinnitus for came around. I don't have the anxiety attacks and if anything I'm just slightly on edge. I could certainly use something to take the edge off and I'm researching a bunch of options as I'm sure even though it's not consciously affecting me, the anxiety is probably making my tinnitus and life a little worse.

Yeah, the anxiety level during those first few days freakin' sucked, right? The new feelings of not knowing what the hell is going on and why our ears won't stop ringing is one of the main reasons I quickly sought the CBD.

Me thinks it might be good for the headaches you were having too.

In regards to CBD, I think it's important to always use a very high quality, potent, full spectrum (expensive) brand. Here's the one I use:
https://nuleafnaturals.com/product/full-spectrum-hemp-cbd-oil-60mg-ml/

And I think dosing is something that should be experimented with. I find that the recommended dosage on the bottle is usually never adequate.

How are things progressing with you?

Slow and steady. Not noticing anything getting worse. The fullness, pressure, and cracking and stickiness in one ear are essentially gone. And I'm sensing/hoping that unlike tinnitus, those are the kinds of symptoms that will not recur. The tinnitus isn't so bad anymore either. I don't really notice it going above around 4/10. Much of the time I don't notice it at all - maybe that's due to the fact that I'm listening to sound therapy most of the time.

Btw, I made a thread about the neurologist in Tulsa here. For whatever reason, it hasn't garnered any attention whatsoever. I can't understand why but it's strange that he was blacklisted from other sites and forums without ever trying to sell anything. It's like people don't want to hear about it. I'm hoping someone can weigh in on the possibility that this treatment works.

Yeah, I noticed your thread a few days ago. I wouldn't mind hearing more about him, but as you say, he doesn't want to be recognized by name. I think it's hard to separate his methodology from his name and who he is.

My tinnitus has definitely seen better days since at the moment I have a loud hiss pretty much 24/7. I wake up to it and go to sleep to it, which wasn't the case a couple of weeks ago. It's bearable and probably a lot better than what most other people on here experience so I don't want to complain too much. Ideally, if my ears issues could resolve, I would be a lot happier. Going to try the Tinnitus Mix soon for a few nights and see how that goes.

Is it louder than your maskers and sound therapy? Does it reduce any after listening to sound therapy?