Tinnitus Began First Week of June 2020 After Wim Hof Breathing

[ajc]

This has happened to me many times. Well before I got tinnitus from WHM. I would just be driving or sitting on the couch and all of a sudden, I would get a high pitch, loud ring in one of my ears. It would last about a minute and go away. My wife and friends have said they get the same thing occasionally.

That's VERY common.

Fleeting Tinnitus

 

[MrC6688]

This has happened to me many times. Well before I got tinnitus from WHM. I would just be driving or sitting on the couch and all of a sudden, I would get a high pitch, loud ring in one of my ears. It would last about a minute and go away. My wife and friends have said they get the same thing occasionally.

I have noticed it 2-3 times over the last couple weeks since getting chronic tinnitus. Same thing, it spikes for a minute then seems to go away. Actually, the other day it happened when I was driving home from work and when it stopped I couldn't hear my tinnitus even if I tried in my car. I figured it was really low and the engine and heat were drowning it out but once I got home I realized it was still gone and pretty much just a hiss. It got louder once again later in the night but not sure if it's because of dinner or lying down.

I am a little concerned about the whole CSF leak thing as some of our symptoms do fit the bill and the sudden onset would make sense after the breathing exercises; however, @MrC6688's MRI came back normal so that should be at least some good news that CSF leak is not the cause. At this point we can't completely rule it out and I too will be further investigating with my doctors. Unfortunately, it's been pretty hard to find the right help... all I do is get bounced around with appointments that are weeks and months away.

On day 4 of the nasal spray now and hoping to see some form of resolution in the next couple of weeks. Overall, tinnitus is bearable but the ear pressure and small head pressure here and there are "bothersome". I think it's getting better but I can say for sure, sometimes I forget about it all and sometimes the ear pressure just comes out of nowhere.

L

Thankfully the ear pressure for me isn't too bad. It took about 2-3 months for that to get to a normal level. The only ongoing physical annoyance I have (aside from the chronic tinnitus) is the inability to pop my ears. I've tried the exercise of drinking a glass of water whilst holding my nose and it does nothing. Which is why I think this is ETD related. Again, I think we're pretty much on track with the overly excited sympathetic tone -> ETD theory. We'll see. I booked an appointment tomorrow morning with a second ENT who specializes in neurotology. I'll be bringing my MRI results with me and tell him everything that's happened since June. I will get his expert opinion on this matter. I will keep you guys posted for sure.

 

[Lukee]

I booked an appointment tomorrow morning with a second ENT who specializes in neurotology.

Awesome. Very excited to hear his/her input.

The only ongoing physical annoyance I have (aside from the chronic tinnitus) is the inability to pop my ears.

Ironically, I can pop my ears. I have to be very careful and do it gently but I'm able to equalize. It gives a sudden relief but then the pressure/clogged feeling does come back. It comes and goes throughout the day. My tinnitus is almost non-existent, sometimes louder than other times but most of the day I can't hear it. Unfortunately I have accompanying head pressure. Not painful, more annoying like the day after drinking a lot. You just don't feel like going for a jog or anything but you are not necessarily in pain.

I look forward to hearing about your ENT visit.

L

 

[MrC6688]

Awesome. Very excited to hear his/her input.

Ironically, I can pop my ears. I have to be very careful and do it gently but I'm able to equalize. It gives a sudden relief but then the pressure/clogged feeling does come back. It comes and goes throughout the day. My tinnitus is almost non-existent, sometimes louder than other times but most of the day I can't hear it. Unfortunately I have accompanying head pressure. Not painful, more annoying like the day after drinking a lot. You just don't feel like going for a jog or anything but you are not necessarily in pain.

I look forward to hearing about your ENT visit.

L

Ok guys, I had my meeting this morning with the neurotologist/ENT. They conducted the same battery of tests that I had back in June. These consisted of Otoacoustic Emissions and Tympanometry tests. My hearing results were normal and there were no problems with damaged cilia. Cochlea looked completely fine. The left side of my nose showed slight tightness when he tested me for Eustachian tubes so there may have been mild contributions from ETD. He recommended I go on a nasal steroid spray for 1 month to see if it reduces that.

Now here's where it got interesting, when I had asked him about Wim Hof Method, both he and his audiologist said they've had multiple patients with tinnitus caused by WMH. When I asked him what exactly it was about the WHM that is causing the issues, he couldn't say. What he did say was that this high pitched ringing wasn't an "alarm bell" that was getting sounded off due to an injury. He said there was not any damage to the cochlea and hair cells and he absolutely ruled out CSF leak. He said there could be slight ETD but the tinnitus was not an "alarm bell". He also said our type of tinnitus is unlike other forms where it's noise induced or barometric pressure induced. What his theory was is this high-pitch tinnitus we're hearing is actually the sound of our nervous system. The sound has always been there since we were born, our brain just tuned it out because it wasn't necessary for us to hear it our entire lives. It serves us no purpose to hear it. He said the WHM probably did something to our brains to allow the sound to now be heard. At that point, I ran the "stuck in sympathetic tone" theory by him that we've been bouncing around and he couldn't say for certain that that was the answer (only because he didn't have a definitive yes or no), however he did say that the solution is to take my mind off of it by focusing on other things. Part of the training he recommended was listening to music or nature sounds for 30 minutes, a few days a week and focusing on those sounds until the tinnitus is barely audible. So in other words, habituate by not stressing over it and taking the focus off the tinnitus and know that it's a natural sound our body makes and leave it be... give the brain a chance to let it go. He said he knows it's easier said than done, and that it'll take work but to keep at it.

When I asked him about yoga etc, he said it was an excellent idea. He actually recommended in this case to follow an Eastern approach, in other words practice yoga, tai chi, meditation. Any of those practices would do, as long as they take the focus off of the tinnitus. The less we focus on it, the less power it has and it should naturally go away. That it's very much like a phantom limb theory.

So that was interesting to hear... it almost ties into what Julian Cowan Hill says, that as a result of an overly excited ANS which causes our brain to now pick up the sounds of our nervous system, that the mind gets stuck upon hearing the tinnitus, causes us to get scared, and then focuses on it which causes the tinnitus to keep going. It's also very similar to the self-induced tinnitus experienced by PhD doctor Thanos Tzounopoulos. He is a leading researcher in the field of tinnitus and accidentally gave himself tinnitus by constantly researching it! He didn't have tinnitus before researching it, but got it the more he studied the subject, believe it or not!

OK, back to my story today, so I called my Ayurvedic physician and told him about what my ENT said this morning and he said yes, that's a good approach to take and he also recommended following the Ayurvedic specific diet and traditional medicine which are intended to treat the disalignment of the nervous system to see if that helps even further.

So to sum up, my ENT says habituate by acknowledging that this tinnitus we're hearing is just the sound of our nervous system, it's always been there, and to just let it be... think of something else, stop focusing on it so much and gradually let it just become noise in the background again like it was before we were introduced to WHM. And my Ayurvedic physician says, yes, that's the right approach and also work to treat the imbalanced ANS so that you're treating it on a mental level and physical.

I begin my Ayurvedic medicine regimen in a few weeks.

I hope you found this information helpful.

 

[Lukee]

@MrC6688, I think that's good news!

I can see what he is talking about and it does make some sense. The tinnitus for me has not been really troublesome and most of the time it doesn't come from one ear or the other and it almost sounds like a tone in my brain if that makes sense. What has been bothering me is the pressure and what doesn't make sense is why the pressure if this is the "sound of our nervous system".

For a couple days the pressure was almost entirely gone for me and now just today it's back and pretty bothersome. I can't tell if it's my diet, stress, sleep or physical posture that might be making it worse.

I hope, like you, the fullness goes away and the tinnitus will resolve with some meditation and distraction.

I have an appointment with an ENT in a couple of weeks and will let you know the results. In the meantime going to continue with the nasal spray and see how it goes.

L

 

[MrC6688]

I can see what he is talking about and it does make some sense. The tinnitus for me has not been really troublesome and most of the time it doesn't come from one ear or the other and it almost sounds like a tone in my brain if that makes sense.

It makes complete sense. I think that's what the ENT was getting at today. That this "tinnitus" we're hearing is a sound coming from our brains. It's always been there. Our brains just always tuned it out because it wasn't helpful for us to hear it. But WHM did something to our brains so now it's letting us hear it. I think this is what some WHM veterans speak about when they say WHM allowed them to pick up on ailments they never knew they had. Well, that's great if it's an ailment, but having the method change the brain to where it's now allowing you to hear your own nervous systems isn't fun. Anyway, if that's what this sound is, I guess this could be what we've been theorizing of being stuck in sympathetic tone? At any rate, I think continually letting go the focus on the tinnitus might be helpful, I'm going to try it. I know that Julian Cowan Hill suggests the same thing. I suppose we need to work at it.

Now for the pressure, that's nothing imaginary for sure. My ENT today did say there was some ETD that I'm dealing with, so that means I've had ETD for about 7-8 months to date. I forgot to get an answer from him on why my ears aren't popping but I'm assuming it has something to do with the ETD. Anyway, it seems like this is a slow healing process either way.

The ENT gave me a prescription for nasal steroids so I'll be taking them now to see if that eases the ETD. What we experienced with the WHM could have been a combo of both a mental (tinnitus) and physical (ANS imbalance, ear pressure, inability to pop ears) alteration. A traumatic event indeed. Hopefully Ayurvedic helps fill in the gaps here.

P.S. I asked him about "settling the nervous system" by getting into parasympathetic tone via the vagus nerve and he didn't have an answer on that. He just kept speaking about not focusing on the tinnitus and trying eastern approaches.

Please let us know what your ENT says. Thanks!

 

[Lukee]

The ENT gave me a prescription for nasal steroids so I'll be taking them now to see if that eases the ETD.

Out of curiosity, what did he prescribe? Also, I thought your ear pressure is gone and the only thing is you can't pop your ears?

 

[MrC6688]

Out of curiosity, what did he prescribe? Also, I thought your ear pressure is gone and the only thing is you can't pop your ears?

I believe it's going to be Flonase. I've yet to pick it up, probably will tomorrow. Yea, my ear pressure is gone, I think he is prescribing this for my ears not popping. That and also one of the sides of my nose was a bit inflamed when he conducted the nasal endoscopy? He said there's possible mild contribution of ETD so I'm assuming the Flonase is just a measure to heal that.

 

[NatCello]

Hello all,

I'm so glad I found this forum. I've been doing the WHM breathing on and off for about 2 years. I had stopped doing it for about 6 months when I started up again in December 2020. I always got a very strong rushing sound in my ears after the 3rd or 4th round (I never did more) but that only ever lasted for about a minute, after which it completely subsided. Towards the end of December I woke up one morning after having done the WHM exercises the night before (I found they knocked me out nicely for sleep and relaxed me deeply), to find I had a sort of pulsating low-frequency sound in my left ear which was in time with my heartbeat. I didn't know what to make of it at the time and assumed it would sort itself out. It came and went and I continued doing the WHM breathing as usual. However, after a couple of weeks the pulsing was becoming more prevalent and constant. After doing some research it seems to be a form of pulsatile tinnitus, as the pulsing is always in time with my heart-beat. As of about a month now I have stopped doing the WHM breathing but the pulsing is not going away.

I realise the connection to WHM is tenuous in my instance, but it's the only thing which changed in my life around the time of onset.

Has anyone else experienced these symptoms after WHM breathing?

I work as a classical musician and my ears are therefore crucial for my work. The pulsing doesn't seem to be affecting my hearing, but it is causing a significant amount of distraction and anxiety.

Thank you all and looking forward to hearing your thoughts

 

[Renfrey]

Yes, I honestly wish I had researched Wim Hof before doing it. I know a lot of people get positive results from it but tinnitus is definitely a side effect and it seems to be swept under the carpet by a lot of veteran Wim Hofers. I've never heard Wim discuss it either. It would be nice if he did. It's basically up to people like us to figure it out on our own.

Hey Mr. C!
Thanks for starting this very important thread. So much info and experience in all these posts. Like you, I've never heard Wim discuss T vocally either, even though I've seen probably 90% of all his videos and interviews. But he does address it in his book.

Here's what he says when this question is posed:

My ears are ringing after the breathing practice - is this normal?
This effect is known as "tinnitus", a condition with a wide range of causes and manifestations.

For some people, practicing the WHM either induces or exacerbates the ringing, while for others it​

changes the pitch. Conversely, those dealing with chronic tinnitus often find relief from its concomitant anxiety in the calming effect of the breathing techniques.

The connection between tinnitus and the WHM has various possible causes. Medical research shows a​

direct link between pulsatile tinnitus and anemia, which the WHM may ameliorate through the elevated oxygen intake. The breathing exercises also increase neural activity in the auditory brainstem, where the brain processes sounds, possibly causing auditory nerve cells to become over-excited.

The scientific community continues to grapple with the particulars of tinnitus, but has established that the​

phenomenon itself is harmless. We have found that in the vast majority of cases, the ringing disappears with repeated breathing practice. If you find that, after several weeks, the noise persists or intensifies, some underlying physiological condition may be at play, in which case we recommend you consult a medical professional.

Here's also a WHM instructor on T:

 

[Renfrey]

I've been doing the WHM daily (with daily ice baths) for about 4 months. I was loving it - the whole process and feeling of it. You might say that I was doing it rather intensely too. Breath holds on the exhale for as long as possible. And breath holds on the inhale exerting full pressure into the head for as long as possible or till I saw or felt "lights" or "DMT" release. I would even do the holds in the ice bath and underwater with full head immersion. I was even using a snorkel so I could keep my head immersed while doing the breathing exercises.

Everything always felt great as I was doing it. I always felt great strength and peace before, during, and after. I never had any issues with passing out or losing control. There would usually be a slight ringing in the ears while doing the breath holds, but it would always fade away and equalize after a few minutes. But about 2 weeks ago after a breathing session the ringing didn't fade like usual.

I think the first 2 or 3 days with it are the worst, because it's obviously a new sensation that you're not used to. I got it on a Wednesday and went to urgent care on Saturday. The doctor (nurse) said it was probably an infection and gave me Augmentin and Neomycin drops. About 3 days later, not feeling much better, I went back to urgent care. This time the doctor gave me a steroid injection and a Prednisone 5 day taper cycle.

So that's where I am right now - in the middle of a Prednisone cycle. And I also have my first appointment with an ENT on Monday.

 

[Renfrey]

Some practical things that I think are helping are:

- eating as clean as possible
- staying overly hydrated with water and other vegetable type juices
- lots of herbal and vitamin supplements
- strength training
- cardio
- daily ice baths for at least 10 minutes
- basic deep breathing (with no holds at all!) sometimes with a "lung expander" device to add resistance and slow it down
- CBD at night for sleep, since the doctors wouldn't prescribe me anything. Not that I'm looking to medicate in that way. I'm all about the natural way. It just would have been nice to have a little something to get through some of these nights. CBD is alright but way too expensive.
- prayer

I always feel so much better after exercising and the ice baths. The T usually fades a lot at this time and lasts for hours after. I guess it's probably due to all the blood and oxygen flowing through the body. In my opinion, this blood and oxygen flow will be key in the healing process.

 

[MrC6688]

@NatCello & @Renfrey, welcome to the forum and thank you for your contributions. I'm sorry to hear you both got tinnitus due to WHM but hopefully together we can all figure this out!

Renfrey, you mentioned something very interesting, "The breathing exercises also increase neural activity in the auditory brainstem, where the brain processes sounds, possibly causing auditory nerve cells to become over-excited." This is pretty much what my ENT-Neurotologist said a few days ago. And this falls very much in line also with what my Ayurvedic physician, and what author Julian Cowan Hill also believe. That in certain cases like ours, the tinnitus is not really due to damage as is the case in noise induced or barotrauma cases. Rather, it's literally overactivity of the brain (i.e. highly charged sympathetic tone due to a shock to the nervous system) that is now listening in to neural activity going in in our bodies. I think that's what we're dealing with here in my opinion. Of course, there could also be some inflammation of the Eustachian tube as a result of the breath hold/pressure to the head, and that's probably why steroids temporarily ease that issue. But I think the ongoing tinnitus is neural activity which our brains are picking up during this time because the nerve cells have been overly activated. It's almost like, before WHM we weren't aware of these sounds but after the brain was overly excited by the WHM we now hear them.

Hope is not lost though. If there's a way to excite the brain to hear the sounds, there must also be a way to relax the nerve cells so we go back to equilibrium.

My ENT told me this past week to listen to music that's at the same level as the tinnitus and concentrate on the music. His theory is this will take the focus off the tinnitus and will gradually train the brain to tune out the tinnitus. He said the sound we're hearing was always there since we were born, we just never tuned into it because our brains didn't see it as necessary. He said the WHM changed that but that doesn't mean the effect is long-lasting and can't be reversed. At least that's his theory and I've been practicing it for the past few days. He also prescribed a steroid nasal spray (Flonase) to take care of some swollenness in my Eustachian tube and help with the ears not popping. I'm hoping that will help clear up any ear issues I've had since June such as my ears not popping. The other interesting thing he said was not to focus on the tinnitus. He said the less we focus, the more the brain will tune it out. On that same note, I pointed to a case in my previous post where a well known tinnitus researcher from the University of Pittsburgh (https://phrc.pitt.edu/people/thanos-tzounopoulos) accidentally gave himself tinnitus by researching it all the time so perhaps the brain induces tinnitus if we concentrate on it all the time? Or maybe if the neural cells are shocked to such a degree that they are thrown into hyperactivity that causes the brain to hear neural activity it was previously not listening to, it's then caught in a loop because we hear this new sound... get worried... focus on it... research it constantly (which is completely understandable) and then focusing on it so much creates this wicked merry-go-round that keeps the tinnitus going? So, we need to take our focus off of it in order for it to stop? Interesting theory at the very least.

As for my Ayurvedic physician, he has prescribed some traditional Indian herbs to assist in the healing process that target the nervous system and his thinking is very much in line with this theory. Although he takes it one more step and says the body's nervous system was thrown out of alignment so to speak from the WHM, so it needs to just be readjusted back to normal.

I'm going to be reporting into this forum on my status and updates.

What seems to spike my tinnitus at this point is caffeine, salt, white sugar, aggravation/overly negative reaction to stress. So I'm avoiding these as much as possible. And yes, trying to exercise daily especially with cardio. And yes, definitely including prayer too.

We'll get there!

 

[MrC6688]

Hello all,

I'm so glad I found this forum. I've been doing the WHM breathing on and off for about 2 years. I had stopped doing it for about 6 months when I started up again in December 2020. I always got a very strong rushing sound in my ears after the 3rd or 4th round (I never did more) but that only ever lasted for about a minute, after which it completely subsided. Towards the end of December I woke up one morning after having done the WHM exercises the night before (I found they knocked me out nicely for sleep and relaxed me deeply), to find I had a sort of pulsating low-frequency sound in my left ear which was in time with my heartbeat. I didn't know what to make of it at the time and assumed it would sort itself out. It came and went and I continued doing the WHM breathing as usual. However, after a couple of weeks the pulsing was becoming more prevalent and constant. After doing some research it seems to be a form of pulsatile tinnitus, as the pulsing is always in time with my heart-beat. As of about a month now I have stopped doing the WHM breathing but the pulsing is not going away.

I realise the connection to WHM is tenuous in my instance, but it's the only thing which changed in my life around the time of onset.

Has anyone else experienced these symptoms after WHM breathing?

I work as a classical musician and my ears are therefore crucial for my work. The pulsing doesn't seem to be affecting my hearing, but it is causing a significant amount of distraction and anxiety.

Thank you all and looking forward to hearing your thoughts

I haven't experienced pulsatile tinnitus. The tinnitus that I and many others seem to have been dealing with was a high pitched "eeeee". Nevertheless, I would check in with an ENT and do the battery of tests they'll prescribe because that will at least make sure there's no cochlear damage nor hair cell damage. Just my opinion/advice!

 

[Renfrey]

@NatCello & @Renfrey, welcome to the forum and thank you for your contributions. I'm sorry to hear you both got tinnitus due to WHM but hopefully together we can all figure this out!

Yeah, I have no doubt and supreme confidence that we will!

Renfrey, you mentioned something very interesting, "The breathing exercises also increase neural activity in the auditory brainstem, where the brain processes sounds, possibly causing auditory nerve cells to become over-excited." This is pretty much what my ENT-Neurotologist said a few days ago. And this falls very much in line also with what my Ayurvedic physician, and what author Julian Cowan Hill also believe. That in certain cases like ours, the tinnitus is not really due to damage as is the case in noise induced or barotrauma cases. Rather, it's literally overactivity of the brain (i.e. highly charged sympathetic tone due to a shock to the nervous system) that is now listening in to neural activity going in in our bodies. I think that's what we're dealing with here in my opinion. Of course, there could also be some inflammation of the Eustachian tube as a result of the breath hold/pressure to the head, and that's probably why steroids temporarily ease that issue. But I think the ongoing tinnitus is neural activity which our brains are picking up during this time because the nerve cells have been overly activated. It's almost like, before WHM we weren't aware of these sounds but after the brain was overly excited by the WHM we now hear them.

Yeah, I was reading that in one of your earlier posts. Like we opened up some kinda portal. The third ear?

Hope is not lost though.

Never lost!

If there's a way to excite the brain to hear the sounds, there must also be a way to relax the nerve cells so we go back to equilibrium.

Roger that!

My ENT told me this past week to listen to music that's at the same level as the tinnitus and concentrate on the music. His theory is this will take the focus off the tinnitus and will gradually train the brain to tune out the tinnitus. He said the sound we're hearing was always there since we were born, we just never tuned into it because our brains didn't see it as necessary. He said the WHM changed that but that doesn't mean the effect is long-lasting and can't be reversed. At least that's his theory and I've been practicing it for the past few days. He also prescribed a steroid nasal spray (Flonase) to take care of some swollenness in my Eustachian tube and help with the ears not popping. I'm hoping that will help clear up any ear issues I've had since June such as my ears not popping. The other interesting thing he said was not to focus on the tinnitus. He said the less we focus, the more the brain will tune it out. On that same note, I pointed to a case in my previous post where a well known tinnitus researcher from the University of Pittsburgh (https://phrc.pitt.edu/people/thanos-tzounopoulos) accidentally gave himself tinnitus by researching it all the time so perhaps the brain induces tinnitus if we concentrate on it all the time? Or maybe if the neural cells are shocked to such a degree that they are thrown into hyperactivity that causes the brain to hear neural activity it was previously not listening to, it's then caught in a loop because we hear this new sound... get worried... focus on it... research it constantly (which is completely understandable) and then focusing on it so much creates this wicked merry-go-round that keeps the tinnitus going? So, we need to take our focus off of it in order for it to stop? Interesting theory at the very least.

Yes, interesting ideas and suggestions. I think that's basically how we're forced to deal with it right now - by trying to tune it out and ignore it. For me, the sound is like the typical high-pitched "hisss" that gently fluctuates from not even noticing it (1 or 2 scale) to noticing it (4 or 5 scale). These times where I don't notice it give me comfort in believing that this condition is improving and healing.

As for my Ayurvedic physician, he has prescribed some traditional Indian herbs to assist in the healing process that target the nervous system and his thinking is very much in line with this theory. Although he takes it one more step and says the body's nervous system was thrown out of alignment so to speak from the WHM, so it needs to just be readjusted back to normal.

What are the herbs he prescribed? I just ordered some NAC and ALCAR amino acid supplements. I heard people in another thread that got good results with them. Worth a shot. There seems to be some data backing it up too.

I'm going to be reporting into this forum on my status and updates.

That's awesome man! I'll try to do the same!

What seems to spike my tinnitus at this point is caffeine, salt, white sugar, aggravation/overly negative reaction to stress. So I'm avoiding these as much as possible. And yes, trying to exercise daily especially with cardio. And yes, definitely including prayer too.

Excellent!

We'll get there!

Oh yeah!

 

[MrC6688]

Guys, one more thing... Going back to this quote from Wim, "The breathing exercises also increase neural activity in the auditory brainstem, where the brain processes sounds, possibly causing auditory nerve cells to become over-excited"

I don't know about you, but when I first got the tinnitus, and for several months after, my ears were super sensitive to sound. It was almost like I had bat's hearing and I had to play things at a low volume all the time including the TV. Well, maybe it wasn't our ears after all? Maybe our auditory nerves were overly excited and stuck in that stage. Which keeps bringing me back to our theory of being stuck in "sympathetic tone". I think this is it, I think we need to find a way to relax these auditory nerves; doing so should make a difference in my opinion. Just my .02 cents but this was our theory we've been bouncing around for the past 1-2 weeks and to see Wim pretty much say that's a side effect of his breathing exercises... it just seems logical.

 

[MrC6688]

What are the herbs he prescribed? I just ordered some NAC and ALCAR amino acid supplements. I heard people in another thread that got good results with them. Worth a shot. There seems to be some data backing it up too.


That's awesome man! I'll try to do the same!


Excellent!


Oh yeah!

Nice. I think one of the guys on this threat uses NAC. Let me know if the NAC and ALCAR aminos help you out. That would be awesome if they do.

Sure, the supplements he has prescribed me are ashwaganda, dashmoola, saraswati churna, yograj guggulu. I do want to mention, according to aryuvedic medicine people's basic constitutional types (vata, pitta, kapha) are different so it's not a one size fits all prescription. I'm not trying to sound like a jerk or anything and i don't mind sharing information, I just don't want anyone getting hurt by taking something that may not be suited for them. If you're interested in giving aryuvedic a shot, I would definitely encourage you to speak to an aryuvedic physician and have them figure out your constitutional type and then create a supplement and diet plan accordingly that is specific for you.

With that said, I'll document my experience and progress for sure.

 

[Renfrey]

Nice. I think one of the guys on this threat uses NAC. Let me know if the NAC and ALCAR aminos help you out. That would be awesome if they do.

Sure, the supplements he has prescribed me are ashwaganda, dashmoola, saraswati churna, yograj guggulu. I do want to mention, according to aryuvedic medicine people's basic constitutional types (vata, pitta, kapha) are different so it's not a one size fits all prescription. I'm not trying to sound like a jerk or anything and i don't mind sharing information, I just don't want anyone getting hurt by taking something that may not be suited for them. If you're interested in giving aryuvedic a shot, I would definitely encourage you to speak to an aryuvedic physician and have them figure out your constitutional type and then create a supplement and diet plan accordingly that is specific for you.

With that said, I'll document my experience and progress for sure.

Yeah, I'll let you know if the NAC and ALCAR are helping any. But with all the things I'm already trying, it might be a little difficult to pinpoint exactly what is affecting what. But I'll try.

Thanks for sharing about the herbals. The only one I'd heard of is the Ashwagandha. I had to look up the other ones. Those sound like some good choices. And I understand your concern about the risks of not taking them the right way.

I'm very interested in this structured Ayurvedic approach. But I imagine these Ayurvedic doctors can be quite expensive, because I also imagine that they are probably not covered under any insurance plan.

I've been kinda doing the whole herbal supplement thing on my own for years. I buy them wholesale, bulk, and organic, usually from a reputable company like Mountain Rose Herbs. I was making my own capsules for a long time, but now I'm more into the hot tea form. I think herbs in hot tea form are a little more gentler on the system and absorb more efficiently. In the morning I usually drink a cup of strong homemade tea of Turmeric, Ginger, Reishi, Chaga, Foti, Eleuthero, Dandelion, Maca, Moringa, Astragalus, Ashwagandha, and Oregano. This isn't a complete and consistent list of my herbal choices. The variables come when I run out of a certain herb or if I decide to try another one for a while.

 

[Renfrey]

Hey all,

I just wanted to give a thumbs up review to a little gizmo call "Sound Oasis". I bought it last night at CVS for 40 bucks. All it is, is a little speaker with 20 different preset sounds of nature. So simple, soothing, and effective at drowning out the tinnitus. I slept great last night. If anyone is having trouble sleeping because of tinnitus and haven't tried this, I recommend it. It looks like there are more expensive models also, but this one seems to work fine for me. I know I only used it one night, but so far so good.

Mr. C,
Maybe this can be a type training device to help accomplish what you and your doctors were talking about. About sort of re-training the way we hear things and not focusing on the tinnitus. I would say that a device like this is not only good for sleep, but also for anytime we want it quiet - our version of quiet.

 

[MrC6688]

@Renfrey, those are great herbs to take, especially Astragalus and Oregano! I imagine those come in handy during the winter to prevent cold/flu. That's great man that you have that much experience with supplements that you were making your own pills.

Let me ask you... How did you like the Ashwagandha when you were taking it? This will be my first time with it. Did you have any side effects or it not really?

Regarding the cost of the Ayurvedic physician, it wasn't too bad. Not nearly as much as having to visit an ENT. I'll definitely keep track of my progress and post on here.

Thanks for sharing the link to the Sound Oasis! I'll check it out.

 

[Renfrey]

@Renfrey, those are great herbs to take, especially Astragalus and Oregano! I imagine those come in handy during the winter to prevent cold/flu. That's great man that you have that much experience with supplements that you were making your own pills.

Let me ask you... How did you like the Ashwagandha when you were taking it? This will be my first time with it. Did you have any side effects or it not really?

Regarding the cost of the Ayurvedic physician, it wasn't too bad. Not nearly as much as having to visit an ENT. I'll definitely keep track of my progress and post on here.

Thanks for sharing the link to the Sound Oasis! I'll check it out.

Yeah, especially Oregano. It's such a well-documented anti-bacterial powerhouse of an herb. Whenever I feel the beginnings of a cold or flu coming on, I usually take some swigs off of a strong Oregano essential oil and water mixture for a day or two. And that usually knocks it out or at least reduces the symptoms greatly.

Speaking of cold and flu, the interesting thing to me that I've been noticing is that since doing the WHM, especially the ice baths, is that I haven't been sick yet in that way. I usually get a cold or flu at least once or twice a year, especially around winter time. But it's been well over a year now that I haven't been sick. I really think there's a lot of wisdom and science behind controlled cold exposure and proper breathing.

I think Wim has the right idea when asked, "Do you ever get a cold?". He answers something like, "No, I never get a cold, because I go to the cold". In lay terms, I would say that his immune system has been boosted and strengthened through adaptation.

I'm certainly no expert in herbal supplements, but I know a few things. Making capsules is just a matter of buying a cheapee capsule filler and going for it.

Most of the herbs I take are considered "adaptogenic herbs", which basically means that they act to regulate normal body functions. Ashwagandha is also an adaptogen.

Here's more on adaptogenic herbs:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adaptogen
https://www.integrativepro.com/en/articles/what-are-adaptogenic-herbs

Maybe I have a certain amount of tolerance to these herbs, because I don't really feel any side effects. I think it's more of an overall well-being feeling I get from them. I think that's the idea too - to not feel any real noticable "effect", but rather to have the body running in a steady homeostatic way.

But since it's your first time with these herbs, you might indeed feel some noticable effects. I would just trust your Ayurvedic doctor on proper dosing and info. These herbs might give you a weird feeling at first, but it should be harmless overall - just your body adapting to them.

 

[TimNitus]

Finally I managed to log in here.

Hi all. I'm Tim and I'm in the same boat as you. October last year I practiced Wim Hof to get some relief from the ongoing stress at work. First couple of times all went well. I experienced the weird humming rush at the peak of the exercise. At some point I got pulsatile tinnitus though, It stayed for about a week and was then replaced by two tones, one rather low (sound is sort of like a fridge working in the room nearby). The other one high pitched but much quieter.

Since I was going through a stressful phase, where also I got severe tensions in my back and neck I believed the tension resulted in squeezing a nerve somewhere in my neck, resulting in tinnitus. Also Dr. Internet says, stress can result in tinnitus itself. A visit to the ENT, battery of tests... you know the story. Nothing came up, all stats fine. I was prescribed Physiotherapy and Osteopathy. So none of that helped against tinnitus, except a bit of what the Osteopath did. During the sessions she occasionally held her palms on my neck and lower back for about 5-10 minutes. I asked her what this was about and she said she would slow down my nervous system. Wait what? Yes, that's what she said.

As a scientist myself, I'm a bit skeptical about such things, but my friend who is a physio, said it's somewhat legit, so I believe her.

Now, the stress started to relieve mid January, as situation with work improved. I had the impression that the tinnitus is also reducing a bit, together with the tensions in the neck that disappeared together with stress. Tinnitus became quieter. I became increasingly relaxed.

So last Wednesday I came up with the bright idea to try Wim Hof method again, since I did not link it to the tinnitus.

Yes, three rounds in, the familiar humming rush came, and after it disappeared the tinnitus was back there, louder again. This is when I understood what caused it all the time, I started googling Wim Hof and tinnitus - and here I am.

Now. As you, I still have hope.
If that osteopath I was visiting really makes the nervous system slow down and that was the reason why my tinnitus gradually eased up over the course of the last 3 months, then we might have a track, as it fully correlates with what you guys were digging up in the last couple of weeks. Luckily my prescription has one appointment left, and it's in two days.
I will use it to explain to her the idea of hearing the nervous system and see what she can suggest and do.

Ideally my goal is not only to get rid of tinnitus but also find a solution that would allow me to practice WHM further on, as the other effects I was experiencing during these several sessions were quite interesting and exciting.
So I'm eager to work together with you. Since I'm located in Europe, I'm also looking into the possibility of trying to find a seminar with Wim Hof himself when the pandemic ends, as Netherlands is not far away from me.

I don't know about you, but when I first got the tinnitus, and for several months after, my ears were super sensitive to sound. It was almost like I had bat's hearing and I had to play things at a low volume all the time including the TV.

MrC6688, you may be right, and I really hope so. In fact, I had noticed the same effect.

I'm however unsure, if it is sort of boosted hearing through WHM, or if it's just a side effect of constant hearkening to tinnitus. I'm curious which one it is.

pulsatile tinnitus, as the pulsing is always in time with my heart-beat.

NatCello, I had it as well.

 

[Renfrey]

Finally I managed to log in here.

Hi all. I'm Tim and I'm in the same boat as you. October last year I practiced Wim Hof to get some relief from the ongoing stress at work. First couple of times all went well. I experienced the weird humming rush at the peak of the exercise. At some point I got pulsatile tinnitus though, It stayed for about a week and was then replaced by two tones, one rather low (sound is sort of like a fridge working in the room nearby). The other one high pitched but much quieter.

Since I was going through a stressful phase, where also I got severe tensions in my back and neck I believed the tension resulted in squeezing a nerve somewhere in my neck, resulting in tinnitus. Also Dr. Internet says, stress can result in tinnitus itself. A visit to the ENT, battery of tests... you know the story. Nothing came up, all stats fine. I was prescribed Physiotherapy and Osteopathy. So none of that helped against tinnitus, except a bit of what the Osteopath did. During the sessions she occasionally held her palms on my neck and lower back for about 5-10 minutes. I asked her what this was about and she said she would slow down my nervous system. Wait what? Yes, that's what she said.

As a scientist myself, I'm a bit skeptical about such things, but my friend who is a physio, said it's somewhat legit, so I believe her.

Now, the stress started to relieve mid January, as situation with work improved. I had the impression that the tinnitus is also reducing a bit, together with the tensions in the neck that disappeared together with stress. Tinnitus became quieter. I became increasingly relaxed.

So last Wednesday I came up with the bright idea to try Wim Hof method again, since I did not link it to the tinnitus.

Yes, three rounds in, the familiar humming rush came, and after it disappeared the tinnitus was back there, louder again. This is when I understood what caused it all the time, I started googling Wim Hof and tinnitus - and here I am.

Now. As you, I still have hope.
If that osteopath I was visiting really makes the nervous system slow down and that was the reason why my tinnitus gradually eased up over the course of the last 3 months, then we might have a track, as it fully correlates with what you guys were digging up in the last couple of weeks. Luckily my prescription has one appointment left, and it's in two days.
I will use it to explain to her the idea of hearing the nervous system and see what she can suggest and do.

Ideally my goal is not only to get rid of tinnitus but also find a solution that would allow me to practice WHM further on, as the other effects I was experiencing during these several sessions were quite interesting and exciting.
So I'm eager to work together with you. Since I'm located in Europe, I'm also looking into the possibility of trying to find a seminar with Wim Hof himself when the pandemic ends, as Netherlands is not far away from me.

MrC6688, you may be right, and I really hope so. In fact, I had noticed the same effect.

I'm however unsure, if it is sort of boosted hearing through WHM, or if it's just a side effect of constant hearkening to tinnitus. I'm curious which one it is.

NatCello, I had it as well.

Hi Tim. Sorry that we meet like this. Yeah, I think everyone here is pretty unanimous that the breath holding on the inhale as well as on the exhale is the cause.

Can you explain more about what your Osteopath did? Was it a massaging type of thing? Is it something that can be done solo?

Personally, I still do the WHM daily (with ice baths). I just don't do any breath holding during the breathing part. Rather, I just do deep slow breathing in and out.

 

[MrC6688]

Finally I managed to log in here.
Since I was going through a stressful phase, where also I got severe tensions in my back and neck I believed the tension resulted in squeezing a nerve somewhere in my neck, resulting in tinnitus. Also Dr. Internet says, stress can result in tinnitus itself. A visit to the ENT, battery of tests... you know the story. Nothing came up, all stats fine. I was prescribed Physiotherapy and Osteopathy. So none of that helped against tinnitus, except a bit of what the Osteopath did. During the sessions she occasionally held her palms on my neck and lower back for about 5-10 minutes. I asked her what this was about and she said she would slow down my nervous system. Wait what? Yes, that's what she said.

Welcome @TimNitus and yes, sorry we had to meet like this! Fascinating info about your osteopath. We keep coming back to this theme of lowering the sympathetic tone and getting into parasympathetic (which I'm assuming is what your osteopath was doing). Guys, I think we're on the right track here!

I'll see if my Ayurvedic plan works, as its intentions are the same (i.e. lowering the out of whack state my nervous system was thrown into by WHM and getting it back into balance). But that's wild about your osteopath. It's funny... a few months ago when I was visiting a craniosacral therapist, she recommended osteopathy as a possible treatment and for whatever reason I didn't follow up. But now I'm intrigued. This makes total sense. Even my ENT last week said there's nothing wrong with me and that my brain was essentially in a heightened state due to WHM. He said I should follow a more Eastern approach of treatment (i.e. osteopathy, chiropractic, yoga) and figure out a way to let my nerves calm down.

Thanks for sharing that story! We're going to figure this out.

 

[Renfrey]

I had my first (and probably last) ENT visit today. I had one of the flakiest doctors I've ever seen. I mean I kind of knew beforehand, from reading this thread, that he wasn't going to tell me much that I didn't already know. But his "nothing I can do" message didn't really bother me as much as his overall flaky attitude and demeanor. I even tore out the page of Wim's book to show him to give him a better picture of the situation. And he really didn't have much to say about it.
Anyway, he scheduled me for a hearing test in a few days.

So I think I'll be leaning even further on the Eastern/Ayurvedic/Holistic/Natural side of it all.

 

[MrC6688]

I had my first (and probably last) ENT visit today. I had one of the flakiest doctors I've ever seen. I mean I kind of knew beforehand, from reading this thread, that he wasn't going to tell me much that I didn't already know. But his "nothing I can do" message didn't really bother me as much as his overall flaky attitude and demeanor. I even tore out the page of Wim's book to show him to give him a better picture of the situation. And he really didn't have much to say about it.
Anyway, he scheduled me for a hearing test in a few days.

So I think I'll be leaning even further on the Eastern/Ayurvedic/Holistic/Natural side of it all.

Yea, pretty much sums my experiences with ENTs also. Although at least this last one gave me some practical advice and told me to follow an Eastern method of healing. The basic gist is there's nothing Western medicine can do for tinnitus and you just need to find coping mechanisms that eventually take your mind off of it or heal temporarily with steroids.

In hindsight, I'm glad I went to the two ENTs and audiologists just to make sure there was no permanent damage but as far as healing remedies they're quite limited in what they can offer.

I'm really intrigued by the treatment @TimNitus received from his osteopath.

 

[Renfrey]

Yea, pretty much sums my experiences with ENTs also. Although at least this last one gave me some practical advice and told me to follow an Eastern method of healing. The basic gist is there's nothing Western medicine can do for tinnitus and you just need to find coping mechanisms that eventually take your mind off of it or heal temporarily with steroids.

In hindsight, I'm glad I went to the two ENTs and audiologists just to make sure there was no permanent damage but as far as healing remedies they're quite limited in what they can offer.

I'm really intrigued by the treatment @TimNitus received from his osteopath.

Yeah, I think I'm done with the 'roids. They worked alright the first night, but didn't seem to do much after that. Like you, I don't dig the feeling of them. I don't like messing with hormones.

I'll finish with my hearing test and ENT follow-up with little expectations.

I'm curious about how your Ayurvedic doctor works. Does he give you an actual prescription and you get it filled somewhere? Or does he tell you what to get and then you order it from somewhere? Or is there an herbal Ayurvedic "pharmacy" that he's affiliated with?

I was reading that you were using the Eustachi device. How's that going for you? I bought one that last night too. I only used it a few times so far. Not sure if it's helping any. It might be. I'm just a little wary of over-using it. I haven't seen any info on how often it should be used. Nothing in the directions regarding that. Instinctively speaking, it seems like blowing pressurized air up through the nostrils to the eustachian tubes on a regular basis might not be the healthiest thing. The pressurized air is kinda reminding me of how I got here in the first place - by squeezing oxygen up into the head on breath holds.

Yes, I hope Tim comes back and tells us more about that.

 

[Lukee]

Hi All,

I haven't forgot about this thread. I have been reading the updates and see the new members. Welcome! I have a lot to write about but haven't had the time. I've had some ups and downs and some interesting results to report (no total remission or anything like that) but maybe just some additional pieces to the puzzle to add.

I will post an update tomorrow with the different things I have been doing/results as well as additional research and hypotheses.

Stay safe.

L

 

[MrC6688]

I was reading that you were using the Eustachi device. How's that going for you? I bought one that last night too. I only used it a few times so far. Not sure if it's helping any. It might be. I'm just a little wary of over-using it. I haven't seen any info on how often it should be used. Nothing in the directions regarding that. Instinctively speaking, it seems like blowing pressurized air up through the nostrils to the eustachian tubes on a regular basis might not be the healthiest thing. The pressurized air is kinda reminding me of how I got here in the first place - by squeezing oxygen up into the head.

Yea, I would hold off on the Eustachi for now. I had purchased it and tried it a few times also and while it definitely opened up my Eustachian tubes, our problem may have more to do with overly excited auditory nerves and not the actual Eustachian tubes (unless you feel pressure in your ears, then by all means see if it can help you). It's a good device to have if you travel and you experience clogged ears from flying, diving, or hiking in high altitudes so it could come in handy in the future.

 

[JONabes]

Hey everyone, I'm new here! Really appreciating how you all are supportive of each other.

I've also been suffering from the symptoms of ETD (I think triggered by the Wim Hoff method) but in my case I have been through a period of this before (three years ago) for about a month or so. It was diagnosed as ETD by an ENT consultant (the highest level of doctor here in the UK) and a 7 day course of steroid nose drops cleared up the ear fullness & hyperacusis, and over the course of a week or so the tinnitus gradually went away.

What's different this time is that the ringing started while doing the Wim Hof breathing, at first extremely loud and unfamiliar in tone, but only for a few seconds before disappearing, but then after a few days of doing 3 rounds once a day I noticed a very slight but consistent whine which is when I stopped the breathing exercises.

The next part is what should give us hope - the pattern of symptoms is following exactly the timeframe that my last bout did (although that time from an unknown trigger) - the ringing got progressively louder over the course of a week or so but with no other symptoms, and then the ear pressure and hyperacusis returned after about a week of first noticing the ringing. This continued for about a week but now the ear fullness and hyperacusis seem to be getting a bit better.

ETD (which is basically a symptom rather than a disease itself) has many causes but it sounds like we're all sharing the symptoms associated with it, sometimes it just continues on its own after being triggered by something else. In this case it normally resolves on its own after a while but in the rare cases it persists chronically (+12 weeks) there are surgeries which can remove inflamed tissue, or insert tiny tubes that fall out offer a period of time, so there is always a way out, even if you're a chronic sufferer!