Tinnitus Began First Week of June 2020 After Wim Hof Breathing

[Renfrey]

View attachment 43282

This one. I´m pretty sure she was working with these points, among others though. I will try to dig up that book she was talking about. Maybe we can find more info on the points there.

For those of us who are into any neck/head exercising, stretching, or massaging, I recommend using resistance bands. I've been experimenting and exploring different ways to do this. And I'm finding that resistance bands are great at doing this. They give such a smooth and controlled effect when working these areas.

You basically secure one end of the band to something solid and immovable. And the other end would be wrapped around your head, neck, or chin. A towel can be used also to buffer your skin from the band. There are so many different angles and positions that the band can be placed in. You can even put the band around those exact same pressure points in the diagram above, and slowly add pressure to it and stretch and work your neck at the same time. You can really get creative with this stuff.

I suggest using at least the green band (65lb) for this. You want a decent amount of resistance for these movements to be effective.

https://www.roguefitness.com/rogue-monster-bands

 

[MrC6688]

Hey Mr C. What does this mean exactly? I get you can't pop your ears but do you then have a clogged feeling or any other strange feeling or is it that you just can pop them? The nasal spray seems to be working for me (fingers crossed) and you might try taking Sudafed for a few days and see if that will help you equalize your ears.

I have a sense of fullness and slight pressure like I'm on a plane. I can pop them and get relief but literally just for that instant. For most of the day now, I don't have the pressure and clogged ears but it comes and goes through the day. I'm wondering if you don't have pressure but still have the clogged feeling?

Also, I have been using the ear popper twice a day at least. I don't know if it's helping at all since I can equalize myself but I'm doing it just in case it's providing a better result.

BTW, I started to feel the pressure and clogged feeling going away after about 2 weeks now on the Mometasone. Give it a couple weeks at least and use the proper method to administer it. I'm really curious if your ears will see relief quickly.

Thanks @Lukee, I'll give the Flonase a try and see what happens. I guess by "can't pop my ears", I meant I literally cannot pop them. Like when I try that last exercise from the ETD video I posted early on, with Dr. Adam Fields, if I hold my nose and drink the glass of water, I can feel my ears close up but they don't "pop open", even though they should with that exercise. Likewise, when I swallow regularly, I can hear my ears sort of making a clicking noise as if they're trying to open up, but they don't.

Two weeks ago, I once again passed the audiologist's battery of tests with flying colors so my hearing is fine. It's just this one issue with the ears not opening. I can' t figure it out, other than to assume that it's ETD related. Hoping the nasal steroids will help here...

 

[Lukee]

I guess by "can't pop my ears", I meant I literally cannot pop them

Lol. 10-4. I figured that part I just wasn't sure if the inability to pop your ears caused a clogged feeling during any other time.

I would say that when I first had this happen I could not pop my ears (equalize) either. After a few days of exercises and gently trying I was able to get them open and since then don't generally have a problem. I do feel that it's easiest during a warm shower or even when I'm going for a walk and have my heart rate a little higher.

I'm thinking you maybe have a bit of glue ear. It's much better now but I felt like the inside of my ETs were sticky, if that makes sense. It slowly got better in the last two weeks especially after the spray. I would hear a lot of different crunching noises when moving my jaw and doing ET exercises and trying to equalize. Now those noises are mostly resolved so I hope for your the nasal spray will work. If you haven't already tried, maybe try a day of decongestant nasal spray and see if that helps you to clear up the ETs and pop your ears. Maybe stick with the Eustachi device or Otovent too as I've read many threads where it's taking people several weeks with these devices to clear up their ETD or glue ear. I have been using the EarPopper twice a day, not sure if it has helped the recovery process but it's part of my plan right now.

Also, please try the single nostril breathing. I still don't know if it was a coincidence but it literally completely changed my ETD in one night after about 5-10 minutes of breathing. I took some nasal decongestant spray (Xylometazoline hydrochloride 0.1%, I don't think they sell Phenylepinephrine OTC in Canada anymore) and after about 20 minutes I proceeded with the nostril breathing. Deep breath in from left nostril and out from my right nostril. I literally felt my ETs start to open and there was draining in my throat of something. During the breathing I could feel them closing during the inhale and then popping open during the exhale, like a Valsalva maneuver but without any effort! From that day on, I saw a real change in my ear pressure and cloggedness. I am still doing the nostril exercise but every other day or so without any decongestant. Give it a try everybody! @Renfrey it might help you too.

P.S. Sorry for the horrible spelling and grammar. I do this from my phone and this ducking autocorrect is a real plain.

 

[Renfrey]

Also, please try the single nostril breathing. I still don't know if it was a coincidence but it literally completely changed my ETD in one night after about 5-10 minutes of breathing. I took some nasal decongestant spray (Xylometazoline hydrochloride 0.1%, I don't think they sell Phenylepinephrine OTC in Canada anymore) and after about 20 minutes I proceeded with the nostril breathing. Deep breath in from left nostril and out from my right nostril. I literally felt my ETs start to open and there was draining in my throat of something. During the breathing I could feel them closing during the inhale and then popping open during the exhale, like a Valsalva maneuver but without any effort! From that day on, I saw a real change in my ear pressure and cloggedness. I am still doing the nostril exercise but every other day or so without any decongestant. Give it a try everybody! @Renfrey it might help you too.

I'll give the single nostril breathing a try. But honestly speaking, while sampling it for a few seconds, I didn't feel much of an effective action taking place. Seems similar to standard deep breathing. Maybe I just need to do it longer. It could also be that the nasal spray did significantly help open the passages as well. Nasal spray usually does work in that way and quickly.

 

[Lukee]

@JONabes, you mentioned that a few year ago you were given nasal drops but in your subsequent post you mention nasal spray. Are you using the terms interchangeably or were they drops/spray each time? The reason I ask is because it seems in the UK/Europe drops exist and might actually work better than spray.

I haven't been able to find drops in Canada and I don't believe they exist in the US either. If you follow the directions on this site, method 2 is the recommended way to administer the medication which is by dropper. https://blog.fauquierent.net/2011/09/intranasal-treatment-for-clogged-ears.html

I'm going to ask for a new script and try the dropper method. I wonder if JONabes quick recovery the first time might of been from drops vs spray.

 

[JONabes]

@Lukee - I'm sorry that was inaccurate! I was given drops the first time, and then I was given drops the second time also (the PCP this time prescribed a spray but I insisted on drops - that's probably why I absentmindedly wrote sprat in my post sorry!)

@JONabes, you mentioned that a few year ago you were given nasal drops but in your subsequent post you mention nasal spray. Are you using the terms interchangeably or were they drops/spray each time? The reason I ask is because it seems in the UK/Europe drops exist and might actually work better than spray.

I haven't been able to find drops in Canada and I don't believe they exist in the US either. If you follow the directions on this site, method 2 is the recommended way to administer the medication which is by dropper. https://blog.fauquierent.net/2011/09/intranasal-treatment-for-clogged-ears.html

I'm going to ask for a new script and try the dropper method. I wonder if JONabes quick recovery the first time might of been from drops vs spray.

 

[JONabes]

@MrC6688 - I really think you're onto something with the 'central nervous system shock' theory. One of the things I noticed was a dramatic ENHANCEMENT of my hearing directly after doing the WH breathing (particularly the highest 'air' type frequencies - I work with sound and tested myself on my computer so I know it really happened). This is what led into the onset of the tinnitus.

This article explains how when tinnitus is caused by hearing loss (not the kind we have I'd have thought) it's because the brain is trying to overcompensate for the lost part of the frequency spectrum (this makes a lot of sense from a psychoacoustic perspective - a subject I am very familiar with in my work/studies). It follows then that periods of training auditory perception should be able to help - like your doctor said:

Electric shocks to the tongue can quiet chronic ringing ears

 

[MrC6688]

Hey guys, as part of my plan to "adjust through listening to sounds", I purchased a program via Google Play store called AudioNotch. It's supposed to help you find the frequency of your tinnitus by allowing you to find the pitch with their app and then use audio files they provide such as nature sounds, pink noise, brown noise (combined with the frequency of your selection that most matches your tinnitus sound) to alleviate your symptoms over time. Well, I tried it today for about 15 minutes and I felt my heart start to race a bit. I also felt nervous as if I had the "butterflies" (I think my vagus nerve was getting affected), I felt nauseous, and had to stop it. My tinnitus also got a bit louder after using it. The makers of the app said tinnitus getting louder after use is common and claimed it will come back to baseline soon after. Anyway, I discontinued use of it and asked for a refund which they said they offer within 30 days.

I was bummed because it seemed to have quite a few positive reviews and I was hoping it could be helpful. I think the app probably works better for people who have tinnitus as a result of hearing loss. In our case, that's not what's happening. Anyway, letting you all know so you don't make the same mistake I did. I took my blood pressure reading and it's normal but I still feel the butterflies. It sucks. I'm hoping by tomorrow I'll be fully recovered. From now on, I'm just going to listen to new age or classical music at a normal volume and do that a few times a day per my ENT's recommendation.

P.S. I spoke to a researcher who has an MD PhD in Neurology and he suggested that neuroplasticity could be the key to figuring this issue out. He pretty much agreed with my ENT as far as creating new neural pathways by avoiding focusing on the tinnitus. He said if we focus our brains on something, it will actually create neurons for that new purpose. So in other words, if we think about tinnitus all the time, neurons will generate in our brains that will be dedicated to listening to tinnitus. Whereas, if we do the opposite, those neural branches will not be as strong and the brain will be able to focus its auditory attention elsewhere. He was definitely a proponent of "what we think of and focus on, will create new neural pathways". It's very much in line with the theory of neuroplasticity. Forgive my lack of scientific terms and explanations, it was just my interpretation of what he said and I tried my best to remember it all so I could share it with the forum.

 

[MrC6688]

@MrC6688 - I really think you're onto something with the 'central nervous system shock' theory. One of the things I noticed was a dramatic ENHANCEMENT of my hearing directly after doing the WH breathing (particularly the highest 'air' type frequencies - I work with sound and tested myself on my computer so I know it really happened). This is what led into the onset of the tinnitus.

This article explains how when tinnitus is caused by hearing loss (not the kind we have I'd have thought) it's because the brain is trying to overcompensate for the lost part of the frequency spectrum (this makes a lot of sense from a psychoacoustic perspective - a subject I am very familiar with in my work/studies). It follows then that periods of training auditory perception should be able to help - like your doctor said:

Electric shocks to the tongue can quiet chronic ringing ears

Thanks @JONabes, I'll check out the Science Magazine article. I'm glad to hear that you're an audio professional also! That's great to know actually. If you come across any interesting information, please share it with us!

Regarding my earlier episode today, I have to be honest with you guys, sometimes when I try something new like I did today, to see if it can help, and I feel like I have a negative experience as a result, it gets me down a bit, and somewhat nervous and anxious. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't a bit worried when I felt like I was going to vomit as a result of that AudioNotch session.

Don't get me wrong, I'm never going to give up trying new things to alleviate the tinnitus. But I don't enjoy having a negative experience through experimentation. Who does I suppose, right? lol. It's especially hard because we're in unchartered waters with this WMH tinnitus condition, so we need to act as pioneers of sorts. Anyway, it is what it is. No BS, you guys have no idea how grateful I am that we're all helping each other, contributing ideas and information, and trying to figure this out. I'm not happy we're all here as a result of WHM tinnitus of course, but I am very grateful for the supportive, small community we've built and continue to build further. Thanks for reading.

 

[Lukee]

Hey @MrC6688, I know what you're saying about being down and anxious. I was initially much more susceptible to those feelings earlier on in this battle. I have been trying to stay positive and do my best to move forward but the reality is I am concerned about what I am feeling (not just the tinnitus but the ear and head pressure and just general awkward feeling). I think it's normal to go through these things when faced with something you don't have an answer for.

I agree with your PhD friend about restraining our brain in a sense. Maybe something like Psilocybin might help with that process, I have been doing some reading and it seems like Ketamine and Psilocybin might prove useful for rewriting the brain. If it wasn't for the constant pressure in my head I would feel a lot better about tackling the tinnitus but I guess my mind is focused on the ear and head pain first and foremost.

I'm not surprised that you had a bad experience with AudioNotch given the theories we have been throwing around about heightened perception and such. Have you tried any of the other mixes? There is one on Tinnitus Talk called Tinnitus Mix by David Case and another I have found useful on YouTube:



I feel like it would work to rework the brain to tune out the tinnitus.

I have to say that my tinnitus is highly variable and I haven't been able to pinpoint what makes it better or worse. I can't tell if diet affects it or anything else particularly but yeah it sucks that we even have to think about these things instead of being able to continue with our lives.

I hope that you might find some relief form your Ayurvedic physician's program. I think time will tell and I'm hoping for a positive outcome for all of us.

 

[MrC6688]

Hey @MrC6688, I know what you're saying about being down and anxious. I was initially much more susceptible to those feelings earlier on in this battle. I have been trying to stay positive and do my best to move forward but the reality is I am concerned about what I am feeling (not just the tinnitus but the ear and head pressure and just general awkward feeling). I think it's normal to go through these things when faced with something you don't have an answer for.

I agree with your PhD friend about restraining our brain in a sense. Maybe something like Psilocybin might help with that process, I have been doing some reading and it seems like Ketamine and Psilocybin might prove useful for rewriting the brain. If it wasn't for the constant pressure in my head I would feel a lot better about tackling the tinnitus but I guess my mind is focused on the ear and head pain first and foremost.

I'm not surprised that you had a bad experience with AudioNotch given the theories we have been throwing around about heightened perception and such. Have you tried any of the other mixes? There is one on Tinnitus Talk called Tinnitus Mix by David Case and another I have found useful on YouTube:



I feel like it would work to rework the brain to tune out the tinnitus.

I have to say that my tinnitus is highly variable and I haven't been able to pinpoint what makes it better or worse. I can't tell if diet affects it or anything else particularly but yeah it sucks that we even have to think about these things instead of being able to continue with our lives.

I hope that you might find some relief form your Ayurvedic physician's program. I think time will tell and I'm hoping for a positive outcome for all of us.

@Lukee, thanks man, I appreciate your support. Yea, I'd been pretty upbeat as of late but today knocked me down a bit when that happened. We're human after all. On that note, I think I'll avoid high-pitched frequencies for a while and just listen to regular music.

I'm very curious about the osteopath treatment. I forgot who mentioned it? But someone said their osteopath had reduced their tinnitus quite a bit with a certain treatment and it lasted a while. I really want to know the name of that treatment so I can contact an osteopath I know and ask him.

Regarding your ear pressure, have you tried a cycle of Prednisone yet? I don't know if that's what definitely got rid of my ear pressure but I know for certain mine went away over the course of a few months and I think the Prednisone helped. I no longer have ear pressure and no longer experience pressure in my head when I bend over to tie my shoes etc. That's gone thankfully. I just have the inability to pop my ears. I'm hoping the Flonase will help. I'm starting it tomorrow. But speak to your doctor about prednisone and tell him about the ear pressure.

As for Ayurvedic, I'm waiting for the supplements to show up. They should be here soon. Looking forward to that.

Yea man... hope is not lost, we need to keep searching. It's invaluable that we're all here for each other because this experience is not easy to go at it alone.

 

[MrC6688]

I have been trying to stay positive and do my best to move forward but the reality is I am concerned about what I am feeling (not just the tinnitus but the ear and head pressure and just general awkward feeling). I think it's normal to go through these things when faced with something you don't have an answer for.

If it wasn't for the constant pressure in my head I would feel a lot better about tackling the tinnitus but I guess my mind is focused on the ear and head pain first and foremost.

I know how you feel. I'm not trying to sound Pollyanna with my optimism. I know this condition is very stressful, especially with all the uncertainty surrounding it. But all we can do is hope that we'll find an answer and keep trying different things. My theory is if something can be altered, it can be treated. Our MRIs are coming back normal, so no physical damage occurred to our brains. It has to be nervous system related. We need to retrain the neural pathways that got messed up as a result of WHM. That's my guess anyway. I'm going to start reading into neuroplasticity.

Hang in there man. Definitely speak to your doctor about Prednisone or similar steroids and ask him if they could help with the ear and head pressure. It took me a few months for that to finally go away. It was a slow process but it eventually did go away.

 

[Lukee]

I will be seeing an ENT next week. First one I spoke to was less than useless. Hopefully the ENT will give me Prednisone and at least I can say I tried it.

I just have the inability to pop my ears. I'm hoping the Flonase will help.

In regard to popping your ears... I'm still curious as to why? Do your ears feel clogged? I know you said you have no pressure but I don't think you can pop your ears if there is no pressure differential. With that being said over the last two days, I haven't really been able to pop my ears myself. Generally I could pop them and yawn after and get a general sense of relief like I was on a plane and equalizing. All of a sudden last night I realized I couldn't really pop my ears anymore. Like I can do a half-pop most of the time if that makes sense. But I'm starting to think... if I don't have pressure in my ears, why am I still be able to pop them? I can't remember if I ever was able to pop them without pressure before this all happened.

So I guess that's why I'm asking, if your ears feel fine, outside of the tinnitus, then why would you need to pop them? I guess the bigger question is SHOULD you be able to pop them if the pressure is normal?

I have a couple more theories that are physical in nature that I'm still exploring. One is concerning LPR (silent reflux). I have seen many articles where LPR can cause ear issues such as infections and 99.9% of doctors would never connect the dots. As a matter of fact I found a video that links LPR to ETD.



LPR can be caused by a variety of things but stress is a big factor. I'm wondering if WHM caused some form of stress that activated LPR and is causing these issues. I buy the whole nervous system idea but what I can't wrap my head around is the ETD (like) symptoms. Why do we have this physical manifestation of symptoms and not just the tinnitus? Is it a coincidence and they aren't related but both are caused by WHM? It can't be since so many people are presenting with the same symptoms.

I think when doctors are looking at us they are not connecting tinnitus with the ETD particularly, almost like it's a coincidence. But that's because they are unaware of the phenomenon that we know about and how many people it has affected.

I'm of the opinion that we have altered something in our ANS but I just can't connect the dots to include ETD. That's why I'm theorizing about LPR. Not sure if anyone has developed shortness of breath or GERD since WHM but those would be indications of LPR.

The last thing I wanted to mention is the occasional flutters. Initially it was happening only in my right ear and when I was extremely anxious and/or taking large deep breaths. Now I've had the occasional flutter in my left ear. Very short bursts but I'm nervous about it becoming a permanent occurrence. I think it's called MEM and is basically an inner ear muscle spasm. Not sure if anyone else has been getting these but they scare the crap out of me if they were to become chronic. Again, in my case, there is another physical manifestation that is more than just "the sound of our nervous system".

How do we connect these dots?

I'm making an appointment with a TCM (Chinese Medicine) doctor. Curious about his take on all this.

 

[Renfrey]

@MrC6688 - I really think you're onto something with the 'central nervous system shock' theory. One of the things I noticed was a dramatic ENHANCEMENT of my hearing directly after doing the WH breathing (particularly the highest 'air' type frequencies - I work with sound and tested myself on my computer so I know it really happened). This is what led into the onset of the tinnitus.

This article explains how when tinnitus is caused by hearing loss (not the kind we have I'd have thought) it's because the brain is trying to overcompensate for the lost part of the frequency spectrum (this makes a lot of sense from a psychoacoustic perspective - a subject I am very familiar with in my work/studies). It follows then that periods of training auditory perception should be able to help - like your doctor said:

Electric shocks to the tongue can quiet chronic ringing ears

Very interesting, JONabes! The treatment sample they provide sounds similar to "Sound Oasis" products. Are you familiar with "Sound Oasis"? I started using it about a week ago for sleep, and I must say in my experience with it, that it works great for at least drowning out and masking the tinnitus. My favorite preset is the rainy/stormy one.

 

[Renfrey]

Hey guys, as part of my plan to "adjust through listening to sounds", I purchased a program via Google Play store called AudioNotch. It's supposed to help you find the frequency of your tinnitus by allowing you to find the pitch with their app and then use audio files they provide such as nature sounds, pink noise, brown noise (combined with the frequency of your selection that most matches your tinnitus sound) to alleviate your symptoms over time. Well, I tried it today for about 15 minutes and I felt my heart start to race a bit. I also felt nervous as if I had the "butterflies" (I think my vagus nerve was getting affected), I felt nauseous, and had to stop it. My tinnitus also got a bit louder after using it. The makers of the app said tinnitus getting louder after use is common and claimed it will come back to baseline soon after. Anyway, I discontinued use of it and asked for a refund which they said they offer within 30 days.

I was bummed because it seemed to have quite a few positive reviews and I was hoping it could be helpful. I think the app probably works better for people who have tinnitus as a result of hearing loss. In our case, that's not what's happening. Anyway, letting you all know so you don't make the same mistake I did. I took my blood pressure reading and it's normal but I still feel the butterflies. It sucks. I'm hoping by tomorrow I'll be fully recovered. From now on, I'm just going to listen to new age or classical music at a normal volume and do that a few times a day per my ENT's recommendation.

Oh man. I'm so sorry to hear that, Mr. C.

P.S. I spoke to a researcher who has an MD PhD in Neurology and he suggested that neuroplasticity could be the key to figuring this issue out. He pretty much agreed with my ENT as far as creating new neural pathways by avoiding focusing on the tinnitus. He said if we focus our brains on something, it will actually create neurons for that new purpose. So in other words, if we think about tinnitus all the time, neurons will generate in our brains that will be dedicated to listening to tinnitus. Whereas, if we do the opposite, those neural branches will not be as strong and the brain will be able to focus its auditory attention elsewhere. He was definitely a proponent of "what we think of and focus on, will create new neural pathways". It's very much in line with the theory of neuroplasticity. Forgive my lack of scientific terms and explanations, it was just my interpretation of what he said and I tried my best to remember it all so I could share it with the forum.

I'm totally open to that idea. But at the same time, it makes me wonder how simply not focusing on the tinnitus can make it go away or reduce it. I know the concept works at least temporarily when I use the "Sound Oasis". But I'm intrigued at these long term 're-training' benefits also.

Would the main exercise for this be to listen to music or something else that would drown out the tinnitus?

 

[Lukee]

it makes me wonder how simply not focusing on the tinnitus can make it go away or reduce it.

This is basically the premise of TRT. I think it works differently for different types of tinnitus and obviously person to person.

I will say that the few times I have used the YouTube track I posted above, my tinnitus disappeared entirely even if just for a short period of time. I played about 30-40 minutes of it last night during my walk and when I got home, complete silence for about 15 minutes. The creator of the file says that if you continue to use it daily, it will become less and less. It's possible. Maybe our brains will start to phase it out eventually after listening to these inputs long enough.

@JONabes, did you get the occasional dull ache ear pain on your road to recovery the last time you had the ETD? I feel like the pressure is better but I have lingering shooting pain in one ear or the other. It comes and goes and is more dull than stabbing pain but it's annoying.

 

[Renfrey]

This is basically the premise of TRT. I think it works differently for different types of tinnitus and obviously person to person.

TRT? Well, I doubt you mean 'Testosterone Replacement Therapy', as that abbreviation is commonly known as. So I'll take a guess that you mean 'Tinnitus Retraining Therapy'?

I will say that the few times I have used the YouTube track I posted above, my tinnitus disappeared entirely even if just for a short period of time. I played about 30-40 minutes of it last night during my walk and when I got home, complete silence for about 15 minutes. The creator of the file says that if you continue to use it daily, it will become less and less. It's possible. Maybe our brains will start to phase it out eventually after listening to these inputs long enough.

That sounds great, Lukee! That's some of the best first-hand reporting I've heard in a while! I'm definitely going to try it out. Thanks to you and Mr. C for bringing this up!

 

[Renfrey]

 

[JONabes]

@Lukee, yeah I did! This time too actually; it feels like there are 3 tiers of discomfort for me:

1) (most severe) ear pressure, hyperacusis and an undulating whine
2) (moderate) burrowing/stabbing type pain in the ear, very deep in there/hyperacusis with intermittent whine
3) (least severe) dull ache/slight hyperacusis/intermittent whine but gaps are longer than the whining.

All set against a backdrop of the 'muted tv' sound. The 3 tiers will go from one to another, getting more or less severe, gradually getting worse as the day goes on.

I've had a very rapid recovery over the past few days - from mainly tier 2-3 a week or so ago, to getting breaks from any ear discomfort or pressure at all a few days ago, to today not having any ear pain or associated whine at all. The 'muted tv' sound seems to be dissipating as well, although very gradually.

Sorry if this is incoherent I'm doing it on my phone! (P.S. I should mention it's only ever been my right hear that has had the problems with pressure etc).

 

[JONabes]

@MrC6688, hey Mr C, I'm really sorry to hear that you are having a bad time with it, I remember the first time I was dealing with this type of thing; very scary. But as you say, if it changes then it can be treated - you've already improved along way with getting rid of the ear pressure and discomfort - I honestly think that once you can stop concentrating on the tinnitus and change those neural pathways then you'll see a gradual return to normality.

 

[JONabes]

@Renfrey, I've actually had some great success with the 'portal' app on the App Store. It's free - I've been listening to 'barley field in springtime' and it's worked wonders for masking/diverting auditory attention away from the tinnitus. Then when I stop it, it seems quieter. I'm sure it's having a cumulative effect. Psychoacoustics are absolutely fascinating.

 

[Lukee]

Ok guys/girls, I have a research update.

I had a call with an ENT today who recommended I get a hearing test. He said I could have high-frequency nerve damage. He said Mometasone was a good idea and not harmful and he takes it himself every night before bed. As expected nothing really came out of the call.

Now onto the research bit. Someone posted a link to an article linking HIF-1 (which is induced with WHM) to tinnitus. I believe we have discussed it in this thread before, here's a link to the abstract of the article:

Pharmacotherapy in acute tinnitus: The special role of hypoxia and ischemia in the pathogenesis of tinnitus

This brings us back to the physical manifestation of tinnitus and the fullness. What I have read is that this same HIF-1 can cause issues with the endolymphatic sac. Endolymphatic hydrops can mimic ETD and treatment using steroids would not help hydrops:

Endolymphatic hydrops mimicking obstructive Eustachian tube dysfunction: preliminary experience and literature review

There is a possibility that we have given ourselves secondary endolymphatic hydrops (SEH) though the only reason why I am a bit skeptical about that diagnosis is because none of us seem to have hearing loss.

With that being said, there are a few articles I have found that mention dealing with HIF-1 in general. Increasing blood flow and reducing oxidative stress seem to be the most important way to deal with HIF-1. Glutathione has been mentioned many times (I am currently taking it daily) as well as an article I found that identifies Cordyceps Sinensis as a possible treatment:

Cordyceps sinensis Increases Hypoxia Tolerance by Inducing Heme Oxygenase-1 and Metallothionein via Nrf2 Activation in Human Lung Epithelial Cells

Nitric oxide stimulants are also mentioned in many of the articles.

I have also thought about another possible solution although I don't know if it makes sense at all. I'm just trying to see what sticks: Betahistine is often given to Meniere's patients and can help with the fullness and vertigo symptoms by way of increasing blood flow to the inner ear. According to the HIF-1 article I posted, proposed remedies seem to have to do with increasing blood flow to the inner ear "there is some evidence that it can be effectively suppressed by improving blood supply, at least at certain stages." This may give some sign of hope if our issue truly is related to the hypoxia we induced during WHM.

I also want to express that I am not of the opinion that we are going down the wrong road with the ANS theory. I think it's completely viable and likely the only piece I can't fit into it is the ETD-type symptoms we have. I actually hope that this theory is the correct one as hypoxia-induced damage is more frightening to me. I guess the good news, if there is any, is that SEH seems to resolve after 1-2 years in cases where it has been cause by some form of trauma.

I'd like to hear everyone's thoughts on these ideas and see if we can come up with a way to test ideas and move forward as a group.

 

[MrC6688]

@Renfrey, I've actually had some great success with the 'portal' app on the App Store. It's free - I've been listening to 'barley field in springtime' and it's worked wonders for masking/diverting auditory attention away from the tinnitus. Then when I stop it, it seems quieter. I'm sure it's having a cumulative effect. Psychoacoustics are absolutely fascinating.

What is the full name of that app? I'll look for it in Google Play Store (I'm using Android). Thanks!

 

[JONabes]

What is the full name of that app? I'll look for it in Google Play Store (I'm using Android). Thanks!

It's just called 'Portal' - it's not specifically for tinnitus but I just noticed the barley field soundscape really helped me!

 

[Renfrey]

@Renfrey, I've actually had some great success with the 'portal' app on the App Store. It's free - I've been listening to 'barley field in springtime' and it's worked wonders for masking/diverting auditory attention away from the tinnitus. Then when I stop it, it seems quieter. I'm sure it's having a cumulative effect. Psychoacoustics are absolutely fascinating.

Yes, fascinating indeed! I was honestly doubting the whole sound therapy idea, till I tried it. I only tried it for about 10 minutes so far (I'm actually listening to it right now) and whenever I pause it, I hear zilch! I haven't heard this much quiet since this all started.

You might try this YouTube clip that Lukee provided:



I don't know how long the silence will last. I'm just happy to get any kind of relief at the present time. I'll take what I can get. I realize this type of therapy may take a little while for it to "stick", but it's at least a strong tool to have in the bag.

 

[Lukee]

Yes, fascinating indeed! I was honestly doubting the whole sound therapy idea, till I tried it. I only tried it for about 10 minutes so far (I'm actually listening to it right now) and whenever I pause it, I hear zilch! I haven't heard this much quiet since this all started.

You might try this YouTube clip that Lukee provided:

I don't know how long the silence will last. I'm just happy to get any kind of relief at the present time. I'll take what I can get. I realize this type of therapy may take a little while for it to "stick", but it's at least a strong tool to have in the bag.

I personally have had good results using TRT (yes Tinnitus Retraining Therapy lol) but haven't really done more than trying it out here and there. The YouTube video I posted definitely gets rid of the tinnitus even if for just a short while. The producer of the video says to keep on using it and looking at the comments it seems like some people have been successful at the long term.

If you have 20 minutes to spare, I also suggest reading the circus that is the David Case thread on this site. While there are some outlandish claims made by David, I wouldn't be surprised if for a subset of tinnitus sufferers it actually works. The fact that some of these videos produce silence for the short term makes me think that you could effectively tune it out permanently if you listened to it long enough and you brain just shut out the noise.

 

[Lukee]

Sorry if this is incoherent I'm doing it on my phone! (P.S. I should mention it's only ever been my right hear that has had the problems with pressure etc).

Thanks for the info @JONabes, makes me feel a little better and hopefully on the road to some form of recovery. I understand what you wrote and all three stages are familiar to me but I haven't yet been able to realize if they occur in any particular order. For me it was initially just ear pressure with not really any pain and I guess slight hyperacusis for the first week. Then the hyperacusis mostly resolved and I have been left with on and off pressure and clogged feeling with some slight pressure in my head, though that too has improved quite a bit, and now the occasional dull ear ache. I want to say generally it has gotten better but just when I feel like I'm rounding the corner after a great day, the next day I'll feel the familiar pressure and dull ache.

The tinnitus is up and down and I haven't particularly found a reason for it whether dietary or otherwise. I want to say that I feel like it was actually less noticeable earlier on but either way I have bad days and not as bad days, both of which are manageable if I stay busy and in noisy environments.

 

[Renfrey]

With that being said, there are a few articles I have found that mention dealing with HIF-1 in general. Increasing blood flow and reducing oxidative stress seem to be the most important way to deal with HIF-1. Glutathione has been mentioned many times (I am currently taking it daily) as well as an article I found that identifies Cordyceps Sinensis as a possible treatment:

Cordyceps sinensis Increases Hypoxia Tolerance by Inducing Heme Oxygenase-1 and Metallothionein via Nrf2 Activation in Human Lung Epithelial Cells

Nitric oxide stimulants are also mentioned in many of the articles.

I have also thought about another possible solution although I don't know if it makes sense at all. I'm just trying to see what sticks: Betahistine is often given to Meniere's patients and can help with the fullness and vertigo symptoms by way of increasing blood flow to the inner ear. According to the HIF-1 article I posted, proposed remedies seem to have to do with increasing blood flow to the inner ear "there is some evidence that it can be effectively suppressed by improving blood supply, at least at certain stages." This may give some sign of hope if our issue truly is related to the hypoxia we induced during WHM.

I also want to express that I am not of the opinion that we are going down the wrong road with the ANS theory. I think it's completely viable and likely the only piece I can't fit into it is the ETD-type symptoms we have. I actually hope that this theory is the correct one as hypoxia-induced damage is more frightening to me. I guess the good news, if there is any, is that SEH seems to resolve after 1-2 years in cases where it has been cause by some form of trauma.

I'd like to hear everyone's thoughts on these ideas and see if we can come up with a way to test ideas and move forward as a group.

I for one will agree that increasing blood flow is beneficial as a whole. Scientific data aside for a moment, it just feels better holistically when blood, oxygen, and nutrients are flowing through the body.

I'm taking Glutathione daily too (actually the precursor, NAC).

Thanks for the Cordyceps reminder. I already have a big unused bag of Cordyceps mushroom powder to put to use. I'll have to add it to my morning herbal tea blend. Couldn't hurt.

My evolving opinion is now focusing on this sound therapy thing. If we can get such instant relief from sound therapy, then what is that telling us? Maybe it's telling us that this is not such a serious condition and that it can be treated effectively with these methods?

 

[Lukee]

I'm taking Glutathione daily too (actually the precursor, NAC).

I am taking both. I was actually taking Liposomal Glutathione before my tinnitus and NAC too on and off for a few months before. I have upped the dosage since.

Thanks for the Cordyceps reminder. I already have a big unused bag of Cordyceps mushroom powder to put to use.

While any type of TCM Cordyceps might help, remember that the article I linked was specific to Cordyceps Sinensis. Upon further investigation there is a strong use of Cordyceps Sinensis in TCM for the treatment of tinnitus. I have read a few studies (I don't know how reliable they are) that showed Cordyceps could completely cure tinnitus and related symptoms especially when caused by the accumulation of fluid in the middle ear.

In reading a lot of these studies, one thing I find interesting is the symptoms of altitude sickness which is caused by hypoxia, extreme cold and high velocity wind (2/3 are relevant to WHM). Maybe we have some form of high altitude sickness?

Cordyceps sinensis Increases Hypoxia Tolerance by Inducing Heme Oxygenase-1 and Metallothionein via Nrf2 Activation in Human Lung Epithelial Cells

I'm working on getting some Cordyceps Sinensis and will add it to my treatment regimen.

@Renfrey, let us know if the shrooms help out at all.

 

[Renfrey]

I personally have had good results using TRT (yes Tinnitus Retraining Therapy lol) but haven't really done more than trying it out here and there. The YouTube video I posted definitely gets rid of the tinnitus even if for just a short while. The producer of the video says to keep on using it and looking at the comments it seems like some people have been successful at the long term.

Yeah, I was going to mention all the positive comments too. Seems like just about everyone has something good to say about it. Like a lot of dramatic results.

If you have 20 minutes to spare, I also suggest reading the circus that is the David Case thread on this site. While there are some outlandish claims made by David, I wouldn't be surprised if for a subset of tinnitus sufferers it actually works. The fact that some of these videos produce silence for the short term makes me think that you could effectively tune it out permanently if you listened to it long enough and you brain just shut out the noise.

Yeah, I'll check it out, but I'm not sure what you mean by David Case thread. I looked up David Case and couldn't find anything. Do you have a link?