Ringing in your ears, regardless of its intensity, is annoying. Actually, it is more than annoying; it is relentless and wears you down. It is a relatively common problem(1), numerous resources have been directed towards trying to definitively solve it, but there are few viable alternatives. Some approaches that decrease symptoms include:
- Anti-depressants
- Sound generators
- Hearing aids
- Cochlear implants
- Behavioral therapy
- Transcranial magnetic stimulation (2)
Much to my surprise (and shock), my tinnitus of over 25 years resolved as I went through my own healing process. It has been gone for over 20 years.
My Experience
The old saying, “Youth is wasted on the young,” is true—especially in my case. Many of the physical issues of my adulthood resulted from a perceived invincibility during my teenage years, combined with my refusal to heed adult advice. Protecting my ears was one of those cautions that I cavalierly ignored.
The Destruction of My Hearing
I worked as a carpenter and hod carrier from the time I was 14 years old and into medical school. Every summer and most college vacations, you could find me building houses. The summer before medical school began, I built my parents’ home. Although I was involved in many aspects of construction, my most frequent task was framing and pouring concrete slabs, which entailed using a Skilsaw much of the day. I never gave a thought to decibel levels, even when I was using the tools close to my ears.
Fellow workers mentioned ear protection, but I just did not see the need. To further punish my ears, I used a nail gun to shoot nails through two-by-four floor plates into concrete. I would load a 16-penny nail (3.5 inches long) into the gun, position it over the 2 by 4, and pull the trigger. To make matters worse, the sound was magnified when I performed this work in basements. Still, the suggestion of using ear protection didn’t seem important.
The Ringing Begins
When I was about 32, I began to notice a strange sound in my ears, like a bell ringing, all the time. It started during a time when I was recovering from low back surgery that had gotten infected. I wasn’t sleeping well, and my stress levels were extremely high.
At first, I didn’t think much about the ringing—until I realized that it wasn’t going to stop. First, I tried to ignore the ringing, which didn’t work. Every time I heard it, I became increasingly frustrated. My attempts to cope with it began to drive me slightly crazy. The problem grew larger and larger. One day I read about a former TV star who had committed suicide because of his tinnitus. This was not reassuring.
No Answers
I saw several ear-nose-and-throat (ENT) physicians, whose exams revealed that I had suffered some high-frequency hearing loss. When I asked about the ringing, they shrugged their shoulders and said it was nerve damage, and nothing could be done. Loud environments aggravated the condition, so I avoided them. Even eating in restaurants would exacerbate it. Earplugs were somewhat helpful.
The Ringing Stops
The tinnitus ceased along with 16 other chronic symptoms around 2003. I could not understand why I could have been so miserable and then have so many divergent symptoms resolve. I heard a lecture by Dr. Howard Schubiner, author of Unlearn Your Pain, where he listed over 30 symptoms that are caused by your body being under sustained stress.(3) Essentially, all chronic mental and physical symptoms, illnesses, and diseases are caused by sustained flight or fight physiology. The effects occur at the mitochondrial (energy producers in each cell) level, and your DNA directs the production of inflammatory cells. The solution lies in calming your stress response to safety (rest and digest) where your body can refuel and regenerate.
Hearing loss is common as we age and permanent. It includes a diminished capacity to discriminate. For example, I could not hear you well if you talked to me in a noisy restaurant. Today I regret the folly of my youth, knowing that much of my hearing disability was self-inflicted. The exact link between hearing loss and tinnitus is unclear.
Calming Down Your Body’s Chemistry
The process of lowering your stress chemistry is called “Dynamic Healing.” You can regulate your body’s stress physiology by:
- Processing the input in a manner that is less impactful to your nervous system.
- Increasing the resiliency of the nervous system.
- Using tools to directly lower your stress physiology. The speed of nerve conduction slows down, and your inflamed brain calms down.
I don’t know the numbers, but numerous people who have learned and used these concepts have reported that their tinnitus diminished or disappeared. I talked to a radio show host who inadvertently used these principles and noted his tinnitus resolved.
The tinnitus still returns when I am in noisy environments, if I am sleep deprived, or if my stress-coping skills are especially challenged. But if I am careful, the ringing is minimal to non-existent. It has been an incredible relief to escape that endless, irritating sound.
Conclusion
There are various types and causes of tinnitus. Not all of them will respond to these concepts, but there is no way of knowing without learning to calm yourself and see what happens. There is no downside, and you may be pleasantly surprised. no longer have to endure tinnitus.
References
- National Institute of Health. Tinnitus. Available online: https://www.nidcd.nih.gov/health/tinnitus (accessed on 17 September 2021).
- Denton, AJ, et al. Implications of transcranial magnetic stimulation as a treatment modality for tinnitus. J. Clin. Med (2021); 10:5422. https://doi.org/10.3390/jcm10225422
- Schubiner H and M Betzold. Unlearn Your Pain, third edition, Mind Body Publishing, Pleasant Ridge, MI, 2016.