8 little known natural cures for tinnitus

Tinnitus often develops after trauma to the inner ear – severe ear infections or loud noises are often to blame. It is not just annoying, the constant buzzing or high pitch hissing can become debilitating to daily life. People struggle with it for years, with no known medical cure there is not much else to do. If you think you may suffer with tinnitus take a look at this hearing information for some tips on how to deal with it and why not try some of these natural remedies…they may just work!

1. Acupuncture

A form of ancient Chinese medicine, acupuncture has been used to treat many ailments including tinnitus. Very fine needles are carefully inserted into the body at certain points dependent on the condition. It works for some people, but not everyone…not so good if you have a needle phobia!

2. Natural Supplements

• Gingko Biloba

This Chinese health supplement comes from the Chinese Maidenhair Tree. Taken daily it is said to improve blood circulation to the extremities, which can include the head and ears, helping reduce tinnitus. Dr Emily Kane, a natural health care specialist gives suggested dosage to treat then maintain. Beware though, it can take up to 6 weeks to experience any improvement.

• Co Enzyme Q10

Take this antioxidant as a daily supplement. It can be used alone or combine it with Gingko Bilboa

3. Relaxation and Meditation

Stress makes tinnitus worse….tinnitus makes stress worse….stress makes tinnitus worse and so on. Take time to relax, book some yoga sessions, may be try some meditation. It will help with the two problems if not many more.

4. Things to avoid

There are things to avoid and foods to eat that will help with tinnitus. Steer clear of toxins that overload your body such as caffeine and alcohol as both of these can make symptoms worse. Cut out smoking as nicotine is known to reduce the blood flow to our ears. Reduce the amount of acidic food you eat and try, where possible, to reduce stress as this can also make the symptoms worse, which of course then makes your stress worse and so on.

5. Things that help

Some weird and wonderful foods to try are Fenugreek tea, this is supposed to help with the natural discomfort of tinnitus; for anti-inflammation try eating lots of garlic (or buy some garlic capsules). Many people report that a teaspoon of apple cider vinegar taken daily helped.

6. Listen to the sea!

Sound therapy is becoming a very popular way of reducing the symptoms of tinnitus. It is basically listening to neutral background noise to distract from the tinnitus sound in the ear. See here for details on why listening to the calm of the sea really could help.

7. Cranio-Sacral Therapy

This is a non-force, hands-on therapy that should encourage the flow of cerebral spinal fluid around the brain. This must only be done by a qualified therapist but results have shown that symptoms may reduce and even completely resolve after a single treatment.

8. Aromatherapy

Try mixing lemon, Rosemary and rose oils for an aromatherapy massage or use in a vaporiser – as this is supposed increase blood circulation, which is said to help with tinnitus.

*Be aware though – Some people find that salicylic acid can cause symptoms to worsen, so proceed with caution*

Disclosure: In collaboration with Sophie Davidson.