Elimination Diet Lowered My Tinnitus

My tinnitus went from an 8 or 9 down to a 2 or 3 after eliminating every drug I was on, including supplements, and all packaged foods and started eating only all plants, chicken, and eggs and a very low fat diet for about a year.

I had a veggie smoothie in water for breakfast, an egg or nuts for an AM snack, 5oz of plain baked chicken, and fruit for dinner. Started drinking coffee which made it slightly louder for part of the day, and for dinner only ate seeds, yogurt, avocados, and plums.

Before that I was taking Gabapentin in very large doses, Xanax, Cymbalta, Prednisone, smoking cloves, and drinking a bunch of Red Bull and Bang.

I decided to try this elimination diet that at first didn’t even include salt or spices after I woke up one day in 2020 (1st year of the pandemic) with an altered mental state. I felt like I was really high on pot or acid or something when I only tried those drugs a few times when I was a teen, and it freaked me out because I thought I was stuck feeling like that for the rest of my life.

I was terrified, heart pounding for 3 days like I was having a heart attack, couldn’t sit still for more than a few minutes or even have a conversation on the phone for more than five minutes. I couldn’t even concentrate long enough to do a simple math problem, I could barely drive, and didn’t sleep for 2 days.

I called every doctor and got every MRI & brain test I could, and all was normal except the tinnitus I was left with when it cleared. Doctors thought I either had COVID-19 or an ischemic stroke. I was never tested for COVID-19 but I had no other COVID-19 symptoms except very slight alteration in smell.

I’ve always had 3 other types of tinnitus likely from ear infections and/or loud concerts or hitting my head a few times, but never as life changing loud as this new tinnitus was after I got better that sounded like a roaring noise or a car engine in my head, with the vibration to go with it, and an onset of hyperacussis.

But after changing my diet, which I’m still following 3 years later, my tinnitus is low enough now that I’m no longer suicidal from it and most days I don’t even notice it. I also started watching church on TV every day during that time and praying like crazy. Prayer works! I first noticed my tinnitus was way lower one night after crying and praying for it to go away.

I have gone off the diet a few times and ate like a normal person for a few weeks, and these last two months because I got COVID-19 for the 1st time and was eating to stop the nausea. And each time my tinnitus went way up again. This last time it was up to a level 8 or 9 before I went back on the diet and now it’s at a 3 again.

Other things I avoid because they spike my tinnitus EVERY time: green tea (I used to drink at least 5 cups a day before, but now zero), coffee, Mountain Dew, energy drinks, Vit B, drinking lots of water at once before going to the gym, antibiotics, aspirin, and possibly Vit D.

Elimination diet works for me - I also got out during the pandemic after my tinnitus started and began volunteering and staying super busy. That helped immensely too because I wasn’t home in a quiet place listening to it and I was talking to lots of people and that drowned out the noise and focus too.

This is my first post telling my story, I hope it helps someone.

 

Good for you. I'm glad it works.

I was on a low sodium, low salt, low fat, no milk, no gluten, chicken only with raw veggies plus some fruit diet. It made no difference whatsoever.

My tinnitus level is a fairly reliable 3 to 5 which I cope with ok. If it went to 8-9, I would probably be experimenting with more dietary changes like you did.