Salicylates Can Cause and Exacerbate Tinnitus, Hearing Loss, and Hyperacusis

I stumbled upon this today.

https://www.jneurosci.org/content/23/9/3944

Apparently they use salicylates to induce tinnitus in lab rats. Guess what salicylates are in? Everything.

Whether or not this has had an affect on my tinnitus or hearing, I don't know. But, I do eat a lot of foods high in salicylates because they've traditionally been super foods. Things like spinach, broccoli, blueberries, spices, tomatoes, beer (fuck), tea, coffee, olive oil, coconut oil, gum, etc, are all very high in salicylates. Having great nutrition is one thing I've been proud of and great at, but now I can only wonder if salicylates are making my tinnitus worse and if I should avoid them.

Everywhere you turn there is something that can cause or exacerbate tinnitus. Concerts, movies, caffeine, healthy foods, stress, tight muscles, jaw issues, etc. I mean, how are you supposed to live your life free or worry and fear? How are you supposed to eat a healthy diet, when literally everything healthy contains something that is used to induce tinnitus and worsen hearing.

List of foods high in salicylates: https://www.sjhc.london.on.ca/sites/default/files/salicylate_free_diet_food_guide.pdf

 

If you lived your life free of worry and fear, you'd be dead by bear. Those who did that were Darwin'ed out a long time ago.

Worry and fear is what makes us survive. Not understanding levels of risk (i.e. probabilities) is what makes one worry needlessly or nor not worry when one should (that's the bear thing above).

 

Aspirin is very high in salicylates which is what can cause tinnitus for people when they take it if they are affect by salicylates.

I tried a salicylates free diet for 3-4 days and I was miserable on it. It didn't do anything but it ruled it out. Since then I know high quality fruit and vegetables have a positive effect on my tinnitus.

 

I have found that olive oil, spinach and curcumin all spike my tinnitus to pretty much unbearable levels. All happen to be very high in salicylates. Maybe a coincidence, but i'm going to try a low salicylate diet. Can eat most meats and dairy and bananas and golden delicious apples, which I really like, so it shouldn't be too hard to stick too. Will give it 3 months to see how I fair.

 

Salicylates certainly can introduce and worsen tinnitus. I've experienced this myself. However, the good news is this seems to be only temporary. My personal experience and the literature available seem to reinforce this. I've only read about very high doses of aspirin for a very long time causing permanent tinnitus. This isn't something I would worry too much about.

 

Really confused.

I read a little bit about how salicylates could exacerbate/cause tinnitus.

i.e https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3341117/

My diet is VERY high in salicylates. I am vegan and try to eat lots of antioxidants i.e.-lots of spinach, kale, broccoli, blueberries, capsicum and avocado everyday. Lots of chia seeds, nuts. Tomatoes, eggplant. Prior to tinnitus I would eat a LOT of pickles. I add turmeric and curry powder to lots of cooking. etc.

However I also read that boosting anti-oxidants (vitamins A, C, E) and glutathione is important for protecting the ear from oxidative stress and could help tinnitus.

There seems to be a contradiction here (but perhaps not, perhaps it is down to dosage) as antioxidant rich foods (blueberries) are often very high in salicylates. Turmeric, which quiet a few people on this forum say has helped their tinnitus is also very high in salicylates.

Also when looking up ways to naturally boost my glutathione levels - most foods recommended are very high in salicylates.

Can anybody clarify here if salicylates in food affect their tinnitus? Or cutting out salicylates has helped?

 

How is this going for you?

 

I wonder if this is why some people claim their tinnitus improved on a carnivore diet.

 

@Ringeee, I have absolutely noticed any high Salicylate containing food, drink, medication or personal care product (facial scrub especially) will greatly spike my tinnitus for days.

I read about our “buckets” and when they are full is probably when we are most sensitive. After 3-4 weeks, the bucket empties & salicylic items can be slowly reintroduced in moderation. I have experimented and found this to be true.
I’m highly sensitive to sals and try to avoid ingesting them, but frankly they are literally in almost everything wholesome and enjoyable. If they were the actual cause of the tinnitus, I’d be thrilled to dump them from my life. But as far as I can tell, they just make the tinnitus more miserable as it never goes completely away, just recedes somewhat. I 100% gave up the drinks, meds & personal care products, but the food is very difficult to omit. I have basically eaten only meat, dairy & some peeled apples when my bucket was full. But for me, it’s really a tough regime to follow for longer than a month or so.

 

This is really helpful to know!

 

Does anyone here use salicylic acid facial scrub daily for acne with no permanent issues?

 

I hadn't considered salicylates, but am currently (for the past week) doing a low histamine diet, along with toxoprevent (mops up excess histamine) to figure out if my symptoms (joint pain, headaches, brain fog, bladder, and tinnitus) are related.

I may consider salicylates too down the track.

 

@Roserosie, You’re welcome!

You mentioned Turmeric, which usually comes formulated with black pepper. This particular supplement caused me the worst and longest spikes. It’s a double whammy for me. It’s awful to be so sensitive to salicylates.

 

I haven't been sticking to it, but I am going to try it again. Salicylates are in so many thing though. And then there is MSG and amines etc that need looking at.

What personal care products do you use now? I feel like only water itself is the only thing I can use to wash myself.
What about toothpaste etc?

 

Researchers that I have talked with, always include the following on their list for increasing tinnitus.

Noise and effect on hair cells - eardrum
Medications

Fusion cell activity
Forward head posture
Tips of small nerve fibers anyplace above the shoulders

Hypertension with raising blood pressure and this can also cause fibromuscular dysplasia of the carotid artery. Hypertension can also cause atherosoclerosis- peripheral arterial disease of the legs' where particles from that with hypertension can travel to the carotid artery. In the elder, a hypertension crisis can cause an abdominal aortic aneurysm and the retina to detach. Floaters. Any of these hypertension issues can cause pulsatile tinnitus.

Salicylates

Fluid / travel
Infections
Ear wax

The two tiny nerves that serve both the eardrum and jaw, as these two nerves also connect to the part of the brain that associates to hearing.


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Turmeric has 76.4 average salicylate per 100 grams.
Aspirin has 325 mg. Extra strength is double.
http://www.failsafediet.com/the-rpah-elimination-diet-failsafe/salicylate-content-of-

 

@all to gain,
I use Toms Natural toothpaste & right now, Dial white soap. I’ve just started looking into alternative soaps.

 

Could you tell me what a typical day's diet is for you?

 

@all to gain
Four foods that are safe - low to none in salicylates are oatmeal, banana, potatoes, and fish. I posted a link above. These foods will also help to control blood pressure.

 

???? Taking Turmeric is then bad for tinnitus and hearing?

I've been taking mega doses of Turmeric! I thought it was supposed to help tinnitus!

 

@ajc, as we all respond differently, I can only speak for myself & say that for me, Turmeric does spike my tinnitus. This is especially true when it’s formulated with black pepper.

 

Hi Greg, I've been checking lists of salicylates for quite a while and know them pretty much by heart. I eat lots of oatmeal, which is good as I love it, and I've started eating jacket potatoes without the skin. I've also started eating salmon 2-4 times per week. I was eating bananas, but stopped as I found I was sensitive to them to a degree (maybe amines).

Most lists say fish is low in salicylates, but then some state that there is a caveat, ie frozen fish is high in them. And oatmeal often has gluten in it, which some people are sensitive to and bananas are high in amines like I said.

Some people seem to be sensitive to more than just salicylates. Funnily enough many of the so-called healthy foods are some of the worst offenders for me, i.e. spinach, olive oil and curcumin (as I stated further up the thread).

 

Already had a condition (hyperacusis andsand reactive T a decade) but a salicylate type medication (5-ASA) Is what caused the most severe setback I ever had I am 7 months in and it has changed my life again. strange symptoms like I can't even use cannabis without horrible symptoms before it was something that helped me even after acoustic traumas. I had managed to mostly heal but made it worse from years of occasional loud noise and finally a shooting range but at least I just had bad had reactivate tinnitus and hyperacusis. however since then I have had permanent ringing and strange feelings in my ears and headaches and can't do a bunch of things I used to do.

I told that doctor that I shouldn't risk it and all of that stuff but over time he kind of convinced me not much absorbed systemically but he was wrong I should have done more research and avoided everything on the list from the ATA however the ketamine and propofol weren't too bad so I thought maybe the 5-ASA won't be. Stupidly even after the first pill I took two more that day thinking that the ringing would go away just because everybody knows salicylics cause temporary ringing right... Wrong. Whatever was damaged in me is still that way 7 months later. waiting on this regenerative drugs and more time and don't even know what else I take so many supplements... Just going to have to try to get in shape eat well supplement and wait for some of these drugs. I really didn't need this to get worse.

Wish I could see that doctor or sue the company. I asked for an alternative doctor they had and they didn't they gave me this guy who convinced me to get the colonoscopy insure that was necessary but I wish he had done more research told me to avoid the salicylates and told me to wait for my biopsy which came back as no cancer.

All I can say is do not risk it. I have had over half a year of hell. I just want this to go away. Even the hell I already had was a thousand times better.

That goes for medications especially the one I mentioned because the amounts are so much more than food or even daily aspirin what I took was the equivalent of maybe 800 mg aspirin but it's also another compound.

as far as diet goes I definitely know some foods have different effects but I eat high salicylic foods without noticing a ton but maybe I should test it more.