Tinnitus Getting Quiet After 2 Years — Salicylates Cause?

After about 2 years of tinnitus, I'm starting to get quieter days and nights.

This all started about 2-3 weeks ago when I decided to address an eczema outbreak that I believed was Salicylates related.

Going through my diet I began eliminating all foods that were on the high and mid Salicylates scale. During my research I learned the connection between Salicylates and tinnitus.

I made sure that I was taking Omega 3, reducing sources of Omega 6 (leads to inflammation). I found that Olive Oil, Coconut Oil and other hidden sources of Salicylates in my diet, especially fruit, vegetables and herbs. Not to worry, there are plenty on the low side of the scale to choose from.

I read that Spirulina has had positive affects on Salicylate induced tinnitus, so I added that to my daily packs.

My daily vitamin packs consist of - Omega 3, Vit C with Rose Hips, Pantothenic Acid, B-Complex, D3, Magnesium (get plenty of Calcium in my diet), Lutein, Spirulina, Vit E (natural D-Alpha - not DL-Alpha).

I also learned to take a capsule of Cayenne Pepper about 20 minutes before a meal that may contain Salicylates. Cayenne Pepper contains Capsaicin - which helps with Salicylates sensitivity. I believe it blocks the body from reacting to the Salicylate in food.

And I will begin to take Glycine (a non-essential amino acid) soon which I read can help the body rid itself of Salicylates toxicity by binding to it and allowing it to be eliminated.

By taking all of these steps, I've noticed a prolonged reduction of tinnitus and during the day, at times I forgot I had any tinnitus at all.

Nights are still noticeable, but tinnitus has been reduced quite a bit.

All of these changes began when I started to address Salicylates in my diet.

I hope this helps others in their quest for peaceful quiet.

 

Can you post what you typically eat in a day?

 

Foods that are low on Salicylates are meats, fish, eggs, cheese, milk, cabbage (and others on the low side), low carb tortillas, flaxseed meal, there's actually quite a bit of different foods you can eat.

The foods most likely to have high Salicylates are vegetables, nuts, some oils, packaged foods, food coloring...

There's some good food lists out there that can guide you. Keep in mind, I approach my Salicylate sensitivity in two stages.

I eliminate as much Salicylates from my diet and aid my body to get rid of it that are present in food.

 

Is this the same salicylates that are ototoxic for the ears in Aspirin and other NSAIDs?

 

Sorry for the delay in my response.

What I'm learning about salicylates is its ability to build up in the body from foods or medication. I'm not on any medication, but my diet had been high in salicylates. All healthy foods, like avocados, olive oil, spinach, etc...

There also may be a link between build up of salicylates and low carb diets. I think highly acidic forming food in low carb diets may lower pH in urine (making it acidic).

Build up of salicylates could have a link with your kidney function and urine pH. I've read that the body's ability to get rid of built up salicylates is affected by the urine pH. And if the urine is acidic, there's a process where the body will re-absorb the salicylates. And I assume this is what can lead to a gradual salicylate sensitivity and its various symptoms similar to a very mild aspirin toxicity.

Of course if you are having any symptoms similar to aspirin toxicity, seek medical help immediately.

I think all of this is linked to tinnitus. Especially when it happens out of the blue - no hearing loss - no loud noises to trigger it.

I've noticed that once I started targeting salicylates in my diet and am working on helping my body rid itself of re-absorbed salicylates that my tinnitus has become quieter.

Some days it's louder and some days I hardly can hear it. In general over time it has decreased. I think the body goes through detox, then at the point when it's no longer at a certain level, it's able to start to repair the effects of the toxicity.

 

Excellent information. I've begun eliminating salicylates to address a new recent tinnitus and Eustachian Tube Dysfunction in my right ear. Your post is helpful and encouraging.

 

Hello, new here. I am cutting and pasting from my intro post. Seems more relevant here. Any advice will be appreciated. Pardon the ignorance.

I have a ton of diet questions as I am very confused. I noticed my tinnitus spikes sometimes after I eat. To avoid that, I started drinking protein shakes and small snacks here and there. Well that caused me to lose 12 lbs in 14 days. Maybe I am going back to a healthy weight as to be honest I used to eat a lot because I used to get the munchies.. not sure.

I am Pakistani/Indian so we eat a lot of spices... Cumin, turmeric, paprika, red chili... Basically anything hot you can imagine. I am scared to try my ethnic food because I don't want another crazy spike like when I first got tinnitus that would last for 1 day. Now most of my spikes last a few hours, at most 8 hours. I did have one spike earlier in the week that woke me up but I listened to masking music for 30 minutes and it went down to normal levels. I am also hesitant to experiment because now I am working. I can't take an 8-hour spike.

Conflicting info (yes I have researched this site) -

Salicylate vs foods to eat with tinnitus - some say turmeric, cayenne, etc is great for inflammation but salicylate websites say NO WAY. I would give anything to eat my ethnic spices again, except not my hearing lol. Some sources suggest to stay away from avocados, onions, sweet potatoes... but tinnitus sites say no, it's good for you. I'm lost. I'm looking for advice because I would like to set my diet straight.

When I make eggs with higher fiber bread I would put in garlic, mushrooms, cumin, turmeric, onions, avocado. I am going to make eggs for dinner now everyday but remove all spices and slowly introduce one element each day and see how I react. The confusing part is that salicylate builds up in your body so it could be from fruit, or other stuff I am eating through out the day.

Green tea with turmeric, ginger - I used to drink this all day everyday. Pro salicylate sites say no way, while tinnitus sites say go for it.

 

Thanks for the information. I have a diet extremely high in Salicylates and was just wondering how long after modifying your diet did you get results?

 

I get your frustration. My guess is you have to have a sensitivity or allergy to Salicylates for low Salicylate diet to have any effect. And there might be other signs you have this, similar to an allergic response. Perhaps there is a way to test the levels of Salicylates in your blood before embarking on dietary experiments? Can you ask your doctor?

 

Good point brother. I was thinking along the same lines. See if my doctor can get me tested for Salicylate sensitivity. I see him next week.

All this trial and error leads to increasing my anxiety. This might be a better approach.

Now the question I have is will Salicylates only affect your tinnitus if you are sensitive to it or no matter what it always affects tinnitus...

I get the Aspirin example but that's extreme.

 

No, I don't think Salicylates affect tinnitus if you are not sensitive to Salicylates. It seems like more people would have bad tinnitus if this were the case? I know older folks in my family who have taken aspirin daily for years and are fine, too. I think it's really dependent on the person.

There are also people whose tinnitus is affected by histamines in foods. A friend of mine figured out theirs was cheese that caused their tinnitus -- she gave up cheese and and it went away. When she ate it again, it came back temporarily, then went away. So perhaps you can also get a food allergy test if you;re noticing certain foods trigger yours? I am slightly allergic / sensitive to certain dairy foods, almonds, and dark chocolate. None of these affect my tinnitus at all when I do eat them.

I think it would be a good idea to keep a food diary! This is how I found out about my almond sensitivity. If you want to be more rigorous about it, you can try an elimination diet. But if it is stressing you out, maybe get some testing done by your doctor to see if you are sensitive or allergic to certain foods, etc. so you don't have to experiment over several weeks/months.

Good luck and I wouldn't worry until you can figure out which foods trigger yours so you can avoid them. The good news is, if your tinnitus is caused by something in your diet, it will most likely resolve once you eliminate the foods that trigger it.

 

Thanks! Greatly appreciated.