A lively debate, er, um, discussion, rather, between
Dr. C and Professor Friendly about nutritional
claims regarding relief of tinnitus
complaints Nutritional Effects Upon Tinnitus: A
“Friendly” Discussion
A lively debate, er, um, discussion, rather, between
Dr. C. and Professor Friendly about nutritional
claims regarding relief of tinnitus complaints.
Professor Friendly: I really don’t buy the bogus
assumption that nutrition has anything to do with
tinnitus, do you?
Dr. C: (Picking self off of floor) Well, ummm, I
don’t believe in bogus assumptions, either. But
first tell me this: To which bogus assumptions are
you referring?
Professor F: Well, you know, I searched Medline on
the Internet and there just aren’t any double-blind
studies that show conclusively that nutritional
supplements can help tinnitus. It just raises false
expectations in tinnitus sufferers.
Dr. C: Then, my next question is, how do you define
tinnitus?
Professor F: You know, it’s ringing of the ears,
that’s all. Tinnitus is tinnitus is tinnitus. There
is no cure.
Dr. C: OK, so your level of study of tinnitus has
not yet taken you to the molecular,
neurophysiological level yet. But rest assured there
those of us who’ve been studying this subject under
a microscope for many years, and we’ve found that
etiologies and sites of lesion of tinnitus
complaints are almost as varied as the individuals
who suffer from them. Because of myriad variations
it is virtually impossible to hold “blind” or
“double-blind” studies. I mean, first of all, how do
you compare one person’s tinnitus with another? And
second of all, how do you trick anyone into going
“blind” on his or her condition? So my next question
is this, what do you feel is bogus about considering
nutritional factors as part of the solution for some
cases of tinnitus?
Professor F: Well, er, I’m not sure what you mean.
Let’s take the Chinese herb ginkgo biloba. One study
claims to show benefits in the majority of subjects,
while yet other studies show absolutely no change. I
call that inconclusive.
Dr. C: With all due respect, sir, I call it
short-sighted. That would bring us to the question
as to what substance were each study comparing? The
French study completed in the early 1990s, for
instance, utilized a specially processed and highly
concentrated form of ginkgo that preserved
amino-acid chains and enzymes. Another study in the
U.S. simply allowed subjects to purchase a cheap,
unproven brand of ginkgo off-the-shelf of local
grocers and drug stores. Our finding was that the
two substances were quite different from each other.
In fact, the U.S. study was for a very short
duration compared to the French study, plus the U.S.
ignored other mitigating and causal factors, such as
tobacco and alcohol use, and personal health
profile. It also lumped all types of tinnitus into
one category as you did while ago, while the French
study was designed with strict pathological
parameters, primarily for those suspected of stria
vascularis constrictions. Therefore, there were
between subject and within-subject comparisons. In
the U.S. study, the parameters were about as useful
as detecting the benefits of lawn clippings for
general headaches after 30 days.
Professor F: Well, I didn’t know that.
Dr. C: Neither does J. Q. Public when they hear
these grand pronouncements by the “experts critics”
of nutritional claims. Something else, I noted a few
years ago: There was an expose program on national
television that purported that Echinacea was
ineffective in warding off colds. The sole focus on
the program was that herbs were pure quackery, and
have little effect compared to today’s modern
pharmaceutical solutions. When I later inquired with
the program’s producers as to what substance they
used to determine the effectiveness of Echinacea, it
turns out they didn’t know the difference between
angustifolia and purpurea Echinacea, or that there
was any significance to how it is processed and
packaged. The consumers on the program who showed
absolutely no affect on their health were buying the
cheap purpurea ground-flower version, which is a
little stronger than those grass clippings I
mentioned while ago. The doctor that was hacked down
by the reporter for recommending Echinacea to his
patients was using a high-grade angustifolia root
complex. Of course, millions of uninformed viewers
were unaware of this apples and oranges comparison,
and, I’m sure, went away shaking their heads. To me
this is the height of professional dishonesty and an
ethical abrogation. Just as those who make such
claims have the burden of responsibility to show
solid evidence, those who would criticize also are
burdened with disproving it, using at least the same
level of informed judgment as the one they are
criticizing.
Professor F: Ummm, I don’t know what to say to that.
Well, then, have you found any credible studies on
the relationship between tinnitus and nutrition?
Dr. C: As a matter of fact, there are many. Some are
in anecdotal within-subject studies, such as
individual case histories. These generally are
microscopic examinations into causes, effects, and
in developing various models of treatment. Then,
there are some larger population studies. But those
required more narrowly defined population
characteristics than would apply to the population
at large. In other words, only persons who share
similar etiological bases and overlay could compare
themselves to study subjects.
Professor F: Mmmmmm…
Dr. C: To give you a quick run-down: Two studies out
of Israel (Institute for Noise Hazards Research and
Evoked Potentials Laboratory at Chaim-Sheba Medical
Center in Ramat Gan and Tel Aviv University)
demonstrated a strong correlation between vitamin
B-12 deficiency and tinnitus that appeared to be
caused by myelin-deficient nerve fibers. They found
out of 385 subjects that 36-47% suffered from B-12
deficiency. B-12 injections of 1,000 mcg. were
injected weekly for 4-6 months. 54% reported
significant improvement in their tinnitus. It was
reported by one of the researchers that, “long-term
exposure to noise may deplete body levels of B-12
and so make the ears more vulnerable to
noise-induced damage.” It was further found that
B-12 deficiencies can cause raised blood levels of
homocystiene, an amino acid that it felt to be toxic
to the nerves.
Professor F: Well, I’ll be….
Dr. C: Many studies show a relationship between Zinc
deficiency and tinnitus in the cochlea, while others
show a direct relationship in cases of Magnesium
and/or Calcium deficiencies. Certain types of
vitamin E (there are eight!) have also shown promise
in lessening tinnitus associated with vascular
constrictions, such as in hardening of the arteries
and hyperlidemia. In this case, the tiny capillaries
of the stria vascularis that lines the cochlea and
vestibular organs are simply not bringing enough
oxygen and nutrients to the inner ear, a major cause
of both tinnitus and sensorineural loss. And then
there are the ginkgo studies…
Professor F: Enough already! I believe you, I just
don’t know where to start with my investigation of
nutrition and tinnitus.
Dr. C: Well, why don’t you start with consulting the
literature of those who’ve been working with this
over many years? Like they say, “the proof is in the
pudding”. Patients who’ve reported benefits under
these regimens can’t all be “placebo effects”, now
can they? The truth of the matter is that it is the
professional and ethical duty of every health
practitioner and educator to become informed about
alternative approaches to resolving human illness.
In my experience, the most powerful medicine in the
world is a combination of all the good that modern
medicine has to offer coupled with intelligent use
of alternative, holistic approaches. Of course, the
best doctor in the house is one’s own body…
Professor F: Thanks for setting me straight about
this.
Dr. C: Well, thank you for opening your mind to the
possibility that there just might be some hope for
tinnitus sufferers, as well.
|
|
|
|
|
