Treatment For Sudden Hearing Loss

 

The natural approach

There is natural treatment an option that may benefit SSHL suffers:

• Don’t use cotton swabs in ears

• Low-sodium diet, non-processed foods, eating less sugar

• Herbal Diuetics

• Limiting the intake of stimulants such as: coffee, alcohol, and tobacco

• A reduction in hard physical exertion and only low impact exercises

• Absence of noise exposure such as guns, engines, rock concerts, MP3 players

Diuretics are believed to flush the toxins, and sodium build up that can affect hearing loss. Eating a diet low or free of preservatives can be helpful as well. Sugar is bad we all know that, but diabetes which is a disease caused by high gluscose or sugar in the blood and has many long term debiliating condtions associated with it.

Diabetes may lead to hearing loss by damaging the nerves and blood vessels of the inner ear, the researchers suggest. Autopsy studies of diabetes patients have shown evidence of such damage. Lowing your blood sugar by taking less processed sugar in your diet can reverse some of the debilitating effects.

 Alpha-limpoic  Acid For Treating Hearing Loss

An alpha-lipoic acid, is a sulfur-containing fatty acid. It is located within each cell of the body, where it helps generate the energy that keeps us alive and working. Lipoic acid is a key part of the metabolic machinery that turns glucose (blood sugar) into energy for the body’s wishes. Thanks to its collective fat and water solubility, lipoic acid can get into all the parts of a nerve cell and potentially protect it against such damage. This gives lipoic acid a surprisingly broad range of antioxidant action.

Antioxidants are sort of like the first defense, and they are willing to sacrifice themselves to kick out free radicals. In addition, lipoic acid may be in a position to do the work of other antioxidants when the body is deficient in them. It is said that certain nerve disorders are at least partly due to free radical damage. This is the explanation for studies on the potential benefits of lipoic acid for diabetic neuropathy, and it is proposed that it may help to prevent or repair nerve damage that causes hearing loss.

The commonly recommended dosage of oral lipoic acid is 100 to 200 mg 3 times daily. For use as a general antioxidant, a lower dosage of 20 to 50 mg daily is commonly recommended.

Fatty acids like vitamin E , alpha-lipoic, Omega 3 essential fatty acids are need to assist the body with circulation. Nutrient rich blood, and good circulation depends on a supply of essential fatty acids. Excess saturated fat eaten in the American diet can interfere with this process. Essential fatty acids also help reduce the tendency to produce excessive amounts of earwax.

Magnesium For Treating Hearing Loss

A 2-month, double-blind, placebo-controlled study of three hundred army sign ups found daily supplementation with magnesium helped protect the ear from noise-induced damage. The dose given was 167 mg which is considered a small dose, but follow up tests indicated that even this amount was enough to raise magnesium levels within cells and seemingly protect the ear from damage. The study also showed that the groups given the magnesium supplement were not as likely to experience permanent hearing damage as those given a placebo. Magnesium can be taken in a supplement that includes magnesium, calcium and vitamin D for the most benefit, read below.

Magnesium Safe Dosage
Males 19-30 years 400 mg per day Males >30 years 420 mg Females 19-30 years 310 mg Females >30 years 320 mg.

In supplementation it is normally taken in dosages of 750 – 1,000 mg per day.

A deficiency in vitamin D can have serious consequences and has been linked with otosclerosis (abnormal bone growth in the middle ear), unexplained and bilateral cochlear deafness, presbycusis, and sensorineural hearing loss. Researchers have noted vitamin D deficiency is possibly one of the reasons and supplementation should be considered in persons with hearing loss.

Vitamin D can be inhibited if there is also a magnesium deficiency. If there is a magnesium deficiency, this will also affect calcium intakes. Just one deficiency in our body can have trickle down affect, that makes it very difficult to isolate the exact cause of sudden hearing loss, and many other disease process.

Calcium Safe Dosage 500-1200 mg per day

Vitamin D Safe Dosage 400 I.U.

Zinc for Treating Hearing Loss

This essential mineral is important for many functions that take place in the body including the support of the immune system, manufacture around 300 enymes, cell reproduction, wound repair, free radical protection, but research shows that it also protects hair cells in the inner ear. The relationship connecting zinc deficiency and tinnitus, cochlear damage, and hearing damage has been studied in both humans and animals. Zinc deficiency increases the susceptibility of the cochlea to hearing loss. Research results indicate that zinc deficiencies increase the vulnerability of the cochlea to damage associated with normal aging. When a zinc supplement was given, in one study, one-third of the patients showed marked improvement in tinnitus caused by presbycusis and sensorineural hearing loss.

Zinc Safe Dosage 40 mg

B -Complex for Hearing Loss

B complex had many great benefits, but that it is vital for the health of nerves, it is equally so in helping to avoid hearing loss. A good B complex supplement can help reduce ear pressure and has been used to treat sudden deafness with profound hearing loss. In one study, subjects with sudden deafness were treated with vitamin B complex. Some  of the group recovered completely while others in the group improved their hearing substantially. Tinnitus has also been studied. After several weeks, treatment was deemed to be successful.

Vitamin C For Treating Hearing Loss

In studies, vitamin C proved to be a highly beneficial antioxidant, particularly when combining it with glutathione as a protection against gentamycin ototoxicity. Three times the normal dosage was recommended during treatment. Vitamin C was also found to help protect or lower the damage to cochlear hair cells and hearing caused by noise exposure.

Dosage recommended is 1,000-3,000

Ginkgo Biloba for Treating Sudden Hearing Loss

The herb ginkgo biloba is thought to increase circulation, and for that reason it has been tried as a treatment for this condition. In a double-blind, placebo-controlled trial, 106 participants with a carefully defined form of sudden hearing loss were given either a full dose of ginkgo extract (120 mg twice daily) or a low dose of the herb (12 mg twice daily). The lower dose was chosen in the belief that it couldn’t possibly offer any benefit, and would therefore serve as placebo. However, researchers were surprised to find that most participants in each group recovered by the end of the 8-week trial. There are two possibilities to explain this: low-dose ginkgo is effective, or many people with sudden hearing loss recover on their own anyway. It was noted that  both groups improved to such a great extent, the overall results of the trial did not prove ginkgo effective. An investigative look at the data provided some exciting hints that high-dose ginkgo may have helped ensure full recovery, but for statistical reasons the results can’t be taken as proof.

A double-blind study compared ginkgo to pentoxifylline, a circulation-enhancing drug used in Germany for the treatment of sudden hearing loss.  The results indicate that ginkgo was at least as effective as the medication. However, because pentoxifylline is not a proven treatment for this condition, the results prove little. The same gingko group did report greater gains against tinnitus. On average, patients taking gingko reported larger decreases in the severity of their tinnitus symptoms. And overall, patients gave gingko higher efficacy scores than pentoxifylline on a five-point rating scale. It should be noted that additonal research will be necessary to discover whether ginkgo is actually effective for sudden hearing loss.

Ginkgo Bilbao for Treating Vertigo

A 3-month, double-blind trial of 70 people with an assortment of vertigo symptoms found that ginkgo extract given at a dose of 160 mg twice daily produced results higher than a placebo 75 By the end of the trial, 47% of the people given ginkgo had significantly recovered versus only 18% in the placebo group.
Dosage
The standard dosage of ginkgo is 40 mg to 80 mg 3 times daily

Antioxidants for Treating Hearing Loss
Antioxidants help prevent hearing loss by bolstering the inner ear’s antioxidant defenses, making the ear more resistant to noise or toxins or infection, some success with rescuing the hearing of some patients with sudden hearing loss if were treated within 4 to 5 weeks of their sudden hearing loss.

Co-enzyme Q10for Treating Hearing Loss

CO-enzyme Q 10 is a powerful antioxidant similar to vitamin E , it plays a role in maintaining circulation to the ears, and it also supports energy production in hearing cells, and protecting against free-radical damage. This antioxidant is recognized and studies are showing that CoQ10 is also effective in promoting recovery from acute sudden deafness resulting from hypoxia (insufficient oxygen) as well as in the recovery of damaged auditory hairs and in preventing respiratory metabolic impairment of the hair cells caused by hypoxia.

Safe Dosage 60-320 mg

MSM For Treating Hearing Loss
This one of those tales that floats the net waves, and there is no research studies at this time that give any credibility to the use of MSM eye drops being placed in the ears. It is said a few drops at bedtime will remove toxins, and has a rich anti-oxidant that protects and repairs damaged tissue. This has been used in conjunction with low level laser therapy.

Alternative Treatments For Treating Hearing Loss

Ayurveda is India’s traditional, natural system of medicine that has been practiced for more than 5,000 years. Ayurveda emphasizes prevention of disease, rejuvenation of our body systems, and extension of life span. Hearing is governed by an aspect of  vata known as prana vata. In people, prana vata tends to get debilitated, leading to what is known as conductive or nerve deafness, ayurveda has an herb called yogaraj Guggula to help with ear condtions.

Yogaraj Guggulu for Treating Hearing Loss

detoxifying herb guggulu is added to herbs that are designed to increase blood flow to the herbs added are triphala, pippali, chitrak and ginger. Use with Pain-Free.  90 tabs, 300mg. Take 1-2 tabs 3x/day after meals for 3-6 months, depending on severity of the condition.

• Acupuncture
• Acupressure
• Low Level Laser Therapy

The effectiveness of Low Level Laser Therapy in improving and restoring normal cell function in the inner ear is an emerging therapy, and will be covered in a later post.

Conclusion

To keep your inner ear healthy, and repair damage it is advice to eat a diet is high in anti-oxidants, low in sodium, sugar, and processed food. Drink lots of filtered, un-chlorinated water, to cleanse, and keep cells well nourished throughout the day. Bear in mind that only a certain amount of the foods you eat will provide the proper nutrients, and in some most individual an additional regime of supplements will need to be taken. You do not have to take a handful of pills, but by choosing supplements to help fight the Free radicals that can damage your ear further by causing ear inflammation. The high doses of steroids prescribed by doctors have an anti-inflammatory effect, but if you are adverse to using these there are other natural options that can help treat the inner ear inflammation can cause loss of hearing and permanent damage to your ear.

If you have found relieve from a treatment please feel free to post your success, as it may be a benefit to others out there suffering with this relatively rare conditions that does not get the as much attention as other forms of hearing loss.

 Want To Head Back To The  Home Page

Tinnitus Treatments For Unrelenting Sound

Treatment options for tinnitus.

 Magnetic Therapy- Studies Prove It is Effective

Magnetic therapy increases circulation, relieves inflammatin, and relieves pain. 

Can nutritional supplements Treat Suddne Hearing Loss?
These free radicals are what the researchers suspected were responsible for the hair cell damage.

Vitamin & Supplement: Benefits Of Taking Vitamin B2
Usually if not hearing the line, eat your vegetable as a treatment for sudden hearing loss.

Adapting to Sudden Hearing Loss
Not anexpert on hearing aids. I’m just an individual diagnosed with sudden hearing loss.

Is Your Medication Causing Hearing Loss?
Ototoxic drugs can cause tinnitus temporary hearing loss can result.