Tinnitus (Ringing in the ears) Chiropractic approach to treatment

Tinnitus is commonly referred to as ringing in the ears. Just like the chiropractic term, cracking your back, ringing in the ears (excuse the pun) does not exactly ring true.  Tinnitus symptoms include hissing, buzzing, whistling or swooshing.  15% of the U.S. population suffers from tinnitus.  Tinnitus begin with an irritation or disruption in function of the vestibularcochlear nerve that exits from the brain stem.  What causes this horrible condition?  Exposure to loud noises, medications side effects, infection or disease are the top causes.  Sadly, the medical profession states that tinnitus has no known cure.  For some the condition resolves in a few days, but 20 million Americans have chronic tinnitus which does not go away.  Treatments for tinnitus include medication which may or may not help.  Natural remedies include magnesium supplementation, zinc or ginkgo biloba.  White noise machines next to your bed at night, may help block awareness to the tinnitus symptoms.  The chiropractic approach to caring for tinnitus is based upon the vestibularcochlear nerve disruption.  The 1^st cervical vertebra sits beneath the brain stem.  If chiropractic analysis finds that the C1 vertebra, also called the Atlas bone, is fixated or subluxated this would disrupt nerve flow to the vestibularcochlear nerve.  In addition, the cochlear nerve runs through the temporal bone on the side of your head.  Temporal bone fixations could also be a cause of disrupting this nerve. While chiropractic is not a treatment for these symptoms or this condition, the chiropractor adjusting the C1, Atlas vertebra and the temporal bone fixations will remove nerve irritation to these important nerves and has been shown in case studies to help with tinnitus symptoms.

The amino acid L-carnitine is in my opinion one of the most useful amino acids to supplement in your daily diet.   Its main function in the body is to turn fat into energy.  A review of medical research shows that L-carnitine supplementation significantly reduced bodyweight, body mass and fat mass in overweight adults.  Personally, I have taken L-carnitine daily for years and maintain a healthy body weight.  One of the other major benefits to L-carnitine supplementation is athletic performance.  Supplementation prior to exercise or sporting events has been shown to increase athletic performance by 11%.  Increases in aerobic exercise performance and endurance are due to the additional oxygen uptake in the body’s cellular tissue from the L-carnitine supplementation.  Other major benefits from taking this amino acid include fertility.  L-carnitine increases sperm quality and motility and improves ovulation rates.  In addition, L-carnitine has been shown to decrease inflammation, benefit heart health and has even been used successfully to help children with autism, as 80% of autistic children deficient in L-carnitine.

Walking is probably the safest and one of the most effective forms of exercise for overall health A new study has encouraging news for people whose job or other circumstances require them to sit for much of the day. Researchers say every daily step you take beyond 2,200 steps per day reduces the risk of death and cardiovascular disease. These benefits increase up to 9,000 to around 10,500 steps a day. At this level, you will see strong health benefits, even if you have a high amount of sedentary time.  Keith Diaz, PhD, a certified exercise physiologist and associate professor of behavioral medicine at Columbia University Medical Center in New York City, said the findings simplify the public health message on the benefits of walking. “We all have the same target, whether we sit for eight hours at work, or we don’t,” he told Healthline. “Everybody should be aiming for 9,000 to 10,500 steps per day. You will achieve comparable health benefits [at this level], and you don’t need to do more.”

Author

Dr J. Zimmerman, Chiropractor Dr. Zimmerman is a practicing chiropractor from Galloway, NJ with 30 years of chiropractic practice.