Tinnitus-Ayurvedic Treatments And Herbal Remedies

Tinnitus

Tinnitus is a condition in which you experience ringing or buzzing noises in one or both of your ears. It is called tinnitus because the word tinnitus comes from the Latin tinnie which means "to ring". Tinnitus is usually caused by an age-related hearing loss, an ear injury, or a problem with the circulatory system. Tinnitus is a common problem. It affects about 15% to 20% of people and is especially common in older adults.

In Ayurveda, tinnitus is known as Karna nada. It is a symptom of the imbalance of Vata Dosha. An imbalance in the Vata dosha causes abnormalities in the normal body functioning, causing dryness of the mucous membranes, disturbances within the sensory nerve fibers, lack of sleep, and thus tinnitus. As a result, you will hear different sounds in your ears. Following the Ayurveda diet, external therapies and herbal remedies help reduce the symptoms.

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Types Of Tinnitus

There are two types of Tinnitus. They are as follow:

• Subjective tinnitus

  It means the perception of sound in the absence of an acoustic stimulus and is heard only by the patient. .

• Objective tinnitus

  It is uncommon and results from noise generated by structures near the ear. Sometimes the tinnitus is loud enough to be heard by the examiner.

There are two types of Tinnitus. One is subjective tinnitus, the most common type, and objective tinnitus, which is much rarer.

Symptoms Of Tinnitus

The symptoms of tinnitus include

• A noise in the ears, such as ringing, roaring, buzzing, hissing, or whistling;.
• The noise may be intermittent or continuous. .
• Most of the time, only the person who has tinnitus can hear it.

Causes Of Tinnitus

Some of the causes of tinnitus include:

• Age-related hearing loss.
• Exposure to loud noise.
• Earwax buildup.
• Abnormal bone growth in the ear.
• Meniere's disease.
• Stress and depression.
• Head or neck injuries.
• Benign tumor of the cranial nerve.

Ayurvedic Treatment For Tinnitus

The main Ayurvedic treatments to cure tinnitus are the Panchakarma treatments, which help in treating and preventing tinnitus, which are as follows:

• Nasya

  Nasya is an effective panchakarma therapy for balancing the Vata. Nasya nourishes the senses and eliminates excess Vata from the senses. Often, it can be treated by performing Nasya with the warm oil obtained from the Vacha tree.

• Abhyanga or Massage

  Performing Abhyanga or Massaging the head or foot is vital in removing Vata dosha from the ears. Massaging with warm sesame oil, mint oil or castor oil gives a cooling and calming sensation to the mind and body which helps in comforting the Prana Vayu. Thus it treats tinnitus.

• Kawala and Gandush

  Another ayurvedic remedy to treat tinnitus is Kawala, which is the gargling of medicated oils or liquids, and Gandush is the withholding of the medicated oil or liquid within the mouth without gargling for a certain amount of time. These two treatments have significance in calming the Vata doshas and strengthening the nerves near the eyes and ears, thus minimizing the tinnitus discomfort. The liquids generally used for kawala and gandush are a type of kwath or decoction obtained by boiling ayurvedic herbs in water.

• Karna Poorana

  Karna Poorana is an ayurvedic specialized therapy that deals with all sorts of ear diseases and provides complete ear wellness. It means putting oil in your ears and reducing the vata in them. It helps in the treatment of tinnitus by improving hearing quality.

The important ayurvedic therapies for the treatment of tinnitus are nasya, Abhyanga, Karnapooran, Kawala, and Gandush.

Diet Recommendations

Ayurveda recommends consuming a proper Vata balancing diet to treat tinnitus. They are as follow:

• The diet mostly consists of food that is warm, moderately textured, and sweet, salty or sour. .
• Consume raw nuts, nut butter, and spices like cumin, ginger, cloves, cinnamon, cardamom, in moderation to enhance the flavor of the food.
• Include vitamin b12 in your diet because it can help alleviate your tinnitus symptoms. So eat food such as salmon, chicken, beef, and eggs.
• Potassium-rich foods that may help alleviate your symptoms include apricots, sweet potatoes, papayas, bananas, yogurt, spinach, mangos, and apples.
• Include Folate (B-vitamin that is naturally present in many foods) in your diet. Folate helps improve blood flow to the inner ear by increasing circulation and can help improve tinnitus, sudden hearing loss, and age-related hearing loss. So eat plenty of beans, spinach, romaine lettuce, broccoli, turnip greens, asparagus, etc.
• Sometimes ringing in the ears can be caused by low levels of zinc, which is responsible for healing and cell growth. So eating plenty of nuts, dark chocolate, yogurt, chicken, beef, spinach, lamb, and shellfish helps to cure the condition.
• Avoid Processed or pre-packaged or fast foods, Table salt, Artificial sweeteners, Vegetable oils, Saturated fats, Refined carbohydrates, Trans fats, Caffeine, Processed sugar, and Alcohol.
• Eat pineapples regularly. Pineapples contain an enzyme called bromelain, which is known to exhibit anti-inflammatory properties and can help treat inflammation caused by tinnitus.

Lifestyle Changes

• Avoid traveling and walking in cold or windy climates.
• Avoid bathing in excessively cold climates. .
• Avoid suppressing natural urges like sneezing, coughing, sleeping, elimination, etc.
• Excess television watching, excess use of computers, or sleeping near an electrical appliance should be avoided.
• Avoid exposure to loud noises, music, speakers, and activities involving high-frequency sounds.
• Practice Yoga, meditation, and breathing exercises.
• People with tinnitus should have better sleep.

Ayurvedic Home Remedies

Following home remedies are very beneficial to treat Tinnitus:

• Take a handful of basil leaves. Crush them to prepare the paste and press this paste on the sieve. Extract the juice and heat it till it gets lukewarm. Put two drops in the affected area and repeat this at least two times a day.
• Slice and cut one onion to prepare its paste. Press this paste on the sieve to extract the juice. Pour two drops of this juice into the affected area.
• Take ginger powder, honey, and rock salt. Mix all to prepare the fine paste. Boil this in sesame oil till all the moisture evaporates. Cool and strain the oil. With the help of cotton, the bud applies this on the inside surface of the ear.
• Ghee is beneficial for Tinnitus, so you can increase the intake of ghee.
• Green tea is rich in polyphenol antioxidants that have strong anti-inflammatory properties, which can remove infections in your ear.

Ayurvedic Herbal Treatment Of Tinnitus

Ayurvedic treatment involves the use of herbs and natural medicines that are not harmful to health. With the help of these herbs, we can tinnitus that pacifies the Vata Dosha and gives relief. Some of the herbs are as follow:

• Giloy

  It is an effective Ayurvedic herb to treat diseases like infections, fever, and respiratory disorders. It also treats tinnitus, by pacifying the aggravated Vata humor and eliminates tinnitus slowly and gradually.

• Vacha

  Tinnitus is a Vata disorder, so Vacha herb is an apt remedy to treat the condition as it pacifies Vata dosha.

• Pitpapda

  It also helps to clean the blood and fight against different types of diseases. It is also effective for tinnitus because it reduces the Vata and pitta humor and decreases the abnormal sounds that happen in the ears.

• Yashtimadhu

  Commonly known as Licorice is the best Ayurvedic herb to treat Tinnitus. This herb gives strength to the acoustic nerve, inner ear, and hearing center in the brain.

• Sariva

  It also treats tinnitus and acts as an effective herb for the treatment of hearing loss. Due to its diuretic and anti-inflammatory properties, it treats kidney disease, joint disorders, and other inflammatory diseases. .

• Fenugreek Seed

  It is another remedy to treat tinnitus. Fenugreek seeds possess anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, and antioxidant properties that can help bring relief from the pain and inflammation caused due to tinnitus.

• Basil Leaves

  Due to its antioxidant, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, and antibacterial properties that help to fight infections in the ear. Basil also helps in removing stress and anxiety caused by tinnitus.

• Yashtimadhu

  It is rich in vitamin E, antioxidants, antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties. These properties can help lower pain and inflammation caused by tinnitus. In a cotton ball, add 2 drops of castor oil. Plug it into your ear. Do this twice a day.

Tinnitus is a Vata disorder. So the Vata balancing therapies and herbs are beneficial. The effective Ayurvedic herbs to treat the symptoms of Tinnitus are Giloy, Vacha, Pitpapda, Yashtimadhu, Sariva, fenugreek seed, basil leaves, castor oil, etc.

Conclusion

The above-mentioned information related to Tinnitus is taken from various Ayurvedic resources. The Ayurvedic supplements or herbal medications need to be strictly administered under the guidance of an Ayurvedic doctor.