Arrest Tinnitus

Huperzine-A on sale at Amazon

2012-01-22T23:40:00.007-06:00

I get Source Naturals Huperzine-A from Amazon. Great price and quality, and on sale right now: $18.42 for 120 tablets. Buy here by hitting this link and put a few coins in the Arrest Tinnitus tip jar.

This is exactly how I caused my tinnitus.

2011-12-31T21:09:00.001-06:00

Athletes who use iPods or wear earbuds may be at risk for permanent hearing loss.

...Northwestern University audiologist, Dean Garstecki, found the same kind of hearing loss in younger people who use iPods and earbud headphones that you would typically see in aging adults. Earbuds are placed directly in the ear and can boost the sound signal by as much as six to nine decibels. It's enough to cause hearing loss after only about an hour and 15 minutes.

I'm back.

2011-12-31T20:57:00.003-06:00

After a year-long hiatus, I've got lots to report, re tinnitus and its remedies.

I've found a Chinese herb, Huperzine-A, that shuts down my evil buzz for at least 12 hours.

This completes my triumvirate of tinnitus ~~cures~~ palliatives: Vinpocetine, beet juice, and Huperzine-A. All three, I think, are vasodilators.

Much more to come.

Is Beet Juice the Elixer of Youth?

2010-12-19T19:59:00.016-06:00

Yes, it is.

Beetroot juice widens blood vessels and reduces the amount of oxygen needed by muscles during activity.

As people age, or if they develop conditions that affect the cardiovascular system, the amount of oxygen taken in during exercise can drop dramatically.

Writing in the Journal of Applied Physiology, Katie Lansley said: 'What we’ve seen in this study is that beetroot juice can actually reduce the amount of oxygen you need to perform even low-intensity exercise.’

Note the post below. There was a pronounced improvement in my cardiac workout immediately after my first sips of beet juice.

Beet Juice Might be IT

2010-11-16T23:03:00.000-06:00

Turns out my neighborhood health food store, The Rainbow, will juice whatever produce you buy there.

So yesterday I got a tall fresh glass of beet juice for 70 cents.

It tastes surprisingly good. I drank about a half cup yesterday and tonight.

Surely it's too early for this sort of result, but at the gym tonight I easily did a fairly hard 26 minutes (two miles) on the elliptical. I've been working out with heavy weights for some time now, but only lately stepped up my cardio. Twenty minutes of that has been challenging, until tonight.

When I went to take my evening's handful of supplements, I did not need any Vinepocetine. My ears are usually on fire every night around this time. Not tonight.

2010-11-13T13:49:00.000-06:00

It's 1:30 p.m. Saturday afternoon. My ears are all but clear.

Last night I took 20 mgs Vinepocetine and 5 mgs melatonin. Early this morning I took 100 mgs Pycnogenal and 20 mgs Vinepocetine.

BTW, a friend tells me Vinepocetine does him no good. His tinnitus began with sinus trouble; mine started via ear bud-induced injury.

Jelli Earplugs

2010-11-11T12:56:00.000-06:00

I just spent $4.99 at Bass Pro Shop for some very nice earplugs.

My new Jelli Snug Plugs get a 28 noise reduction rating. (The highest rating is 34.) They're comfortable and effective.

Happily for me, these earplugs attach to a neck cord. I've been known to jam earplugs so deep into my head that needle nose pliers were needed to extract them.

Beet Juice?

2010-11-03T23:07:00.000-05:00

Since Vinpocetine's eases tinnitus by revving up brain blood flow, I'll also give beet juice a whirl.

Where do I get beet juice?

Sleep Aid for Tinnitus-Afflicted

2010-10-24T15:10:00.000-05:00

A recent small study shows melatonin helps tinnitus sufferers sleep better.

Every night I take twice the amount of melatonin used in this study, and I usually sleep pretty well.

BTW, Qualitycounts.com is a great resource for news and studies on many conditions, like tinnitus, and supplements such as melatonin.

Another Tinnitus Suicide

2010-10-20T16:23:00.000-05:00

Another tinnitus sufferer has killed himself.

If you know someone with tinnitus, please please get them to try Vinpocetine. It may not work for everyone, but it reliably relieves my otherwise unbearable symptoms.

I'm disgusted by doctors who won't explore alternative treatments and supplements that offer hope to their tinnitus patients.

Thank God for the Internet, where I learned about Vinpocetine. Without this common herb, I'd consider suicide.

Study: Pycnogenol May Ease Tinnitus

2010-10-19T19:50:00.000-05:00

Daily supplements of French maritime pine bark extract may ease tinnitus, a result that offers hope to the estimated 15m Americans who consider their tinnitus to be a serious problem.

Vinepocetine still reduces the sizzling in my ears every day, often to the point of total quiet. But I'm gonna try pycnogenol, 100 or 150 milligrams per day, as per this study.
Stand by for results.

Shock the Monkey

2010-05-31T20:48:00.000-05:00

From Technology Review:
Taming Tinnitus with Electrical Stimulation

Stimulating the vagus nerve may help block phantom sounds by reorganizing the brain.

Vinpocetine Dosage

2010-05-28T12:48:00.000-05:00

When I first used Vinepocetine to silence my tinnitus, I took a daily early morning 40 mg dose.

It worked. But Vinepocetine takes several hours to kick in and offers only a few hour's relief. By night the buzzing dialed back up.

Now I awake and swallow two 10 mg. capsules. Early afternoon, I try to pop another 10 mgs. In the evening I take one more 10 mg. capsule.

The idea is to stagger throughout my day the temporary relief provided by Vinepocetine. Maybe there's time-release Vinepocetine I've not stumbled upon that would be an effective single dose.

In any event, after more than five years Vinepocetine still quells my tinnitus for a while every day, without side effects.

More like the devil....

2010-05-27T20:23:00.000-05:00

From Psychology Today
Is tinnitus really God?
Some say ringing in the ears means the Big Man's calling. It's a theory ...
by George Michelsen Foy

"....Even now, in rural India, ringing in the ears is thought to be of divine origin. This belief was common in earlier times, before it was possible to test for tinnitus. The 19th century composer Robert Schumann, for example, was driven nuts by a persistent tone, in the key of A, that played in his head and that he thought was sent there by the Man Upstairs."

Meditation De-tunes Tinnitus?

2010-05-25T09:53:00.000-05:00

From the UK Daily Mail:
Want to beat tinnitus? Try meditating for 20 minutes

Meditation "teaches patients to regularly stop and confront their thoughts and worries about the noise - and this appears to have the opposite effect.

"It seems the brain gradually comes to terms with the tinnitus and stops focusing on it so much. By 'detuning' in this way, the patient begins to notice the problem less and less.

"Psychologists and hearing specialists pioneering the therapy insist that it's not a cure for the underlying nerve damage in the inner ear that is responsible for tinnitus.

"This damage - which can be caused by a cold, an ear infection or exposure to loud music - triggers an abnormal stream of impulses the brain interprets as constant sound.

"But there is evidence that the new therapy may, over time, lead to changes in brain function that mean the patient eventually doesn't notice the tinnitus."

Vinpocetine Available on Amazon

2010-05-15T19:17:00.000-05:00

There's a good selection of Vinpocetine at the right dosage (10 mg) on Amazon.

I get a piece of the action if you purchase from them by linking from this site, which would be much appreciated.

I hate to shop in stores and order just about everything I get from eBay or Amazon. So a great deal of personal experience shows Amazon's customer service is second to none. Shipping is fast and returns are very easy.

This is my first foray into affiliate sales on this site. More to come.

More Scientific Props for Vinepocetine

2010-05-15T16:19:00.000-05:00

From Healthy Aging
Maintaining Cognitive Health
By Chris D. Meletis, ND
To achieve optimal brain function, one must take cognitive enhancement a step beyond protecting neurons. It’s equally important to ensure proper functioning of astrocytes and microglia. One substance shown to control over-activation of microglia is vinpocetine. As mentioned previously, the excessive activation of microglia is associated with the development of inflammation that may lead to neurodegenerative diseases. In an experimental animal model of dementia, researchers induced neurodegenerative lesions in rats then administered vinpocetine intraperitoneally. The rats not given vinpocetine did poorly on behavioral tests, including impaired recognition of novel objects and a new social partner plus suppressed spatial learning performance in the Morris water maze. In rats given vinpocetine, the behavioral deficits were attenuated. Lesion-induced attention deficit and learning disabilities were markedly alleviated by vinpocetine. The researchers also studied brain changes in the animals and determined that vinpocetine significantly decreased lesion size and microglia activation.

Vinpocetine also has been shown to protect astrocytes against hypoxic (low oxygen) injury in vitro. Administration of vinpocetine to cell cultures of astrocytes during hypoxia significantly decreased the number of dead cells. Vinpocetine also stimulated mitochondrial function and increased levels of intracellular ATP, the universal energy molecule. The researchers concluded that vinpocetine had a significant cell-protective effect on astrocytes in vitro.

Could this lead to Tinnitus cure?

2010-05-15T16:00:00.001-05:00

From the Daily Mail Online:
A cure for deafness could be on the horizon after scientists created specialised ear cells in the lab.

Grown in their thousands, the delicate hairs could one day be transplanted into the inner ear, restoring hearing to millions.

L.A. Times Disses Quietus, Tinnitus Relief Formula

2010-04-15T00:36:00.000-05:00

This L.A. Times article dismisses the efficacy of homeopathic Tinnitus treatments, such as Quietus and Tinnitus Relief Formula.

The article then quotes a Tinnitus researcher who claims "there's no good evidence that any supplement helps."

Err, Prof. Martin, I've gotten substantial daily relief for more than five years from Vinepocetine for my otherwise raging case of Tinnitus.

I'd like to hear directly from anyone who's tried Quietus or Tinnitus Relief Formula. You're invited to review these products in the comments section of this blog post.

Deprenyl Poops Out

2010-04-14T22:16:00.000-05:00

The good effects of Deprenyl on my Tinnitus have worn off, after about two months.

Happily, Vinepocetine still works like a charm. I now divide my daily dose, 20 mg first thing in the morning and 20 mg in the evening. That keeps the sizzle low during most of the day.

No side effects, ever, after almost five years of taking 40 mg of Vinepocetine daily. I have a two year supply stashed under my bed!

Is Ginkgo Worthless?

2010-03-24T17:07:00.000-05:00

I stopped taking Ginkgo Baloba a long time ago. I suspect this supplement is overrated, or maybe just plain worthless. Certainly, it never helped my Tinnitus.

Now a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association cast doubts on ginkgo's effectiveness on aging brains.

However, there are studies showing ginkgo providing long term improvements to the cognitive function of elderly dementia patients.

Perhaps my dosage of ginkgo was too low. Other sources report success treating Tinnitus with ginkgo.

I'd like to hear from other Tinnitus sufferers who've tried Ginkgo. Did it quell the buzzing or not? How much did you take?

Very sad.

2010-03-23T13:12:00.000-05:00

From the Charlottesville, VA, DailyProgress.com, January 29, 2010:

In suicide note, Morris blames tinnitus

Former Greene County Sheriff William L. “Willie” Morris shot himself Thursday because of a constant roar in his ears, he wrote in a final letter.

“I hope that my death will help bring about some cure for those that suffer with tinnitus, by bringing attention to it,” he wrote. “It is important that my life will not be wasted.”

Morris had suffered from the condition since September, and by the end of his life heard a constant noise in both ears.

“He described it as like a buzz saw constantly,” his daughter Lisa Morris said.

Morris developed the condition after a weightlifting mishap, his daughter said. He had lifted for many years, winning several championships.

One day, as he squatted, he lost control of the weight, which went over his head, she said. It’s not clear exactly what happened in his body to cause the condition, but that was when it began, Lisa Morris said.

For now the family is asking that, in lieu of flowers, well-wishers make donations to the American Tinnitus Association. In the future, his daughter hopes to set up something permanent in Morris’ honor.

“He took the time to actually tell me this, in a letter that he wrote, so it’s very important that I bring attention to this,” she said.

New Name for a Less-New Blog

2009-03-15T15:35:00.000-05:00

More than a year ago I began to blog about Tinnitus, mainly because I know there is relief for this awful affliction.

Weirdly (or maybe just because what works isn't pushed by Big Pharma) the vast majority of doctors aren't interested in treating patients with Tinnitus.

I've been able to shut down the sizzling torture with Vinepocetine and, now, a wonder drug called Deprenyl. No cure, but daily doses hush my Tinnitus about 80%.

But I stopped blogging last year when my father got very sick and my day job got overwhelming. (I'm a criminal investigator.) But after reading that a retired sheriff killed himself because of Tinnitus, I felt guilty not sharing whatever success I've had dealing with it.

So, here's hoping my story helps other Tinnitus sufferers. Arrest Tinnitus also aims to be a clearing house for Tinnitus news and information. Fellow sufferers are also free to use this blog to tell others how they cope with this harrowing epidemic.

National Tinnitus Week

2009-01-27T23:11:00.000-06:00

The British Tinnitus Association is sponsoring National Tinnitus Week, February 9th through the 15th.

I Found Out the Hard Way: MP3 & iPod Players Cause Tinnitus

2009-01-27T12:57:00.000-06:00

"Let's be frank -- we are looking at a catastrophe unless something is done soon," Stephen Russell of the pan-European ANEC consumer safety group said.

Reuters
January 27, 2009

Testing an Advertised Permanent Cure for Tinnitus

2009-01-20T19:34:00.000-06:00

I saw an Internet advertisement for an ebook that promises to cure tinnitus permanently in "3 stupid-simple steps."

The cost: $37, a pittance if this works. (Plus, there's an unconditional 100% Satisfaction, 60-Day money-back guarantee"

So here goes: I'm going to buy this ebook, follow its "3-step all natural cure," and report the results on this blog.

Let's hope this works!

How I Stop Tinnitus

2009-01-14T10:30:00.000-06:00

It's 9:30 a.m. and my ears are clear.

That's because I took 40 mg. of Vinpocetine when I awoke this morning at 6:30. This afternoon I'll take 20 mg. more, which will stop the sizzling all day. I've been taking 60 mg. of Vinpocetine a day for several years, with no side effects or diminution of results.

Thank goodness Vinpocetine is inexpensive. Without this regimen, tinnitus would ruin my life.

Some people stockpile food. I've squirelled away a year's supply of Vinpocetine and plan to order one more year's supply to keep on hand. It's unsettling to think I'd ever not have the Vinpocetine I need to calm my ears.

Celebrity Buzz

2009-01-02T19:21:00.000-06:00

The Guitar Swamp lists famous people (mostly rockers) who have tinnitus. I've read reports that the amazing Ryan Adams, sadly, belongs on this list.

Yes We Can!

2009-01-01T23:13:00.000-06:00

The Sacramento Bee says Tinnitus Sufferers Can't Stop the Ringing.

Now I'm an Ear Plug Connaisseur

2009-01-01T22:02:00.000-06:00

My tinnitus-damaged ears are hypersensitive.

I've not been to a movie since my ears got injured several years ago. No more loud concerts or clubs. I keep my distance from leaf blowers, state fair midways at night, generators, yapping dogs, and the like. My mother is growing deaf and, therefore, louder. Tinnitus makes me cautious of her, more than usual.

As a result, I've developed a keen interest in ear plugs. I have ready access to the lowly foam kind that smush into your ears. They're cheap but work pretty well.

With both fascination and appreciation I went shopping for ear plugs over at the Ear Plug SuperStore. They've got a vast stock of ear plugs, from foam to custom. Kiddie ear protection is among their specialties. They also carry Mutt Muff doggie ear protection.

I ordered the SilentEar Trial Pack, which comes in small, medium, and large. (I'm a medium, but could cram a large in my ears if I had to.) I also tried the BlastBuster™ Ear Plugs, which have a nice carrying case. Both worked well, but sometimes I need total silence. And since I really can't walk around in public wearing my shooter's muffs, I'm planning on ordering a pair of custom ear plugs. I'll report back on that venture.

Try Vinpocetine Before Shelling out $5k for this Device

2008-12-13T22:13:00.000-06:00

New Therapies Fight Phantom Noises of Tinnitus
New York Times, April 1, 2008:
Mr. Edwards says he has gotten relief from a device developed by an Australian audiologist, which became widely available in the United States last year. Manufactured by Neuromonics Inc. of Bethlehem, Pa., it looks like an MP3 player and delivers sound spanning the full auditory spectrum, digitally embedded in soothing music.

How Long Does it Take Vinpocetine to Kick In?

2008-12-13T19:40:00.000-06:00

Sandra77 posed some questions in her recent comment:

Can you tell me more about how you take vinpocetine (e.g., with or without food, etc.)? Also, how long did it take for the effect of the vinpocetine to kick in (i.e., did you take it for a week before the tinnitus decreased or disappeared)? Obviously, I don't know if vinpocetine will work for me, but I would appreciate any information you can give me. Thanks.

I roll over very early every morning and take 40 mgs of Vinpocetine on an empty stomach, along with other supplements including ginko biloba. Mid-afternoon I take 20 mgs of Vinpocetine. This keeps the ringing/sizzling at bay for the day. I don't worry about whether or not there's food in my stomach, but I eat very little during the day. Vinpocetine seem to take several hours to kick in. I've never had any side effects.

Sandra77, what caused your tinnitus? Please let me know if Vinpocetine works for you.

Vinpocetine for Hearing Loss Endorsed by Well-Known Anti-Aging M.D.

2008-12-02T20:45:00.000-06:00

The supplement that has best demonstrated an effect of improving hearing is Vinpocetine, which may improve both vision and hearing. The usual dose is 40 mg daily. Ginkgo biloba, because of its ability to improve blood flow in the brain and inner ear, may also help hearing loss.

Dr. Ward Dean, Vitamin Research News

December 2008,Vol. 22, Number 12

published by Vitamin Research Products

Tinnitus Support Groups

2008-11-28T11:40:00.000-06:00

Here are some links to groups that purport to represent/support tinnitus sufferers:

http://www.ata.org/index.php (Don't listen to "What does Tinnitus Sound Like?" on this site if you already have this problem; it'll hurt your ears.)

http://www.american-hearing.org/disorders/hearing/tinnitus.html (Does not mention vinpocetine in its list of treatments.)

http://www.internationalhearingfoundation.org/menieres-tinnitus.html (Monthly meetings in Minneapolis.)

Wish I'd Known This Sooner

2008-11-20T19:47:00.000-06:00

Can Vitamins And Minerals Prevent Hearing Loss?

ScienceDaily, Nov. 10, 2008

About 10 million people in the United States alone—from troops returning from war to students with music blasting through headphones—are suffering from impairing noise-induced hearing loss.
The rising trend is something that researchers and physicians at the University of Michigan Kresge Hearing Research Institute are hoping to reverse, with a cocktail of vitamins and the mineral magnesium that has shown promise as a possible way to prevent hearing loss caused by loud noises. The nutrients were successful in laboratory tests, and now researchers are testing whether humans will benefit as well.

Google "Vinpocetine Tinnitus" & You'll Get 42,500 Hits

2008-10-21T22:47:00.000-05:00

Since his pharmacutical rep certainly won't tell him about Vinpocetine, your doctor's probably not going to inform you of this miracle. But there's plenty of info on this subject on the web.

For starters, Vinpocetine (pronounced vin-poe-suh-teen) is derived from the common Periwinkle plant, vinca minor, a shade-loving flowering ground cover found in many parts of the U.S. A prescription is needed to purchase Vinpocetine in Europe and Japan. Thank goodness, it can be purchased in the U.S. at most health food stores and online.

Vinpocetine was first extracted in the late 1960s. It's primary action is as a vasodilator. According to www.drugs.com:

The scientific literature contains numerous studies and investigations on the pharmacological and biochemical actions of vinpocetine. The various mechanism of actions include: 1) effects on brain circulation and oxygen utilization without changes in systemic circulation; 2) increased tolerance of the brain to vascular hypoxia and ischemia; 3) anticonvulsant activity; 4) phosphodiesterase-1 inhibition; and 5) lowering of blood viscosity and inhibition of aggregation of thrombocytes.

Translation: Vinpocetine's ability to increase blood flow in the brain seems to cause a tempory significant muting of tinnitus. Vinpocetine also seems to protect ears from damage that would otherwise lead to deafness or tinnitus.

There's not been enough studies of Vinpocetine to determine precisely how it quells the buzzing in my head. I'll leave that dilemma to the researchers. All I know is it works.

Vinpocetine Dosage

2008-10-16T21:33:00.000-05:00

The trick, of course, is to take as little Vinpocetine as possible to quell your tinnitus.

I'm a 120 pound female and I take 4 10 mg. capsules as soon as I wake up in the morning, then 2 more 10 mg. caps in the late afternoon. Right now it's 8 p.m. and I'm hearing a little ringing because I forgot my afternoon dose. No point taking any more today because Vinpocetine it takes an hour or two to work for me.

Vinpocetine is not a cure; it just shuts my tinnitus off for about 12 hours. But what a blessing that is!

Stop the Buzzing, Sizzling, Ringing Torture

2008-10-13T19:24:00.000-05:00

Welcome to Tinnitus-Free!

This blog was launched to share my success taming the hellish symptoms of tinnitus. Please know I'm not a doctor. But, having found relief, I want to give hope to fellow-sufferers.

Three years ago I stupidly injured my ears with - yep - iPod ear buds. The initial episode was painful and disconcerting; then came the incessent ringing.

As described by Wikipedia, "Tinnitus can be perceived in one or both ears or in the head. It is usually described as a ringing noise, but in some patients it takes the form of a high pitched whining, buzzing, hissing, humming, or whistling sound, or as ticking, clicking, roaring, "crickets" or "tree frogs" or "locusts", tunes, songs, or beeping.^[3] It has also been described as a "whooshing" sound, as of wind or waves.^[4]. Tinnitus can be intermittent or it can be continuous. In the latter case, this "phantom" sound can create great distress in the sufferer." [Italics mine.]

An Ear Nose & Throat physician diagnosed my condition as utterly incurable. Fortunately, I'd long ago lost faith in mainstream medicine, and proceeded to find relief by consulting the Internet.

There's a fair amount of tinnitus information available online, including many suggested remedies. Several reliable sources cited the tinnitus-muffling powers of the herb Vinpocetine.

Vinpocetine, extracted from the common Periwinkle plant, is nowadays considered a "smart drug." It's thought to increase blood flow in the brain. A prescription drug in Europe and Japan, Vinpocetine is available in the United States online and in health food stores. It's remarkably free from side effects.

Miraculously, Vinpocetine shuts down (albeit temporarily) the maddening din of my tinnitus. Future postings will discuss vinpocetine dosage, sources, and research -- as well as other information of interest to readers of this blog.