Dr. Kate’s Blog

Tinnitus has many causes . Traditional EENT allopathic doctors are looking for pathology. When they don’t find anything and your ears are still ringing there are other options. The good news is that you do not have a pathology and it is treatable. In most cases non- disease related tinnitus is caused by a somatic dysfunction. They call this somaosensory tinnitus.  Your body is a continuous kinetic chain. Places as far away as the sacroiliac joint can affect the ears. These complex relationships in the body are considered when patients come in to see me. Areas of the body that are pertinent  include the cranium, temporo-mandibular joint, spine, pelvis, and the bite. Issues in all of these areas can cause tinnitus; some more directly then others. Oftentimes these relationships of structure are coupled with a stress response that manifests as a involuntary tension in the nervous system. By working with the body through chiropractic, cranial work, and body-mind awareness; one can diminish if not eliminate tinnitus. Here are some of the causes related to tinnitus that can be addressed with conservative care:

1) History of orthodontics/ braces

2) Grinding and/or clenching the teeth

3) Poor bite alignment

4) Poor posture; particularly forward head bending

5) Multiple sites of muscle tension in the head and neck

6) Stress, anxiety, depression, and anger….grrrrrr

7) Whiplash; recently or a long time ago that did not recover well

Large chronic doses of antibiotics and some other medications

9) Joint dysfunction of the jaw, spine, and sacroiliac joints

10) Cranial bone imbalances; particularly relating to the temporal bone which contains the inner ear.

How does I treat this?

Sometimes having a dentist check the teeth for wear and tear, and grinding at night and treating with a mouth guard really helps. In most cases this is only one piece of the puzzle. Another thing to check is the bite. Now this can actually change with cranial  work , and adjustments.  The bite is off for many  different reasons; and by all means do not have your teeth ground down as the first option of treatment! This should be the last resort if done at all.  Patients often have more than one issue that brought the tinnitus on.  By approaching the body holistically I can help bring the system back into balance.  Holistically  means looking at structure, stress awareness, nutrition, and energetics of the body. Treatments may include muscle work, gentle manipulation, and cranial work. It may take some time for the symptoms to subside because usually people have had tinnitus for months even years  before getting help, because they do not know their treatment options.  Their first stop is with medical doctors who did not find pathology,  and did not know other treatment options to recommend.

When stress, and trauma occur we have a choice about  how to work with it. Not many people know this, and feel victimized by stress. Learning to resource oneself through cranial work can help bring us  to understanding these options. Focusing on health instead of always focusing on the problem is the path to take. When we learn to listen to our body, it responds in amazing ways; ways we could not imagine. The body has a wisdom deeper than any doctor you will know.

Craniosacral teaches the body to relax from the inside out. One gets a sense of calm and centeredness with craniosacral therapy. This work can be taken into your daily life, noticing your body, and acknowledging its signals of stress. When someone comes to see me for treatment I do not “fix” them. We work as a team, both treating the condition. The patient with body and stress awareness, and me with imbalances that present themselves.

Adjustments and muscle work help lessen the “noise” in the central nervous system. they also help restore mobility and lessen muscle tension.

Oddly enough in applied kinesiology and Chinese medicine the hearing is related to the kidneys. These are organs that are taxed when we get stressed. Supporting these organs by referring to an acupuncturist,  making dietary changes, and taking supplements is very important sometimes. The body will show where it needs support, and there is nothing wrong with getting support through health  issues. It is most important to be patient with tinnitus. It can take some time, and getting stressed about how long it is taking only feeds the stress. Feed the health not the stress.

Have you noticed people have started drinking their water on the go out of glass and stainless steel containers. Well I thought I would get us all up to date on what these folks are up to.

Actually it was discovered accidentally in 1998 when scientists were conducting a study on mice for aneuploidy; a cell division problem in which chromosomes do not split as a cell divides, leaving two resulting cells with more or fewer chromosomes than normal. One of the lab workers washed the mouse water dish with a harsh detergent, the mice drank water out of this dish. Afterwards scientists noticed an 8 fold increase in this aneuploidy/chromosome defect. The scientists eventually found that BPA (also known as Biphenol-A ) was leaching from the plastic water dish into their water. They began studying BPA and its affects on the mice.

Various more recent studies proved that BPA is leached from new, and old plastic bottles at room temperature; with no detergent usage beforehand. The take home is: it doesn’t seem to matter; just don’t ingest things from plastic…

BPA has been found to be an estrogen mimicking toxin. It has been linked to reproductive health issues such as: breast, ovarian, and uterine cancer; uterine fibroids, ovarian cysts, endometriosis, prostate cancer, lowered sperm counts, and possible increased fat production. Studies have not been done on humans as of yet. However 95% of the people tested have levels of BPA that scientists think could be harmful.

People with the highest risk are women of childbearing age, pregnant women, infants, and small children. It would be wise to assume that BPA has similar affects on humans as it does to mice. Why take the risk?

Here are some tips on how to avoid further exposure:

1) Cook food from scratch using fresh foods.

2) Cook in large quantities and freeze the food in glass Pyrex containers.

3) Avoid microwaving, cooking, and storing foods in in plastic containers. Use glass, stainless steel, and pyrex.

4) Purchase water in glass containers. If you want clean water for your home install a filter for your tap water and store it in glass. Do not drink from plastic water bottle dispensers.

5) Use KleenKanteen stainless steel water bottles (www.kleenkanteen.com), or glass jars to bring water with you.

6) Avoid using plastic wrap, and do not cook with it.

7) Avoid food and drink #7 containers; these are known to have BPA.
If you have no other choice other than plastic use #1,#2, and #4 plastics. ( they do not contain BPA)

all plastics should be in question for toxicity; the verdict is not out yet on other possible toxins.

9) Stop using plastic dishes, utensils, and cups.

10) Ask your dentist if there is BPA in their sealer before they apply it.

There is no reason to wait for plastic that contains BPA to be banned to avoid it. It is in our best interest to make better choices for ourselves and our children now. It seems as time passes, it is best to go back to the basics before the 1900′s; before we began living in these industrial chemical times. Good old glass, ceramic, and steel is what is best. Cooking food that is fresh and alive, and non-toxic. It seems that the conveniences of these modern times, and their full ill health affects on future generations to come has not been thought through by our scientists, corporations, and inventors. We are beginning to see the negative health affects of convenience in hind sight. Hopefully we can all start now in the present to make large and small changes for our future. Now is the time in each and every moment to make the choice towards health.