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.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, September 24th, 2008 at 3:34 pm and is filed under health issues. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.