Tinnitus is very complicated because it's a symptom and not a condition. You can get it from noise damage, poor blood flow, mineral/vitamin deficiency, stress, ear infections, ear wax build-up, muscle tension(TMJ) etc
If you got T from noise damage which I presume a lot of people on a gear forum did there isn't a lot you can do but many people have found various supplements effective at lessening and even silencing T. One of the mechanisms that causes T is when the hairs inside you ear vibrate too much. They produce a neurotransmitter call Glutamate which causes the neves to fire up and even die. The result is constant ringing. For most the ringing goes away shortly after any noise exposure but for some it can last months and even be permanent. One way people have found relief is taking a glutamate-antagonist. The most commonly used one is NAC, N Acetyl Cysteine, which is an amino acid found in countless foods but not in a high enough concentration to achieve the desired affect. You can buy it any health store. It's commonly used in the army and workforces around the world as a way of preventing noise damage. I've read a lot of stories of people getting a lot of relief from taking just 600mg a day. I definitely notice a difference when I take it. Other over the counter glutamate antagonists are NSAIDS like Ibuprofen but these can also cause T by messing with your blood flow. It worth taking a high quality B-complex with NAC. It's worth noting that NAC can mess with anti-depressants if you are on them so its not wise to take them together.
Tumeric/Curcumin is also gaining a lot of popularity as a T treatment. It's not the easiest on the stomach but the results are noticeable quite quickly. I've read a lot of stories of people treating their noise, stress and blood flow caused T with it.
I've read a lot of stories of people getting relief from taking Zinc. to take Zinc properly you have to avoid calcium, magnesium and physic acid rich foods 2 hours before and after to really get the full affect. Otherwise it binds to them and isn't properly absorbed. First time I took Zinc the next day my T was way lower.
Poor blood flow is a major cause of T. It can be a difficult thing to treat because the veins and capillaries around the ear are so small. People have found a lot of success by targeting Nitric Oxide production. NO is a vasodilator that widens veins and allows blood to flow more freely around the body. If you're T goes up when you have a salty meal then it could be because of poor blood flow getting to the ear. There are countless ways of increasing NO. The most common one is ginkgo biloba which is one of the most common T treatments. More ways of boosting NO are other bioflavonoids Tumeric/Curcumin, NAC tinnitusinfo.net/does-ginkgo-biloba-help-with-tinnitus/Aged Garlic Extract, B-vitamins(low B12 is a very common cause of T and easily fixed by supplementing) etc. The problem here is its not a one way street. You need to really reduce your salt intake, Most people consume way over the RDA.
My recommendation is try NAC 600mg with a B-complex vitamin every morning and then ad in Zinc Picolante in the evening. Drink lots of water and document what you're eating. Many foods can make people's T spike. I know mine spikes with really salty food but I also seem to have trouble with tomatoes and cheese(both are salty but I can consume other salty food without nearly as much affect).
Helps to have a name for it, thanks!
