Hi all,
I have a strange story. I’ve had tinnitus from a left ear infection at age 25 which gave me a 4K hertz notch. Not too bad, I can detect soundstage...only noticed it when it’s quiet. Left ear was basically 90%. I’m 53 now and this past December while waiting for my first tube amp, my left ear started picking up a lot of bass for about a week and then all the low tones collapsed...completely disappeared. It was heartbreaking as I could not detect soundstage and had trouble focusing on who said what in a small group conversation. Left ear was at 30%...super depressing.
I live near the Keck/USC hospital and they have a decent otolaryngology department. Got checked out, all sorts of audio/speech/bone test...steroid injection through the ear drum and oral prednisone. Nothing. I was told by the doctor that that was all they could do. Hearing sensitivity would change daily. Sometimes 30%...sometimes 20%. If I plugged my right ear I could hear only tones...mumbling.
My younger brother was staying with my wife and I over a two week period in January and was studying to become a naturopath. He studied theology in seminary school and has a masters in music but decided to follow his new passion. A case study patient of his had dropped out and he needed to fill a spot so I said what the heck.
It required a commitment to not having coffee and certain supplements for 3 years. I asked if this could bring back my hearing. He believed it could. So I agreed to give it a try while not hoping for much.
Over the next 3 days he asked a lot of questions. Each session lasted about 30+ minutes...questions about my entire physical/medical history going back as far as I could remember. ‘Am I generally a thirsty person...do I prefer ice water vs room temperature’...do I generally feel cold...types of food I seek out etc., etc..
He mentioned that the ‘remedy’ was akin to a silver bullet approach to addressing the root cause and that I would have substantial physical reaction. He said I would definitely know when it happened and that it’s simply the body kick-starting itself to recover.
My remedy was Lycopodium (green moss). Another person with the same symptoms might need a completely different remedy due to their history. The dose was a single teaspoon of a diluted solution in distilled water.
I got an mild upset stomach that evening but nothing happed for two weeks. More questions. A week later...a bigger dose and another upset stomach but nothing for two weeks. My brother was perplexed and decided to consult with his teacher...but next day (Sunday) I felt extremely tired and took a nap. Woke up with vertigo. Went back to lie down and started feeling ill. I threw up violently and stumbled back to bed. This was at the beginning of the Covid-19 crisis so I avoided going to work on Monday as a precaution even though I felt completely fine. I decided to go back to work Tuesday. Got in my truck and it sounded funny. It’s a 2020 Tacoma...should be perfect. Got to work and realized my hearing was at 70%.
And I felt really good...like 15 years younger. No hyperbole. Tinnitus was extremely faint. Also my eczema was gone and I was no longer constantly clearing my throat. This is difficult to explain but I felt unusually well-balanced. I would usually get up from bed in the middle of the night and stumble to the bathroom. Now I could get up as if I was wide awake and perfectly balanced. It almost felt unnatural. So this is was 53 was supposed to feel like.
Unfortunately, this lasted for 3 months. 3 months of holographic soundstage from my stereo...3 months of a left ear that was at 70% was more than I ever imagined. But the tinnitus slowly came back. The hollowness in my left ear grew stronger. Now I’m back at 30%.
So now I’m back on the Lycopodium. But it gave me hope that there is more to our bodies’ ability to recover than we know.
I feel that listening to music makes me feel better. I still do enjoy it. My ability to lock onto timbre and and nuance is still there. I’m going to remain hopeful for now. I’m going to try everything.
I have a strange story. I’ve had tinnitus from a left ear infection at age 25 which gave me a 4K hertz notch. Not too bad, I can detect soundstage...only noticed it when it’s quiet. Left ear was basically 90%. I’m 53 now and this past December while waiting for my first tube amp, my left ear started picking up a lot of bass for about a week and then all the low tones collapsed...completely disappeared. It was heartbreaking as I could not detect soundstage and had trouble focusing on who said what in a small group conversation. Left ear was at 30%...super depressing.
I live near the Keck/USC hospital and they have a decent otolaryngology department. Got checked out, all sorts of audio/speech/bone test...steroid injection through the ear drum and oral prednisone. Nothing. I was told by the doctor that that was all they could do. Hearing sensitivity would change daily. Sometimes 30%...sometimes 20%. If I plugged my right ear I could hear only tones...mumbling.
My younger brother was staying with my wife and I over a two week period in January and was studying to become a naturopath. He studied theology in seminary school and has a masters in music but decided to follow his new passion. A case study patient of his had dropped out and he needed to fill a spot so I said what the heck.
It required a commitment to not having coffee and certain supplements for 3 years. I asked if this could bring back my hearing. He believed it could. So I agreed to give it a try while not hoping for much.
Over the next 3 days he asked a lot of questions. Each session lasted about 30+ minutes...questions about my entire physical/medical history going back as far as I could remember. ‘Am I generally a thirsty person...do I prefer ice water vs room temperature’...do I generally feel cold...types of food I seek out etc., etc..
He mentioned that the ‘remedy’ was akin to a silver bullet approach to addressing the root cause and that I would have substantial physical reaction. He said I would definitely know when it happened and that it’s simply the body kick-starting itself to recover.
My remedy was Lycopodium (green moss). Another person with the same symptoms might need a completely different remedy due to their history. The dose was a single teaspoon of a diluted solution in distilled water.
I got an mild upset stomach that evening but nothing happed for two weeks. More questions. A week later...a bigger dose and another upset stomach but nothing for two weeks. My brother was perplexed and decided to consult with his teacher...but next day (Sunday) I felt extremely tired and took a nap. Woke up with vertigo. Went back to lie down and started feeling ill. I threw up violently and stumbled back to bed. This was at the beginning of the Covid-19 crisis so I avoided going to work on Monday as a precaution even though I felt completely fine. I decided to go back to work Tuesday. Got in my truck and it sounded funny. It’s a 2020 Tacoma...should be perfect. Got to work and realized my hearing was at 70%.
And I felt really good...like 15 years younger. No hyperbole. Tinnitus was extremely faint. Also my eczema was gone and I was no longer constantly clearing my throat. This is difficult to explain but I felt unusually well-balanced. I would usually get up from bed in the middle of the night and stumble to the bathroom. Now I could get up as if I was wide awake and perfectly balanced. It almost felt unnatural. So this is was 53 was supposed to feel like.
Unfortunately, this lasted for 3 months. 3 months of holographic soundstage from my stereo...3 months of a left ear that was at 70% was more than I ever imagined. But the tinnitus slowly came back. The hollowness in my left ear grew stronger. Now I’m back at 30%.
So now I’m back on the Lycopodium. But it gave me hope that there is more to our bodies’ ability to recover than we know.
I feel that listening to music makes me feel better. I still do enjoy it. My ability to lock onto timbre and and nuance is still there. I’m going to remain hopeful for now. I’m going to try everything.