Dr. Mercola January 28 2001 3,001 views
Although the herbal supplement Ginkgo biloba has been touted as a remedy for ringing in the ears, researchers in the UK have found the claim does not ring true.
A health-food store staple, ginkgo is marketed as a remedy for dizziness, memory loss and other problems that can be related to poor blood circulation to the brain -- including ringing in the ears, or tinnitus.
A number of European studies have suggested ginkgo supplements do indeed improve circulation, and extracts from the Ginkgo biloba tree have been used in Chinese medicine for thousands of years.
However, the herb's effects on tinnitus have been difficult to weed out. Tinnitus is a common problem with a variety of causes, from exposure to loud noises to the side effects of certain medications.
Ginkgo's usefulness for tinnitus may be limited only to people who have it as a result of circulation problems.
Investigators found that a 12-week regimen of ginkgo supplements had no effect on the patients' conditions.
The researchers had half of the patients take gingko three times a day, while the other half received an inactive placebo. After 12 weeks of treatment, the gingko group was no more likely to have found relief than the placebo group.
Ginkgo's effectiveness on tinnitus likely varies by the cause of the problem. She noted that although the study participants were questioned about symptoms of poor blood circulation -- such as headaches and tiredness -- they may not have actually had poor circulation.
British Medical Journal 2001;322:73-75
I am a strong proponent of natural therapies, but just because a therapy is natural does not mean it is without harm or even that it will be effective. I have only recommended Ginkgo a few times but I have never seen it work. There may be some issues here relating to the herb's potency that were not addressed in the study, but I suspect one should approach this treatment with an element of skepticism.
There are really no outstanding treatments for this problem, which can sometimes be quite severe. Neural therapy may sometimes be helpful. Dr. Klinghardt teaches these courses and I will be posting a link for these courses soon.
I would strongly recommend any health care clinicians attend the ART course in March in Seattle.
Additionally one can use relatively high powered (400 milliwatts) infrared lasers right over the ear canal for some relief.
If anyone does find the cure for tinnitus, they should give the information out for free. Every site I've been to charges an arm and a leg to try their "cure." I am sure that they get rich while you discover over time you've been had. They always say it takes a lot of time for the "cure" to work, which i'm sure it would, but then they have your money when it comes down to it that the "cure" doesn't really work.
About two weeks ago I started getting this ringing in my ears. My personal feeling is that it was a result of infected root canals which I had removed. I don't know how long the root canals had been dumping toxins in my body, but I do know that I would be dead if I hadn't removed them. People laugh when I tell them this but all I can say is your soul knows when your body is shutting down.
What I tried and appears to be working for the ringing is taking about 1/4 to 1/3 cup of apple cider vinegar, fill the rest of the cup with warm water and stir in a tablespoon of raw honey. It is not easy to take, but the honey does help. I took it in the evening and again the next morning. By the afternoon I noticed the ringing was gone or so low I had to really listen to hear it.
The ring came back the next day so I did the vinegar thing again. By the afternoon it was gone again. This has only been the second day I tried it, but for the first time in two weeks the ring has stopped a couple of times.
Is it possible that the ringing is a result of a mineral deficiency?