[IMA-GregT]

Thanks for your question dr-benjamin, there may also be more info here – https://imahealth.org/forums/?s=Tinnitus&view=content&no_frame=1&bp_search=1.

I look forward to seeing what others are experiencing too.

imahealth.org

Just a moment...

Just a moment...

[IMA-HelenT]

I found a forum for Tinnitus sufferers – seems to have some great info that may help. https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/what-causes-a-beeping-type-of-tinnitus.43497/

tinnitustalk.com

What Causes a Beeping Type of Tinnitus?

What causes a beeping type of tinnitus? It’s on/off constantly. Sometimes it does settle, either on for a while, or off for a while, but some days it goes back and forth so much it just sounds like beeping. Any … Continue reading

[IMA-HelenT]

I also came across the American Tinnitus associations channel, believe it has lots of Q&A sessions ….I haven’t watched the videos, perhaps they will be helpful. Let us know. https://www.youtube.com/@AmericanTinnitusAssociation/videos

youtube.com

American Tinnitus Association

American Tinnitus Association is a public charity and global leader in the effort to find a cure for tinnitus. We bring together patients, researchers, healthcare professionals, industry partners and lawmakers to develop tinnitus management tools and fund vital tinnitus research.

[IMA-HelenT]

A homeopathic approach – this article looks at the potential underlying causes and homeopathic treatments that may help https://www.jscimedcentral.com/jounal-article-info/annals-of-otolaryngology-and-Rhinology/Homeopathic-Approach-in-the-Treatment-of-Tinnitus-10823?

jscimedcentral.com

Homeopathic Approach in the Treatment of Tinnitus

Tinnitus, that is the perception of sounds without external stimuli, is a frequent and debilitating disease affecting 10 to 15% of the population. The

[IMA-HelenT]

Finally this one, https://www.doctorbhatia.com/treatment/treatment-for-tinnitus-in-homeopathy/ would be interesting to see if acupuncture has been used with any success.

doctorbhatia.com

Treatment for Tinnitus in Homeopathy - Dr. Bhatia's Asha Homeopathy Center

Discover effective homeopathic treatments for tinnitus. Learn how homeopathy can alleviate symptoms and promote natural well-being.

[Gary Graziano]

I’ve had 3 or 4 different “sound effects” from tinnitus for several years. The most annoying is a continuous high pitched whine in the background. No doctor I’ve visited has a clue why it’s happening or what to do about it. I get ads for “cures” on my Facebook feed and ignore them. Thankfully it isn’t so severe that I can’t function, and I’ve sort of gotten used to it. One thing I heard about and may try is a drop or two of DMSO in each ear. I’ve got a bunch of more serious medical things going on, so tinnitus has been relegated to the back burner. I will check out some of the above links, though.

[IMA-GregT]

👍 Please keep us updated if something works for your tinnitus. It’s a big issue for so many.

[Jeff Gerber]

I ran across something recently that suggested that DMSO can fix tinnitus. I haven’t done a lot of digging on this but perhaps others can chime in?

Coincidentally I saw this message today and earlier today I was complaining about tinnitus.

As I’ve posted before, the alpha-9 and alpha-10 subtypes of nicotinic acetylcholine receptors are specific to the cochlea. Spike protein is known to attach to the alpha-7 receptors, and this was modeled with a computer, but I have not heard anyone argue that other receptors are not being impacted as well. Further, there have been many cases reported of tinnitus following the COVID mRNA injections. Since tinnitus is associated with the cochlea, this seems to me to be a plausible hypothesis.

If my theory is correct, then we might look at what other plant-based alkaloids are available and active on the alpha-9 and alpha-10 receptors, and of those, identify which ones are safe. I’m borrowing from the idea of the variability of nicotine binding affinity for different receptor subtypes and looking for something with a better binding affinity than nicotine.

[Jeff Gerber]

I don’t think my approach will work based on what Copilot has to offer on the subject, but the theory sounds intact.

Copilot:

I see where you’re going with that — α9 and α10 nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) are indeed concentrated in cochlear hair cells, where they mediate efferent inhibition via acetylcholine release from the olivocochlear system. That inhibitory pathway helps protect against acoustic overexposure and modulates auditory sensitivity.

Here’s the relevant mechanistic backdrop from the literature:

🎯 α9/α10 in the auditory system

• Location: Primarily in the postsynaptic membranes of outer hair cells (OHCs) in the cochlea, paired with SK2 potassium channels.
• Normal role: When efferent fibers release ACh, α9/α10 receptors open, allowing Ca²⁺ influx, which activates SK2 channels → hyperpolarization of the OHC → reduced electromotility → dampened cochlear amplifier gain.
• Protective effect: This feedback loop can reduce excitotoxicity from loud sounds and modulate auditory nerve firing patterns.

🧩 How this might relate to tinnitus

• Downregulation or dysfunction of α9/α10 could weaken efferent inhibition, leading to persistent hyperactivity in auditory pathways — a hypothesized contributor to tinnitus in some models.
• Animal evidence: Knockout mice lacking α9 subunits show altered auditory efferent function and increased susceptibility to noise-induced hearing loss, which is often accompanied by tinnitus-like behaviors.
• Inflammatory link: α9/α10 are also expressed in certain immune cells; dysregulation could influence cochlear inflammation, another tinnitus pathway.

💡 On “clearing” or “resetting” the receptors

• High-affinity ligands (like methyllycaconitine or α‑conotoxins) can bind α9/α10 with nanomolar potency, but these are antagonists and not safe for systemic use in humans.
• Agonist approach: Plant alkaloids such as nicotine, anabasine, or cytisine have only modest α9/α10 affinity (micromolar range) and are not selective — they hit many other nAChRs, which could cause off-target effects.
• Receptor turnover: In many ligand-gated ion channels, prolonged agonist exposure can lead to desensitization and internalization, but whether this “resets” α9/α10 in a therapeutically useful way for tinnitus hasn’t been demonstrated.

🚧 Key challenges with your theory

1. Selectivity: No known safe, orally available small molecule has both high affinity and high selectivity for α9/α10.
2. Direction of modulation: It’s not clear whether you’d want to activate or block α9/α10 to normalize efferent function in tinnitus — some models suggest enhancing inhibition (agonism), others suggest reducing aberrant signaling (antagonism).
3. Delivery: These receptors are in the inner ear; systemic drugs may not reach them in effective concentrations without side effects

[Jeff Gerber]

On the other front, DMSO and the cochlea, there is some research suggesting an interaction and what I get from this is we need some good lab and clinical studies to be performed to identify much more about how to administer it, how it works, and in what doses. It can be dangerous from the sound of this:

Yes — there’s actually some interesting work on how dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) interacts with cochlear tissue, and the picture is a bit nuanced.

🧪 In vitro (lab culture) findings

• Cytotoxicity at higher concentrations: In rat cochlear organotypic cultures, DMSO at 0.1–0.25% caused little or no damage, but 0.5–6% led to:

• Stereocilia damage
• Hair cell swelling
• Dose-dependent hair cell loss, starting in the basal turn and moving toward the apex