Ear, Nose & Throat
Hearing Loss
Progressive reduction in hearing ability from aging, noise exposure, nutritional deficiencies, food allergies, or drug damage — in many cases preventable and partially reversible through diet and targeted supplementation.
Also known as: Deafness, Presbyacusis, Noise-Induced Hearing Loss, Catarrhal Deafness, tinnitus (definition: ringing or buzzing sound in the ears)
📝 At a glance
Likely root causes: Aging — most common cause; hardened eardrums accompany hardened arteries; Excessive noise: 100 dB for 30 minutes damages hearing; 75 dB is the safe long-exposure limit; Manganese or tin deficiency — reversible with dietary replacement.
First thing to try: Clean the ears: check for impacted earwax (see Earwax) as the first step
See a doctor if: If a child shows signs of hearing difficulty at any age — early detection is critical for language development.
🔎 Start with the cause
Lasting relief rarely comes from covering a symptom. First find what is feeding the problem, change what you can, and then help the body do what it was designed to do — heal.
Likely root causes
- Aging — most common cause; hardened eardrums accompany hardened arteries
- Excessive noise: 100 dB for 30 minutes damages hearing; 75 dB is the safe long-exposure limit
- Manganese or tin deficiency — reversible with dietary replacement
- Milk allergies and poor ear circulation
- Vitamin A deficiency
- Catarrhal deafness: suppressed cold or flu leaves low-level infection in the middle ear
- Medications: aspirin, quinine, aureomycin, streptomycin, barbiturates, cocaine, opium
- Smoking and caffeine — cause blood vessel spasms that reduce oxygen to the ear
- Lead, mercury, cadmium exposure
- High cholesterol (plaque in ear blood vessels)
Change what you can
- Clean the ears: check for impacted earwax (see Earwax) as the first step
- Ensure manganese and tin in the diet: take Nova Scotia dulse or Norwegian kelp
- Also needed: manganese, potassium, and zinc
- For inflammationThe body's natural response to injury — like redness, swelling, or heat around a sore spot. More →-based hearing loss: mullein oil ear drops (2–4 drops warm) or garlic oil (2–4 drops warm)
- Drink fresh pineapple juice (contains anti-inflammatoryA food or habit that helps calm swelling and redness in the body. More → bromelain)
- Reduce dietary fat and cholesterol — research shows this directly improves hearing
- Quit smoking and caffeine completely — both restrict blood flow to the ear
- Daily outdoor exercise increases circulation throughout the head and ear
🌿 Then assist nature: remedies & protocols
With the cause being addressed, these are the actual things people do for this — ranked by the community. Vote ▲ on what helped you and ▼ on what didn't, and open How to do it for the steps. Each shows two quick signals: Evidence (how much science backs it) and Gentleness (how safe and in keeping with whole, natural health).
★ Start here — our first-line pick, pinned for safety
This is the safest, most foundational first step for new or muffled hearing loss, since wax buildup is common and easily addressed — but any hearing change should still be evaluated by a professional.
How to do it ▾
Why it works: Earwax buildup can physically block sound waves from reaching the eardrum, and gentle softening and removal often restores hearing quickly once wax is the cause.
- Notice whether hearing loss is sudden and affects one or both ears, which can point toward wax buildup.
- Use over-the-counter earwax softening drops as directed on the package if wax is suspected.
- Gently wipe only the outer ear with a soft, damp cloth — never insert anything into the ear canal.
- See a doctor or audiologist for professional ear cleaning if home softening drops do not resolve the muffled hearing.
A few days of softening drops, then professional evaluation if needed · As directed on product label, typically 1-2 times daily for a few days
Caution: Never insert cotton swabs, pins, or other objects into the ear canal — they can pack wax deeper or injure the eardrum. Sudden hearing loss should always be evaluated by a doctor promptly rather than assumed to be wax.
When to get help: See a doctor right away for sudden hearing loss in one or both ears, especially if it happens over hours or a few days, since prompt treatment improves the chance of recovery.
Source: Prescription for Nutritional Healing
Comments & experiences ▾
Also helps — ranked by the community (vote to reorder)
This gradual dietary approach supports overall ear health but does not reverse hearing loss that has already occurred — pair it with professional hearing evaluation.
How to do it ▾
Why it works: Good circulation delivers oxygen and nutrients to the tiny blood vessels and hair cells of the inner ear, and some studies link high cholesterol, smoking, and caffeine with reduced ear blood flow.
- Reduce saturated fat and fried foods, replacing them with vegetables, whole grains, and lean proteins.
- Add fresh pineapple juice to your diet a few times a week as a traditional anti-inflammatory food.
- Cut back on and eventually eliminate caffeine, which can reduce blood flow to the ear.
- If you smoke, work with your doctor on a plan to quit, since smoking reduces circulation throughout the body including the ears.
- Take a daily walk outdoors to support overall circulation.
Several weeks to months for full effect · Daily
Caution: This diet change has not been proven to restore hearing already lost, especially from noise or nerve damage. Quitting caffeine can cause temporary headaches — reduce gradually.
When to get help: See a doctor promptly for any sudden hearing change, or if a child shows signs of hearing difficulty at any age, since early evaluation matters for speech and language development.
Source: Prescription for Nutritional Healing
Comments & experiences ▾
This prevention habit protects the hearing you have and should be paired with professional evaluation for any hearing loss already noticed.
How to do it ▾
Why it works: Loud sound physically damages the delicate hair cells in the inner ear, and this damage is permanent, so consistently wearing hearing protection prevents further loss from accumulating.
- Wear earplugs or earmuffs around loud equipment, concerts, or machinery.
- Keep personal music device volume low enough that someone next to you cannot hear it.
- Take listening breaks in quiet environments during long periods of noise exposure.
- Limit time spent in very loud environments (over 90 decibels) whenever possible.
Ongoing habit · Every time you are exposed to loud sound
Caution: Noise-induced hearing loss is permanent — protection prevents further damage but does not restore hearing already lost. Even brief exposure to extremely loud sound (gunfire, fireworks) can cause instant damage without protection.
When to get help: See a doctor for sudden hearing loss or ringing in the ears after loud noise exposure, especially if it does not improve within a day or two.
Source: Prescription for Nutritional Healing
Comments & experiences ▾
How the numbers work: a weighted voting system — trusted published sources cast endorsement votes for each protocol, and your ▲/▼ adds to them. Not medical advice.
🩺 When to see a doctor
- If a child shows signs of hearing difficulty at any age — early detection is critical for language development.
- For sudden hearing loss in adults, which may signal a medical emergency.
🌿 The seven pathways to health
Seven pathways for your hearing loss — tap the circle to check one off (saved on your device), or ask Remy for help.
“Disease is an effort of nature to free the system from conditions that result from a violation of the laws of health... In case of sickness 1cause should be ascertained, 2go to work intelligently to remove the disease. 3Unhealthful conditions should be changed, 4wrong habits corrected. 5Then nature is to be assisted in her effort 6to expel impurities and 7to re-establish right conditions in the system.”
🌿 Overview
The most common cause of hearing loss is aging (presbyacusis — high frequencies go first). Nations with the highest cholesterol rates have the highest rates of deafness; those with the lowest have almost none, even in the elderly. Catarrhal deafness occurs when an acute cold or flu is suppressed without running its proper course; a low-level infection continues in the middle ear and gradually ruins hearing. Research shows hearing loss can be reversed, even in the elderly, by eating a proper diet and reducing fat and cholesterol intake.
Hearing loss can come on gradually with age or noise exposure, or more suddenly from infection, earwax, injury, or certain medications. Common signs are struggling to follow conversations (especially in noise), turning up the volume, and difficulty with higher-pitched sounds — changes that often creep in so slowly that others notice first.
Protecting hearing is the key natural priority: avoiding loud noise and using ear protection, treating ear infections promptly, and being cautious with ear-damaging medications. Some causes are simply reversible, such as a plug of earwax. Because hearing connects deeply to communication, relationships, and even brain health, a proper hearing assessment is worthwhile rather than just adapting around the loss. Sudden hearing loss in one ear is a medical urgency that should be seen quickly, as prompt treatment can sometimes restore it.
Common signs
- Sounds becoming harder to distinguish, especially high-pitched sounds
- Difficulty hearing people in conversation
- Feeling of fullness or ringing in the ears (tinnitus) may accompany
- Needing higher volume on TV and phone
- Presbyacusis: high frequencies are lost first — often noticed after age 60
- Occupational hazard: chainsaw, plane pilots, heavy equipment operators
🍃 Supporting foods & habits
The gentle, everyday foods and supports that help in the background — secondary to the active remedies above. Vote on what helped you.
An antioxidant-rich diet supports inner-ear health (sudden hearing loss needs urgent medical care).920
Magnesium-rich foods may help protect hearing, especially from noise damage.870
Good vitamin D and general health support the tiny structures of the ear.870
How the numbers work: this is a weighted voting system — every published book or article recommending a remedy counts as an endorsement vote, and your ▲/▼ counts too. Not medical advice. *Ties are broken by our editor score (sources, safety, simplicity, cost, lifestyle fit, eight-laws alignment).
🍽️ Eating to help
Food is one of the gentlest medicines — small, steady changes help most.
Favor these
- Fresh vegetable juices
- Whole nutritious foods with vitamin/mineral supplements
- Kelp or dulse (manganese and tin)
- Foods rich in vitamin A, C, E
- Fresh pineapple
Go easy on
- High-fat and high-cholesterol foods
- Processed, sugared, junk foods
- Dairy products (if milk allergy present)
- Caffeine, tobacco, alcohol
- Medications known to cause deafness (aspirin, quinine, streptomycin)
Nations with low cholesterol have almost no deafness, even in the elderly. Nations with high cholesterol have the highest deafness rates. Reducing fat and cholesterol has been shown in research to improve hearing.
⚖️ Good to know
- Noise-induced hearing loss is irreversible — always wear hearing protection above 90 dB
- When listening to music with earphones, no one else should be able to hear it — if they can, it's too loud
- Rock concerts and stereo headsets at high levels (100+ dB) can damage hearing in 30 minutes
- Never put sharp objects (pins, paper clips, swabs) in the ear — they impact wax or rupture the eardrum
- Do NOT rinse ears with water more than once every couple months — some earwax is needed for protection
⚕️ What a doctor may offerConventional treatments for this condition — for your information.Show ▾
RemedyRank's heart is natural healing — and honest information. Here is what conventional medical care commonly involves for this condition, listed to inform, never to promote. Decisions about treatment belong with you and your own physician.
Treatment depends on the cause — from earwax removal to hearing aids or implants.
Commonly offered
- Removing earwax or treating ear infections (reversible causes)–
- Hearing aids for age-related/noise-related loss–
- Cochlear implants for severe loss–
- Protecting hearing from loud noise–
Worth knowing
- Sudden hearing loss in one ear is an emergency — see a doctor within days.
- Don't use cotton swabs in the ear canal.
- Untreated hearing loss affects safety and connection — get it checked.
👍/👎 shares whether a treatment helped you — community experience, not medical advice. For full professional details, see the sources under “Learn more” below.
📚 Learn more
Sources for further reading. These open in a new tab.
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