Cured my eustachian tube dysfunction
Posted , 56 users are following.
I've had this problem off and on for years. I have allergies, so always assumed it was related to that. Nope. This past year, I discovered I also have a thyroid issue, and ETD can be related to hypothyroidism. Well, even on thyroid hormone I still had the ETD.
So I've been researching the web constantly, because my ETD is so annoying. I have to yawn or swallow constantly or else my ears feel clogged and when I speak, it sounds very muffled. Sometimes even clearing my ears doesn't help. At it's worst, I couldn't clear my ears at all.
I've gotten relief for a lot of my other thyroid symptoms with vitamins and minerals. The research shows that a low thyroid can cause you to be deficient in a lot of different nutrients do to malabsorption and inability to metabolize and convert vitamins into their active forms. Specifically, you do not convert beta-carotene into the active version of vitamin A that your body uses.
I started hunting around for research related to eustachian tube and vitamins, and found nothing about humans, but eventually I found some for animals. And it was all about vitamin A deficiency.
In the ear, air is constantly being lost from the ear cavity through the soft tissues of the ear, by a process of difussion which isn't well understood. If the soft tissue lining the ear cavity is too thin or too porous, you will lose the air a lot faster than normal. I think this is what is happening for many of us with ETD. Also, the eustachian tube itself may be sticky, due to the lining of the soft tissues being compromised. Vitamin A is needed to properly make the epithelial lining of your soft tissues in your eustachian tubes, your ears, your nose and throat and your eyes (and probably everywhere in your body). If you don't have enough, your soft tissues get scaly and dry, inflexible. In your ears, that means your eustachian tubes get stuck closed (or maybe stuck open too!) and also the air is lost faster from your ear cavity, causing pressure changes faster than normal.
I found a retinal acetate 5,000 IU vitamin supplement, and started taking that every day and it worked immediately the first day, and has kept my ears clear the past three days! I know that isn't very long, and maybe I'm celebrating too early, but after dealing with this for so long, three days of not having this problem is too wonderful, I had to share my discovery.
Hope this helps some of you!
P.S. I also take a low dose zinc and copper supplement. Zinc helps you move vitamin A around the body. Without sufficient zinc, you will not benefit form taking vitamin A. And copper is important to take with zinc, and is also important for the building blocks of soft tissue.
9 likes, 90 replies
kya51846 AmyYamy
Edited
Hi Amy thanks for sharing your story im glad you have found something that works. i couldnt find the specific VIT A you described but i bought VIT A with fish liver oil from holland and barret and its worked for me! who knew low VIT A was the cause of all this. im grateful and happy that you shared your story.
lucy65512 AmyYamy
Posted
hi Amy I tried the vit A zinc and copper made me. very peculiar. so will try the A on its own. I've had ETD for years now noise etc etc I now have pain with my arm after taking all those. not sure whatcis going on ?
thanks
audrey08233 AmyYamy
Edited
Be cautious with Vit A dose which I took for 2 years in 2000-2002 as part of multi vitamin diet. I discovered I had osteoporosis a few years later with avulsion fracture to ankle. I then read this online: "Excessive intake of vitamin A is postulated to have a detrimental effect on bone by inducing osteoporosis. This may lead to an increased risk of fracture, particularly in persons who are already at risk of osteoporosis."
brian90259 AmyYamy
Edited
Maybe this won't help anyone else except me but worth a try since many of you are suffering. If you are like I was where you don't know exactly what the issue is and the "specialists" you are seeing don't have a clue either then you could try speaking to your dentist instead of your doctor. I had fluid on one side - ear, nose and throat which was literally driving me absolutely crazy and many other symptoms like dizziness, fatigue etc. I solved my issue completely by accident when my brand new dentist informed me I had an infection caused by tooth decay. She said "can you feel that little lump with your tongue". I said "yes it's been there for years". I did not have toothache and the lump didn't bother me at all but the dentist informed me it was an infection full of puss etc. I immediately started telling her about all the symptoms I was having which I had no idea were connected to my tooth. She basically told me there and then that this is what all my problems were about and she was totally correct because as soon as the tooth came out all my problems were magically solved. Good luck everyone.
ann44560 AmyYamy
Posted
my goodness,i have been asking doctors for months if blocked ears are related to thyroid,they all say no, iam so relieved to come across you letter,i have been taking zinc because I thought it was my immune system but no vitamin A,i will definitely give it a go, thankyou. Ann
Coralann AmyYamy
Posted
Hi Amy, I know this is an old post and you may not be part of this group now but, I am suffering from the Eustachian tube problem and have a question. Have you had continued success with the supplements you mentioned? I haven't had issues for 8 years with my Eustatchain tube. I changed my diet and completelt avoid many inflammatory foods.However, upon out plane descending from holiday, fluid shot up into my ears and 9 days later I was on agony with headaches and my right ear blocked up and stayed that way. What doses were you taking of the vitamin. A and Zinc and is it still working for you?
Thank you so much for your post.Im hoping it will assist me.