Craig (Corvallis, Oregon) on 10/20/2014
I'd like to share my experience with ear pain in the hope that others might benefit from it.
About every seven years, I'd come down with fluid in the middle ear. This resulted in tinnitus, clogged Eustachian tubes, and painful middle ear pressure. Sometimes it was so painful that it was all I could do to make it through the day. Other times, I couldn't even do that.
Doctors always told me that it was caused by either a virus or an allergy, and that I would just have to ride it out.
The only thing I ever found that helped was taking magnesium supplements, which greatly reduced the middle ear pressure.
Eventually I figured out the root cause of my problem: electrolyte imbalance. Middle ear fluid is all about electrolytes, and whenever mine got severely out of balance (usually as a result of eating mega-doses of potassium rich foods) my "ear infection" would begin. In an attempt to make myself healthier, I was actually making myself sick.
Sodium and potassium work in concert, so it's important to find some semblance of balance between the two. The same holds true for magnesium and calcium. And while these balances probably vary from person to person (depending upon their underlying health issues), I encourage anyone suffering from tinnitus, clogged Eustachian tubes, or middle ear pressure to explore the possibility that it might be the result of an electrolyte imbalance.
It's only taken me fifteen years to figure this out, and I hope it helps someone.....
Replied By Sandhya (Hawaii) on 10/21/2014
Thanks for sharing this information. I too have been suffering from middle ear problems and a blocked Eustachean tube in the left ear. The Eustachean tube blockage happened after an ear infection a couple of years ago. Since then the ear feels as if the pathway is inflamed but no pain. Bad hearing is a hard. They say I have small ear canals. Anyway it is hard to find anything that helps so this is wonderful....thank you for sharing as it at least gives me something to try.
Replied By Michelle (Usa) on 10/28/2014
Thank you!!! I am a 41 year old woman who has never had an ear infection before - but I started the ketogenic diet a little over a month ago & recently started having ear pain. I am extremely healthy & all I could think was... This must have something to do with electrolytes - because I started getting foot & leg cramps at the same time. Thank you so much for giving me confirmation! I've upped my dose of potassium over the past few days. I wonder if that's exacerbating the problem? I will definitely be more conscious of my magnesium supplementation. Thank you so much!! Now I just need to figure out the ideal electrolytes ratios!
Replied By Alexx (Massachusetts, US) on 12/01/2014
I am so glad I read Michelle's comment! I was searching ketosis flu and itchy ears. It seems I have dived headfirst into ketosis and am having some very extreme symptoms today, including itchy ears! They're itching like crazy and I knew there had to be a reason, as there always is with our bodies. I'm heating up some bone broth now and just took an extra magnesium/potassium supplement.
Replied By Shannon (Vancouver, Wa) on 03/17/2015
This makes sense to me! Can you explain how to balance out my electrolytes? Lately my hands have been so dry... Like I'm dehydrated and been having ear problems. Thank you
Replied By Erin (Tampa) on 05/28/2015
Thank you, thank you thank you for this post. I had earaches a lot as a child. I have hard ear wax and sometimes it gets impacted. I have noticed that sometimes when I drink sports drinks I get dizzy and feel head pressure. I wasn't sure exactly what was causing it, but the potassium explanation makes sense. Thank you!