My youngest has progressive hearing loss.  I kinda wrote about it a while ago in my post, “I Cried Today”.  He’s a pretty typical teen.  Most people don’t even know he has hearing aids, or any health issues for that matter.  Recently, we went to a new ENT for a second opinion.  We have been going to the same ENT for 13 years and I thought it might be about time.  This new doctor laid out the issues and had a solution, in about 10 minutes.  It all seemed too simple.

My son’s ears are not healthy.  He has popping and constant ringing.  His hearing loss is only high frequency so far, and the hearing aids fix it.  He does suffer from headaches and dizziness, but not normally enough to slow him down for more than one or two days a month.

The new doctor looked in his mouth and his ears, and told me that he had markings in his mouth that indicated he was swallowing in his sleep – grinding marks that he called the “tuck & swallow”.  He would only be doing that, if he had reflux and needed to swallow at night, due to stomach working and stuff refluxing…  Well, he did have reflux when he was little.  The first few years of his life were horrible because of it, but he has not had any problems in a long time.  The doctor then explained the air flow from the eustachian tubes, and the esophagus also affected the ears.  The reflux was, apparently, causing air flow issues…  His solution seemed to simple.  My son needs to go to bed with an empty stomach.  Which means he can’t eat 6-8 hours before going to bed.  If he must eat something, it should only be fruit that is easily digested.  Simple.  Really?

He explained that making breakfast your most important meal is key to health anyway.  “Important” meaning, all your proteins, fats etc.  Basically have your dinner for breakfast.  He also put it this way, “eat breakfast like a King, lunch like a Prince and dinner like a pauper.”  Well.  It has been a major adjustment to the schedule, and to our way of thinking.  It makes sense, but it’s not how we are used to doing things.

The other day we had tortellini and meatballs for breakfast, chicken fingers for lunch and watermelon for dinner.  Thank God we are home schooling…We’ve been doing this for 6 weeks with some improvement.  I must say we have not been really disciplined  though.  It’s not an easy thing to do, but we are committed to keep at it.  My son is motivated to feel better, and he thinks it’s fun to eat dinner for breakfast…it’s the fruit for dinner that’s the stumbling block.  We will check back with the doctor in 2 months.

My son’s ringing has not stopped, nor has the popping.  His headaches have decreased in intensity & frequency though.  Pray for us to keep to the program.  We really want to see if this works, since we have tried everything else… and I mean everything. There’s no harm in trying this, and I figure, this doctor is either a nut job or a genius.

Have you ever heard anything like this?  What do you think?