Acupuncture and TCM Are Very Good Ways to Help Cure Tinnitus

If you have tried all possible conventional forms of treatment for tinnitus and have had little or no success with them, then it’s time for you to try acupuncture for the treatment of that condition.

Acupuncture therapy and Tinnitus go well together due to the fact that tinnitus can be caused by stress which acupuncture can treat flawlessly and easily. Acupuncture also helps alleviate pain besides providing several other therapeutic benefits. Where conventional Western modes of treatment fail in providing a proper response to tinnitus, acupuncture is Eastern medicine’s answer to this condition.

Listed below are a few questions you need to ask yourself before scheduling an appointment to treat your tinnitus using acupuncture.

1. Are you willing to make changes to your lifestyle and take supplemental treatments? Acupuncture many not be enough to completely cure your tinnitus. You need to make some lifestyle changes and take supplemental herbs on top of the acupuncture sessions for your treatment to be effective.

2. Can you afford to go back for multiple sessions? You may need several sessions of acupuncture before your tinnitus is completely cured. Acupuncture treatments need to be consistent to manifest improvement for individuals whose tinnitus symptoms have gradually built up.

3. Are you willing to have needles stuck in your body? Your acupuncturist needs to stick needles into some points in your body in order to cure your tinnitus. Though the needles uses in acupuncture are 10x thinner than hypodermic needles, they can potentially cause injury when improperly inserted.

As a standalone treatment for tinnitus, acupuncture may not produce the desired results.

Consider these questions carefully before you decide to get acupuncture treatment for your tinnitus. If you are scared of needles, fortunately, you can still avail of laser or electro-acupuncture, a type of acupuncture treatment that uses laser or mild electrical impulses instead of needles to generate a therapeutic response in the body. These two treatments have the same effects as the needling procedure of traditional acupuncture. Also, if you can’t or are unwilling to follow the treatment plan and commit to lifestyle changes, acupuncture treatment for your tinnitus will not work for you.

If you are able to stick to the treatment plan, then your next step is to search for a reputable and qualified acupuncturist who can accommodate you. You can ask your doctor for referrals or ask referrals from people you know very well who have experienced getting acupuncture treatment for the same condition you have. Choose a practitioner who can calm and make your relax. This is important in making the treatment work to its full effectiveness which leads to a very good treatment outcome.

Christina Prieto is an Orlando acupuncturist, a certified Yoga instructor and the founder of Harmony Wellness center in central Florida.

Acupuncture is a Valid and Effective Cure for Tinnitus

If all forms of conventional treatments for your tinnitus have failed, acupuncture may be the best solution you can ever try. Acupuncture really helps cure tinnitus.

Acupuncture and tinnitus go well together since tinnitus may be caused by stress. And since acupuncture is an excellent way of relieving stress and pain, it can provide therapeutic benefits to people suffering from tinnitus.

Before setting up an appointment with your acupuncturist to treat your tinnitus, listed below are some relevant questions you need to ask yourself.

1. Will you have any problems making lifestyle changes and following supplemental treatments? Using only acupuncture to cure tinnitus may not be enough. You might need to change certain lifestyles and take supplemental herbs besides acupuncture in order for the entire therapy to work.

2. Are you financially prepared to go back for multiple sessions? Several sessions of acupuncture may be required in order to completely cure your tinnitus. People who have had their condition gradually build up through time need to have multiple acupuncture treatments that are consistent and continuous in order for them to be fully effective.

3. Are you afraid of needles? Acupuncturists need to insert needles in certain parts of your body in order to treat a condition and even with the use of extremely slender needles that are ten times thinner than hypodermic needles they can still cause injury when improperly inserted.

You need to seriously ponder over these questions before you decide to through with acupuncture treatment for your tinnitus. If you are unwilling to change your lifestyle, don’t have time to go back for required sessions, not serious in following the plan of treatment or not really comfortable with needles, acupuncture will not definitely work for you.

Once you have said yes to acupuncture treatment, the next step is to search for a licensed acupuncturist who has extensive experience dealing with tinnitus cases or is specializing in the treatment of tinnitus. It is highly advised that you verify if the acupuncturist you have in mind is licensed and can accommodate you. You can do some online research on the practitioner or ask the right people if any complaints have been filed against the practitioner and if so, how were they resolved. Be 100% sure about the acupuncturist in order for you to have peace of mind during the time of your treatment and to avoid any injuries or accidents.

 

Galina Semyonova is a licensed acupuncturist and massage therapist in New York City. She has studied extensively in the fields of biofeedback therapy, SCENAR therapy, Chinese herbal treatments and Chinese and Western nutrition.

Acupuncture for Tinnitus

Acupuncture for tinnitus treatment is depended on and utilized by many individuals around the world to better deal with their tinnitus. Doctors consider tinnitus as an incurable condition since this ear problem is viewed as an indication of lifestyle and other underlying health issues. Medical professionals see that tinnitus can be permanently cured only with the passage of time instead of medications or alternative forms of treatments.

These days more and more people suffering from tinnitus are opting for natural alternative modalities to address their problem. A number of homeopathic and alternative remedies have shown to provide substantial relief to various types of sicknesses and diseases. Because of this, a large number of people are beginning to explore these remedies in treating other maladies. Acupuncture for tinnitus is one very successful member of these remedies.

What is tinnitus?

Tinnitus is actually a Latin word that means ringing. The person with tinnitus perceives sound in his ear that in actuality has no matching external sound. Tinnitus typically is not a disease but rather a symptom that can be caused by several factors such as build-up of wax due to nose allergies, ear infections, or foreign item accumulating in the ear.

Sometimes natural defects in hearing can also cause tinnitus (especially in aging); however, it can also be due to side effects of some types of medicines. Genetically caused loss of hearing can have side effects such as tinnitus. Mostly, though, the number one cause for the development of tinnitus is loss of hearing due to frequent or constant exposure to noise.

Acupuncture Treatment for the Relief of Tinnitus

Several studies have shown that acupuncture really provides major benefits for the relief of the discomfort tinnitus brings. Of course, it is obviously essential that a sufferer of this condition avail himself of temporal relief if no treatment exists to address the root of the problem. It is also important that a tinnitus patient undergoes a comprehensive medical exam in order for his/her doctor to formulate a treatment that can give enduring relief.

Acupuncture is a Chinese healing art that entails the use of very thin, non-hollow acupuncture needles inserted and manipulated into the skin in certain points on the body, for the end-result of achieving a therapeutic relief of pain.

If you are considering getting acupuncture treatment for your tinnitus one thing you need to remember first is that you need to visit a facility that offers alternative forms of treatment that includes acupuncture and other forms of traditional Chinese medicine. Finding a facility that offers acupuncture may be essential if you see that other alternative treatments and homeopathic modalities may not be as effective as you might want them to be. You also ought to know a treatment of acupuncture is typically a process, and so there may be several sessions of treatment that the person needs to attend to experience significant relief.

Practitioners of acupuncture will have an easier and faster time to treat tinnitus when the condition is caused by an “excess”; however, for an energy deficiency or imbalance causing the ear condition, treatment may take a little longer.

Acupuncture is often combined with other modalities to accelerate the healing process. For tinnitus, acupuncture is often accompanied by physiotherapy (massage therapy). You may likewise need to have your mind prepare well for the insertion of the needles at certain areas in your ears in the course of the sessions.

Lastly, you need to be aware that acupuncture therapies do not give permanent relief to your tinnitus. The degree of your relief will be based on the patient and the level of his/her distress.

 

Kine Fischler is a licensed acupuncture physician and the clinical director of Willow Tree Wellness Clinic in Portland, OR.

Acupuncture for Tinnitus

If you are one of the millions in the United States who have the misfortune of being a sufferer of tinnitus, you certainly will know the agony caused by the persistent ringing in the ears (or other noises). The good news is that there are several ways to effectively treat tinnitus.

A lot of people with tinnitus have tried a number of options to attempt to resolve the problematic recurring ringing/noise in their ears. Most of them would stop short of opting for surgery which is not really a good option at all for most cases of tinnitus.

Some of the tinnitus treatments include:

Drugs/ medications – This option is usually recommended by doctors for severe types of tinnitus. The problem with drugs is that they have bad side effects and only work to relieve the symptoms.

Vitamin Supplements – Supplements work best when the cause of tinnitus is stress. Vitamins such as niacin and zinc have been proven effective for tinnitus sufferers

Diet – Some medical experts think that inadequate or even too much consumption of certain food groups can be an underlying cause for tinnitus.

Acupuncture – Acupuncture therapy works best if the root cause of one’s tinnitus is not structural damage to the ears. When the cause is stress, acupuncture can be a great way to resolve tinnitus

Meditation – As mentioned before, one major cause of tinnitus is stress. To help beat it, meditation can be a good option as it assists people in easing their stress and thus helps them overcome their tinnitus problem.

Yoga – This is a passive form of exercise which doubles as meditation. Yoga like meditation helps relieve stress that then helps treat tinnitus.

Choose the one treatment that works best for you. Remember to talk to your doctor first before attempting acupuncture therapy. Do not attempt to medicate yourself. Drugs should only be prescribed to you by your doctor. Oftentimes, a combination of therapies (example, acupuncture and meditation or acupuncture and medication) is the best and most effective approach for the treatment of tinnitus.

 

Needles & Moxa Wellness Center
700 S Red Rd
Miami, FL 33144
Ph: (305) 265-5265
http://www.needlesandmoxa.com/

Acupuncture for Tinnitus

Fortunately for tinnitus patients, there are many kinds of treatments to cure this vexing condition. This article will focus only on traditional acupuncture, a proven therapy that works for a lot of tinnitus patients, as seen in numerous studies.

We will see what acupuncture treatment for tinnitus is all about and the processes that the patient needs to undergo to cure tinnitus. Hopefully, this article will give you a much more coherent understanding regardless of tinnitus treatment using acupuncture if you are considering acupuncture or not for your condition.

Before anything else, it is important to ascertain if you have tinnitus or not. A lot of individuals go see their doctor to figure out if they merely have accumulated wax in their ears or other kinds of ear problems. After the doctor has ascertained that you are indeed suffering from tinnitus, then the next thing he needs to figure out is what type of tinnitus you have.

For certain people with tinnitus, the main thing they hear is their pulse or beating of their heart.  This type of tinnitus is referred to as pulsatile tinnitus.  In certain occasions, individuals will endure sleepless nights due to the disturbing ringing noise constantly ringing noise in their ears.  This problem directly affects their life, especially their work and performance. This also affects their mood making them experience worries, anxiety, depression; sometimes, they may even end up being suicidal.

These factors make it imperative to know the severity of your tinnitus and the only way to figure this out is to consult with your doctor. You need to be aware of every bit of information you have of your condition so that you may also know what measures you need to use to best deal with your condition. Now that you are sure that you are suffering from tinnitus, and also know what kind of tinnitus it is, you can then consider going to an acupuncturist to have it treated the natural way.  This time, it is important that you search for an acupuncture clinic near your area. You also need to be sure that the acupuncturist you choose is a licensed practitioner who can truly and effectively treat your ear problem.

Acupuncture is a natural type of medical treatment and the treatment process usually entails more than one session of therapy. Acupuncture is an on going process where results may be seen after weeks or even months; moreover, the more serious your tinnitus is, the longer will be your treatment.  You need to be patient when you decide to go for acupuncture treatment.

Besides the need for patience, having a good attitude towards acupuncture is also important. When you come in for treatment, you need to be relaxed to enable yourself to receive optimal benefits from the treatment.  Studies have shown that relaxation and an optimistic way of thinking can provide the best positive impact in treating tinnitus using acupuncture.

One of the biggest problems about acupuncture is the use of needles. A lot of people are reluctant to go for acupuncture treatment mainly because they are scared of the thought of needles being inserted at certain parts of their body. The thing about the needles is that they are ten times smaller than the conventional needles used in hospitals to draw blood, or inject fluids. Therefore, these acupuncture needles do not really cause any pain at all when they are inserted in a person’s body.

Finally, acupuncture for the treatment of tinnitus does not guarantee that your tinnitus will be fully cured.  There are indeed instances were acupuncture has completely cured patients of their tinnitus but there are also cases were acupuncture has not been successful in resolving the symptoms.  Acupuncture can help treat your tinnitus but it may or may not be able to cure it.

 

Dale Roach, MD,L.Ac
178 Myrtle Blvd
Larchmont, NY 10538
Phone: 914-562-5748
http://www.docacupuncture.com/

Tinnitus Tests and Diagnosis

Most of the time, the real cause of tinnitus is not known. The person who usually is responsible for diagnosing tinnitus will be either an otolaryngologist or an otologist. Both of these health professionals are ear specialists. A complete clinical assessment including the medical regimen and complete patient history of the patient is first done to see if he is positive for tinnitus and to ascertain the cause of the condition. To diagnose tinnitus certain tests may be performed. Some of these tests can assess the specific characteristics of the tinnitus itself and can involve:

• Audiogram
• X-rays
• Tinnitus pitch match
• Evoked response audiometry
• Maskability of tinnitus
• Tinnitus loudness match
• Residual inhibition

Audiogram

This test is also known as a hearing acuity test and it uses a chart that rates the patient’s ability to identify various speech sounds and to hear sounds. Since an amount of hearing loss can come about with tinnitus, an audiogram test can be a good diagnostic tool for properly identifying tinnitus.

X-rays

The head is usually x-rayed to see if there are structural problems existing in the ear that may be the ones causing tinnitus. If these tests are inadequate then a CT scan or an MRI may be requested.

Tinnitus Pitch Match

Tinnitus Pitch Match is based on the belief that physical tones have a pitch that relates to the frequency of each tone. The number of cycles a sound wave makes in a second is called a frequency. Sound waves vary in frequency – some may be high or very high and some may be low or very low.

To match the pitch tinnitus makes, the patient needs to choose from a number of external noises or tone. Of course the tones that closely correspond to tinnitus will be the one selected by the patient. A study done regarding tinnitus have revealed that most tinnitus patients rate tinnitus with a pitch match of around 3,500 Hz which is a little lower than the highest tone a grand piano can make which is a little above 4,000 Hz. A 3,500 Hz will have tones that may be of a screeching, unpleasant sound.

Evoked Response Audiometry

This test is performed typically for patients suffering tinnitus in one ear only. The evoked response audiometry test uses non-invasive computerized inner ear recordings that can be somewhat analogous to computer “fault-finding” checks used by computerized car engines found in certain car garages.

Maskability of Tinnitus

This is a test that rates the level to which tinnitus can be drowned out or “masked” by external sounds.

The maskability of tinnitus test utilizes a spectrum of noises for the masking or drowning of external sound. The noise spectrum or noise band may range from about 2,000 Hz to up to 12,000 Hz. This band is tested using earphones on the patient’s problematic ear.

The test entails the progressive but slow increase in the frequency or the pitch of the masking sound until it is distinctively heard by the patient. The pitch is then increased further up to the point wherein the patient no longer hears the tinnitus in his ear. The way the MML or minimum masking level is rated is in SL or dBsensation level. For the majority of the population, their MML is around 8 dB SL or lower. There are very rare cases, though, where the MML can go 22 dB SL and beyond.

Tinnitus Loudness Match

This test is to analyze the loudness of tinnitus by manipulating the volume of an external tone to match it as close to the tinnitus sounds as possible. The test progresses until the external tones are as comparably loud as the tinnitus.

The specific loudness of the patient’s tinnitus can be measured and usually the measure is around 4 to 7 dB or decibels which are comparable to a whisper and just a little above the verge of hearing. Curiously people with tinnitus usually complain of their tinnitus sounds as very loud sounds; however, the fact is that what they’re hearing is only about 4 to 7 decibels.

To assess between the perceived loudness of the tinnitus sounds and their actual loudness, the specialist can perform another test called the Visual Analog Scale.

Visual Analog Scale is some type of a measurement for assessing the loudness of the patient’s tinnitus. The scale rates the sound on a scale of zero to 10 with 10 being the loudest tinnitus sound possible and zero meaning “no tinnitus.”

The patient will then choose the number that best typifies the sound volume of his tinnitus. Based on numerous tests of this scale, around 70% of patients selected a rating of 6 or above. This assessment seems to suggest that the perceived tinnitus sound in a majority of patients is high.

Residual Inhibition

The residual inhibition test monitors the amount of time the tinnitus noise in the ear dissipates or vanishes following a period of masking. In this test, the patient’s tinnitus is masked by sounds measuring 10 dB for a full minute. Afterwards, the test measures the duration for the tinnitus sound to go away, if it does indeed go away.

Most tinnitus patients (about 85% of them) who have undergone this test showed either partial or complete residual inhibition. This means the tinnitus noise gradually dissipated in their ear. On the average, the time it took for the noise to go away was around 65 seconds.

A one minute residual inhibition test that results in a 65 second residual inhibition does not necessarily entail that an hour-long residual inhibition test will mean an hour’s worth of residual inhibition.

Increasing the sound volume of the masking sound will not prolong or add to the time or the level of the residual inhibition. There are venturous people though, who have used residual inhibition technique that involved extended amounts of time and have resulted in them enjoying several hours of residual inhibition.

 

 Daniel Haun is a licensed acupuncture practitioner and the clinical director of Bailey & Haun Acupuncture in Oceanside, CA.

 

 

Tinnitus Symptoms

People experience tinnitus in different ways. There are others who are mildly affected by tinnitus while some may be severely impacted by this ear condition. There are individuals with tinnitus who may develop hypersensitivity compared with others to everyday sounds. A person with tinnitus, for example, may find the sound from a TV or a radio excruciatingly loud even when they are set at a normal volume. This symptom of tinnitus is called hyperacusis. Tinnitus symptoms can arise during specific situations or in certain times. A person having a mild form of tinnitus, for example, will more likely notice it when he or she is in a quiet environment while a noisy place can drown out those tinnitus sounds.

There are tinnitus cases that can be related with your posture. You can, for example, hear sound when you turn your head, sit down or lie down. Whenever you turn your head, sit or lie down, your blood vessels, muscles and nerves experiences changes in pressure that can cause the noises in your ear related to tinnitus.

Types of tinnitus

Tinnitus sounds can also be heard as a sound of buzzing, whistling or hissing that is high-pitched. However, these are just some of the sounds tinnitus can produce.

There are individuals with tinnitus who hear tinnitus in a deep droning, rumbling, murmuring or humming sound. Some tinnitus sufferers may hear repeated songs, musical tunes or other musical hallucinations in their ear.

These are so-called the less typical forms of tinnitus and they are depicted in more detail below.

Musical hallucinations – These symptoms of tinnitus often are heard by people who have hearing loss or long-term tinnitus. They can also be occasionally experienced by individuals having normal hearing as well as those with hyperacusis or hypersensitivity to sound. Musical hallucinations as with other kinds of tinnitus have really no explainable reason. Stress, however, can be a trigger for them.

Low-frequency noise – Some tinnitus sufferers can also experience low-frequency noise that they usually mistake as emanating from an outside source rather than coming from inside their ears or head.

Some of the sounds of low-frequency noise an individual can hear can include:

• Air conditioners
• Refrigerators, fans and other home appliances
• Underground gas pipes
• Air and road traffic noises

Sounds of thunder, the sea or wind can also be other natural low-frequency noise that one with tinnitus can hear.

To ascertain whether the sound you hear may be coming from within or from without, you can ask people beside you whether they can hear what you hear. If they hear what you also hear, then the noise is obviously not caused by tinnitus. If you hear the noise all the time wherever you go instead of from only one place, then you may likely have tinnitus. A recent illness or stress can be connected to your symptoms.

Pulsatile tinnitus

This is a form of tinnitus where you may hear noises with either a rhythm or pulse that may synch with your pulse or heart beat. Pulsatile tinnitus can be caused the result of:

• Enhanced awareness of the flow of blood near your ears
• Changes in your blood flow in the blood vessels near your ear

Sometimes an artery may develop a blockage restricting blood flow. Plaques or fatty deposits can accumulate on the interior arterial wall causing it to narrow. This condition is called atherosclerosis. When the artery becomes constricted, it limits blood flow making it noisy which can be heard by a person with pulsatile tinnitus.

A person with a hearing problem/ impaired hearing caused by a perforated eardrum, for example, may be more acutely aware of the sounds his body functions make like the sound of his blood flow. Pulsatile tinnitus makes the person more sensitive to internal sounds in his body as long as they are not masked by external sounds.

 

Dr. Jeda Boughton is a licensed acupuncture physician and the medical director of BodaHealth in Vancouver, BC.