Cured of My Tinnitus (With Acupuncture)

My tinnitus started in June 2012, when I was a young 61yr old. It just appeared out of the blue when I was gardening. Sent by doctor to ENT they said there was nothing wrong with my ears, however sent me for an MRI. This showed up some lesions on my brain and was told it could be MS. By now my life seemed to be falling apart, especially as I have always been healthy apart from having slightly high blood pressure. I had a second MRI a few months later on my brain and spine as lesions show on the spine if MS. Luckily I had none showing, it was diagnosed as small vessel disease. The tinnitus was a real problem as it was in my right ear, was very loud and high pitched. I became depressed and couldn't sleep at night. I done a lot of research as I was determined that I was not going to live with this for the rest of my life. Everyone tells you it's only tinnitus and you have to get on with it. Great. I tried maskers, cognitive therapy, cranial massages, had a dental mouth guard as I had a clicky jaw, chiropractice, neuromodulater interview in London which would cost £4,500 and was not guaranteed, supplements etc. My last resort was acupuncture. On my 5th visit I mentioned that I thought the tinnitus may have something to do with my blood pressure, so she decided to work on my blood pressure channels. Three days later my TINNITUS JUST DISSAPEARED along with my tension headaches and balance problems. I was absolutely overjoyed. I must also add that I think the B12 high strength vit also played a part as I have recently found out that if you are vit. B12 deficient this can cause tinnitus, so I have been taking it for 15 months. It has been 9 months now and every body has been telling me that I am back to my self. So please all of you out there don't give up, keep trying. Tinnitus is such a debilitating thing and nobody understands except YOU.

 

Enjoy the silence

 

@Jena,

I went to an acupuncturist, twice a week, for 8 months and had no success. He was a famous TCM herbalist also. I used his special formulas and nothing changed. I did chiro work, massage theraphy, dental work, etc. Nothing.

Consider yourself the luckiest person on earth! I wish I could be in your shoes, just for a day! Enjoy your peace.

 

Gives me hope. I am going to acupuncture this Friday. My ENT recommended I give it a try since one of his friends/patient uses it. Also I found out my BP is also very high and just started a med for it. I am hoping if I get the BP under control and the anxiety under control it will at least greatly diminish the T.

 

Grats Jena, enjoy the silence
I would like to try acupuncture next month if my T still here

 

Hello everyone

 

There is a sure treatment for tinnitus by Acupuncture if the person who is going to treat know properly

 

Good evening sir you have to take first step to find a good acupuncturist

 

I am so happy for you, Jena! This is great.

Yes all these blabbermouths say 'it's only tinnitus, it's not life threatening'. Basically if you aren't already dying or bleeding profusely, they just say you are OK.

And yes no one understand. These guys least of all. But that's the way it is.

 

Acupuncture helped me lower my T, I have problems with stiff neck muscles and lowering the tensions with acupuncture and stretches lowered my volume a bit.

Acupuncture is worth a try if you know you have a problem somewhere, like stiff neck muscles, or blood flow problem etc.
But yes its hard to find a good acupuncture. I went to 2 different within the healthcare and they did not do much, I went to a known private one and such a difference.
But the healthcare one is free, the private is kinda expensive.

 

I'm getting acupuncture on NHS for a back issue, I wonder if she will try blood pressure points too. My blood pressure is too high and a lot higher than my whole life before.
The problem is NHS staff are usually only allowed to treat the one area the GP asks for.

 

I also had a positive experience with acupuncture. Strangely, the volume actually increased after my session...but then, for 5 days after, it was much better! I pretty much forgot about it. Then I experienced some stress again, and the tinnitus went back to where it was before :-(

I'm going to go again to the same acupuncturist in the new year and maybe it will help again?

 

Thinking about trying it just to see what happens.

What do you guys think is a decent amount of sessions to see any general benefit?

 

High Noisebox,
Just ask your Doctor to refer you to the acupuncturist for your tinnitus, you may be lucky some do some dont. I went private, cost me £40 a session. I was one of the lucky ones and have been tinnitus free for nearly a year.

 

Jenna HI ! and your Tinnitus acupuncture cure at your age to me is amazing! I am a war veteran with the same high pitch Tinnnitus noise and the hearing loss that came with it back in 1968 when i came home from the vietnam war.... So i happen to take my wife to have her ear drums checked out by the best ENT in new york city...Turned out that she was fine , but we asked if the DOC would check my ear drums while i was with my wife.
While being checked out i mentioned my 45 year old Tinnitus and if there is anything new in the medical world these days of 2016 , that may help decrease this very loud nerve wracking TINNITUS Torture....She simply tells me NOTHING to do .. I got so angry but i was quiet as a mouse while my blood pressure had to shoot up then.What the ENT did tell me was ,that i should do a sleep study test and then use a C PAP device to help my breathing at night so i can sleep better....and i should be fitted for the newest hearing aids on the market..So now this is my agenda, and not expecting all this as i was just a quest ,became a frightening event for me.. I am 69 going on 70 but feel active like in my 50.s ... i seemed to have got used to my worst Tinnitus volume , though my daily habits include driving , and listening to the radio, that inturn distracts me and keeps me busy. If Weather is terrible i am on the indoor BIKE peddling to keep in shape... In the summer months i walk by the shore 2 hours every morning when possible but with the radio music and ear buds..I also tried MANY THINGS TO WARD
off my loud Tinnitus , but to no avail... on many occasions the noise has kept me out side the loop with family and friends...My worst times were sitting and eating and chatting with those around me , while the background noise mixed with my loud tinnitus made me feel like i was sitting alone as i would not hear clearly enough to join in .....anyway i did go to China Town for accupuncture at a time i had lost much weight and was in greater shape and younger , and so i was more
aware and disturbed by the loud spiking high pitched whystle sound that keeps me company to this day 24/7
The accupuncture i had was for stress and not getting to sleep when i wanted to at the hour i wanted..It did not help my Tinnitus ! I was losing control of my sleeping pattern...plus i was having the age issue and still do of having to pee every few hours day and night.. Family members have told me to curb my drinking habits and .confine drinking to morning hours only.. i found that to be rediculous , so i still maintain the freedom to drink as i wish...i have tiny lights on my walls to lead me to the mensroom while i am half in sleep mode.. Some times i get back to sleeping and sometimes the Tinnitus stress keeps me from that sleep.....so i end up sleeping 4 maybe 5 or 6 hours on those nights... If i am ralaxed and not in any anxiety, stress or panic mode i can sleep till the full am time...Now though i have gained extra pounds , by letting my balanced veggie meals and portion control activity fade away as i indulged in a happy unhealthy carb binge.... but it caught up to me....I am sure my pressure is elevated and even a contsant mild elevation will spike my T ...so its been reality today for me .to lose the pounds and get my pressure down a bit that also may lower my Tinnitus. over time......... I have work to do and will do this
very shortly.. ive been told i am approaching a sleep apnia issue , if i don't take off the weight ....I wright about all this on here , to maybe help others who may have the same issues and are in DENIAL about the need to TRIM the mid section and get back into shape... so Getting older does not mean getting lazy and eating the wrong foods for comfort.. that means there is a thing called the battle of the bulge and we all should try to fight that battle to win it for a healthy chance at enjoying the older years.. Theres lots to enjoy out there if we decide to aim for it... and by the way ,succeeding in this challenge , involves the happiness of those friends and family i mentioned above .....Oh! and i will get hearing aids. during this health work out !

 

I am so sorry to hear your tinnitus story. Having tinnitus for so long is very upsetting to hear. I know that i am the luckiest person to have recovered from a most debilitating and stressful thing. I presume your tinnitus came from loud noise and explosions. There are a few trials going on, especially for the veterans of today, try and hold on to some positive thinking which i am sure you have in the past. I do also take a high dose of B12 and when I forgot to take it for a few days it tried to break through again, so i will always take this vitamin, it works on the nerve cells in the brain. I kind of feel that my brain has rewired itself as my balance problem has gone and my tension headaches too. Its quite a mystery to me why it started and finished after 3 years. I hope that some cure comes along soon as I feel so much for people with this continuous noise, i have so much empathy. You deserve to have some PEACE in your life.

Jena

 

One of the things T has taught me is how far science and medicine still have to go, but since the turn of the century great strides have been made. I really do think there is a lot to say about 'some' alternative treatments like acupuncture, even if the jury is still out. I'm willing to give anything a go, but I'm conscious that I don't have unlimited cash funds at my disposal unfortunately.

 

Interesting to hear that acupuncture has cured some people of their tinnitus. Been considering it recently but don't want to spend money and time on multiple sessions only to find it didn't work for me. So does anyone know how successful it actually is for curing tinnitus? And have many of you tried it without success? Thanks for any feedback!

 

@G H

Hi G H, I'm actually doing acupuncture for tinnitus right now. I have a TCM (traditional Chinese medicine) provider who listed tinnitus as a condition she treats specifically on her website, so I signed up immediately. Just to give you a head's up, I explained to her what my tinnitus sounded like, and the many causes that I believe brought T into my life (lifetime of concert going, had a injury/possible concussion, I quit smoke pot as well...)... this was her e-mailed response:

"Yes, I have successfully treated patients with that condition using acupuncture before, however, just how much
help you, as an individual, will receive through treatment will be as individualized in nature as you are.
Generally speaking, patients report feeling much relief from their symptoms within the first two sessions.
As a practitioner of Chinese medicine, I try to discover and address any reasons for the onset of tinnitus
at the same time as I work to deal with its symptoms. Sometimes, lifestyle changes might be required to optimize and maintain the results of treatment."

Currently, she's having me in once a week, for a total of 6 treatments. In between I have to drink Chinese herbs, which don't taste pleasant at all.

I've been to two treatments so far. Has it affected my T? Can't say that it really has, directly. I can still hear this loud tone in my right ear. However, my anxiety has all but melted away so far. I mean, I get the odd anxiety bout/depression moment relating to T... but compared to my onset (aka my first month), what a difference maker. I've gone from feeling despondent, angry, and suicidal to... annoyed and slightly anxious, but not fearing bed time anymore and functioning well day to day. I'm also sleeping like a baby for the first time since T onset. Believe me, it was at the point where my T was waking me up, 1 - 3 hours of sleep a night at most. Also, I'm kind of convinced my T is very, very, very, very, very slowly fading, almost week per week. Maybe it's placebo, maybe I'm crazy. It's still very much there, but I feel like there is a slow fading thing going on (like 10%). It doesn't "feel" as loud as it initially was (still loud though).

I'm still not entirely getting my hopes up, though I'd love to. Even the acupuncturist explained to me that with tinnitus, it's a 50/50 chance. I'm still cynical and skeptical, however I am grateful that at the very least, I'm getting some sleep and in a much better frame of mind. For the record, I have NOT taken any antidepressants, sleeping pills, or supplements. Acupuncture was my first line of defense/experimentation with trying to get rid of my T. I'll update at the end of all of the treatments, but so far after my two treatments, these are the effects/benefits I've noticed.

And, of course, a lighter wallet.

 

Hi Ronnie, great to hear you've gotten some relief. I also have some anxiety, insomnia, depression (possible partially caused by my tinnitus) so some relief from that would be great. A local acupuncturist claims to have good success with treating tinnitus with acupuncture and Chinese medicine so I think I'll book some appointments and see how it goes. Good luck with the rest of your treatment and keep us updated. Thanks!

 

Hey @G H -

Yeah, I think the acupuncture is helping me with the anxiety/depression/insomnia caused by the tinnitus, yet the tinnitus still stubbornly remains. Though I've had it for almost two months now, not as long as most people.

Just an FYI, I spoke with another TCM worker who e-mailed (there are two where I live), and she was convinced that it would take a year's worth of acupuncture treatments for my T to subside. Maybe she was yanking my chain, though her online reviews were good.

I hope you find relief and let me know how your treatment goes. I'll report back when all 6 treatments are completed!

 

I've had my tinnitus for several years (not even sure how long for) so not sure if acupuncture would be as effective for long term cases. I'll speak to them anyway and see what they say. Thanks Ronnie.

 

After researching acupuncture more, I believe that it does help those with non-noise induced T. -- Those who have T from stress or neck/head/ear injuries seem to benefit the most.

I have yet to find a noise-induced T sufferer who had a lot of success with acupuncture. -- Sure wish I would though since that I how I ended up with T.. :-(

 

Anybody could tell pls minimum how many sessions are required for this treatment?

 

Probably depends on the individual and the severity of the tinnitus..

 

@Bidyut saha
I asked my TCM practitioner this question, she said it entirely depends on the individual and what's causing the tinnitus. She also emphasised that no matter what, results are not guaranteed, and a legitimate TCM practitioner would mention that at the beginning.

My TCM worker told me she could treat me in 6 sessions, and the other one in my town said it would take a year's worth.

 

Thank u Ronnie C@ for ur informations. At this time I m taking the treatment of osteopathy. If it's nt work then I will try to search an acupancherist near me.
Pls update us abt ur progress.
Best of luck.

 

No problem, will do! I'll be undertaking osteopathy soon as well.

 

I have found that placing ice on back of my neck/front, base of skull, ears, & (bone above ears) jaw line helps with my t.., significantly. My T is a loud white noise,. Similar to a dog whilste., at times) I belive the ice constricts the blood flow, causing my t. I'm currently hoping accupunturist can help lower frequency & sensitivity. Also sitting in saunas & steam saunas help.Vitamins & supplements make my T, worse. I acquired tinitus from a high salt water concentration, entering nose/& irritating/entering ears. White noise app's/you tube videos would help at times.

 

In my opinion, if your T is result of some kind of acoustic trauma then there is likely physical hearing damage, and your brain is trying to compensate. I don't think acupuncture can heal hearing but it can relief stress and anxiety. And for my, S & A are big contributors to my T.