Acupuncture for Tinnitus

This is so true, the quality of and the methods used by Acupuncturists, Physiotherapists and Chiropractors vary so widely that it is difficult to make blanket statements about their efficacy in regards to tinnitus. I'm going of my third session of Acupuncture today. At the end of the session she places press tacks on several points around the ear so I can continue to stimulate these areas for up to 3 days after treatment. I've never had anyone do this before and I feel it is helping the outcome . After each session my T seems to be reduced by about 50 percent for the rest of the day.
http://www.amazon.com/Acuzone-Press-Tacks-100pcs-box/dp/B004RHJ4IQ

 

We have here Chinese acupuncture old doctor. To my friend he cure hands that have calcified itself to a point that he could not move them. 3 moths Chinese doc needed to fix them, in 5 they were totally. He have Chinese people living close buy in Bosnia and very good doc. 20 euro treatment.

 

Acupuncture is just another stupid thing to try for Tinnitus! Heck, it did nothing for my Tinnitus

 

this was posted earlier....I think it could use some fresh discussion...http://www.healthcmi.com/Acupunctur...-moxibustion-effective-for-tinnitus-new-study

 

should we believe this?


http://www.healthcmi.com/Acupunctur...upuncture-effective-for-treating-hearing-loss

 

no but it may subjectively decrease the missing feeling. its like hypnosis. that could work against tinnitus too, but its not an actual improvement of the problem. it just makes you believe you dont have a problem. still acupuncture could help people that have hearing problems due to mental issues like stress or trauma due to the relief that can be achieved by the treatment.

 

My guess would be no.

I've been treated with acupuncture on and off for the past 10+ years for low back pain, and for that it has been a useful way to get some relief without taking meds. (It's my understanding that acupuncture also has been shown to have some level of efficacy for myofascial pain, osteoarthritis, carpal tunnel syndrome, tennis elbow, some forms of neck pain, menstrual cramps and nausea.)

My acupuncturist knew all about my hearing loss (first diagnosed back in '06) and never suggested that her specialty might offer some benefit in that regard. She's a huge believer in what she does (travels often to the Far East for additional study and training, etc.) and I'm sure she would have started poking me in all sorts of out-of-the-way places if she thought it was in her power to restore some of my hearing.

 

I'm terrified of needles, so sadly I can't try it haha

 

The last paragraph of the article has a very positive statement, it reads as follows: "In a related study, researchers conclude that acupuncture combined with ginger moxibustion benefits patients with tinnitus. Researchers applied acupuncture and ginger moxibustion to 34 patients with intractable tinnitus. The total therapeutic effective rate was 91.18%."

 

that's 31 out of 34 participants that benefited from the trial or study....impressive for sure!! Substantial, who knows.

 

I may try it, does it hurt much?

 

Depends on the practitioner, the type of needles and the place where the needles are placed.

In my experience, Japanese-style needles are much finer, almost hair-like. The Chinese-style needles I've been poked with are much larger. Not surprisingly, all else equal the Japanese-style needles are less likely to hurt.

There are different approaches to acupuncture as well. Some Chinese-style practitioners I've experience with really slam those needles home, looking for a big initial "response." Others, like mine, use the fine needles and then stimulate the points of entry after the needles are already in place, which is less intense than ramming the needles home to begin with. In either case, once all of the needles are in place the acupuncturist leaves the room for 30-45 minutes and you chill out listening to some relaxing music while the treatment does its thing; at that point, you aren't going to feel any pain. (Well, 95% of the time anyway ... once in a while a particular spot will hurt or throb a little, but no biggie. That's my experience at least.)

Also, some locations on the body are just more sensitive than others and you're going to feel it to some extent no matter which needle is used and who is placing it there. For me, some spots on my feet and hands are particularly tender, but it varies from person to person.

So, those are some of the basics.

 

Well, I couldn't handle blood test let alone loads of needles on my back....Grrrrr my low pain tolerance. Thanks for the information!

 

It's way less invasive than a blood test needle, Danny Boy. The acu needles are just barely inserted compared to that. You can always try it once to see for yourself; if it's too much for you then cross it off your list.

 

I may try it! Thanks for your help buddy.

 

No worries. Good luck. (Ask for moxibustion ... smells like pot but isn't ... might ease the needle pain for you haha.)

 

Haha, I will. Cheers mate!

 

I think it would depend a lot on "why" you have hearing loss. If you have dead hair cells, I don't see this helping.

Subjectively, I have noticed a few times that during meditation, my ears will "open up" and my hearing threshold clearly improves. This makes me think it's neuromuscular, and some kind of tension in my TMJ region, is artifically making things sound muffled.

So, I can certainly believe that acupuncture could be at least as efficacious as meditation in this regard.

 

Did you try to get treatment for TMJ?

 

I don't know if we should believe anything advertised for hearing loss or tinnitus. BUT, as I work towards cleansing my body my way, it's on my list of things to do. There are various forms of acupuncture and I live with someone who knows the difference. I will be going not for hearing improvement (that's impossible). Rather, I am going for getting back my body that existed 15 years or so ago - probably also impossible. I also know one session is worthless and I have to go several or more times. With a local clinic, it's doable.

I can't knock Eastern treatments because they've been used for likely thousands of years. I live in a mecca of holistic approaches to healing. Since my background is in computers, it's a bit flippy and I've seen really positive results from cranio-sacral therapy - not my bag but I have seen the results.

I'll let y'all know about the pain level. At the very least, I'll likely be so focused on the needles going into me, the tinnitus may go into the background. Whatever works is fine with me.

DB - What LifesABeach said . I've seen my partner get it and the only thing is, unless you're totally freaked out by it, once is not enough. If it is, I'll let you know. Also, don't take anything to lessen your fear (I wanted to but was told it would mask what's going on and that I believe). Save calming stuff for a dentist?

I'm absolutely not looking for a cure. I am looking for fog/dead brain relief and to strengthen parts of my body. I saw what it did to our cat named Mouse many years ago. She melted (in a good way) when she got acupuncture. Without my witnessing it, I would've believed it.

 

Well, with regard to tinnitus and hyperacusis I tried acupuncture in Bangkok twice, in 2007 and 2013 (after "stage 3" jump up in T+H, and "stage 4" jump up in T+H...see my Profile if want details of that).

The acupuncturist I saw I consider to be one of the finest in the world perhaps. I have tried half a dozen over the years, but "unique healers/doctors" stand out in whatever field they are in. This guy was simply an amazing human being and also an incredibly proficient acupuncturist/oriental medicine practitioner. Not one iota of a doubt.

Results were very minor to none, though perhaps some small help with H. No help re the hearing loss within the "tinnitus zone" as far as I could tell, but no audiogram to evaluate that for conclusive proof.

If you have time on your hands and want to know the "story" of the first visit (I did not write up the second visit in 2013) and just how darn real (intense/frightening/whole hog) the treatment was v. what I have experienced in the USA - even from Chinese practitioners, here's the link. Warning...it's long! It's a story too.

https://www.tinnitustalk.com/thread...s-—-treatment-protocols.322/page-2#post-28998

Best, Zimichael

 

Acupuncture to T is a joke. They keep treating for gastrointestinal problems. May be 1000 years ago, T could have been for such issues, but today it is nothing but a joke. Sadly this doesn't come with a money-back guarantee.

 

I can't stand blood work, however my last tattoo took 25? hours. Weird how that work.

Anytime I need to have blood drawn I always tell the person doing it I need to lay down before we start... Even holding my son, if hes getting blood drawn it bothers me. So weird. so mental.

 

About a month ago I started having PT. The anxiety I had was so high when the pulsing started, I was in sheer panic mode thinking something horrible was happening to me.

A friend of mine recommended Acupuncture for anxiety. I have been 3 times (once a week for 3 weeks), and although the pulsing is still there my anxiety hugely reduced and I feel a lot better in general. Definitely recommend it for anxiety/depression.

I am super sensitive and scared of needles. I was terrified the first visit, but once the needles are inserted there is no pain. You are aware they are there but your body just relaxes. Taking them out does not hurt at all.

 

Hi Danielle85, I'm glad you've found some relief for your anxiety even though you still have pulsing in your ears. I've heard a few people in this forum talk about acupuncture. Maybe it didn't fix their T, but it helped them relax some. Something that sounds like it might be worth a try for me. Thanks for your post....... God Bless.... Rich

 

Whoops. Sorry, meant to quote @Danielle85 and respond:

Great that you got some benefit from acupuncture. I've gotten some benefit with low back pain (I tested on and off with treatment and it seemed pretty clear to me that acupuncture was working, but it obviously wasn't a scientific study) and my wife got similar benefit re: neck pain.

I wish it worked with T and or H and or hearing loss, but that's not been my experience.

If it works and doesn't have negatives ... keep doing it!

 

Been doing acupunture for 7 months now, with no real positive results, for my T. I also take a combination of Chinese herbs, which seem to lower my T slightly.

I will probably diminish and finally stop my treatments in a month or so.

Sailboardman

 

Has anyone tried acupressure? (for tinnitus or anything else).

I've been looking at it on and off recently, and it's quite interesting. According to one book I read, it's something that is relatively safe to do on oneself because the effects are relatively short-lasting, so even if you make a mistake, you are unlikely to do any permanent damage. And of course, if you do it yourself, the treatment is free.

I've been collecting some books about it (there seem to be quite a few), lowish cost on Am. marketplace. Some are better explained than others. the only one I found specifically for tinnitus was not very well explained, so I've put it aside for now, although it might make more sense later on when I know more about the subject.

I've had some minor successes with things like headaches, and I also found some acupressure-type videos on Youtube for helping t clear sinuses which seemed helpful.

Even if it doesn't help tinnitus directly, getting rid of or relief from minor aches and pains and irritants, or boosting energy might help to make T more bearable.