As the lead health and wellness coach at FindItHealth.com, I’m here to discuss how acupuncture can save you from tinnitus. Tinnitus can be debilitating, especially if it is chronic. The duration of tinnitus comes and goes for some, but whenever tinnitus strikes, it can be a major disruption to your daily life, making it difficult to focus or relax.

Whether you’re suffering from subjective tinnitus, sounds heard by you alone, or objective tinnitus, wherein the sounds are loud enough to be heard by an examiner, acupuncture has long-term effects.

Acupuncture For Ringing In The Ears

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Acupuncture is a highly effective treatment for symptoms of tinnitus ringing in the ears in both scientific systematic reviews and anecdotal evidence. 

Treatment for tinnitus involves stimulating critical pressure points with eight to 12 needles. Sessions can be repeated up to eight to 10 times for the best results.

When you visit a traditional Chinese practitioner, the sessions are frequently supplemented with various herbs to increase the body’s vitality and healing ability.

Acupuncture is a traditional Chinese medicine based on the Qi principle. Qi is a vital force that maintains the body’s balance and encourages its natural ability to heal itself. Qi that is blocked or disrupted harms the body and can cause symptoms such as tinnitus. During an acupuncture session, hair-thin needles are inserted into the area of focus to clear blockages in your meridians and restore the flow of Qi. Acupuncture has many benefits, most of which are discussed by beachside acupuncture, a trusted acupuncture treatment center.

Tinnitus Acupuncture Points

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The names, English terms, and locations of the acupuncture points used to treat tinnitus are listed below.

• Tinggong (SI19)/ Auditory Palace: Located in front of the ear
• Ermen (TB21)/ Ear Gate: Located at the anterior to the ear
• Shangguan (GB3)/ Gall Bladder 3: In front of the ear, in the depression directly above the upper border of the zygomatic arch.
• Tinghui (GB2)/ Gall Bladder 2: Located in front of the ear

• Taixi (KI3)/ Supreme Stream: Located between the tip of the medial malleolus and the Achilles tendon.
• Yindu (KI19)/ Yin Metropolis: An abdominal acupuncture point.

• Fengchi (GB20)/ Wind Palace: The junction of the base of the skull and the top of the neck, just lateral to the trapezius muscle tendons
• Zhongzhu (SJ3)/ Middle Islet: Located on the dorsum of the hand, between the 4th and 5th metacarpal bones.

• Hegu (LI4)/ Union Valley: Located between the base of the thumb and the index (pointer) finger on the back of your hand.
• Yanglao (SI6)/ Nursing the Aged: This point is so named because it is frequently stimulated to relieve geriatric symptoms. This point is located on the dorsal aspect of the ulna’s head.

Acupuncture points are located along the cutaneous and subcutaneous meridians, or energy pathways of the body.

Each meridian corresponds to a different organ in the body. Each point is named after where it sits on the meridian.

Treatment of tinnitus with acupuncture stimulation would depend on where your Qi is being disrupted. If your hearing disruption is caused by a kidney or gallbladder imbalance, the Qi pathways in these organs will be stimulated by your acupuncturist. The goal is to improve organ function in order to rid your ears of tinnitus.

But in general, tinnitus acupuncture focuses on ear points.

Side Effects Of Acupuncture For Tinnitus

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Some people report mild side effects following acupuncture sessions, such as the following:

• Nausea
• Dizziness
• Pain or tenderness around the treated areas

If you have any of the following conditions, you should avoid acupuncture completely:

• Pregnant, acupuncture might induce labor
• Implanted with a pacemaker
• Taking blood thinners or having a bleeding disorder

You must have your acupuncture done by a qualified and experienced acupuncturist. If the acupuncture is not done correctly or the needles are not sterile, you may experience side effects or receive sham acupuncture.

Receiving acupuncture from a licensed acupuncturist should reduce the risk of complications because they always use disposable needles. We recommend contacting your state’s board of health to find licensed professionals in your area.

Can Acupuncture Make Tinnitus Worse?

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Acupuncture in and of itself does not make tinnitus worse. 

Acupuncture has been shown in studies to be an effective treatment of patients with tinnitus. Acupuncture can help reduce ringing in the ears in people who have tinnitus symptoms caused by inner ear problems as well as those caused by stress and high blood pressure.

However, acupuncture may not be the best option if you are afraid of needles or find the procedure uncomfortable. If you’re having acupuncture therapy, we recommend that you also reduce lifestyle factors that contribute to tinnitus, such as loud noises, daily stress, alcohol, and smoking.

How Many Acupuncture Sessions are Needed for Tinnitus Relief?

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Ten sessions of manual acupuncture have the greatest therapeutic effects in terms of reducing tinnitus.

In a National Library Of Medicine study protocol, tinnitus noise decreased significantly in the acupuncture group after five to 10 sessions compared to the placebo/ control group.

The inclusion criteria of the participants are as follows: (i) mean age of 49 in cases and 55 years, in the control group, respectively (ii) A VAS score of 9.56±0.43 in cases and  9.54±0.45 in controls, respectively. In both the case and control groups, the sample size is 44 participants.

Tinnitus severity was assessed using the Visual Analog Scale (VAS), which measures pain intensity. In each of the four measurement points, participants’ symptoms were significantly reduced.

The study found no significant difference in acupuncture sessions lasting more than 10 to 15 sessions. Dramatic reductions were observed to occur mainly in the early treatment course.

Frequently Asked Questions

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Does acupuncture work for inner ear problems?

The effectiveness of acupuncture for inner ear problems is well established. 

Tinnitus-related inner ear problems may result from impaired functioning of the inner ear organs used to maintain balance and sense head position. Acupuncture treatment may be beneficial in this case by increasing fluid drainage from the inner ear to the throat area or by stimulating neural activity in this region.

Does acupuncture work for ringing ears?

Yes, acupuncture for treatment of tinnitus patients with ringing in the ears works. 

Acupuncture can be used to treat non-pulsatile chronic tinnitus, also known as ringing in the ears, and is effective in reducing the intensity of tinnitus. Tinnitus is caused in this case by issues with the areas of the brain that process sound. Ringing in the ears may be heard in one or both ears.

In animal and human studies, acupuncture has the following treatment effects for ringing in the ears:

• Acupuncture points stimulate the central nervous system, causing changes and the release of neurotransmitters such as serotonin, oxytocin, and endorphins.
• On MRI, acupuncture has been shown to cause changes in blood flow in multiple brain regions.

Where are the acupuncture points for tinnitus?

The Ermen (TB21), Tinggong (SI19), and Tinghui (GB2)

are considered the best tinnitus acupuncture points and are frequently used by licensed practitioners. Anatomically, these three points are densely packed with blood vessels and nerves, resulting in increased stimulation of the energy pathways.

What is a fast way to heal ringing in the ears?

The following are effective treatment options for reducing ringing in the ears:

• Hearing protection: Prolonged exposure to loud sounds at dangerous decibel levels can harm the nerves in the ears, resulting in hearing loss and severe tinnitus. Wear hearing protection whenever you are exposed to loud machinery, rock concerts, pistols, or shotguns to prevent tinnitus from occuring in the first place.
• Make use of white noise: If you notice ringing in your ears in a quiet environment, try using a white noise machine to mask the unpleasant sounds. If you don’t have a white nose machine, a fan, soft music, or low-volume radio static will suffice.
• Excess earwax should be removed: Tinnitus can be a result of a buildup of earwax in some cases. As a result, removing earwax can solve the problem immediately. But be careful removing earwax by yourself because you might push it deeper into the canal or perforate the eardrum.

Change to a healthier way of life: Tinnitus is frequently caused by an ailing body and is not limited to structural damage in the ear. As a result, it is critical to maintain healthy blood levels and stress management in your life. Excessive consumption of alcohol, caffeine, and nicotine can impair blood circulation and cause tinnitus.

Conclusion – Research by Findithealth.com

Adults with tinnitus comprise 15% to 20% of the population. Tinnitus can be caused by underlying conditions such as hearing loss with age, ear injury, or circulatory system issues. As a result, acupuncture in tinnitus patients would involve inserting needles into other critical areas of the body in addition to the ear.

The self-reported success rate for treating tinnitus among acupuncturists appears to be 40% to 50%. Patients themselves in studies report in the tinnitus handicap inventory that acupuncture makes the sounds quieter or less severe.

Acupuncture is great for improving quality of life and at par with other treatment modalities that tackle chronic pain. The efficacy of acupuncture is attributed to concepts of Qi and energy pathways in Chinese tradition. However, scientific studies point to a variety of causes, including increased neurotransmitter release, ear fluid drainage, and blood flow, all of which promote physical and emotional well-being.