Tinnitus is a condition of ringing in one or both ears, which cannot be heard by others. Tinnitus may be secondary to underlying conditions including age related hearing loss, ear infections, obstructions in the ear, neck problems or may be a side effect of medications.
It may also be caused by exposure to loud noises over long periods of time. Usually treating these underlying health issues can help tinnitus, but in many cases the cause of tinnitus is unknown and therefore difficult to treat. Acupuncture can help alleviate certain types tinnitus depending on the condition and general health status of a person.
Treating Tinnitus with Acupuncture in NYC
In acupuncture, tinnitus has three major differentiations and is dependent on the quality of the ringing, whether it is high pitch or low pitch. If tinnitus is high pitch this usually relates with the liver channel. In acupuncture theory this may be caused by heat rising, which disturbs the ears.
Usually this type of condition is worse with stress and is accompanied by a feeling of heat in the face, there may be generalized heat in the body as well. If the ringing is positional there may be tension or pain in the jaw or neck and when treated can help alleviate the ringing. Both types of tinnitus are generally easier to treat than the following type relating to the kidney.
Kidney related tinnitus is usually low pitch and may be related with age associated hearing loss. People with this type of tinnitus are generally older. Initially they may have had this type of ringing, which has resulted in a slow decline of hearing. In addition, there may be other associated signs and symptoms such as low back pain and weakness of the knees. If the kidney channels show palpable signs, then the condition has a much greater chance of successful treatment.
In general the outcome will depend on the person’s age, the duration of the condition, and general health of the person. Usually acute conditions respond much better with acupuncture treatment. The heat rising type and positional type usually have better outcomes than kidney deficiency related tinnitus.
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