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Wait, what? Acupuncture can help relieve or resolve Tinnitus. Yup, not only that, but acupuncture can also help restore function! How? Read on…
Tinnitus can negatively affect one's quality of life and can be challenging to treat as many things can cause it. This blog is packed with information about tinnitus and explores acupuncture as a possible treatment option.
What is Tinnitus?
A condition with a ringing sound in one or both ears without an external source. Tinnitus is a common problem, affecting millions worldwide, especially older adults. Tinnitus can significantly affect the quality of life of anyone who suffers from it. Western medical treatments for tinnitus can be limited and vary in effectiveness. For many people, if the underlying cause is treated tinnitus typically improves. Other treatments can reduce or mask the noise, making tinnitus less noticeable.
Symptoms
Tinnitus is often described as a ringing in the ears, even though no external sound is present. However, many tinnitus sufferers can experience other types of phantom noises in the ears, including:
Buzzing
Hissing
Humming
Roaring
Clicking
Most people with tinnitus have subjective tinnitus, or tinnitus that only they can hear. The noises may vary in pitch from a low roar to a high squeal. In certain cases, the sound can be so loud it interferes with one's ability to concentrate or even get a restful night's sleep.
Tinnitus can be constant, or it may come and go. In rare cases, tinnitus can occur as a rhythmic pulsing or whooshing sound, often in sync with your heartbeat. This is called pulsatile tinnitus. If you have pulsatile tinnitus, your doctor may be able to hear your tinnitus when he or she does an examination. this is known as objective tinnitus. Sometimes tinnitus happens when your blood pressure elevates or at certain times like night time.
How Can Tinnitus Affect One's Life?
Tinnitus affects everyone differently. For some people, tinnitus can significantly affect their quality of life. If you suffer from tinnitus, you may also experience:
Fatigue
Poor quality of sleep
Memory problems
Poor concentration
Depression
Anxiety
Stress
Irritability
Headaches and migraines
Poor balance
Interfere with work
Affect family life
Common Causes of Tinnitus
In many people, tinnitus is caused by one of the following:
Ear infection or ear canal blockage: Your ear canals can become blocked with a buildup of fluid from an ear infection, earwax, dirt, or other foreign materials. A blockage can change the pressure in your ear, causing tinnitus. Severe sinus infections can also travel to the ear and possibly cause ear pain, congestion, and tinnitus.
Hearing loss: Inside your inner ear (cochlea) are tiny, delicate hair cells that move when your ear receives sound waves. When these hairs move they trigger electrical signals along the auditory nerve from your ear to your brain. Your brain interprets these electrical signals as sound. If the hairs inside your inner ear are bent or broken, they can "leak" random electrical impulses to your brain, causing tinnitus. This can be caused by prolonged exposure to loud sounds such as those who worked in construction, nightclub DJs, etc.
Head, neck, upper back, or shoulder injuries: Trauma to any parts of the upper body can affect the inner ear, hearing nerves, or brain function linked to hearing. Such injuries usually cause tinnitus in only one ear.
Muscle spasms in the inner ear: The muscles in the inner ear can tense up causing a spasm, which may result in tinnitus, hearing loss, and ear congestion. This sometimes happens for no explainable reason, but can also be caused by neurologic diseases, including multiple sclerosis (MS).
Temporomandibular joint (TMJ) disorders: Sometimes inflammation on the joint where your lower jawbone meets your skull, can cause tinnitus.
Medications: Some medications may cause or worsen tinnitus. Generally, the higher the dose of these medications, the worse the tinnitus. Often tinnitus disappears once these medications are no longer consumed. Medications known to cause tinnitus include nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and certain antibiotics, cancer drugs, water pills (diuretics), antimalarial drugs, and antidepressants.
Meniere's disease: Tinnitus can be an early indicator of this disease. Meniere's disease is an inner ear disorder that may be caused by abnormal inner ear fluid pressure. This can cause episodes of vertigo or the sensation of spinning.
Eustachian tube dysfunction: The tube in your ear connecting the middle ear to your upper throat is expanded, making your ear feel full.
Ear bone changes: Otosclerosis causes stiffening of the bones in your middle ear which in turn affects hearing and causes tinnitus. This condition is caused by abnormal bone growth and tends to be genetic.
Acoustic neuroma or other head and neck tumors: Acoustic neuroma is a noncancerous (benign) tumor that develops on the cranial nerve that runs from your brain to your inner ear and controls balance and hearing. Other kinds of tumors in the head, neck, or brain can also cause tinnitus.
Cardiovascular disorders: Atherosclerosis, high blood pressure, or kinked or malformed blood vessels can cause blood to move through your veins and arteries with excessive force. These blood flow changes can cause tinnitus or make tinnitus more noticeable.
Other chronic conditions: Diabetes, thyroid problems, migraines, anemia, and autoimmune disorders have all been associated with tinnitus.
Risk Factors
These factors may increase your risk of experiencing tinnitus:
Loud noise exposure: Loud noises, such as those from heavy equipment, chainsaws, demolition, and firearms, are common sources of hearing problems and tinnitus. Excessive use of ear pods, headphones, and ear plugs if played loudly for long periods. People who work in noisy environments, such as construction workers, musicians, factory workers, and soldiers are particularly at risk.
Age: As you age, the number of functioning nerve fibers in your ears declines, possibly causing hearing problems often associated with tinnitus.
Sex: Men are more likely to experience tinnitus.
Tobacco and alcohol use: Smokers and excessive alcohol consumption have a higher risk of developing tinnitus.
Certain health problems: Obesity, cardiovascular problems, high blood pressure, orthostatic hypertension, and a history of arthritis or head injury such as a concussion or car accident all increase your risk of tinnitus.
Prevention
In many cases, tinnitus cannot be prevented. However, some precautions can help prevent tinnitus.
Turn down the volume: Long-term exposure to loud music with no ear protection or listening to music at a very high volume through air pods, earphones, or headphones can cause either hearing loss or tinnitus.
Use hearing protection: Limit your exposure to loud sounds to prevent damage to the nerves in your ears. If you cannot avoid loud sounds, use ear protection to help protect your ears. Especially if you use chainsaws, are a musician, work in construction, work in a factory, or use firearms.
Take care of your cardiovascular health: Regular exercise, eating right, and taking other steps to keep your blood vessels healthy can help prevent tinnitus linked to obesity, high blood pressure, coronary artery disease, and atherosclerosis.
Limit alcohol, caffeine, and nicotine use: Excessive use of these substances, can affect blood flow to the ear and cause tinnitus or make it worse.
Western Medicine Treatment
Ear surgery: Surgery to treat underlying causes such as a tumor or blocked artery.
Sound therapy: Using music or other soothing sounds to distract you and train your brain to ignore the sound from tinnitus, with the aid of white noise machines.
Cognitive behavior therapy: To change how you think and react to your condition.
Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS): Using magnetic waves to reduce symptoms.
Nutrition:
Follow a low-sodium diet to manage high blood pressure
Include fresh fruits and vegetables
Limit caffeine intake as it can trigger or worsen your symptoms
Consult with an Otolaryngologist: A doctor specializing in treating conditions that affect the ears, nose, and throat, as well as head and neck surgery.
How Can Acupuncture Help with Tinnitus?
Acupuncture involves the insertion of single-use, disposable, and thin needles into specific points on the body to stimulate circulation and promote healing. A qualified acupuncturist will select points based on their diagnosis, the location of the symptoms, and the likely root cause. Here’s how it might help those suffering from tinnitus:
Improving Circulation: Poor blood circulation within the inner ear can cause tinnitus. Acupuncture is one of the best ways to enhance blood flow into the inner ear to help heal it.
Inflammation: If inflammation inside the inner ear is causing tinnitus, acupuncture can help the body release natural anti-inflammatories to help reduce the intensity of the symptoms.
Regulating Nerve Function: By stimulating nerves, acupuncture can help modulate the brain’s response to tinnitus, thus making it less noticeable.
Promoting Relaxation: Stress and anxiety are both known to make tinnitus worse. They can cause muscle tension or spasms, slowing down blood into the ears and even elevating blood pressure. Acupuncture is one of the best ways to release endorphins. Endorphins are the body’s natural painkillers and mood enhancers that help promote relaxation and lower blood pressure.
What Does Research Have To Say About Acupuncture for Tinnitus
While the research is ongoing, some studies have shown that treating tinnitus with acupuncture has promising results. However, acupuncture may be more effective for some sufferers than others depending on the severity and underlying cause of the tinnitus.
A Personalized Treatment Approach
A qualified acupuncturist will develop a personalized treatment plan based on the assessment of your symptoms, severity of the tinnitus, overall health history, and response to initial treatments. This plan might involve a combination of different modalities such as Acupuncture, Electro-acupuncture, Chinese Herbal Medicine, Manual Therapy, and Dietary, and Lifestyle Modifications to maximize relief and achieve sustainable lasting improvements.
Integrating Acupuncture with Other Medical Treatments
Acupuncture is safe to integrate with your current medications, lifestyle modifications, and dietary changes, it can even make the treatments more effective.
Conclusion: Acupuncture Can Potentially Help With Tinnitus
For those suffering from tinnitus, acupuncture offers hope to alleviate symptoms, and restore function, and quality of life. If tinnitus affects your quality of life consider acupuncture as a potential treatment option to ease your symptoms and improve your daily life.
Experience The Difference A Personalized Treatment Approach Can Make
Restorative Care Acupuncture & Health has an amazing success rate when treating tinnitus and many other health problems using acupuncture. If you or someone you know needs acupuncture in Miami, make them “aware” that there is help. Contact us today to book an appointment and we will let you know what we can do for you.
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