Abstract
Background:
Tinnitus is defined as the perception of sounds without physical or external acoustic sources. Treatment methods for tinnitus include psychological and pharmacological therapy; some have disturbing side effects. Acupuncture is another treatment method with minimal adverse effects to return to a homeostatic state. It has been reported that acupuncture can immediately decrease both the hard and tingling quality of tinnitus, resulting in a meaningful improvement in quality of life and better sleep.
Case:
A 45-year-old male presented with complaints of ringing in both ears and diminished auditory perception in the left ear characterized by a rumbling noise. The Tinnitus Handicap Inventory (THI) score of 34 indicated mild tinnitus. An audiometry examination revealed moderate hearing loss in the left ear. The patient was diagnosed with bilateral tinnitus and moderate left ear hearing loss.
Methods:
Manual acupuncture therapy was performed twice per week for 12 sessions at the following points: TE21, SI19, GB2, GB3, TE17, LI4, and KI3 bilaterally. This case report introduces a special technique, single needle through multiple points (SNMP), which penetrates through TE21-SI19-GB2 and GB3-SI19.
Results:
After 12 sessions of acupuncture therapy, the patient’s THI score decreased from 34 to 0, and a subsequent audiometry examination showed normal hearing in both ears.
Conclusions:
This case report demonstrates that SNMP acupuncture therapy could alleviate tinnitus symptoms with no observed side effects. Furthermore, investigation into acupuncture therapy for tinnitus is warranted. Further pragmatic trials are needed to confirm the efficacy and safety of the proposed treatment.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.