Acupuncture Effective For Treating Hearing Loss
Acupuncture improves hearing for
patients with hearing loss. Research published in the International Journal
of Clinical and Experimental Medicine finds acupuncture effective for the
treatment of nerve related deafness. This type of sensorineural deafness is
hearing loss due to auditory nerve damage. The researchers, Jiang et al.,
conclude that acupuncture “can significantly improve the hearing of patients
with nerve deafness, and the efficacy of acupuncture in combination with
medication is superior to medication alone.”
Conventional medical treatments
include cochlear implants, vasodilator medications, vitamin therapies, and
steroids. In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), both acupuncture and herbal
medicines are used in the treatment of sensorineural hearing loss and deafness.
The research finds acupuncture significantly more effective than medications.
Acupuncture was also found more effective than than Er Long Zuo Ci Wan. This is
a significant finding given that the herbal formula Er Long Zuo Ci Wan has been
used in TCM for the treatment of hearing disorders for centuries and has also
been found effective for the treatment of hearing related disorders in modern
research.
Er Long Zuo Ci Wan contains the
following herbal medicines:
- Magnetitum (Ci Shi)
- Radix Rehmanniae Preparata (Shu Di Huang)
- Fructus Corni Officinalis (Shan Zhu Yu)
- Cortex Moutan Radicis, Paeonia Suffruticosa (Mu Dan Pi)
- Rhizoma Dioscoreae Oppositae (Shan Yao)
- Sclerotium Poriae Cocos (Fu Ling)
- Rhizoma Alismatis Orientalis (Ze Xie)
- Radix Bupleuri Chinensis (Chai Hu)
Qiu et al. investigation the effects
of Er Long Zuo Ci Wan and discovered that it reduces ototoxicity due to
gentamicin consumption. Gentamicin is an antibiotic used in the treatment of
gram-negative bacterial infections but has ototoxic and nephrotoxic properties.
Qiu et al. also discovered that Er Long Zuo Ci Wan demonstrates protective
effects on succinate dehydrogenase (SDH) in cochlear hair cells. Chen et al.
note that hair cell loss correlates to hearing loss and SDH activity within
cochlear hair cells and is a marker of cellular dysfunction and subsequent loss
of auditory sensitivity. Together, these findings suggest that Er Long Zuo Ci
Wan may have otoprotective properties. Additional research by Wang et al. suggests
that Er Long Zuo Ci Wan may reduce chronic tinnitus.
The research points to the need for
a comparison of the long and short-term effects of acupuncture and herbal
medicine on hearing restoration. Jiang et al. find acupuncture able to prevent
hearing loss to a greater degree than Er Long Zuo Ci Wan. Studies measuring the
effects of acupuncture, Er Long Zuo Ci Wan, and acupuncture combined with Er
Long Zuo Ci Wan over a period of several years are needed to determine the
auditory effects over the long-term.
Jiang et al. cite limitations to
their acupuncture research. The researchers note that the small sample sizes of
the 12 trials accepted into the meta-analysis limit the investigation. They add
that additional studies are needed that make use of larger sample sizes. They
add that the additional research will help to “verify the efficacy of
acupuncture treatment of nerve deafness.” The researchers conclude, “the result
of the meta-analysis shows that acupuncture may effectively improve the hearing
conditions of patients with nerve deafness...”
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%.
Acupuncture was applied to the
following acupoints:
- TB17 (Yifeng)
- GB2 (Tinghui)
- SJ21 (Ermen)
- SI19 (Tinggong)
- LU7 (Lieque)
- GB43 (Xiaxi)
- SJ3 (Zhongzhu)
- LR3 (Taichong)
- GB40 (Qiuxu)
The source of the report is here.
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