Acupuncture and herbal medicine are effective treatment options for hearing loss. Although many patients may have their questions or doubts, results and research have shown it to be a natural and helpful treatment not only for hearing loss but other hearing issues as well such as tinnitus. Research is ongoing for acupuncture treatment of a multitude of conditions, not least of which is hearing loss and evidence indicates positive results. It is important to know as providers to know that not all hearing loss is the same, and we must determine where the hearing loss stems from to provide the best treatment.
Acupuncture for Hearing Loss
In TCM, hearing loss is linked to an imbalance of Yin and Yang that create blockages in the flow of Qi within the body.
Hearing loss is usually connected to one or more of these diagnostic patterns:
- Blood Stagnation
- Liver Yin Deficiency
- Kidney Yin Deficiency
Although these are the more common TCM diagnosis when it comes to hearing loss, there are many others that it could potentially be. Acupuncture treatment has been found to enhance hearing, and in fact, there are even some reports dating back to the 1940’s that acupuncture treatment actually cured deafness and tinnitus. Truth be told, back at that time, results weren’t as concrete as they are in the modern-day world. Fortunately, acupuncture for hearing loss has also been studied currently.
Hearing loss can be broken down into 2 categories; sensorineural and conductive.
- Sensorineural Hearing Loss – this is caused by malfunctions within the cilia which are responsible for transporting the electrical energy to the brain.
- Conductive – this is caused by blocks in the areas of the ear which transfer mechanical energy into the cochlea.
In so many patients, there have been unexplained hearing loss, and in fact, most cases are indeed idiopathic, and only around 10-15% of hearing loss patients have a known cause.
Acupuncture Points for Hearing Loss:
- SI19 – useful for deficiency deafness and tinnitus
- TE18 – deafness/tinnitus
- TE17 – ear problems
- TE21 – deafness/tinnitus
- SJ3 – important for treating ear issues
- GV20 – tinnitus
- ST8 – tinnitus
- SI6 – deafness/tinnitus
- SI19 – deafness/hearing loss/tinnitus
- SI9 – deafness/tinnitus
- ST7 – hearing issues/deafness/tinnitus/ear pain
Herbs/Herbal Formulas for Hearing Loss:
- Jiu Jie Chang Pu – deafness/tinnitus, opens orifices and transforms Phlegm.
- Er Long Zuo Ci Wan – unclogs the ears, good for temporary hearing loss or trouble hearing, and tinnitus.
- Shi Chang Pu – deafness, opens orifices, quiets spirit, and vaporizes Phlegm.
- Long Dan Cao – sudden deafness, drains damp-heat from the Gallbladder and Liver channels.
Although it does occur more often as we age, being most common in adults between 40 and 50 years old, it can occur at any age. The good news is that sudden hearing loss shown improvement in recent research with acupuncture.
Acupuncture Research for Hearing Loss
1. Efficacy and Safety of Acupuncture Therapy for Nerve Deafness, 2015:
- The goal of this analysis was to study the safety and efficacy of acupuncture for nerve deafness when compared with conventional medicine methods. Multiple databases were utilized including PubMed, the Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure Database, the Chinese Science and Technology Periodical Database, and more. Within these databases, randomized controlled trials were pulled and reviewed.
- These studies totaled 527 patients being assessed for acupuncture for nerve deafness. It was found that acupuncture was notably more efficient than conventional western medication, and acupuncture combined with western medication was better than western medication alone.
- The analysis concluded that acupuncture “can significantly improve the hearing of patients with nerve deafness, and the efficacy of acupuncture in combination with medication is superior than medication alone.”
2. Acupuncture for the Treatment of Sudden Sensorineural Hearing Loss, 2019:
- The goal of this review was to measure the clinical efficacy of acupuncture for managing sudden sensorineural hearing loss. Multiple databases were utilized including PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, and more. Random controlled trials were analyzed in the treatment of SSNHL with acupuncture.
- 20 randomized controlled trials met the criteria for inclusion in this review, and there were groups of electroacupuncture, manual acupuncture plus western medicine, and electroacupuncture plus western medicine. The electroacupuncture plus western medicine group was shown to have the best results when compared to western medicine alone, however, all of the acupuncture groups showed improvement over western medicine alone.
- The conclusion of this study was that acupuncture was found to be “a valid treatment option for SSNHL, especially for patients who could not be cured by drugs alone.” More research is needed.
3. Neuropuncture, An Effective Treatment Method for Patients with Subjective Tinnitus Accompanied with Hearing Loss, 2021:
- The purpose of this study was to launch an acupuncture method based on neurophysiology to treat tinnitus combined with hearing loss. This treatment is said to work by “targeting the greater auricular nerve, trigeminal nerve, cervical plexus, and auditory cortex to neuromodulate, neurorehabilitate, and neuroregulate the nervous system and repair nerve damage.”
- There were 3 case studies involved in this based on various factors. Electroacupuncture protocols were utilized with multiple frequencies including both micro and millicurrent stimulation.
- These case studies showed that the neuropuncture method was “an effective treatment for patients with acute and chronic subjective tinnitus and hearing loss. Results showed reduction of tinnitus and partial restoration of hearing loss.”
4. Development of Chinese Herbal Medicine for Sensorineural Hearing Loss, 2024:
- The goal of this research was to evaluate Chinese Herbal medicine for hearing loss, as western medicine has yet to find an effective therapeutic drug for hearing loss. Herbal medicine has also shown a curative effect for hearing loss in China with higher safety and decreased cost in comparison with western medicine.
- Multiple herbs were researched in depth to explain their molecular mechanisms of action to make way for additional and further research off effective treatments for hearing loss.
- It was concluded that Chinese Herbal Medicine has made great strides in the treatment and prevention of sensorineural hearing loss providing evidence for clinical application, and researchers “expect to see exciting breakthroughs in the near future.” In regards to the development of Chinese Herbal Medicine for hearing loss’ mechanism of action.
Across the globe, about 20% of the world’s population suffers with some type of hearing loss, which is more than 1.5 billion people worldwide. Around 466 million of those people have disabling hearing loss and 34 million of them are children. The truth is that hearing loss is to be expected on some level as we age, but there are many people who suffer from hearing loss long before they should, and some, in theory can be preventable though treatment early on with acupuncture.
In fact, according to The House Institute Foundation dedicated to the research, education, and implementation of hearing health, “60% of childhood hearing loss could be prevented by awareness and public health measures.” Acupuncture could be part of the solution for hearing health, and helping western medicine find natural path for those suffering from hearing loss.