You just want to get the ringing to stop so you can get some peaceful sleep. Those with tinnitus (ear ringing) often hear the sound more at night when other ambient sounds are not drowning out this inner noise pollution. And it’s so frustrating! Our nervous system irritated right at the time we need to be relaxing into a restorative slumber. As we lie awake stressing over not sleeping, we may be asking ourselves, why are my ears ringing? How can I overcome this? Holistically?
The word tinnitus comes from the Latin word “tinnire” which means “to ring or tinkle”. There can be a variety of sounds we hear with this condition: ringing, clicking, roaring, swooshing or buzzing like a cicada. The sound can be soft or very loud. It can be in one ear or both. It can be heard infrequently or constantly.
The healing process for tinnitus involves reducing inflammation of the ear canal and surrounding tissues, improving micro-circulation to the ears and preventing damage to the periaucular nerve. The first signs of progress in treatment that I’ve witnesses in treating this issue, is that patients notice the volume changes to a quieter sound, or that the frequency of their tinnitus becomes less often or lasts for shorter periods of time. Treatment has lasting results. Detailed research results show that neuro-acupuncture targeting the auditory cortex and C2 spinal nerve with gentle electrical stimulation had lasting effects with numerous patients having none or only mild tinnitus at the one-year follow-up.
It can be helpful to know that tinnitus isn`t a disease on it`s own, but a symptom of an underlying condition. Eastern medicine describes three main causes of tinnitus:
- Liver/Gall Bladder channel dysfunction, commonly Heat (inflammation) affecting either or both channels
- Damp-Phlegm Obstruction of the channels of the ear
- Kidney System Deficiency
The Liver/Gall Bladder pattern typically has a high-pitched ring that is triggered or made worse from stress, and especially frustrating situations such as driving in heavy traffic. The tongue may have reddish sides or upward-curled sides indicating Heat or inflammation of the Liver/Gall Bladder. The pulse may be wiry or taut. Acupuncture in this case will have the goal of opening the Gall Bladder channel that runs through the ear area, balancing and cleaning Heat in the Liver/Gall Bladder systems which will also help reduce anger reactions that can show up with Liver/Gall Bladder imbalances, reducing inflammation and calming the nervous system. Avoiding substances that are hard on the liver and gall bladder such as alcohol and both recreational and pharmaceutical drugs will also help the healing process.
Damp-Phlegm Obstructions happen when there is a build-up of fluid in the head which then congeals into Phlegm that blocks the passageways through the ear canal leading to tinnitus and possibly a loss of hearing. Damp-Phlegm Obstruction can often happen as a result of a head cold or ear infection. A long-standing Phlegm Obstruction can cause local inflammation of the ear area. The tongue is often wet or sticky, the pulse may be slippery or hard to feel. Acupuncture in this case will have the goal of resolving Phlegm in the head as well as opening the channels running through the entire ear area to clear the blockages and reducing any consequential inflammation.
With a Kidney System Deficiency pattern, the sound will typically be low-pitched or like the sound of a cicada. The person will generally feel tired. The tongue may have a depression at the root or the coating at the root of the tongue may be either peeled or too thick, corresponding to a Yin or Yang deficiency respectively in the Kidney system. The pulse will typically be weak at the Kidney position, and it may also be weak on all positions which can happen after a long period of illness. This type of tinnitus will take longer to resolve because the Kidney system operates as the body’s energetic savings account. When other organ systems become depleted they borrow from the Kidney’s reserves, so these reserves have to be built back up. This type of tinnitus will require more treatments to reduce the ringing sound and so it will take more time to see results. Thankfully, with electrical acupuncture using modern high voltage devices I can get quite a lot of energy into the Kidney system, and more quickly than what would have been possible even just a few years ago.
The ears fall under the jurisdiction of the Kidney system in Eastern medicine. As such, the kidney system will be treated in most cases regardless of the other patterns present. Kidney issues tend to show up in the second half of life because in Eastern medicine the Kidney system governs the ageing process in general. Graceful ageing is a sign of good Kidney energy. Slowing or preventing age-related conditions is done with acupuncture targeting the Kidney system, especially using electrical acupuncture on the Kidney channel.
Are you feeling stressed and not sleeping well because of ringing in your ears? If you or a loved one are feeling frustrated and sleep-deprived living with this please reach out at 519-800-4903. Let’s talk about getting you or your loved one relief soon.
Yours in health,
Cynthia McGilvray, R.Ac.