Treatment of Deafness-Tinnitus by Traditional Chinese Acupuncture

There are two essential causes:

1. The Wood (Liver, Gall Bladder) changes into Fire because there is an obstruction of the Energetic circulation. The Fire reaches the upper parts of the body and releases itself at the level of the ears; hence, humming and buzzing; and with a more advanced stage, deafness.

2. The internal Wind (Wind-Spring-Liver) upsurges because of a renal insufficiency (Water fails to submerge the Wood) and becomes violently agitated. The Wind becoming agitated is transformed into Fire, which also reaches the upper parts of the body and provokes tinnitus or deafness according to the strength or weakness of the Ancestral Energy (from the Kidneys).

Tinnitus: It can show signs of emptiness or fullness. If resting the finger against the ear and the tinnitus diminishes in intensity, it is a sign of emptiness; for the contrary case it denotes fullness.

Deafness: If the deafness is sudden and unexpected it is owed to fullness; if it arrives slowly and in stages, it is a sign of emptiness.

The etiological treatment consists essentially in making the Energy circulate in order to prevent the Wood from transforming into Fire, and to strengthen the Kidney Energy in order to soothe the internal Fire.

Fullness: Stimulate the points GB-2 (Ting Hui), TB-17 (Yi Fung), TB-3 (Chung Chu), GB-43 (Hsia Hsi). According to the case add SI-19 (Ting Kung), TB-21 (Erh Men), TB-5 (Wai Kuan), LI-4 (Ho Ku), GB-41 (Tsu Lin Chi).

Emptiness: Stimulate the preceding points in tonification and add UB-23 (Shen Shu) and St-36 (Tsu San Li).