For a lot of people all over the world, tinnitus is a very frustrating health problem. Sufferers usually get discouraged after visiting doctors many numbers of times and taking a variety of medications that fail to make even a slight improvement of their condition. As a result, more and more of them try alternative forms of treatment and the result is often amazing.
TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine) covers herbal medicine, TCM diagnostic techniques, and acupuncture. TCM practitioners usually include lifestyle and diet modifications to aid patients in resolving several of their health concerns. Most tinnitus patients get well to a form of treatment that incorporates lifestyle changes, herbs, and acupuncture.
It may be hard to explain all of the complex specifics and subtleties of TCM, which has been used for thousands of years in China and parts of East Asia. Basically, TCM is based on the belief that each human being possesses a vital life energy circulating in the body. This vital energy is called chi or qi by the Chinese and it helps to energize all the functions of the body (reproduction, excretion, digestion, hormone secretion, etc.) This chi energy flows along channels in the body called meridians. Sometimes, the flow in the meridians slows down or becomes imbalanced. When this happens, the body manifests symptoms like pain and illnesses.
Besides chi, two other TCM principles in the body need to be also in balance for the body to function normally and healthily. These are function and substance elements of the body referred to as “yin” and “yang” and they symbolize opposite but at the same time complementary forces in the body. Yin is considered the negative force represented by substances that lubricate and moisten the body like synovial and lymphatic fluids, mucus, and blood. Yang is the positive energy and is associated with action (function) including elimination, digestion, peristaltic action, etc. Yin and yang rely on each other very much to maintain good health. An imbalance between these two forces will lead to sickness and symptoms.
One example of yin and yang imbalance is tinnitus. For several individuals, tinnitus is a manifestation of a more profound disharmony that has been gradually and slowly progressing for some time. Some sufferers of tinnitus are usually treated with herbal remedies and acupuncture in Cleveland to nourish the body at a deeper level. Other sufferers may have this condition due to the side effects of certain drugs or after having been exposed to loud noise. In these two cases, acupuncture alone may suffice as a treatment.
Besides resolving the symptoms, TCM addresses the underlying disharmony (imbalance of yin and yang), as well. This approach helps break the cycle of disharmony to help bring back the body to its normal healthy state.
A disharmony known as “yin rising” is one of the most commonly diagnosed patterns of tinnitus. This term means that the fire energy of the patient is flaring upward in the body. And if the yang is rising, the yin energy should then be waning. We call this waning, a “deficiency in yin.” The deficiency of yin and the raging upward of yang can be manifested in a number of symptoms which can include irritability, burning or dry eyes, dizziness, and ringing in the ears. This pattern of disharmony is usually associated with a couple of specific energy systems: the Liver and Kidney meridians. When we refer to the Liver and Kidney meridians, we are not talking about the liver and kidney in the western medical sense of the word, but from the standpoint of Chinese medicine. The Liver and Kidney meridians are the pathways of energy affiliated with these two internal organs. Patients suffering from such imbalances can also manifest other symptoms including night sweats, headaches, poor vision, knee pain, and back ache or pain among many others. A TCM practitioner needs to determine what meridians are affected and needs to come up with a treatment plan designed to restore balance and give the body the ability to heal itself.
All facets of the patient’s health need to be taken into consideration by the practitioner in order to come up with a correct TCM diagnosis. A thorough medical health history of the patient is needed as well as diagnostic methods unique to Chinese medicine in order to see what is out of balance in the system and the proper treatment to correct the imbalance. This may entail the examination of the tongue and the palpation of the pulse of the patient. The tongue can provide information regarding body heat, digestive health and fluid balance of the patient while the pulse will mirror the present state of energy related to the meridians in the body of the patient. All these information will help determine diagnosis and the proper plan of treatment.
Extremely thin (ten time thinner than hypodermic needles) sterilized non-hollow needles are used in acupuncture treatment. These needles are gently inserted into the skin. The thinness of the needles make the treatment a rather safe and painless one. One positive effect of acupuncture treatment is its tendency to help a patient relax. Acupuncture causes the body to naturally respond to the treatment by releasing painkilling neurotransmitters known as enkephalins and endorphins. This makes the person feel relaxed and calm and, of course, help kill pain.
Chinese herbal remedies have ingredients derived from minerals, animals, and/or plants. The practitioner should take into consideration the current drugs the patient is using before he/she dispenses these remedies to the patient.
It’s been more than 4,000 years since Chinese Medicine was first used by ancient practitioners. There is uniqueness in each person’s constitution and this is the factor that explains why people respond to treatment in a different way. There are patients who may quickly respond to a certain treatment while others may need some time before healing takes place. TCM practitioners are aware of each person’s uniqueness and assist each one of them in the journey to self-healing.