According to the Chinese medicine several physical alments are the result of blockage in the circulation of vital life force in the body. Acupuncture for tinnitus (ringing in the ears) is aimed at freeing the yin (cold life force) in the body. It involves insertion of stainless steel smooth acupuncture needles into specific acupuncture points in the body. This treatment supposedly relieves the blockages of energy at those particular points.

The duration of the treatment can last anywhere from 20 days to several months, depending on your severity of symptoms. The duration of each session varies from minutes to an hour depending on your symptoms.

Clinical studies on acupuncture for tinnitus publish mixed reviews with some studies reporting positive improvement and others reporting no improvement. Experts say that the difference is probably due to the fact that different studies consider different factors. All the mixed information begs for the obvious question – Does acupuncture work for tinnitus?

According to experts, your positive outcome beliefs play a major role in the success of the acupuncture for tinnitus as several studies showed that people who thought they were being treated by acupuncture reported significant improvement than people who knew they were being treated by sham (not real) acupuncture.

Also, several clinical studies came to a common consensus that acupuncture for tinnitus is worth trying as many people showed improvement in their symptoms in the short term, at least for the duration of the treatment. In a follow up after the treatment, researchers found that many people reported no significant improvement. This led researchers to conclude that acupuncture is not an effective treatment for tinnitus in the long term.

But according to many alternative practitioners, acupuncture along with healthy lifestyle changes, can be effective for tinnitus in the long term. Some of the benefits of acupuncture are fast results, mild to rare side effects (when the treatment is implemented by a qualified alternative medicine practitioner). Acupuncture can also be very beneficial and effective, if your condition is a result of stress or anxiety. Also often times your insurance may cover your acupuncture cost.