Auricular Acupuncture Plus Antioxidants in the Treatment of Subjective Tinnitus: A Case Series

Abstract

Background: Subjective tinnitus is the perception of an acoustic sensation that is not audible by other people, without any external sound stimulus. Objective: To assess the benefit of auricular acupuncture and antioxidants on subjective tinnitus. Design: A prospective questionnaire including an 11-point scale of the subjective volume, an 11-point scale of the severity of tinnitus, and the Zung Self-Rating Anxiety Scale were used to assess the response to acupuncture. Patients and Setting: We recruited 13 patients who reported symptoms of tinnitus for 3 to 5 years. We evaluated the patients at 3 times: at baseline, 1 month, and 4 months. The study was carried out during a 10-month period between November 2007 and August 2008 in an outpatient facility in Italy. Intervention: We treated the patients with oral antioxidants and auricular acupuncture 2 times a week, for 4 weeks; each acupuncture session lasted 30 minutes. Main Outcome Measures: The reduction of the subjective volume, of the severity of the tinnitus, and the improvement of the emotional state. Results: From baseline to 1 month, there was a reduction of 4.25 points (t ¼ 0.357; P ¼ .76) of the subjective volume of the tinnitus; a reduction of 5 points (t ¼ 0.544; P ¼ .64) of the severity of the tinnitus; and a reduction of 18.9 points (t ¼ 0.387; P ¼ .74) on the anxiety scale. No variation was registered between months 1 and 4, but patients reported improved sleep. Conclusions: Auricular acupuncture plus oral antioxidants nonsignificantly reduced the noise and the intensity of subjective tinnitus in this cohort. Larger trials including randomized treatment are needed to confirm this outcome.