Tinnitus, a medical phenomenon, usually refers to a person who experiences a continuous or intermittent sound from the ear in the absence of an external sound source. This sound can take many forms, from the subtle sound of a cicada to the roar of a tidal wave. In some cases, patients may experience this sound in both ears or in only one ear.
Tinnitus is not uncommon, in fact it is a common condition that can be triggered by a variety of factors. For example, high blood pressure, anemia, a weakened nervous system, or certain lesions in the ear canal can trigger tinnitus. Sometimes, the specific cause of tinnitus is still difficult to determine despite a thorough medical examination.
Because tinnitus can cause long-term hearing damage, it should be taken seriously by patients and medical professionals. In the view of traditional Chinese medicine, the occurrence of tinnitus is related to insufficient liver and kidney function. Traditional Chinese medicine theory believes that the deficiency of the liver and kidney will affect the normal function of the ear, so in the case of tinnitus, Chinese medicine may take some methods to tonify the liver and kidney to relieve the symptoms of tinnitus.
In traditional Chinese medicine, tinnitus and deafness are often considered to be closely related to the health of the liver, gallbladder, heart and kidneys. According to the theory of traditional Chinese medicine, the human body has 12 major meridians, many of which are directly connected to the ear, such as the gallbladder meridian, stomach meridian, small intestine meridian and bladder meridian. Traditional Chinese medicine believes that the ear is the outer orifice of the kidney, and the kidney meridian leads directly to the ear, while the heart qi and gallbladder meridians also have a direct connection with the ear. Since the liver and gallbladder are interrelated, problems with the liver and gallbladder may affect hearing.
Mood swings also have a significant impact on ear health. For example, some people may temporarily become "deaf" when they are emotionally agitated, which is explainable in TCM theory. Usually, short-tempered people tend to have a strong liver fire, and this emotional outburst can lead to tinnitus or sudden deafness. This is because the liver fire is too hot and the liver yang is hyperactive, which disturbs the clean function of the ears. Episodes of tinnitus and deafness tend to change with mood swings, and symptoms may worsen when mood is high.
In this case, TCM recommends several ways to alleviate the symptoms: first, to clear the liver and relieve the fire, to reduce the overactive state of the liver; The second is to open the depression and the same body, that is, to relieve the stagnation in the body, so that the qi and blood can flow smoothly; Finally, there is self-cultivation, which is to control emotions, especially irritable emotions, to avoid further damage to hearing.
Tinnitus is a common disease with many causes, including irregular eating habits, lack of adequate sleep, and excessive stress, all of which may lead to disorders in the function of the body's internal organs. From the perspective of traditional Chinese medicine, the causes of tinnitus can be divided into two types: "virtual" and "real". Among them, the empirical type is usually caused by the invasion of external wind evil, phlegm-dampness and internal knots, or stagnation of liver qi. The deficiency syndrome type mostly occurs when the spleen and stomach function are weakened, the qi and blood are insufficient, or the nephrone element is insufficient.
In particular, TCM believes that the kidneys are closely related to the ears. When the kidney essence is insufficient, it cannot effectively promote the rise of yang energy, resulting in the loss of warmth and nourishment of the clear body of the ear, which causes tinnitus. However, tinnitus is not only caused by the deficiency of kidney essence, but also other disorders of visceral functions such as liver qi stagnation, weakness of the spleen and stomach, and lack of heart and blood. According to clinical data, only a small percentage of tinnitus patients are caused by renal insufficiency.
Other organs are also involved in tinnitus. For example, the invasion of external evils may damage the lung meridians, causing blockage of the meridians in the ears, which can cause tinnitus. In the heart, excessive heart fire may disturb the clear body and lead to tinnitus. Stagnation in the liver may also affect the veins in the ear, causing tinnitus. The spleen, as the foundation of nurture, is the source of qi and blood, and a weak spleen qi not only cannot effectively transport water and dampness, resulting in water dampness spreading to the ear orifices, but also may not be fully nourished in the ears due to insufficient production of qi and blood, which eventually causes tinnitus.