Controlled studies find acupuncture an effective modality for the treatment of vertigo. Clinical data documents positive patient outcomes and scientific measurements demonstrate improved blood flow in the brain.

Acupuncture alleviates vertigo. Researchers at Liaoning University of Traditional Chinese Medicine conclude that acupuncture is effective for the treatment of vertigo. Researchers from Jianghan University find electroacupuncture combined with ultrasound therapy is an effective treatment protocol for the treatment of vertigo. In addition, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine (Yueyang Hospital) researchers conclude that acupuncture regulates cerebral blood flow thereby alleviating vertigo due to cerebral circulation insufficiency.

The investigation by Ren et al. at Liaoning University of Traditional Chinese Medicine investigated the effects of two micro-acupuncture systems for the relief of vertigo: scalp acupuncture, eye acupuncture. Scalp acupuncture primarily involves transverse needling techniques and is often used for the treatment of neurological disorders and many other conditions. Eye acupuncture is a micro-acupuncture system involving needling of the outer eye socket region. Qin et al. note that this micro-acupuncture system is used for the treatment of disorders including "cerebrovascular disease, pain, neurological disorders, and mental disease." Ren et al. add that supportive research demonstrates that eye acupuncture improves blood circulation in the vertebrobasilar arterial system.

Ren et al. comment that scalp and eye acupuncture were chosen for their investigation because they require few acupoints, have a rapid onset of therapeutic actions, and have a track record of success for the treatment of neurological disorders. The focus of the study was on the relief of vertigo due to deficiency of qi, blood, and yang. In their investigation, the total effective rate for the relief of vertigo was 96.7%. Based on the data, Ren et al. conclude that scalp and eye acupuncture are effective for the relief of vertigo.

The investigation by Huang et al. at Jianghan University employed a combination of electroacupuncture and ultrasound for the treatment of vertigo. Their focus was on the efficaciousness of this combined therapy for the treatment of vertigo due to posterior circulation ischemia from dysfunction of the vertebrobasilar arterial system. In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) terms, the researchers investigated the efficacy of acupuncture’s ability to improve qi and blood circulation and dredge the meridians for the alleviation of vertigo.

Electroacupuncture combined with ultrasound therapy achieved a 94.29% total effective rate. As a standalone therapy, electroacupuncture achieved a 68.57% total effective rate. Using only ultrasound, the researchers achieved a 71.43% total effective rate. Based on the data, the researchers conclude that a combination of electroacupuncture and ultrasound therapies achieves superior patient outcomes over using either modality as a standalone therapy.

References:
Ren YY & Wang PQ. (2015). Clinical Observation of Eye Acupuncture and Scalp Acupuncture in the Treatment of Vertigo for 30 Cases. Guangming Journal of Chinese Medicine. 30(10).

Huang LM, Wei RX, Chen XL, Yu JL & Yang QP. (2014). Curative efficacy of dynamic ultrasound combined with electric acupuncture for vertigo. Chinese Journal of Rehabilitation. 29(5).

Jin, N. & Zong, L. (2015). Comparative Study by TCD on the Realtime Effect of Scalp Cluster Acupuncture versus Nape Cluster Acupuncture for Vertigo Due to Cerebral Circulation Insufficiency. Shanghai Journal of Acupuncture and Moxibustion.
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W. Qin and C. X. Wang, "The progress of eye acupuncture in clinical and experimental research in the recent 5 years," Chinese Journal of Information on TCM, vol. 18, no. 5, pp. 105–106, 2011.

Zhang Y, Chen X, Wang X, et al. (2011). A clinical epidemiological study in 187 patients with vertigo. Cell Biochem Biophys. 59(2): 109-112.