Reflexology has a positive affect on tinnitus

Tinnitus and deafness are conditions affecting the hearing organs. Tinnitus produces a subjective roaring noise in the ears, and deafness is the impairment or total loss of hearing. Tinnitus is often a preliminary symptom of deafness, and they have the similar pathogenesis and respond to similar treatment. Therefore, they are discussed here in combination.
   
Differential diagnosis:
Excessive type: Tinnitus and deafness of this type are caused by excessive liver and gallbladder fire and a quick onset of accumulation of heat and phlegm. Patients may suffer from deafness, distending and obstructive sensation in ear, and continuous tinnitus like the noise of chirping cicada or tidal roaring, unrelievable by pressing the ear. Patients with excessive liver and gallbladder fire may also have flushed face, dryness in mouth, restlessness, anger, and a wiry pulse.
   
Deficient type: Tinnitus and deafness of this type are caused by deficient kidney essence for nourishing the ears in chronic patients. They may suffer from interrupted tinnitus of low pitch and mild tone, worse when fatigued, reduced by pressing the ear, and accompanied by dizziness, soreness of waist, emission of semen, leukorrhagia, and feeble and thready pulse.
   
Hysterical deafness: This is sudden bilateral deafness without tinnitus, dizziness or disturbance of balance function. Patients may have other symptoms of hysteria caused by mental trauma.
   
These patients may perform self-massage by covering the external ear meatuses with both palms and knocking the occipital region of head with the fingers, and then repeatedly moving the palms away from and back to the meatuses for several minutes, and do the massage every morning and evening.
   
Treatment:
Foot massage: The massage is applied to ear (9), labyrinth (42), head (1), lymph nodes (upper body, 39), lymph nodes (abdomen, 40) and parathyroid gland (13) reflecting areas (Fig. 115).
   
Foot acupuncture:
1) Meridianal acupoints: At Neiting (ST44), Zulinqi (GB41), Diwuhui (GB 42), Xiaxi (GB43), Zuqiaoyin (GB 44), Shenmai (BL62), Jinmen (BL63), Shugu (BL65) and Taixi (KI3) acupoints, a reinforcing acupuncture technique is applied for the deficient type, and a reducing technique is applied for the excessive type. The needles are retained for 20 to 30 minutes.

2) Foot acupoints: At Head and face (FA-P 1), Kidney (FA-P 14) and Vertigo (FA-M 1) acupoints, a gentle stimulation is applied for the deficient type, and a strong stimulation is applied for the excessive type. The needles are retained for 20 minutes.